Featured Interview With Megan O’Russell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Upstate New York but have spent my entire adult life traveling the country as a professional performer. I spent the 2017-2018 season living on a bus as a part of the North American tour of the Wizard of Oz. Right now, I’m in Alaska for a month, and then I’ll be heading down to Florida for a season of palm tress and musical theatre.

The unfortunate side effect of traveling to perform is that I have yet to realize my dream of having a cat.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been obsessed with books. I’ve been told many times that as a toddler all I wanted to do was sit on someone’s lap while they read to me.

I didn’t realize that I wanted to be an author until about seven years ago. I was miserable in the show I was in and started writing as a way to keep myself sane.

Writing and acting are both forms of storytelling, so the two careers actually work really well together.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Right now, I am obsessed with Leigh Bardugo. Her Six of Crows series is just amazing. My oldies but goodies are Madeline L’Engle and C.S. Lewis.

If I had to pick one genre as a favorite, it would have to be fantasy with a leaning toward Young Adult.

Just about anything can end up as an inadvertent inspiration. Things as small as a toddler chewing on a stick and as big as a a maze lake in Thailand have wound their way into my books. I don’t really know why some things flip the author switch in my brain.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Boy of Blood, book two in the Girl of Glass series.
Girl of Glass is a mid-apolyptic Sci-Fi with chemically induced vampires. Dystopian mayhem aside, the series is really about looking at the end of the world from the point of view of the one percent chosen to survive. If the rest of the world is starving, what would it feel like to sit in safety eating a bountiful meal?
The first book in the series took about three months of daydreaming and plotting, two months of writing, and three months of editing before the project was ready to submit to my publisher. Book two, Boy of Blood, took about two months of writing and two months of editing to complete.

The most fascinating part of the writing process was the research. Girl of Glass takes place partially in a set of bio-domes (glorified green houses). So researching different planting methods, ways to create the structure, what the smell in the domes would be like, was really neat.

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Featured Interview With Patrick Higgins

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Patrick Higgins is the author of “The Pelican Trees”, “Coffee in Manila”, the award-winning “The Unannounced Christmas Visitor”, and the award-winning prophetic end times series, “Chaos in the Blink of an Eye.”

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I know this sounds cliché, but had someone told me 20 years ago I would be a Christian writer, I would have laughed at them. The only time I ever read books growing up, was when I was forced to in school. I hated English class; it was my least favorite subject. I can assure you the thought of writing books of any kind back then, was as far removed from my mind as America was to China, geographically speaking. It simply wasn’t logical.

That all changed many years later, when I went to Sanibel Island in Florida. After checking into the hotel, I went for a stroll on the beach and stumbled upon a large banyan tree flanked by two pine trees. All three were full of pelicans. Suddenly, thoughts started popping in my head like popcorn in a popper, and I felt inspired to write a novel. Go figure! A few years later, The Pelican Trees was published. On many levels, it’s still my favorite book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Christian fiction and non-fiction. Some of my favorite authors are, John MacArthur, A.W. Tozer, A.W. Pink, R. C. Sproul, and John Piper, to name a few…

Tell us a little about your latest book?
What started the Chaos in the Blink of an Eye series for me stems from my deep love of sports, which, I admit has diminished considerably over the years. I still enjoy watching and attending sporting events whenever I have the time. But these days I view them from an entirely different perspective than when I wore a younger man’s face and displayed a weaker man’s faith in God.

This slow but gradual shrinking away started soon after I became a Christian. The Lord impressed upon my heart that the fastest growing religion in America, and the world for that matter, wasn’t Christianity or Islam, but “sports”. Every day of the week—including Sundays—millions of fans fill stadiums and arenas (or shall I say cathedrals?) worldwide to worship their heroes.

Whatever the sport, fans show up in droves to cheer on mere mortals as if they were gods. When their teams win life is good. When they lose life is miserable. As a once-guilty participant for many years, I should know.

The passion most fans have for their favorite players and sports teams is the same passion they should have in pursuing the One who saw their unformed bodies from the foundations of the world, the very One who knit them together inside their mothers’ wombs. Tragically, this is not the case. Hence, the reason for the CHAOS series.

The sporting event I chose for the story was the famed Michigan-Ohio State college football rivalry. Prior to writing the prequel, I travelled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend the game. I admit I was just as caught up in the mass hysteria as everyone else. It was impossible not to be swept up into the vortex that had completely engulfed the vibrant college town.

The energy was quite palpable. So much so that I had to keep reminding myself that I was there to research and observe everything connected to the game, then put it all into words for my readers. The sporting event itself was secondary.

Though the prequel initially centers on the football game, in no way is this a sports series. This will become quite clear to you when Bible prophecy comes to pass inside Michigan Stadium, and many suddenly vanish into thin air, leaving everyone still inside the stadium utterly panic-stricken. It was just the beginning of things to come, as life as humanity had known it was forever changed in the blink of an eye…

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Featured Interview With MV Ellis

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I know what it’s like to fall head over heels in love with a badass musician, having followed my heart and my HEA halfway around the world to be with one. I moved from my hometown of London to Sydney after a steamy holiday romance with a sexy bass player in sultry Brazil. I have toured with said badass and several bands, in Australia and overseas, and draw from the things I saw and heard during those crazy times in my novels. Twelve years, two children and a dog later, and I’m still in Sydney, and still smitten.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My love affair with romance started when at eleven I discovered a stash of my aunt’s books. After a summer holiday spent devouring them from cover to cover, I was hooked on bad boy heroes and smart heroines. An avid reader for as long as I can remember, I always knew I’d write a book of my own someday. Finally, after a career spanning advertising, marketing, and social media, I wrote my debut novel, Catching London in 2017.

Although it is my first book, amazingly, once I sat down to commit this story to paper (it lived in my head for a long time before that), it pretty much wrote itself. I’m lucky that I had plenty of personal experiences to inspire my writing – which no doubt, made the job easier.

When I’m not writing (which isn’t often), working or spending time with my kids, I like to go to the movies, watch gigs (a lot of my friends are musicians), bake the occasional loaf of homemade banana bread, or go out eating drinking gin with my best girlfriends. If I’m feeling diligent and healthy (and to try to counteract the effects of the gin!), I’ll also try to fit in a few visits to the gym every week. If there’s any spare time after all of that (which there mostly isn’t), I like to indulge my continuing love of Brazil by heading to a samba class or Brazilian event.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m a romance reader through and through.

The first romance novel I ever read was a now somewhat controversial YA classic by Liz Berry, called Easy Connection. In many ways, that book is where my road to becoming an author began. I read and reread it countless times, marvelling in the writing, the themes and the emotions it evoked in me. It’s out of print now, unfortunately, and somewhat of a collectors item, as copies are few and far between. However, somewhat serendipitously, as I submitted my final edit of Catching London to my publisher, I randomly stumbled across a copy on eBay here in Australia. It wasn’t cheap, but I had to have it – it seemed like to much of a good omen, and a fitting reward for my hard work!

The first adult romance novels were those I unearthed at my aunt’s house – they were by Virginia Andrews, Jilly Cooper, Jackie Collins and Danielle Steele – stalwarts of romance. I guess they were influential in introducing me to some of the main tropes and themes of the genre. These days my tastes are for contemporary romance with a bit of angst and ‘grit.’ I’m not into super-sweet happy ever afters. As such, some of favourite authors are LJ Shen, Jay Crownover, Carmen Jenner and Haley Jenner.

Other than that, all of the books I have read have left something with me, and influenced me in some way, especially my favourites.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Pushing Arlo is the third book in the Heartless Few series, which began in February 2018 with the launch of my debut novel, Catching London. In that book we are introduced to Arlo and London, a sexy tumultuous couple who ride an epic emotional rollercoaster of emotions on their path to their happy ever after. That story was told from London’s point of view, and it whet readers’ appetites not just for more of their story, but also for more of Arlo’s voice.

Following on from Catching London comes novella Cold, Hard & Heartless which retells some of the story we saw in Catching London, this time from Arlo’s point of view. Pushing Arlo is also written from Arlo’s point of view, but it picks up from where Catching London left of, taking the story further, and as we follow the feisty couple as they chase their happy ever after.

This book was a natural follow on from Catching London, and was really beginning to be written the moment I type ‘the end.’

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Featured Interview With Alfred Orero

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Naivasha, a town in Kenya. I then moved for work to the capital city, Nairobi, where I live now. I would like to get a dog someday.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
About age 7. I was a quiet kid and books offered an outlet for me and were a source of knowledge. Though we wrote stories as part of our curriculum, serious writing started in 2013. That’s when I really saw myself as a writer.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a lot and I try not to discriminate so I read any book that seems interesting. The good thing is that you can tell a good book from a mile away. I like romance, fantasy, and poetry. I draw most of my inspiration from family, friends, and special people in my life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is “The Universe Lives In Me”, which is the second book in my poetry series. I experimented on merging two fields I am passionate about; poetry and statistics. Specifically, I sought to have more patterns in my work and harmonize math and rhyme. It was a fantastic experience and the result was 100 poems that scream or whisper depending on your mood.

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Featured Interview With Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in Adelaide, South Australia. I was raised in the Barossa Valley, which is about an hour north of my current residence. It sounds like I have not moved far, but I have also lived in New South Wales for some ten years, before returning “home”. I have a female ginger rag-doll cat. Ginger females are relatively rare, but Tangy also has some white on her.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I had cloth books to play with when I was a baby. I started “writing” before I went to kindergarten, scribbling for hours on lined paper in imitation of my mother. I’ve been discouraged a few times in my life, and almost given up hope of publication, but I can’t stop writing – it is part of me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I see three questions here, and need to address them separately:
1) My favourite authors change over the years. J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Shakespeare remain high on my list. Just recently, I caught up on Stephen Donaldson.
2) My favourite genre is series fantasy – I can not get enough of it – good, bad or average.
3) Who inspires me? H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, L.M. Montgomery, Bram Stoker, William Wordsworth, Robert Browning & Lord Tennyson (poets).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book? I have just released FAITH AND LOVE which is the sequel to SILVER SPRINGTIME and the dramatic crux of my Christian university series. I don’t want to do spoilers – but I can say I am very proud of FAITH AND LOVE, and really, really want to share it with the world. Author’s tend to be nervous about their own work, but I believe FAITH AND LOVE is the book for anyone who has ever loved and lost…

I am also proofing SAINTS AND SINNERS which is the dramatic sequel to MYSTIC EVERMORE my vampire teen fantasy series. SAINTS AND SINNERS has a real “bite” so far as paranormal fantasy goes – best leave it at that! The book should be available within the week.

Look on my Amazon page for a surprise around Halloween! I’m a little ahead of myself here – but AUTUMN SECRETS is the third in the series and is designed to be a special Halloween thrill for you or a friend.

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Featured Interview With Priyasi Das

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an Engineering Student of Techno India, Salt Lake.
Rather than this I am also an –
Writer | Author | Blogger | Columnist
I am from Kolkata.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At the age of 18 I realized my fascination towards writing book so I started it on the same age.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Authors Like E L James, Ravinder Singh & Durjoy Dutta are my Favorites.

I love reading Reality & Love Based Stories.

Namita Gokhale truly inspires me in the world of Writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
1. Writer’s Write
Ink Up Thoughts & Reality!
A Book of Love & Reality based Quotes which helps the readers to know the true reality of Love, Relationship, Friendships, Family, Society & Generation.

2. The Unfinishes Love
With An Immortal End!
Love to Read Love Stories with unique Elaborations? ❤
Then this is the perfect book for you
All Love Stories consists a great aspect of importance in everyone’s Life. Some of them carries a Blissful end whereas some of them carries a Bitter end. The elaboration of the book’s title let us know that here the Love is Unfinished hence it ends with an beauty of Immortalism. Not all Love Stories are good enough to remember. But this one definitely is something out of the box and unimaginable. This book consists an elaboration of short story.

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Featured Interview With Trinity Devereaux

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, I have three adult children and a beautiful Pitty named Zella. I am an auto racing fan, diehard NY Yankees fan and I also have a slight obsession with the beach which is why I plan to relocate to sunny Florida in the near future.

I would say I am fun to be around, I love to make people laugh but I am also honest and straight forward so I tell it like it is, sometimes with sarcasm, sometimes without.

I’ve been blessed with a loving and supportive family, great friends and a positive attitude that gets me through life.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
When I won an essay contest in the third grade, I knew that I had a writer’s spirit inside me. After that, anytime I read a book, I looked at more than just the story. I looked at how it was written, the words, the elements that were used to draw the reader in and just how from start to finish, it became a book.

I think my biggest fascination is with words. Words can be powerful and have such an impact. They can be mysterious. Words can fuel your mind and for those who learn to analyze them, they broaden your intelligence and drive you crazy at the same time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Judy Blume was my youthful inspiration. The impression that her books made on me as a pre-teen made me realize the impact an author can have on a reader. That is a power and a gift.

Soon after that, I became a Robert Frost fan. His poetry was complex yet simple, a dynamic combination.

Then as an adult, when EL James and her Fifty Shades series became the rage, I was drawn to her. Reading her books, line after line, I just kept telling myself that I could do this. I was captivated by her writing, not for the story but for her style. It was so similar to the way I wrote stories. So at the end of her book, when I was able to say I loved it, I knew then without a doubt that I could pen my own satisfaction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In February 2017, the magic inside of me was released and I began writing Rainbows & Hellfire. With a full-time job and a family, it took longer than I wanted to complete the book but every chance I got to sit and write, the words flowed so easily that I amazed myself.

By the end of 2017, I was ready for the ending but I struggled with it at first. I finally wrapped it up but despite feeling accomplished and proud, I sat on it a few more months until I finally realized that I waited my whole life for this and I was the only one holding myself back.

Rainbows & Hellfire is the story of a woman (Laynee Fox) who unknowingly spent 12 years in a narcissistic relationship. Once it ended, she was not only devastated but frustrated with allowing herself to become a victim. Luckily she possessed enough strength from within to rise from the ashes and vow to become a survivor.

Her ways may not have always been through the best choices but Laynee did what she had to do to recreate herself. Her urges and needs got the best of her as she entered the world of online dating. She always had a high sex drive and finding herself set free in this new world set her on a journey of both adventures and misadventures, all while battling her internal conflicts as a victim of narcissistic abuse.

In between the flings and one-night stands, she meets a few good men who changed her life for the better but her scars run deep and she is more damaged than she wants to admit so she battles her own demons in the hopes of one day finally being free to love again.

Rainbows & Hellfire is the first in a trilogy as Laynee’s journey for some sort of internal peace and happiness starts to unfold, giving hope for the future.

Rainbows & Hellfire is available on Amazon and Kindle

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Featured Interview With David Hayes

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born into a mining and weaving family in a town in North West England in 1955. This is where my first paranormal encounters started. I also had an ‘imaginary playmate’ who was a little bit too real! I now live in an old farmhouse just 4 miles from where I was born. Guess what..this house is also haunted.

I have a Welsh mountain pony called Jamie and a border collie who goes by the name of Henry

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started as an infant. A teacher at school would read to us every day. The room was in complete silence as he read to us. We were mesmerized. I remember him reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to us. I also remember us all crying when Aslan died (oops…maybe I should have said spoiler alert?).

I have always been a storyteller, even back in my early schooldays. I came slightly late to writing, not releasing my first book until I was 59. I had been writing since my 20s, but just for my own pleasure. It wasn’t until I put a story in a group on Facebook that I even thought of writing seriously. The story received a lot of praise, and people started encouraging me to write a book. I came to the attention of a small, independant publisher, and as they say, the rest is history.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My tastes are quite varied, but I do have a leaning towards such writers as Stephen King and James Herbert.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This book took about a year to write, and I tried out different stories on different Facebook groups to judge the reaction. I found that this helped massively in finding out just what people like to read and what they don’t!

Be prepared to be spooked when reading my book, but also be prepared to expect the unexpected. These are written to come at you from an entirely unexpected direction. There is more than a touch of the Gothic and macabre about these stories. In fact they are steeped in it. They are flesh-crawlingly delicious, and a treat for devotees of the paranormal. This is a collection of short stories. They are long enough to grip the readers attention, but brief enough to be read in a tea break or on a train – but why not treat yourself to a good spook-fest, and read them in the comfort of your armchair as the rain patters against the windowpane, and the wind howls its mournful tune – well, you get the idea. Read it wherever you feel most comfortable (or uncomfortable!). Just for good measure, I have also included a handful of stories (and a poem) from other authors who are friends of mine.

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Featured Interview With Stacy M Wray

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a wife and mom of two adult children. I was born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana, where I still reside. I work in accounting in the family business. I am a lover of all cats, especially gray and white ones.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. I remember the summer after the first grade, I won an award at our library for reading the most books in my age group. I wrote for my high school newspaper but didn’t do much else with my writing out of fear. It wasn’t until much later in life that I discovered how much I love putting the stories in my head to paper. I got over the fear part, mostly. I find creating characters to be empowering and fascinating.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Tarry Fisher, Colleen Hoover, Jamie McGuire, AL Jackson, Kristen Ashley, K Bromberg, M. Mabie, Jessica Sorenson, and Mia Sheridan. I like contemporary romance but will sometimes drift to suspense/mystery. Tarry Fisher inspires me to be a better writer. I love the way she writes about flawed, real, and gritty characters. The more flawed they are, the better. She has an uncanny way with words.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Hidden in a Small Town. After writing all contemporary romances, I wanted to try my niche at writing a suspense. It’s about a guy who receives visions of a woman in trouble and he has no idea who she is. In one vision, he is shown the place where she works and, being a teacher and having the summer off, he packs his bag and goes in search of her. He just needs to make sure that she is okay and that he isn’t losing his mind. What starts out as a vision turns into a nightmare. It’s a page-turner.

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Featured Interview With Sheri Richey

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Illinois, but I have lived in several different states during my adulthood. Currently, I am in south Georgia and working on a new series.

I have many pets, dogs and cats, all seniors and special needs. I take in those that no one wants anymore and care for them. Proceeds from my writings go towards their care and rescue.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I grew up always reading, even getting in trouble for it a few times, and my local library was my favorite place. The small town in southern Illinois where I grew up had a large Carnegie Library that had that wonderful book smell and an entire floor of books for young people. I didn’t begin writing until I was in college and at that time my focus was on poetry. I didn’t write my first novel until much later and it was intended only as a gift for my mother, not as the beginning of a writing career.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a number of authors and have varied taste. My first love has always been mystery, particularly legal mysteries, but have also become interested in the cozy mystery genre. I do read romance as well and enjoy Debbie Macomber the most.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest release, Willow Wood, is a sweet romance that is very different from my previous romance series, The Eden Hall Series. It does not contain any bad language and is not sexually explicit. I actually wrote it in 2013 and put it aside. I wasn’t pleased with it and life got in the way for me at that time. After moving numerous times since then, I rediscovered the manuscript and started editing. After reworking a few things, I felt it was ready for others to read.

It is set in the fictitious small town of Carlton, Ohio, where Calinda Willow grew up. She returns home to care for her dying father and takes on his business to run as her own. Having left the city and a bad relationship, she decides to stay, but has no interest in dating. Nolan Ramsey quits his job and moves to Carlton, Ohio, to write a book about his devastating experiences as a photojournalist abroad. He hopes to hide away from everyone and seek only solitary life with his dog, an Otterhound named Scuba.

Scuba is the matchmaker in the novel and helps these two healing souls find each other.

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Featured Interview With The Blakk Dahlia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Macon, GA and now reside in New York City. I have a love for telling stories, as I feel that there is an art to them. I like to write under the moniker of “The Blakk Dahlia” because I’m able to tell my own stories without others giving their own personal accounts. As many know the real “Black Dahlia” never got the opportunity to tell her own story. I can express the life, views, and thoughts of me with no twist and turns, no one sided details. I can give it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I have one dog (my son) Dallas-Maxwell. A fiery, loving and smart Yorkie-Poo. (He gets it from his “mom”).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books came early. Even when I learned how to read I had to go grab a book. This opened the doors to my imagination giving me access to new thoughts and new worlds. I began creating my own stories very young whether it was for school assignments or just hanging around the house. I started with poetry and writing down my feelings. It was a great outlet to say the things I wanted to say and used it as a release for my inner feelings. Stories developed over time reflecting my life and my imaginations.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Eric Jerome Dickey. The way he gives details within his books takes me away from just turning the page. I feel as if I’m there, experiencing it all with each character. I love to read romance and horror stories. There are so many layers within these genres that are fascinating to uncover.

My inspiration comes from me. I’ve dealt with a lot in this life and have encountered some very interesting characters. Its important for me to use my life experiences as a tool to express my inner thoughts; allowing people to understand the logic behind one’s actions.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the first installment to my Heartbreak Diaries Series, “Rushing to Distraction”. This is loosely based on a true story of myself and a potential significant other as it dives into what happens when you think you’re focused but a beautiful distraction comes. However, falling in love with an idea of a possibility can take a wrong turn. Its a reminder that we have to keep a reality check around to stay on track with the important things in life.

Within the story, Farrah is a career driven, strong, independent woman. She meets a man who charms his way into her heart but doesn’t clearly give his intentions. Her mind drifts and seeps into reality in hopes that if she keeps dreaming and working towards a relationship, it will happen. “Rushing to Distraction” gives the details of what happens when the heart replaces the mind. It also teaches us to value ourselves and to not be afraid of giving up on things that no longer serves you.

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The Blakk Dahlia’s Website

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Featured Interview With Kevin Doherty

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m from and still live in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada with my wife of 23 years, 3 kids and a cat named Sue. Winnipeg’s a prairie town smack-dab in the middle of North America. We’re a smaller city but have a thriving and very active art community. Our Fringe Theater Festival is the second largest in all of Canada. Our winters a snowy and cold, summers are bright and hot, Autumn’s are beautiful and Christmas is very pretty here. We love our professional ice hockey and Canadian Football teams too.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I didn’t exactly have a fascination with books, it was more a fascination with storytelling in general via any medium. Film was my first draw to storytelling, so I began to write scripts. When stories that I wanted to tell were too big to film, I wrote short stories. This was back when I was around eleven or twelve after “Star Wars” touched my life.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Hmmmm…I don’t really have a favorite author. I suppose, because I am such a massive fan of the “Twilight Zone,” I’d have to say Ray Bradbury or Richard Matheson. I also admire Rod Serling tremendously. His work definitely inspires me; the messages in all of his stories, how fast he worked and just how vast his imagination was. He was very intelligent. As for my favorite genre to read, that is, hands-down, horror.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book is a memoir about the time when I became, what is now known as, a “Monster Kid.”

My horrorholicism began back when I was 10 years old. The “Famous Monsters of Filmland” magazine was responsible. The frightening black and white photos of monstrosities, ghouls, and freaks contained within its pages fascinated me and I was hooked.

My life as a young horror fanatic in 1979 was particularly interesting. I had one quest back then. OK, maybe two. One was to acquire a Pressman “Movie & T.V. Horror Make-up Kit” from the local novelty shop so that I could win a best-costume contest at a Halloween party where the first prize was a perm. Two, to win the affections of a really cute girl in my class who really dug guys with Afros. Well, buying something for twenty bucks when earning an allowance of seventy-five cents every two weeks was an impossible task, so I had to come up with different ways of raising the money in time for October. I came up with all sorts of get-rich-quick schemes and what an adventure it was. So much so that I felt it was worth sharing by documenting my experiences in a book.

Culled from the yellowed pages of the diaries I kept back then (dozens and dozens of Hilroy notebooks) I have assembled a novelization of my chronicles of the time when horror took over my life!

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Featured Interview With Kela Calvin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Kela Calvin. I was raised in Hopewell, Virginia. Although I have traveled a few places, Hopewell is where I still reside. I have a degree in Human Services and I love to help others. I aim to motivate and inspire others through the art of story telling.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At about age ten, my mother gave me a book to read called “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou. In the seventh grade, I engaged in a class project where we had to write and design a book. My book was entitled “The Attack of the Feet Monster”. I can remember my teacher laughing as she read the book before grading it. She then had me to read the book in front of the class; their reactions were priceless! It was then I knew that I had the knack for being a writer. Growing up, I wrote in journals and wrote poems. I still write poetry and engage in poetry readings in my community.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors to read are Carl Weber, Toni Morrison, and Angela Henry to name a few. My favorite genre to read are mystery and urban fiction novels. A lot of factors inspire me in my writings such as my own life experiences as well as biases in today’s world.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My newly published novel is entitled “Living Proof”. It is a mystery novel based on the experiences of the main character Bethany Mason. she is a woman who just served fifteen-years in prison for the murder of her husband and child. Since being released, she wants to clear her name, find out the truth about what happened to her family, and once again become a productive member of society. She also suffers from mental illness and does not want life’s adversities to hold her back from any opportunities. However, her faith is tested when she is faced with a sudden case of real-life-deja vu and finds herself once again pleading for her innocence.

I began writing this book after graduating from college. However, it took me approximately four years to write this book due to being a very active case manager working in the field at the time.

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Featured Interview With Sonja and Esin Tanrisever

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Sonja: I grew up in Sweden, green forests had always welcomed my long walks. Though it has been almost half a century, 50 years that I’m in Istanbul. I am mainly in Istanbul but make trips to Sweden, have also lived in California for some time (in San Fransisco Bay Area and I miss there, would be nice to make some trips again to the States again). Right now we don’t have any pets, our last dog died because of age and we can’t dare to get a new one because we may move to live in Sweden ike my son and the family, or elsewhere, we don’t know yet.

Esin: I was born in and grew up in Istanbul but had been back and forth between Sweden and Turkey. Also have lived in the States for sometime with my family, when my father was still alive and he had founded a company over there, for realising his inventions of medical projects

Upon pets; same as above, right now I am living with my mother and can not dare to own another pet not before being dedicated to live at a certain place

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Sonja: “When I wrote ‘Cultural Bridges’, I was at 61. 3-4 years after that, wrote ‘Traces of Living’, a retrospective journey of my art production and very lately in cooperation with my daughter, wrote the ‘Free Art Learning With Kids’. But I started writing very long time ago, when I was 15 years old and still have tones of notes here and there. Only with a bit of work, many outcomes may burst.”

Esin: “I started writing when I was 5, right at the time I learned writing, started my short stories, then within time short stories evolved to articles, longer stories, observations, thewn turned back to short stories, and the last one is an educative book on art education wit5h kids from 2 to 7 years of age and our target audience is parents, teachers and teacher candidates. I have many short stories.

Right now with my mother, we want to write series of booklets which will make up a a library on art education with kids; especially on different techniques of art. In the meanwhile, I may publish either own rescue experiences from earthquakes as a volunteer rescuer, or collect some of the short stories I had written in decades, and let them make up a book, then another and so on”

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite book of all time;
Esin: Gabriel Garcia Marquez 100 Years of Solitude
Sonja: Rainer Maria Rilke, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge

If I was going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with me what books would I bring?
Esin: Gabriel Garcia Marquez – 100 Years of Solitude, Jack London’s Martin Eden, one book from Dostoyevsky.
Sonja: Rainer Maria Rilke- The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, Hermean Hesse’s Siddhartha, one book from Nazim Hikmet

Every member of our nuclear family has read several thousands of books in life time (Esin: mine is the least since I am the youngest) and it’s hard to write my/our favorite genre to read. One has ‘periods’ in life ‘tastes’! may change from time to time and many different genres are nice. It’s just so bad that we may not be able to read tens of thousands of books in a life time. More over, we will never know what we miss from the ones we haven’t read

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Free Art Learning With Kids” is an introduction to our understanding of art educational philosophy for young ones. In it, we have sporadically pondered upon some topics that we believe may concern adults who particularly are in relation to children at early stages between 2 till 7 years of age. (Views upon ourselves… Children… The World and the like.) Let’s consider the scientifically proven fact that as much as 90% of children’s personalities get completed at the age of 6!.. Very much can, according to our understanding, should be done in order to support process of developing self confidence and individual growth in children while their brains are most receptive

The target audience is parents, close relatives/ones to preschool kids or educators/students who want to make contribution with art education. It is planned to get followed by a series of handbooks which will come to form a “library” containing instructive guidelines upon how we, as adults, can support our children by providing them means to expand their personal creative growths. You will find detailed descriptions on how various artistic media techniques can get successfully realized together with them

Our planned “Free Art Learning With Kids Library” Project program introduces a rich variety of artistical techniques with instructions on how to apply them adapted to “young artists”. Following books will be on branches. (Just with a brainstorm came out over 20 headlines, right now we are in the middle of 2nd book)

For further information upon our book, please click the link: http://www.freeartlearning.com/2018/07/12/upon-sonja-bohlander-esin-tanrisever-and-their-book-free-art-learning-with-kids/

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Featured Interview With Gerrald Mccollister

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Oregon and worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 17 years, eight of those on the Zigzag Hotshot Crew. I served 2 years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Guatemala where I live now with my Guatemalan wife and daughter and our pet chiweenie.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I read quite often even before high school. When I took creative writing class 9 times in high school and began writing for my high school newspaper, I had an idea that this was the direction that I wanted to go.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I grew up reading Hemingway, Steinbeck, Kingsley Amis, etc. I appreciated the dialogue in many of Shakespeare tragedies. So I read a lot of fiction and it was easy to apply much of it to daily life. I don’t think that there is one author that inspires me the most, as much as a culmination of all of the books that I have read.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Flavors of the East Highlands of Guatemala is a record of many recipes from the women of the east highland community where I live, including recipes of my wife that she inherited from her mother. There needed to be a collection of some of these recipes written down for posterity sake. The same goes for my first book Born to the Flame: La Casa Monte. A book of real life experience as a forest fire fighter. I had to record these experiences as well, while the memory of them are still at the forefront.

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Featured Interview With Lara De Ann

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Southern California where I still live. I am still there because I have a companion goat and he is the hardest goat to move anywhere. But, he is my boy and I center my life around him. I write about goats, too. I spend a lot of time with goats so sitting on the earth and having a goat in my lap is my favorite place to be.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing as soon as I started to learn to put sentences together. Poetry was my first genre, short stories were my next. In fourth grade, my teacher gave us a morning topic we would have to write about. I loved it. Writing offers a person space to be totally free. Nobody edits anything but yourself, so the restrictions are only those you create. The sky is the limit.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Paulo Coelho, spiritual fiction. Jeff Greenwald, non-fiction, travel writing with soul and adventure. My beloved companion goats are often my muse.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Cornelius the Goat is an ebook on Kindle. My beloved boy Rocky who passed in 2017 is the inspiration for the main character. My beloved boy Sunshine is the model for the photos. It is an adventure of a girl and her goat. It wrote itself, I simply took dictation to the words I heard as fast as I could get them down. This book is Rocky’s legacy and supports animals .

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Featured Interview With Veronica Ramiez

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in California but moved to Schenectady, New York when I was five. I still live in Schenectady. I have a dog. Her name is Fendy. My favorite things to do is read, watch movies, listen to music, and write.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized my fascination with books around the age of ten or eleven. I was in sixth grade. I started writing in eighth grade.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
One of my favorite authors to read is Nicholas Sparks. My favorite genres to read are romance, action, and thriller books. A lot of people inspire me in my writings especially other authors.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the first book I have published. It is called Play the Game and I spent along time on it, about three to four years. It is about a woman, Isabella Heartingby who finds out that her partner, Dominick, is a hired killer. She runs away from him and disappears but he finds her, and makes her play a game to survive.

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Featured Interview With Patricia Gonzalez

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
PATRICIA HAMMOND-GONZALEZ, an inspirational teacher and author shares her ‘tools for change’ in her new inspirational book ‘The Ultimate Experience.’ She tells her story cleverly, applying the wise teaching to practical experience, all culminating in an incredibly satisfying full circle.
Born in Spirit Lake Idaho, she’s #3 of 4 daughters. As a child, she was a ballerina, a cowgirl, the winner of a beauty contest, and hula hoop contest. She was a member of 4-H who raised a calf that won 3rd place at the Fair. In high school, she won a creative writing contest, she was drill team leader, she loved music, dancing and singing, she was the ‘rebellious teenager’ who got into trouble a few times too. She was a Hairdresser, a Corporate Trainer, Project Manager, Marketing & Sales Operations Manager. She’s been a wife twice; now to a Musician, she loves traveling, and meeting new friends. Her family moved her to California when she was 18. She’s lived in London and now Spain. She is a mom to an adult daughter and her rescue Yorkie, Buddy. Her entire adult life has been as a Spiritual traveler, she shares her lessons in whatever form manifests – groups, one-on-one, online chats, and books.
Patricia teaches through her heart. She knows the human path is a difficult one… she lives it. But she also knows of the ‘Miracles’ awaiting each student who dares to walk a path of forgiveness

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Time has allowed me understanding on why I was chosen to write the book, The Ultimate Experience, and deliver its message… and it wasn’t because I was a masterful writer. A Higher Source chose me… because, I know with certainty the power of Forgiveness.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Roger Ebert – I know that’s a strange choice and I don’t even know if he wrote a book, but his blog has been so helpful to me; when needing a word, or a phrase. Because I wasn’t a writer per se, (Oh, I won a writing contest in High School), I fashioned my conversational style to Roger’s because it was seemed natural, not contrived. I still visit his blog and read his movie critiques… just to remind me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Ultimate Experience’s theme is a metaphor for the journey/adventure we’re all on – returning home to our Father’s house/outstretched arms.
I was an unwilling author. My passion at the time was studying and practicing forgiveness, A Course in Miracles kind of forgiveness. Two years later, the title, characters, dialog, lessons began to appear on my mental screen. The daily barrage and immediacy of these images forced me to admit – it was a book!

Featured Interview With Elsa Mendoza

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a Life Coach and an author of two books. I was born and raised in the Philippines and left the country in my early 20’s to work and live in different countries. I now live in Los Angeles, California. I currently do not have pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I love books since I was a kid. My mom said that she would see me reading a book at one corner if not playing with my siblings and other kids. I remember I love writing poetry in high school. Then from time to time, I would write quotes and little did I know that it was going to be my first book which became a best seller in Amazon to date.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre is non-fiction specifically personal transformation and books pertaining to spirituality. The spiritual gurus like Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Abraham Hicks, and Neale Donald Walsch to name a few inspire me to write. I love the work that they do to humanity…such loving bringers of light.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is titled Wake Up Humanity Poems About You and Me. I started writing this book on December 2017 and finished it on May of this year and published it on June. It was not really in my plan to write this genre as I was working on a different manuscript at that time. I just allowed myself to be strongly led by the inspiration and this is the manifestation of that. The last time I wrote poetry was back in high school. It is an easy read with wonderful illustrations personally hand drawn by my husband who hasn’t drawn in years to make each poetry more meaningful.
It talks about all of us, the entire humanity, about our reason for existence, and the results of our conscious and unconscious actions in our world and our power as human beings.
This is a collection of free verse poems, beautifully written for humanity. It beckons us to pause, reflect, and look within our souls to remember our true nature and live it.
Each chapter will make you think and ask: who we truly are, why we are experiencing the same challenges over and over again, what kind of a source we are in this world and how we can improve our current condition as powerful beings, the collective consciousness for a better world.

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