Featured Interview With Peggy Joque Williams

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a Yooper by birth and a Cheesehead by choice. I grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—often referred to as the U.P. Yoo-p. Yooper. Get it? After college and marriage I moved with my spouse to Wisconsin, where we proudly call ourselves Cheeseheads and sometimes wear cheese-shaped hats. I live in the state’s capital city, Madison. As for pets, do you count my hubby? We’ve been cat owners, and had a dog for a number of years, but now we just have each other. And kids. And grandkids.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been fascinated by books since I was a toddler. I grew up in a household with books, classics like Dickens and Dumas that my dad collected, and teen mystery novels handed down to me by a cousin. Our town’s children’s librarian knew each of us kids by name. It was six blocks away, and I walked there frequently. When I was in high school and college, my oldest brother would talk about books he was reading, and I would get them from the library—The Lord of the Rings, the Last Temptation of Christ, Strangers in a Strange Land. As for writing, I remember working on the class newsletter in elementary school. In sixth grade, my friends and I would gather together with a single notebook between us, and we were brainstorming and writing the next great Beatles movie after having seen A Hard Day’s Night. For me, writing was fun! That was followed by being on my high school newspaper; and I wrote an essay for a national competition that won at the state, earning me a small scholarship.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors have changed over time, maybe not so much changed as have been added to. In my college and early adult years, I enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkein and Robert Heinlein. For a long while I became fascinated by international intrigue: Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Ken Follet and such. Later, my tastes became more erudite, and I read Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran. Then I read Lolita and all the other books mentioned in her memoir. I have always loved non-fiction, especially non-fiction that marries history with science and math and interesting people. Books about Alan Turing, Stephen Johnson’s The Invention of Air, biographies of scientists by Walter Issacson. More recently, because of my interest in 17th century, I find myself reading Tracy Chevalier, Alison Weir, Geraldine Brooks, Maggie O’Farrell, C.S. Harris, and Margaret George. For more contemporary fare, I just love Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers and Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures. I am inspired by everything I read.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles was released in May 2024, by the indie publisher Black Rose Writing. It’s the story of a free-spirited country girl swept up in the world of intrigue, illicit affairs, and power mongering that went on in the court of Louis, XIV, the Sun King. She thinks she’s living the life she has always dreamed of but discovers she’s nothing more than a pawn in the King’s game of politics and financial dealings. The premise, which informs the end of the book, is loosely inspired by my own 7th- and 8th-great-grandmothers who lived and loved in France, but who had to make difficult choices. But disclaimer: none of my ancestors lived the life that my character Sylvienne does. She is purely fiction, set in the very real world of King Louis, his mistress Athénaïs de Montespan, his brother Philippe, and the Princess Henriette-Anne, Philippe’s tragic young wife.

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Featured Interview With Paolo Danese

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Paolo Danese and I was born and raised in Southern Italy. I have been around…a lot! Since 2011 I have been living in Asia, first in Hong Kong and now Singapore. I am married with two awesome kids who are (way too quickly) approach their teenage years. I was never a pet person but we took home the most adorable toy-sized poodle called Anzu in the summer of 2023 and I cannot get enough of him! Best decision ever since getting married!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was reading quite a bit before turning 10, the public library was my best friend then. My parents helped, they had quite a well-stocked library at home, too.

The first book I bought with intention, however, is seared into my mind. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I was 12 and I still thank my aunt for that summer gift. Fun times. I started writing not long after, first as a Dungeons & Dragons game master, then around 16 I actually dove in and began writing my first novel. The amount of stupidity involved in such a decision staggers me to this day. I knew nothing of fiction writing, story structures, traditional publishing (indie was not much of a thing yet), etc etc.

It has been one hell of a journey.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read widely across genres, which makes me a very “unloyal” reader compared to many, including all my close friends! I do not really have favorite authors as much as favorite pieces of literature, and they range from fantasy to medieval poetry to science non-fiction books. In terms of broad inspiration for the books I have actually written so far, I would say the foundational influences are JRR Tolkien and HP Lovecraft.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just published a dark epic fantasy called “Rise of the Nemesis”. It has elements of grimdark, high fantasy, and post-apocalyptic science fantasy (and some portal fantasy). It is the story of what happens after a hero sacrifices themselves for the greater good, and at great personal cost. A fairly dark tale of revenge against selfish and corrupt demigods. But, despite it all, there is hope. Redemption, too, maybe!

I have been working on this book seriously since 2020. As the story follows two interwoven plotlines, finding the right balance for each of the plots and characters was tricky. The main plot-line is very tightly centered around the main character and his mostly “solo” journey. The other plotline involves several characters so I continue to wonder whether I did all of them justice. Time (and readers) will tell!

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Featured Interview With John (Jack) M. Cunningham Jr

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1954. I later attended the University of Alabama where I received a degree in history and also studied education. After my graduation I moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where I taught school. After Hurricane Katrina hit the city, I moved back to Alabama. Fortunately, my home didn’t suffer much damage in that storm. As far back as my junior high school years, history has been one of my passions.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved books and reading as far back into my childhood as I can remember. In the mid-1980s, I began writing professionally.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Most of the novels I read are historical fiction. Regarding non-fiction, I enjoy history and biographies. C,S. Forester, Sarah Sundin, Angela Hunt, Bruce Catton and Alexandre Dumas are my favorite authors. My first inspiration for writing novels was Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. This led me to write two Civil War novels with a naval setting: Vengeance & Betrayal, and River Ruckus, Bloody Bay. Bruce Catton inspired me to dig deeper into the American Civil War. Sometimes, inspiration comes from places I visit or stories I read in magazines newspapers, and on the internet.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In 1850s Mobile, Alabama, a backslidden Christian named Gideon Deshler spirals toward destruction, his demise hastened by evil Elvira Sturgis with whom he falls in love. She and her father, president of the nearby Spring Hill Jockey Club, brutalize their slaves. Two of Sturgis’s slaves, the jockey Ned and his girlfriend Becky, must escape to Canada so they can fulfill their dreams. But how? Alabama is far away from Canada, and it also doesn’t have an Underground Railroad.

Meanwhile, a mystery surrounds the death of a champion Thoroughbred named Green Legs. Before he can solve this mystery, Gideon must get delivered from Elvira’s spell and reconcile with Sam Quarles, with whom he’d fought a duel. Sam’s father had been Green Legs’s owner.

Sam’s brother, Joe, feuds with Gideon’s friend, Owen Washburn, over Green Legs’s death. To keep his promise to his dying father, Joe vows to regain the status of his father’s horse farm in a big match race against Owen’s champion, Comet. Joe’s hope lies in an ornery Thoroughbred named Johnny Boy. If Johnny doesn’t win the Pride of Alabama Stakes, Joe vows to kill himself, for horseracing is his life and he’d have failed his father’s dying wish. Yet, Green Legs’s real killers and their accomplice have other plans.

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Featured Interview With David Scott Richardson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Seattle in 1942. Several years thereafter we moved to NY city and eventually western Pennsylvania. Returning to the NW in 1949 I bounced around between Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Bellingham finally coming to rest in Woodinville over thirty years ago. I live with my wife, two cats, and a mini zoo of backyard critters.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I must confess I never had a fascination with books, primarily because I had considerable difficulty learning to read. About 25 years ago I injured my back and had to sit for roughly four months. My wife was an avid reader and she began bringing books from the library. I didn’t make requests so she brought anything she thought I might like. That may be why I read books from so many different genres.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t know if I have favorite authors; there are so many to choose from. I tend to concentrate on history and social commentary but I do like Hemmingway, Steinbeck, and Vonnegut. I spent several years reading about NW railroad and logging history. Recent books have included How the Word is Passed, Caste, Waking up White, Half American, and Just Mercy. I’m inspired by any author who can suck me in and keep me reading.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Because my father was killed in WWII, the war has always been an interest. At some point, the idea of somebody lighting fires during the mandatory blackouts in Seattle captured my imagination. As a former sixth-grade teacher, I understood how inadequate we are at teaching civics and history, especially to young people, hence teenage readers became my target audience. The central idea of An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze cried out to become a mystery. It was also a vehicle to portray the homefront in a way most young readers had not been exposed to. The story is set in my Seattle neighborhood, which by the way, still looks almost exactly like it did in 1943. Much of the story reflects my own lived experiences, though slightly updated to the nineteen fifties.

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Featured Interview With Nick Haskins

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a full-time writer and love creating and releasing new material for my audience. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. I’m still in Toledo, without pets at the moment, but I’m getting a doggy very soon.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started entertaining myself with the stories I used to come up with at around nine years old. I started writing my stories out when I was around seventeen, but in 2008, when I turned thirty, I realized that all I wanted to do was write. I released my first book in 2011, and it’s been on from there.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is any writer who can tell a good story. A few big-name writers are my favorite, as well as some indie writers. I love the art of storytelling, no matter the genre or who it comes from. Who inspires me? Hands down, my audience. I want to reach and entertain as many people/readers as possible, so being able to do that inspires me over everything else.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is from my family drama series, Dark Waters. This African American fiction title is about an affluent black law family in Philadelphia that is perfect for the public but a mess behind closed doors. Judge Waters and his family have the best of everything except love, respect for one another, or loyalty.

I have also chopped part one of my new audiobook, Paradise Ocean Hotel (contemporary fiction), into eleven episodes currently streaming on YouTube. Paradise Ocean Hotel has a lot of drama and chaos for my readers to enjoy.

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