Featured Interview With Dr. Phyllis Pobee

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m Dr. Phyllis Pobee, a triple-board-certified genetic weight loss physician, author, and founder of GeneLean360°, a personalized weight loss program inspired by my own 100-pound transformation. I was raised in Canada as the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, where I learned the values of hard work, persistence, and self-belief that continue to guide me today.

I currently live in Canada with my husband and two young children, who keep me grounded and motivated. While I don’t have any pets, my home is always full of energy, laughter, and the occasional dance party in the kitchen.

Through my writing and work, I’m passionate about empowering women to reclaim their health, confidence, and joy through personalized, science-backed strategies.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized my fascination with books at a young age, around 8 or 9 years old. I loved getting lost in stories that transported me to new worlds or helped me see life from a fresh perspective. Books became a source of comfort, inspiration, and growth for me, and that fascination has only deepened over the years.

I started writing much later, inspired by my own 100-pound weight loss journey and the realization that I had a story and expertise that could help others. Writing became a way to combine my personal experiences with my professional knowledge to empower women to transform their health and lives. While I didn’t grow up imagining myself as an author, once I started, I knew it was a path I wanted to continue for life.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading authors who inspire action and transformation, both in life and in health. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, is one of my favorites for his practical yet empowering approach to building habits that stick. Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics had a profound impact on me—it taught me how much our mindset and self-image shape our outcomes, a message I weave into my own writing.

My favorite genre to read is personal development and health science. Books that offer both relatable stories and actionable steps resonate deeply with me because they reflect the kind of writing I aim to create. I also enjoy memoirs that highlight resilience and transformation, as they remind me of the power of storytelling to inspire change.

When it comes to inspiration, my readers and clients are my greatest motivators. Knowing that my writing could provide someone with the tools and hope they need to reclaim their health keeps me focused and passionate. Authors like Jen Sincero (You Are a Badass) and Dr. Jason Fung (The Obesity Code) also inspire me to communicate complex ideas in a relatable, accessible way that empowers readers to take control of their journey.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Lean Genes: A Physician’s Guide to Genetic Weight Loss — Eat What You Love, Lose Weight for Good, and Break Free from Diets and Medications, is a deeply personal and empowering guide to transformation. It’s inspired by my own journey of losing 100 pounds through the groundbreaking science of genetic weight loss, and it’s designed to help women over 30 reclaim their health and confidence in a way that’s sustainable and personalized.

This book challenges the outdated, one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss by focusing on the unique role genetics play in cravings, metabolism, and fat storage. I combine relatable stories from my own struggles with practical, science-backed strategies to give readers the tools they need to create lasting change without deprivation or frustration.

Lean Genes isn’t just about losing weight—it’s about breaking free from the cycle of diets and discovering a path that works specifically for your body. It’s a call to embrace your unique genetic blueprint and take back control of your health, all while enjoying the foods you love and living life with joy and freedom.

For anyone who’s felt stuck, defeated, or overwhelmed by weight loss, this book offers hope, clarity, and a proven way forward. It’s more than a guide—it’s a revolution in how we think about weight, health, and transformation.

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Dr. Phyllis Pobee’s Website

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Featured Interview With Kate Damon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Writing as Margaret Brownley, I’m a New York Times bestselling author with forty-plus romance novels to my credit. “Jury Duty is Murder” is my first mystery.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with the grandkiddies, raising Monarch Butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge. I’m sad to say we’re between pets right now as we recently lost our little furry friend.
I’m not sure what my next project will be, but since I’ve recently remarried, my thoughts have turned back to what else? Romance!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with books. As a child, I would be so happy when I got sick and could stay in bed and read all day. I wrote my first book in 6th grade, a mystery I didn’t know how to end. I didn’t start writing seriously until my children were in middle school.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m primarily known as a romance writer, so of course I enjoy reading them. Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, and Diana Gabaldon are among my favorite authors. I also enjoy a good mystery. Among my favorite mystery authors are Gillian Flynn, Lee Child, and Richard Osman, whom I recently discovered.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I never thought to write a mystery, but my life took a sharp turn with the loss of my husband to cancer just before the Covid lockdowns. This shifted my focus away from romance and “Jury Duty is Murder” is the result.
I have to laugh at the thought of murder crossing my mind during that ordeal. Life sure does have a way of steering us in unexpected directions. I like to think that this book is a reflection of my journey and the resilience we find in our darkest moments.
Here’s a preview of “Jury Duty is Murder”:
The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives.
But after being sequestered for three months, life as most jurors knew it, no longer exists.
HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed when a reporter drives through it. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.
Then things take a turn for the worse. When jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold, and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find the killer before he finds them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

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Kate Damon’s Website

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Kate Damon Twitter Account

Featured Interview With J C Pereira

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born on a plantation high in the mountains of a small Caribbean island where the trade winds blow clear, and the rains wash all clean, leaving only the smells of the sun-warmed earth and vegetation. After my father’s death, I travelled with my mother to England, a land of cold and constant drizzle, but where the promises and opportunities significantly compensated for the dull weather in comparison. Here, I completed my formal education with a BA (Hons) in Psychology and experienced an entirely new way of life that once influenced my origins. Knowledge and experience alter perspective and hopefully lead to wisdom. Upon graduation, I worked in the corporate world, where I was never comfortable. Then, I settled uneasily within the civil service, where, after several years, I moved to Italy, rediscovering the sunshine of my youth and starting a new family. The language remains a continued challenge.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been captured by inventing stories in my mind, even before I could read, as my world was filled with the beauty of nature. Stories were my way of finding comfort and meaning in an isolated but never lonely setting. We all live within a tale we tell ourselves, and none is more important than another. The first books I remember reading were White Fang and The Jungle Book. They fit well into my imagination, nurtured by my early environment. I found submerging myself into another living creature and seeing the world through its senses a normal and natural thing to do. At school, I found short stories easy to create, and I started writing my first book, A Place To Belong To, while still at A Level college but only completed it many years later with my wife’s encouragement. With one done, many followed. The biggest project still to write remains brewing slowly in my mind, but in the meantime, I practice my storytelling by writing many others, adjusting my world perspective as I go along.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Reading has always been an integral part of my life, and I would read anything I came across. However, the fantasy genre has always and still remains my favourite, especially those with historical themes. David Gemmel’s ability to create dignified characters, even with his antagonists, has always fascinated me, and I find Robert Jordan’s storytelling engaging, especially the Wheel of Time books. When I first started writing The Hidden King, the first of the Brothers of Destiny series, I wanted to write a book my son would read and tailored one of the main characters after him. In the same way, when I wrote Dying Under a Clear Blue Sky, concerned that humanity’s inventiveness was negatively affecting our wonderous blue planet, I modelled my main protagonist after a projection of my daughter into her teenage years for it would be her generation that would have to deal with the mess we were making with our narrow band, solution based ingenuity. This method, I believe, is a technique of survival hard-wired into our psyche. This perspective is the foundation theme in many of my stories and can be found in Penance, and I Once Was.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is The Chosen, a sequel to the Brothers of Destiny fantasy series. It describes the efforts of genetically engineered twins with characters on the flip sides of the same coin, attained only through following the road of discipline and free spirit, a choice they individually make. Their destiny is to deliver humanity from the continuous and circular road of violence and war, which, ironically, they are masters of. Is such an endeavour possible? Can humanity be forced from the path of conflict? I examine the answers to these questions throughout the books. The setting is after several falls of civilizations where humanity’s DNA has been altered by the poisons and contamination of humankind’s wars, ironically giving some unique powers. A mysterious brotherhood digs into the past to resurrect the means to interrupt the repeated pattern of destruction. The result is Morgan and Krarl who are not quite human, always on the outside, feared and respected, but never accepted.

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J C Pereira’s Website

J C Pereira Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Mark O’Bannon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a San Diego native. My grandfather, Reuben H. Fleet, built the SD airport and gave it to the city. He was the largest manufacturer of airplanes in the US. His company, Consolidated Aircraft, made 18,000 B-24 Liberator bombers and thousands of Catalina PB-Y flying boats durung WWII.
Thogh a cat lover, I do not yet have a kitty.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mom taught me to read when I was 2. Been reading ever since. In high school, I read 50+ books every year. I started writing in the 90s. The idea for my first novel, “The Dream Crystal” came to me while I was talking to my friend, George Clayton Johnson, who wrote 8 Twilight Zone episodes, Logans Run and the first episode of
Star Trek TOS. I combines two ideas: a fairy changeling and shadow people.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, Robert Heinlein, Fred Saberhagen, Larry Niven, H.P. Lovecraft, J.R.R. Tolkein, J.K. Rowling.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Touching Infinity is a science fiction mystery love story set in the far future. A scientist takes a journey to the heart of a supernova and discovers love.

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Mark O’Bannon’s Website

Mark O’Bannon Facebook Page

Mark O’Bannon Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Hunter H. White

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m an energy transactions lawyer, who always dreamed of writing suspenseful Christian fiction. When the Covid shutdown came along, I finally got my chance to really focus on it. I was raised in Houston, Texas, and I still live in Houston, with my wife of thirty-three years. I have two adult children and no pets at the moment; but we do pet-sit our son’s cat, and our daughter’s cat and dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As a child with dyslexia, reading was a challenge. Even with a lot of hard work, and very encouraging parents, I was unable to achieve an acceptable age-level reading ability until middle school. That is also when I could finally start to read for pleasure, and the inspirational and transportive aspects of books found a special place in my heart. I believe my early challenges helped fuel a desire to write and inspire other young readers. I gravitated toward creative classes in high school and college, and I absolutely loved them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors include, among others, Joel C. Rosenberg, C.S. Lewis, James Rollins, Steve Berry and Clive Cussler. My favorite genres include Christian fiction and Suspense. I love fiction that is action-packed and includes Christian themes and/or utilizes the actual historical record with a little fiction injected. Authors who inspired me the most in connection with my novel, Treasures of the Lochs, were C.S. Lewis and Joel C. Rosenberg.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Treasures of the Lochs is suspenseful young-adult Christian fiction, involving a modern-day treasure hunt in Scotland, with a bit of supernatural thrown in. Blending historical fact and Scottish legend within an action-packed adventure, Treasures of the Lochs is an exciting, powerful story of faith, friendship, and redemption. The target audience is teenage and above (some parts would be too intense for younger readers). This book is a 2024 NIEA Finalist in Religion Fiction. It also hit Amazon#1 New Release for Christian Fantasy. I hope you’ll check it out.

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Hunter H. White’s Website

Hunter H. White Facebook Page

Featured Interview With D E Fox

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Deborah Fox lives in Yorkshire with her partner Paul. She currently works for a large electrical distributor, as well as being a budding author.

Like many children, Deborah spent her time inspired by stories from AA
Milne to JM Barrie, and to this day her favourite story was and still is,
Winnie the Pooh! Her writing talents didn’t materialise until later in life
as most of her childhood was spent dancing and performing.

Deborah’s passions are the outdoors, gardening, interior design, dogs
and cinema. She has always been intrigued with all things supernatural
and the time presented to her during COVID, and the inspiration from
the sad passing of her dog Jake, was the start of her first novel ‘Second
Hand Rose.’

With the support of family and friends and Blossom Spring agreeing to
publish her story, it has fulfilled the dream to become a published
author and has given the encouragement to write more stories.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved books especially adventure books, like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Kidnapped, Treasure Island. I used to read them over and over much to my mum’s despair. I didn’t start writing until my 40’s when my dog sadly passed away I needed to fill my time. Writing helped with my grief and anxiety and I found I really enjoyed it. So much so that I now have two published books and I’m already thinking about number three!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read lots of different genres, my mum taught me that at an early age. So I love Jane Green, Anne Rice, AA Milne, JM Barrie, I love to read autobiographies People’s lives fascinate me. But since becoming an author I read other indie authors books which have definitely opened my eyes to amazing authors with very different styles. I think that has helped me with my writing to give the characters more depth.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A mysterious event has gripped the world!
How, why, who and what — is taking the grass?

Globe leaders are baffled; unbeknownst to them there’s a secret agency who
solve weird, bizarre events and it’s run by dogs!

Jake and Sammy are everyday pets until a strange encounter changes their lives forever; this puzzling case will test their bosses, Gino and Phillip, to the limits.

Can they pull together and save humanity before it’s too late? Will Jake ever get that packet of crisps he so desperately craves for? And will the age-old question be answered—are four legs better than two?

In this crime mystery where dogs rule, anything can go wrong and probably will. But we all love an underdog!

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D E Fox’s Website

D E Fox Facebook Page

D E Fox Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Sophia Conway

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Wales, the UK but grew up mostly on the West Coast of Ireland. 5 Years ago I immigrated to Canada with my husband and we now have one son that we raise between the ocean and trees! Nature and motherhood are my two biggest inspirations and so we fill our days eating cinnamon buns and walking the beaches together.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started before I could even read them. I loved them so much I would staple loose pages together covered in scribbles and tell my mother it was a book. As soon as I was allowed to use my father’s old computer I would type jumbled stories in Word documents late into the night. To be an author was my first dream and I’m thrilled to have fulfilled it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m a restless reader who devours books far too quickly so it’s hard to say which ones are my favorite. My shelves are crammed full of everything from faith-based to poetry. Currently, I spend most of my reading children’s books to my toddler and enjoy the simplicity of them.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
‘His Last Companion’ is a thought-provoking introspection of the human experience and the intimacy between the last man on earth and the one companion who has been by his side since birth, Death.

“His Last Companion is a compelling short story that touches on some of our toughest questions about life and death. Sophia Conway has crafted a deep tale in few words that will sit with the reader’s psyche long after finishing. In ‘His Last Companion’, the author delivers a message of hope amidst ultimate brokenness.” – The Book Review Directory

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Sophia Conway’s Website

Featured Interview With Elaine Broun

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am currently living in Texas, I have been married for 42 years, have four grown children, and four bonus children (their spouses) and five grandchildren. I was born in Brazil, I speak several languages and have lived in many South American countries multiple times. We have two sixteen year old dogs. Dug is a red healer and Luke is a Beagle/Labrador mix. Our life evolves around family and we have a blast enjoying our adult children.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Beginning at the age of five, I discovered a passion for books while developing an extreme curiosity towards people and what made them tick. As a school girl, I would get very exited when we could select our own topics to write about. In this area I excelled as I found a had a fertile imagination.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Authors I have loved are Diana Gabaldon, Kathleen Woodwiss, Gillian Flynn, and Liv Constantine to name a few. I have always loved Suspense thrillers, Historical romance and autobiographies. What inspires me is life experiences and having a natural tendency towards a creative imagination even some of my crazy dreams has given me ideas!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Carrasco 67′ A harrowing tale of an Imperialist Pig is a based on a true story. You will be thrown into a spiraling out of control roller coaster ride as you follow the Gray family in Montevideo, Uruguay during the 1960’s. After Peter Gray sets up a sting to catch a Tuparo Terrorist he discovered was infiltrated in his company, his family is soon given a death sentence by the terrorists. Hair raising scenarios, terrorizing moments as they try to elude multiple kidnapping attempts escalates to a level where the Uruguayan Military had to take over the protection of the family. This is a mind blowing story.

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Elaine Broun’s Website

Elaine Broun Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Elaine Broun

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Brazil and have lived multiple times in several South American countries. I speak several languages, I love to read, travel, history, walking through antique shops and sewing crafts. I presently live in Texas with my husband of 42 years and our two 16 year old dogs, Dug and Luke. I have four grown children, two bonus daughters, two bonus sons and five grandchildren.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I remember when we arrived in the USA after fleeing the terrorists which I covered in my first novel, there was a mobile Library that set up monthly in a parking lot near my home. It was there that I began checking books out and being mesmerized by stories. When I was in third grade was when I discovered the Little House on the Prairie books that made me discover in turn the love of autobiographies. It sated my natural curiosity to understand where someone came from, what were their hurdles in life, what made them tick, what gave them their greatest joy or sadness. This is also where I became obsessed with geneaology.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read books by Diana Gabaldon, Kathleen Woodwiss, Liv Constantine, or Gillian Flynn. There are so many and I must admit I am horrible about keeping track of what I have read or who I enjoy to read books by, I guess it is due to always being busy. I do however, enjoy reading suspense novels naturally and also historical books and historically based romance novels. My writing inspiration comes from my own fertile imagination and through my life experiences from my constant travels in my lifetime.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My current book “Let Me Go” is in its final stages before it is off to the editors. Another suspense novel it revolves around several friends that meet while attending neighboring boarding schools but eventually focuses on Isabella Andrews Hampton and her husband Kane Hampton.
The story begins by bringing the characters to life while unveiling the evolution of their lives and how each of them came to be. As time marches on, snipits of Kane’s fragmenting emotional stability becomes evident as Isabella discovers family secrets she wasn’t supposed to and now she is on the run hoping not to be found. Upon arriving in Provincetown, the City where Isabella fled she finally met her realtor a handsome ex-military realtor named Nate Marcum. Falling hard she strives to hide her past, all the while looking over her shoulder at every moment knowing her husband will never give up until he finds her. So, now she lives terrified that her new life will implode. Will Nate be just an elusive dream, as she is forced to reveal her past in order to save her future?

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Elaine Broun’s Website

Elaine Broun Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Ingrid McCarthy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Schweidnitz (now Swidnica, Poland) and grew up in Bremerhaven, North Germany, a town that once was a port of embarkation for the then-occupying US forces and a fishing harbor of considerable importance. Fishtown, people called the place because when the wind blew in a certain direction, the stench from the fishmeal factory hung over the town like an evil curse, prompting us to slam the windows closed before turning into miserable and retching creatures. And woe to the person in the street who didn’t have a handkerchief ready to slap over the nose and mouth! No wonder I couldn’t wait to get out of there. At the age of twenty-one, I moved to Spain. Four years later to Canada. I lived in Montreal for ten years, then two years in Durham, N.C., and now in Ottawa, Canada’s Capital, where I feel happy, creative, and very much at home.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I cannot remember a time without books. As far as I can think back, there were always books in my life: first coloring books that had little stories on each page; then the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales, and later Roman and Greek mythologies. In my post-WWII childhood memoir, “I Stood Among The Ruins And Cried”, I tell when in my early teens I first entered a public library. I was in awe. So many books! I was in Heaven and became the library’s most frequent visitor. Around the same time, I received a diary as a birthday gift from a friend. My parents were not living in happy bliss. There was much anger due to my father’s excessive drinking and infidelity. Books and the diaries―I ended up filling six of them―became my escape and consolation during those unhappy years: I read one book after another and confided my innermost thoughts, wishes, and fears to the pages of my diaries. That was my early writing experience.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When I read a book, I either want to be entertained or learn something. That’s why I enjoy fiction and non-fiction in equal measure. Once I mastered the English language, I fell in love with the classic English writers: W. Somerset Maugham, George Orwell, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Wolff, to name a few. Today, I admire: Isabel Allende, Anthony Doerr, and Jonathan Franzen―the list is endless. I also enjoy Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. With so many books in her series, I occasionally choose one of them, which never fails to make me laugh out loud. I prefer physical books to eBooks and rarely listen to audiobooks. The latter, if poorly recorded, irritates me. If well done, the voice soothes me and, sadly, I fall asleep. I love turning the pages of a book, feeling the weight of it in my hands, and even taking in the scent of it. A world without books would mean the end of the world to me. I believe reading has turned me into a good listener. People tend to tell me their life stories and those stories, in nearly every case, have inspired me to create my novels/novellas using a heavy pinch of imagination.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest award-winning novel “Anna’s Shadow” is an example of such a true story, plus heavy imagination. Let me explain: Many years ago, a German friend told me how she met her husband. In the early years of World War II, a young German officer was billeted in her family’s home. A portrait of my friend hung in the family’s living room. The officer was so smitten by her―she was not living in the house at the time of his stay―he vowed that if he survived the war, he would return and ask for her hand in marriage. When I met the officer and my friend many years later here in Ottawa, they were already in their senior years and have since died.

“Anna’s Shadow” isn’t based on the officer’s life. It was his infatuation with a girl in a portrait that served as my inspiration. I’ve sometimes visualized the young officer standing in front of that portrait and falling in love with a pair of blue eyes. It’s as romantic to me as the story of Romeo and Juliet, albeit without the dramatic ending. No wonder when I spotted an article in Oprah Magazine about the Juliet Club in Verona, Italy, where volunteers (Secretaries of Juliet) answer letters received from the broken-hearted, my imagination went into overdrive and, ten months later, I held the book in my hands. So, it’s thanks to my friend and Oprah that I was able to create a dramatic and page-turning novel that is part mystery, part WWII story, part romance, available on Amazon in paperback and eBook.

Kirkus Reviews:
An unusual historical romance set in two time periods.

BookLife Review:
“…The end of World War II is brought to vivid life as McCarthy balances the timelines of Sofia’s 2005 and Luke’s 1945, with storytelling that emphasizes sleuthing and history. Sofia’s own story, of healing and self-discovery, never compels as much as the beautifully narrated tale of Luke and Uwe, Luke’s oldest friend and mentor, which reveals just how unpredictable life can be. Readers will appreciate, though, how McCarthy’s attention to telling detail never slows narrative momentum.”

Literary Titan (5 Stars)
“… Anna’s Shadow stands out for its vivid imagery and compelling setting, particularly appealing to readers who appreciate narratives set in the 20th century. Ingrid McCarthy’s writing style is both engaging and evocative, making her a noteworthy addition to my list of favored romance authors. This book is a testament to the enduring power of love and the complexities of human relationships, making it a worthy read for those who cherish a well-rounded love story.”

From an Amazon Reader (5 Stars)
“I love historical fiction and nonfiction–particularly around the WWII era. This was such a romantic, suspenseful, and hope-filled book. There were so many twists and turns; it was not your average love story. I fell in love with all of the characters and will spend some time missing them. This is one of those books you don’t want to end!”

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Ingrid McCarthy’s Website

Ingrid McCarthy Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Hope Mills

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, I’m Hope. I’m Lithuanian-Irish, raised in small towns in both countries. I moved to Dublin about five years ago to study Politics & Sociology; I graduated last year, but haven’t left the city yet, despite the atrocious housing crisis (Ireland is the most expensive country in the European Union to buy/rent a home). I’m currently training to become a therapist, so in three years I might be yours, who knows. I have two pet siblings, a French bulldog Cesar and a tabby cat Macy – I grew up with them, alongside Rex, who passed away in April. I was nine when he came into our lives, and he saved me. So, usually when I’m asked if I have pets, I like to say “I have three pets, but one is in heaven.”

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have had an on-and-off fascination with books my whole life. When I was little, I was obsessed with Egyptology, and I’d go to the library to read up on pyramids and pharaohs. Then it was space, and the Amazon rainforest. As I grew up, I started reading a lot of Tumblr fanfiction, as well as mainstream YA authors like John Green. But I didn’t find my niche until I read darker work – particularly Charles Bukowski’s “Women”, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust”, and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.” The latter two were mandatory reading in my dreary Eastern European school, and as a sad soul myself, I took to them like a moth to a flame. I had my first journal when I was around eight, but I didn’t start taking writing seriously as a pastime until I read those books in my late teens. If you read my author pages, they’ll say “Hope has been writing every day since she was fifteen.” This is approximate, but I did write every day back then as a form of escapism. Now, I sometimes go weeks without writing, until an idea comes to me, and I get lost on Microsoft Word for a few hours. That’s why “The Year of Rejection” took over two years to finish.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a lot of memoirs because I’m obsessed with understanding people. I am fascinated by universality and the human condition in general, so any life story I can dig my nails into is for me. In that vein, I’m most inspired by essayists Anaïs Nin and Annie Ernaux for their narrative story-telling. But I find inspiration pretty much everywhere; most recently, I’ve been re-writing my college essays to submit to literary magazines. When I was in undergrad, I would often think that I had written a pretty interesting paper, but no one would ever read it (I’m not sure my professors even read it in full). So, there’s one about how 21st century witchcraft practices correlate with femicide, and another about Middle Eastern subversive sexuality. I also find a lot of inspiration going through the musings of my Notes app, particularly because I kept extensive notes in secondary school.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A prospective agent described “The Year of Rejection” as “honest and unflinching.” It’s a memoir centring on my trials in 2022, the worst year of my life. Through prose and psychoanalysis, I dig into depression, avoidant attachment, atypical anorexia, grief – an excavation of everything I had been and was going to continue being if I didn’t change. While sinking deeper into the abyss, I ravaged my childhood memories, exhuming my girlhood, parents’ divorce, and continent-wide moves. It started out as a journal I typed when I tired of writing by hand, but throughout two years and two months, a book took shape. The overarching theme didn’t come to me until my best friend Natalia recommended I read “All About Love” by Bell Hooks. I explore themes of straying and returning to love and the self in “The Year of Rejection” in homage to how much that book touched my soul.

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