Featured Interview With Josiah Akhtab

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve been writing for over ten years and have completed fourteen works, publishing my first novella in 2017 and self-publishing my first novel in 2019. My hobbies include Martial Arts, Calisthenics, Hanging out with my girlfriend, writing poetry for my blog site, and posting content on social media.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and I’m currently living in Binghamton, NY. I’m planning on moving back to California as that is where my heart and soul are. I’m sorry to say I’m not a pet person but I do think cats are pretty cool and chill. Dogs? Well, I have some mixed feelings about.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with writing started in high school advisory class where we were tasked with reading a book and writing a report about it. I stumbled upon Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan and from there my dream was born. The storytelling, world-building, the character development all enthralled and captivated me to the point I would read in my room, on the way to school, on the way home from school, etc.

I started writing immediately after I finished the whole series because it became my mission to do for others what that series had done for me which is inspire and chase after my dreams.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My top author would be Stephen King without a doubt. He has the most infectious style of writing I’ve ever seen and there was even a point where I realized I was beginning to sound like him in my own work, which forced me to stop reading so much of him for risk of being unoriginal.

Other authors that inspire me would be Leigh Bardugo, V.E. Schwab, Pierce Brown, Rick Riordan, and Tom Elliot

My favorite genre to read is Fantasy and Science Fiction of the dark variety along with horror. I will also read short stories and general fiction from time to time.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel, The Adventures of Fleeting Grace, is a work in progress set to come out Christmas this year, making it the perfect holiday gift for those looking for new reads. I started this novel just after college and have been on and off for a couple of years.

The summary, if you will: Fleeting Grace, a child of Moorish descent adopted by European parents, dies at the age of thirteen and becomes a tangible spirit accompanied by a magical cape. She is guided by the cape into the king’s castle across the river where she finds a library and picks up a book, a magical book. This book opens up a portal to another dimension where she embarks on a series of adventures and meets many people, sees many strange places, and gains powers beyond her wildest dreams.

From facing down Wind Gods to being part of a magic group that fights to save their dimension to taking down thousand year old kingdoms, Fleeting Grace becomes an experienced adventurer that goes where the universe takes her and takes the twists and turns and obstacles as they come while journeying through various realms of wonder.

This novel started out as an idea in college that wanted to stick around until I decided to write it. I think it was my second year when I finally decided to put pen to paper and start creating this expansive, massive, adventure filled novel which is The Adventures of Fleeting Grace.

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Featured Interview With Monica Broussard

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Writer, speaker, and certified life coach Monica Broussard is passionate about writing fiction that contains elements of fantasy and keeps the reader intrigued about the lead character’s motives. She also writes an occasional article for her hometown’s magazine, SeaCliff Living. She belongs to Toastmasters International and enjoys attending national writers’ conferences.
Born in North Carolina on a Marine Corps base, Monica now lives in “Surf City,” Huntington Beach, California, with her husband of thirty-seven years. She has enjoyed various occupations over the years, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At age 6 or 7, I secretly ordered the OZ series to my mother’s dismay. In third grade my teacher read Doctor Doolittle every day. I lived out in the country and this fueled my imagination. I started writing in my twenties. I would write stories I had in my head just to get them out. 2008 I was diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer and was on lock down because of weak immunity from Chemo. At that time I decided it was time to write. That is how I started my first official book 21 Tattoos. Even though I didn’t know it at the time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Right now I have been interested in Colleen Hoover. She is authentic in her approach. She writes what comes to her mind. I do not have a favorite genre. I love to read any great story. I am inspired by God and life. Any book or movie that touches upon the human spirit in a positive way inspires me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
21 Tattoos
What if your deepest, darkest fears were inked on your skin for the world to see?
Famous plastic surgeon Derek Hollinger has it all: money, success, luxury cars, and an L.A. penthouse near the beach. Who cares if he has no friends or lovers? He doesn’t need anyone.
But Derek’s seemingly perfect life is shattered after a chance encounter with a mysterious old woman. When he wakes up covered in tattoos, the shadow of his traumatic past—one he can no longer outrun—looms large.
Aided in his desperate quest for the truth by the young nurse he once scorned, Derek’s only hope for redemption lies within his own damaged psyche.
What can it mean? Are they part of God’s plan for him, a test of his lapsed faith…or a curse brought on by his own arrogance?
And can he get rid of them before he loses everything?

My Second Book, The 7th Dimension, in my Tattoo Series, will be out in September 2024.

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Monica Broussard’s Website

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Featured Interview With A. C. Haydée

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Florida, and currently reside in the greater Tampa Bay area. Unfortunately, I don’t have any furry pets (I have a LOT of allergies), haha.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Since a very small age! I grew up with a very rigorous stutter, and books and reading aloud helped me in speech therapy classes. But even aside from using reading as a fluency technique, I just got invested in the stories. My parents always valued our education, and instilled in my younger brother and I the importance of reading, and would take us to the local libraries often. I would want to be there all day… Every. Day.

I would always write short stories in class, primarily through creative writing projects. But I was always super self-conscious and would hardly ever share the stories with others, maybe a select few friends. But nothing too serious, until I got older and realized I could really write something special. Since I was a kid, my peers have enjoyed my writing, however, it was just about building confidence in myself. Though the community and greater industry can seem intimidating at first (and there’s waves of imposter syndrome), as a young woman in her twenties I’m a LOT more confident now, haha. And lots of fellow readers and writers are SUPER supportive! It’s really a community.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Some of my favorite authors include J. R. R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Suzanne Collins, and Rick Riordan. They hooked me into the fantasy genre to begin with.

I write primarily YA, with primarily young adult/teen characters. I attain inspiration from EVERYWHERE. Literally everywhere, and everything. Family, friends, stories, fairytales, my surroundings. My younger brother influences one of my characters, my public high school experience influenced my writing of public high school experiences, my love of epic fantasy influenced the care I take into my own fantasy worldbuilding and construction of intricate magic systems, etc.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest publication is Eve II: Hiemal Dominion, which is the sequel to my debut, Eve & The City of Yule. While the first novel focused on introducing the characters and building the lore, etc., the sequel takes a more episodic approach. The series as a whole takes heavy inspiration from winter folk tales and Christmas holiday celebrations (such as Santa Claus, Krampus, The Nutcracker, The Little Match Girl, and more), and this book in particular is something I consider a “remix” of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen.

My urban fantasy novel Madeline & The Moon Blooded will be experiencing a “remix” of its own. The special edition, called Midnight Edition, filled with detailed artwork, bonus chapters and more exclusive content will release this fall. It’s a vampire novel, so it’s fitting, haha.

Thank you for reading!

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A. C. Haydée’s Website

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Featured Interview With Cortez Law III

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m Cortez Law III. I was born in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., a long ago! But I spent most of my formative years in Northeastern Ohio in the Portage County seat of Ravenna. I graduated from Ravenna with college prep courses that prepared me for enrollment at Kent State University six miles down the road. I earned a B.A. in Telecommunications or TV/Radio production. I’m back in Northeastern Ohio and remain pet free.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
While I concentrated on getting my degree, the writing bug hit me with the screenwriting course I took in my next to last semester. I kept writing after that through all the employment stops but still couldn’t crack Hollywood for years. Through query letters and cold-calling LA agents, I submitted scripts. I schmoozed those agents to give me shots at submitting scripts for a few rising stars like Halle Berry and Michael Biehn there, but the scripts weren’t good enough. I got better near the time I decided to change mediums to books in the early to mid-nineties. Now, the New Jack Swing was in full effect with the black film renaissance, but at the same time, the publishing industry found out, thanks to Terry McMillan, that black folks read! Say what?! That whole black literary boom did just that, BOOM! Right off the hinges went that door. Again, it takes time to develop your craft. Now we’re talking a 200, 300, or 400+ page book compared to a 100–120-page screenplay. I wrote, studied books on writing, and read numerous novels. It remains a continuous learning process.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I started writing and self-publishing a Christian African American romance novel, My Brother’s Keeper, in 2001. I thought that was my genre. Then, enter September 11, 2001. A light bulb went off. That tragedy galvanized a nation, and many people expressed their patriotism for this country via songs, music, movies, etc. I was no different, and looking back, I wasn’t surprised either. My screenplay offerings consisted of small-budgeted urban dramas but also police/crime stories as well. I like the Hero Myth of storytelling, so I feel comfortable with mysteries, suspense, and thriller stories. The person I miss who filled this niche before he passed in 2001 and was a Chicago Police Captain was author Hugh Holton. I read most of his work. Other favorites I’ve read more than once include Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Walter Mosley, Ridley Pearson, Jeffery Deaver, and Ted Dekker. It’s good to see additional African American mystery/suspense/thriller authors such as Tracy Clark, Rachel Howzell Hall, Kellye Garrett, Aaron Philip Clark, and Charles Prandy. The Christian Mystery/Suspense marketplace doesn’t have many, if any, African American authors. I hope to bridge that gap between the two markets.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I was looking for the challenge of writing a mystery where mostly the reader wouldn’t know any more than the detectives. Within that framework, I could explore the themes of love, faith, forgiveness, second chances for several characters, and hopefully, a compelling mystery/drama the readers couldn’t put down.

It’s the sixth book in the Atlanta X-Men Homicide Squad series. It tells the story of Sergeant Malcolm Hobbs and his elite X-Men Homicide Squad stretched to their investigative limits to uncover a shocking conspiracy of race, greed, power, and murder during Atlanta’s Civil Rights Era. The book reads or feels like a true crime or historical mystery novel that shifts the investigation from the past to the present and back again.

But I survived a near disaster last August. I cracked open the Atlanta Homicide Squad Book #5 via a read-through. I couldn’t and didn’t resist the urge to do some light editing along the way. Well, that morphed into some semi-major rewriting on some parts. I accidentally deleted 5% of the story by mistake. I didn’t read through the book before I rewrote that 5%. Amazingly, I recalled the deletions! So, that part wasn’t as hard to write as I thought. Plus, some additional story points emerged that made the new pages better! The best part of writing a first draft is getting it done, but also the surprises you encounter along the way.

It takes about three to six months for a first draft. It depends upon how steadfast I am every day with my writing schedule. Then, I could write eight to twelve drafts after that to get it as close as possible to perfection. The key for me to do that is to take breaks from the book between each draft. That may last anywhere from a month minimum to two or two and a half months. A writer needs that separation from the story to get some distance from the words, which surely needs additional editing. So, that’s about nine months on the low end to about 12 months maximum.

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Featured Interview With Anthony Brown

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a retired teacher from a community college and was born and raised in a small town located alongside the Ohio river in Jefferson County called Steubenville until I was 18 years of age. Then I moved to California throughout my entire adulthood. I am currently residing in Mansfield, Ohio.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I didn’t know that I really liked reading until a later age in life (37). However, I always had a fascination with writing. I can remember that in my early 20’s I would carry around a notebook and pen and capture the moments of life as they happened. I guess there was a young writer always in me somewhere that was waiting to blossom.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Sue Grafton, Stephen King, and Danielle Steele. My favorite genres to read are action, both fiction and non-fiction. Who inspires me to write? People doing everyday things fascinate me. I find that people being people motivates and inspires me to be creative.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is “From Park Bench to Park Avenue” and it is my autobiography. It describes in detail what it was like being raised in a single parent household, witnessing violent behaviors, and learning to navigate life with little to non-coping strategies. A change happened once I had a 1:1 meeting with God and my life took on a dramatic transformation that rocked me into an existence that was never known to a person like me before. In the end, I found myself led to develop a program to help other homeless people find their way home.

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Featured Interview With Danielle Comeaux

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am from Jacksonville, Fl and I have a leopard gecko named Peach (her nicknames are Peaches, Peachy Girl, & Princess Peach). A huge inspiration for my writing is my culture; I was adopted at a young age, so over the years, I’ve learned more about the Menominee culture & other indigenous communities.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Middle school. I definitely read a lot in elementary, but I think I had a greater appreciation of books when reaching 6th grade – cue the dystopian era of The Hunger Games, Divergent, & more! I distinctively remember watching the scholastic book fair trailer for The Hunger Games & binge reading it before seeing the movie. This era is also when I began writing – mainly on Wattpad (fanfics & original stories).

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I try to find new indie authors to support & read their books. One of my favorites is A.C. Haydée, who was also one of my inspirations to write again. Some more favorite authors are Michael Crichton, Agatha Christie, John Green, & J.R.R. Tolkien. Genres I enjoy are YA, fantasy, sci-fi, & dystopian.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Mirror’s Epoch is the first book of the Epoch Saga & is a novel that blends my favorite genres into one – YA, fantasy, sci-fi, & dystopian. The story follows a young adult, Satara Alston, as she comes across a family heirloom, awakening her innate ability to time travel. She meets a mysterious person, who helps her on her learning curve. Tara is accompanied by her best friend Andrés, brother Tre, & acquaintance Clarke. There’s plenty of time traveling & visiting other dimensions. This book mentions the astral plane as well as spirit animals. Parts of the book shows indigenous culture – spirit animals, Tektowi Nation, etc.

This book took me a decade to write. I started writing it in middle school! Since then, I’ve tweaked it here & there, leading to where it is now!

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Danielle Comeaux’s Website