Featured Interview With David Beckler

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and spent my first eight years on an agricultural college in rural Ethiopia. I moved to the UK when I was 10 and now live in Manchester in the north west of the country. I spent twenty years as a firefighter before leaving to start an import business. My writing borrows from my background and one of my main characters is a firefighter.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading when very young and was home-schooled until I was eight. A highlight I still recall was receiving parcels of books from my aunt in London. Reading was a big part of my schooling and has remained a key part of my life. Despite this, I didn’t start writing until I was fifty.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read widely but focus more on crime thrillers – my genre.
Favourite authors outside my genre: Robertson Davies, John Irving and William Boyd.
In my genre: James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin and Lee Child.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Iv’e just published two novellas to introduce the main characters in my Mason and Sterling crime thriller series. Byron Mason and Adam Sterling are ex-Royal Marines who have each others backs, whatever the world throws at them. Adam is a firefighter in Manchester and Byron runs a security company in London.
If you want to know what it feels like to be trapped in the upper floor of a house on fire after the stairs have collapsed, you’ve no water and you’re running out of air, my first novella, ‘Forged in Flames’ is the one for you. In the second novella, ‘The Money Trap’ we witness Byron’s attempt to keep his business afloat while keeping his family safe from a corrupt banker willing to go to any lengths to cover up a crime. Both are full of action and have a well-rounded supporting cast.

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Featured Interview With Resilience by Tricia Morrison

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born on raised in MayPen, Clarendon Jamaica. I currently live in Berlin, Germany and I have a six year old son.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been fascinated with books for as long as I can remember. I started writing during my teenage years.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Danielle Steel Books and Yes I have read the Game of Thrones sequel. I am an all ’rounder’. I read a variety of books Fantasy, Memoirs, Science fiction, Spiritual, Business, Romance. Reading is one of my hobbies. Dr. Cindy Trimm inspires me not only in her writing but also her entire persona.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first book so far, ‘Resilience by Tricia Morrison’ has been published a week ago on Amazon. It is a self-help tool for me foremost and as brought closure to one chapter of my life.

The book introduces you to the life skill of resilience and brings a fresh perspective on navigating life in this tumultuous and complex world. It seriously challenges its readers to become reflective, hopeful, and at peace with themselves while challenging and beating odds that might be set up against them. It endeavours to evoke deep thinking and self-examination in readers, which will ultimately empower them to take the necessary steps to move forward in life and achieve their own personal goals; while taking into consideration that although one is an individual, we live within families, communities, nations and societies, which all place specific roles, expectations and functions on us whether said or unsaid. For me, resilience means continuing to stay healthy and positive in the face of pressures and negativity, striving for the best in whatever situation you are in, not giving up, moving forward and overcoming challenges that should have broken or rendered you voiceless.
I have written about my colourful childhood experiences and life’s journey from growing up in the ghettos of Jamaica to working at a bizarre kindergarten in Poland to some beautiful experiences in Berlin, in order to describe resilience. I used my knowledge from my education and my life to look back on how my experiences have formed me and how they have made me resilient. In each chapter, I point out lessons that I have learnt and my thoughts. The lessons provide readers with ways to use and find resilience in their own lives, while the thoughts provoke deep thinking and reflection where readers have the opportunity to develop their own opinions about the matters presented.
This volume implores you to regain lost passion, dreams, and innovation or to discover new ones while following the good old principles of planning ahead, hard work, dedication and, perseverance especially in the face of disappointments so as to continue to thrive. It shows that there is nothing wrong in being optimistic and sharing love with other humans despite the many deceptive, cruel, and hateful elements in this world, which we have inherited. Subsequently, it will help you to become more aware and tolerant of other people, societies, religion and cultures while challenging you to become a better version of yourself not only for your own progress but also for the betterment of humanity. This book, when read in its entirety, will simply make you become more resilient and an agent of change. Start your journey now by reading this book.

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Featured Interview With L. Salt

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My pen name is L. Salt and I am an emerging, multi-genre writer from the UK. I studied History of World Culture and did Master’s Degree in Art Expertise at the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts.
I was born in Belarus and have lived for many years in Ukraine and Russia, then finally settled down in the North of England, where I currently live with my husband and my fury baby, Rocky the cat, My interest in writing dates back to my teenage years. Apart from creative writing, I have a passion for travelling, arts, history, and foreign languages.
My debut novella “His Personal Reich” was release in April 2018 by Crazy Ink Publishing. My novel “The Ways We Follow”, a futuristic urban drama was released on in May 2018 by Wild Dreams Publishing. I have a new upcoming release. My thriller/mystery novella “Legacy of the Iron Eagle” will come out 24th February. My short stories appeared in different anthologies and magazines, both on-line and in print.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always liked to tell stories, creating new, fancy worlds. I started to write at school, at the age of 12-13. I wrote a sci-fi series about time travel and another dimensions.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
So many of them…It’s difficult to pick up just a couple. In my teenage years I read a lot (I wish I could read that much now). I was all about travels, adventures, history, I enjoyed sci-fi as well as horror like Stephan King type of stories. At University, I preferred more philosophical and sophisticated reading like Albert Camus, Sartre, Herman Hesse, Carlos Castaneda. Nowadays, I read historical fiction (authors like Philippa Gregory, for example) and intellectual thrillers in Dan Brown’s style.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book called “Legacy of the Iron Eagle”. It’s a thriller/mystery novella with some elements of history and suspense. The main character, Philip Rutkowski, a son of a Polish immigrant, “enjoys” all the benefits of big city life—a boring, routine office job, the everyday long commute, a massive mortgage, and rare nights out with a few friends. Everything changes for Philip, when his colleague and best friend, David Zilberschlag, gives him a vintage mirror to help his friend to decorate his newly-bought apartment. The mirror belonged to David’s deceased granddad, a Holocaust’s survivor, who believed that the mirror hides some dark secrets from the past.
Both friends don’t believe in old man’s “fairy tales”, but when Philip continues to see visions of a German SS-officer in the mirror who tries to talk to him, he has nothing to do, but to try to find the answers to the questions he doesn’t know.
The investigation leads the two friends to a tiny town of San Augustine del Agua, hidden deeply in the woods of Misiones Province (Argentina). There, they meet Claudia Alvarez and her friendly grandparents, the proud members of a huge German community.
Eager to find out the truth behind the mirror, lost in the woods full of evil and possessed by his visions, Philip slides deeply into madness.
Philip tries to fight evil, but he’s not strong enough to resist it…

I love history of WWII. This dramatic period of history still leaves more questions than answers for historians and researchers, and continues to tease imagination of authors and writers with its theories and conspiracies. This is my second novella dedicated to this subject. It took me about five months to write it, including time for research and editing.

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Featured Interview With Sonia Iris Lozada

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Originally from Chicago and now living in Los Angeles. Poetry has fascinated me since childhood and was always writing. I wrote it for myself and never edited or published it except for the few years I was writing lyrics with a composer. As a poet and performer, the concept of time, history and dreams have always fascinated me. Captivated by the theory of dimensions in physics and becoming an avid reader of the Akashic Records (an explanation of universal intelligence), was the influence of my new book “Follow: Akashic Dreaming Through Time”
When I’m not writing or performing, I enjoy visiting with friends and family, decorating and design or staying home reading a book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve didn’t think of myself as an avid reader until I kept hearing comments on how I knew about various subjects. My answer was always, “I read about it.” I’ve always loved books and libraries. I guess since I learned to read; ages four or five.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
There are so many authors I’ve admired. Normally, I like reading indie-writers because they have a different take on stories. Stories with a twist interest me. My favorite genres are mystery, poetry, self-help, physics, and science (basic information, some of it is out of my scope of knowledge); decorating and design. What inspires my writing is nature and people. The love of nature and the psychology of people propel me to write.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
FOLLOW: Akashic Dreaming Through Time captures the essence of life and its difficulties in continuing to pursue our beliefs even though they might no longer serve us throughout our lives. Every stanza emulates the traveling soul. The individuals’ experiences from anger to forgiveness and acceptance which guides us home.

It was a surprise and honored to check Follow: Akashic Dreaming Through Time and see that it was #1 new release in Spirituality two weeks ago on Amazon.

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Featured Interview With Rosalind Minett

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Londoner who has lived outside of London for decades. I now live near the wonderful Regency town of Bath where I thoroughly enjoy its excellent theatre and many small galleries as well as the uplifting surrounding scenery.
No, I don’t own any pets, but admire and occasionally sit for family members’ pets. I can love them (especially the fat-faced cats) and leave them, bearing only a sitter’s responsibility!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I learned to read very early and soon stopped my mother reading to me because she used the wrong voices for the characters I had in my mind. For many years my academic work kept me writing lengthily but this was non-fiction, of course, and the style is totally different. It took me a while to adapt to a style suited to fiction. But it was a delight, once I’d retired, to spend my days creating characters, especially the mean ones, and to crack the problems that writing a full-length novel poses.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors include several American writers: Philip Roth, Aimée Bender, Ann Tyler, Garrison Keillor, Valerie Martin. Literary fiction is the genre I read most but if a psychological thriller is really well written, such as S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep, I thoroughly enjoy them. Many others, though, disappoint after three-quarters way through.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book should be ready before the end of this year. It’s a psychological domestic drama called Uncommon Relations. It’s full of unspoken tensions between characters, twists and turns. My main character is a Mr Everyman who regrets how ordinary he is. But then an unexpected event plummets him into a voyage of discovery. His curiosity lands him in increasingly bizarre situations.
Is his secretive wife a cause or result of his own reticence? But there are so many characters who affect him in his journey towards what proves to be a self-discovery.

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Featured Interview With KEITH K LONDON

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a native of Tyler, Texas and have lived there all of my life. Retiring from my job of 32 years allows me plenty of time to use my God given gift. My streetwise experience allows me to use my imagination and create characters that are true to life. I am grateful for this opportunity.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination for books began with historical research. I believe that a lot of information passed down through history was incorrect. I write fictional stories in order to right a wrong. The use of dialog and characters in a modern day scenario proves to be effective.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Historians, Yosef Ben Jochannan, and Dr. John Henrik Clark, influenced me the most. Combining laughter, drama, and history together can be entertaining as well as educational.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book is about a young man who wanted to be a baller. His love for the streets and influence of reality tv, created a fictitious lifestyle that could bring him to an early fate. He was a married man with no sense of responsibility. His wife could no longer tolerate his behavior. She took the kids and left. To his surprise she stepped out on him and became the queen of nightlife. Missing his family, he decided to man up. He had to change and become the man he was meant to be.

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Featured Interview With Carly Rheilan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Greetings readers. I’m Carly Rheilan, author, wife, mother, psychiatric nurse, lover of power tools (from sewing machines through lawn mowers to electric saws), leader of a youth club, slayer of stinging nettles. But also (despite this attempt to make myself sound cool) a rather shy person, allergic to photographs, blessed with the fashion sense of your local bag-lady, and pretty much a stranger to social media.

I was born in Malta, but raised in the English countryside and now returned to it, after various travels. I live in a village in Hertfordshire, suspiciously similar to the place where I grew up – a place with a train and a pub and a handful of shops, and with a boundary of fields between us and the town. I live with a man , a grown up boy, a cat, three chickens, two guineapigs and a lot of politics. (Not to mention the warm after-glow of a girl who is married now, the ghost of a cat who has died but won’t go away, and the haunting whispers of children we have fostered and lost.)

In the more intelligible parts of my career, I have worked as a psychiatric nurse in the NHS, particularly at the juncture of psychiatry and the law: working to protect the rights of patients with mental illness or dementia, and of patients whose illnesses have led them to crime. I did a PhD about gender, crime and mental illness, which led to a few years as an academic lecturer – but in the end I just missed the NHS and had to go back.

This is as much of my life as I put on the internet, but I usually answer emails. If you have any questions, you can find my email address on my (otherwise pretty empty!) facebook page.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I first noticed books when my older brother was learning to read – the texts were pretty meagre, so I learnt them boringly by heart as he stumbled through them. But unlike the text, the pictures were rich and deep, and pouring myself into them I discovered all the back stories that the books missed out. (Oh, there are things I could tell you about Janet and John, that no-one else knows….) It was soon after that, I think, that I started to write stories myself.
Actually, I fear I’ve always been pretty solipsistic about books; I’ve always preferred to write my own stories, than risk the stories of others : I like to decide for myself how the story ends!
After the usual juvenilia, and many false starts, I wrote my first “grown up” novel at the turn of the century, and three more since. They’ve sat in the depths of computers through several years. I’m trying to publish them now, to give them some space.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Jane Austen, George Eliot, William Saroyan, Oliver Sacks, Herman Hesse… These are not crime writers.

Yet it appears, to my surprise, that what I write is “crime”, and dark crime at that: “noir” people call it in reviews, or even “harrowing” (I don’t like that) and sometimes “grim” or “chilling”. Try as I will, this is always what comes out, though sometimes I get almost to the end of the draft without really seeing that, yet again, this ISN’T a book like the ones that inspired me. I find it rather inexplicable, since I’ve never really read Crime, with the exception of John Grisham whose writing I massively admire.

Hey ho. I guess we all write what we have to write.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Asylum is a story about Cabdi, an accidental asylum seeker who has washed up in an English psychiatric hospital, and Mustaf, a trafficked child.
Cabdi begins as a limit-case of human displacement. He does not know where he is, he does not speak any English, he has absolutely no anchor in the world where he finds himself. He is a Somali Bantu, the only member of his family to survive the Somalian Civil War.
At the start of the book, on a piece of land adjacent to the hospital where he is held, he sees the evidence of a terrible crime – the hand of a half-dead child, the victim of abuse, reaching out of the ground where it is buried alive. But he turns away and does not intervene. He is powerless, friendless, traumatised by his own life’s experience. This is somebody else’s war.
And so it would have stayed were it not for meeting Mustaf, a child from his own tribal grouping, also a refugee. This encounter awakens the past in him, a world where his life had meaning. He persuades himself that this boy is a thread that will lead him back to others of his people. Yet Mustaf isn’t, as Cabdi wants to believe, a treasured son of some thriving Bantu family. In fact he is an orphan who has made his way through Africa, trying to survive and to protect his sister – only to be trafficked by paedophiles and sucked into a nightmare of abuse.

The story goes to dark places, and was a difficult book to write. Before writing it, I had become very engrossed in the (terrible) history of the Somalian civil war. In the late 1990s I had helped to look after four Somalian children. Fifteen years later – with time on my hands at last – I set out to find out about the events that brought so many of their people as refugees to Britain. The history filled me with horror and awe. At around the same time, in my professional life, I was tied up in the aftermath of the “Jimmy Savile” case: a British television celebrity who was also – as it emerged only after his death in 2011 – one of Britain’s most prolific and predatory paedophiles, who had used his position of trust to abuse vulnerable children in every possible setting, including hospitals. These two dark threads weave together in this story.
It would not have been possible to write this story – it took me two years to get a first draft together, and many times in that period I would have set it aside as too painful – except that the character of Cabdi insinuated itself into my consciousness like a spirit, and I couldn’t let him go.
Cabdi has come from one of the most “primitive” communities in Somalia – not the sophisticated Somalis who populated both sides in the Civil War, but one of the Bantu tribes, remnants of a slave-people, discredited and persecuted by the true Somali. His community is almost “stone-age” – a world without writing, without contact with the West, barely familiar with metal tools. Even there, he was not a successful man – the smallest of his brothers, a chatterer, a would-be healer who would rather be telling stories. He has lost one hand in the war, he has failed to bury his murdered family as his culture required, he has been duped of his passage to America, where the few remaining of his tribe have gone. He is not heroic, and his attempts to make sense of the British world where he finds himself are almost entirely misplaced. But “channeling” him as I wrote him, I found a strength and truthfulness and positivity in him that came from somewhere I had never been before. Perhaps his character is “self-indulgent” from an authorly perspective, I am not sure. But I know that in all of my writing life, I have never been happier than when writing him, no matter the dark places that I took him to. Not everyone who reads him likes him, but I hope a few of you do!

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Featured Interview With J.G. Harlond

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Secret agents, skulduggery, and romance that crosses continents . . .
I’m an award-winning, full-time author of page-turning historical crime novels that weave fictional characters into real events. As I’m particularly interested in aspects of power and downright wickedness, international intrigue and domestic politics are significant elements in most of my stories. I grew up in the West of England, by the beach, studied Drama, Education then Politics in the UK and the USA – then travelled widely in Europe and elsewhere. I have visited or lived in most of the locations in my novels. Nowadays, I’m settled in a rural area of Andalucía, southern Spain. We have a large family living in diverse parts of Europe and the USA.
As to pets, I have had four generations of horses – only one old boy left now, though.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As a child I read anything I could get my hands on – just about every genre – which I still do. I
started writing my own stories in school exercise books at young age, but was forced to stop when my school teachers accused me of copying these ‘English compositions’.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a broad taste in fiction – from biographical historicals and quirky pastorals to fast-paced crime thrillers. My favourite author, though, has to be the late, great Dorothy Dunnett. Her House of Niccolò series has certainly influenced my recent Ludo da Portovenere stories (The Chosen Man Trilogy).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel is ‘By Force of Circumstance’, Book 3 in The Chosen Man Trilogy. This book brings the story of the 17th century Genoese merchant and all round rogue Ludo da Portovenere to a close. (Although he may appear again in a book featuring his strong-willed daughters, who will very likely follow in his scandalous footsteps and deserve a story of their own.)
The Chosen Man Trilogy has taken me many years to complete, largely because there was so much research and background reading to be done. Many of the details I uncovered had to be double-checked because they took quite some believing. Ludo, the main character is not to be trusted, but he’s acting as a secret agent for real people who were mostly amoral, or up to no good themselves. What happens in each of the stories is based on real events – even the dubious selling of the English Crown Jewels.

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Featured Interview With Melissa Woods

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello everyone! My name is Melissa, and I’m a zombie-loving, video-gaming, writer from a small town in the UK. I just recently became a mum to a beautiful baby boy called Clark (yes, my husband and I love Superman!), and also live with our two dogs and two tortoises.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been someone who spends most of their days with their nose in a book. I can’t remember when my love of reading started, but I know even when I was a baby my mum had to read me at least three stories before I would finally go to bed!

I started writing my own stories when I was about eight, and wrote a short story about a rabbit who went ice skating. Yes, it was terrible, but it gave me the bug, and i’ve been writing ever since. Are the stories much better? Hard to say, but I’d like to think my grammar has improved at least!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love young adult stories, there’s just something so much more special and magical about the worlds created. Suzanne Collins is a big inspiration to me, The Hunger Games is one of my favourite trilogies. JK Rowling is up there, of course, I probably reread the Harry Potter books every year! I’m also a huge fan of Margaret Atwood, who wrote Oryx and Crake, and The Handmaids Tale. She’s such an amazing writer, I dream of being as talented as her.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Alive? is a YA zombie adventure story. The main character is a young woman named Violet, who manages to get bitten on the first day of the zompocalypse. But unlike anyone else who gets bitten by a zombie, Violet doesn’t die. She does, however, develop some interesting quirks, such as losing all colour from her eyes, and accidentally eating a couple of people. She and a group of friends try to ride out the rise of the undead in their old high school, and Violet has to juggle running from the zombies, encounters with dangerous survivors, and dwindling food supplies, alongside trying to hide the fact that she thinks she might possibly be dead.

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Featured Interview With Gracie Lynne

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a farm in Nebraska. The freedom that I had as a little girl sparked my creativity. I had a playhouse out in our garage, a make believe restaurant in the basement of our farmhouse, a Sunday School for my dolls in the living room. I was rarely bored. I was the youngest of four children and no one wanted to play with me so I played by myself and was very imaginative.
I live in Texas now and I have four cats and one Maltese dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I became fascinated with books when I was a teenager. I started writing when my children were born. I was so amazed with them that I started detailing their antics in Christmas letters. Many times I would write from their point of view, even if they could not talk yet. Then when I got divorced, I wrote plays for a Christian Single’s Ministry. Soon I started on my first novel. I worked on that novel for ten years, while being a nurse and a single mother of three fantastic children. When I finished it I had a revelation that it was too dark. So I started all over again and for the next eight years I labored intensively to produce my first published novel, The Shattered Vase.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Grace Livingston Hill, Shalini Boland, Sarah Young.
I love psychological thrillers that are written well.
I get my inspiration from my connection to the Holy Spirit and through prayer.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Shattered Vase is a story about a single mother, Suzie Whatley, who is thrust into spiritual warfare the minute her husband leaves her. With Deceit as the ringleader, the forces of evil use every opportunity they have to try and lure Suzie to end her life.
Suzie has Christian friends, which symbolically represent characteristics of God. Hope, Faith, Joy, Grace and Mercy comfort Suzie in her times of distress and impart wisdom.
In a war there is only one victor. Read The Shattered Vase and discover which side wins in the fight for Suzie Whatley’s life.

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Featured Interview With Stella Williams

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a romance author and write life blogger. I was born in Oakland, CA but currently live in Washington State. My writing sidekick is an adorable blue and tan min pin! I enjoy writing paranormal romance with diverse characters and worlds.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading before I could actually read. I would peak over my mother’s shoulder as she read her Harlequin romances and try to sound out the words. I started writing at the age of 8 when I was gifted my first journal by my godmother.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t really have favorites. I just read whoever and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. I am currently into non-fiction feminist memoirs, manifestos and essays. Becoming by Michelle Obama has been a very influential read.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a paranormal romance featuring a secretive group of Magic users. It touches more on social and environmental issues. It’s a slight departure from my Maura’s Men Series which features vampires and more traditional suspenseful romance themes.

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Featured Interview With Blair McDowell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
• I grew up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, on the island of Ocracoke, and went to school in Maryland, Wisconsin and Connecticut before doing post graduate study in Budapest, Hungary. I now live in the charming little fishing village of Gibson’s Landing on the Sunshine Coast, in British Columbia, Canada. My house overlooks the Strait of Georgia. I can see the cruise ships sailing by on their way to Alaska. I have no pets because I travel too frequently, but I do have a herd of deer who munch their way across my lawn every day. They are beautiful. I especially love the Spring when they bring their tiny wobbly spotted fauns to visit.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
With regard to reading, I think I was about three, and the book was ‘Millions and Billions and Trillions of Cats’. I read and reread that book until I think I could have recited it by heart. I’ve been reading ever since. My Kindle at present has 411 books on it, all read but eleven, and my library has floor to ceiling bookcases filled with books I can’t bear to part with.

As to writing, I wrote my first piece of fiction in third grade, ‘Twins in Double Trouble’. I don’t recall anyone being particularly impressed by it. But undeterred, I went on in high school to write two plays that were performed, as well as a pageant for the 100th anniversary of my church, which was also performed.

In university, and indeed for many years after university, my writing of necessity took a professional turn. I wrote six books in my field, one of which became a basic required text. All were published by Simon & Schuster.

Imagine my surprise, when I retired and turned to writing fiction, to discover it is MUCH harder to snag a publisher for my fiction than it was for my non-fiction!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like best, those books that have some historical content, good characters with whom I can identify, a touch of romance and a soupçon of mystery. At different ages I have liked different kinds of books “best”. As a teen-ager, I read and was enthralled with ‘Gone With the Wind’, ‘Anna Karenina’ and ‘Camille’. Later I devoured all the James Bond books. Still later it was Agatha Christie. Then all the Zen books and Montalbano. I think the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read – something to aspire to – is ‘The Once and Future King’, by Theodore White. Of course I’m not mentioning Shakespeare or John Donne or even Oscar Wilde in this context. They are all wonderful, but beyond comparison. Good, literate writing always inspires me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In ‘Delighting In Your Company’ Amalie Ansett travels to the Caribbean Island of St. Clements. There she meets a handsome plantation owner, Jonathan Evans, and falls in love with him.

Then she discovers only she can see and hear him. Jonathan died 200 years ago, murdered as he carried his bride (Amalie’s ancestress) over the threshold to her new home.

Jonathan pleads with the present-day Amalie to return to the past, to discover what happened on that fateful night, and perhaps to change history.

Amalie is conflicted. If she succeeds, she will lose the only man she has ever loved. He will be in the past, with that other Amalie while she, back in the present, will have lost the only man she ever loved.

And yet, if she refuses his plea, she will have condemned her lover to walk the world as a ghost, a jumbie, for eternity.

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Blair McDowell Facebook Page

Blair McDowell Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Rusty Blackwood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Please see the brand new Author Interview on Awesomegang
Link: https://awesomegang.com/rusty-blackwood/

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Link: https://awesomegang.com/rusty-blackwood/

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Link: https://awesomegang.com/rusty-blackwood/

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Link: https://awesomegang.com/rusty-blackwood/

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Rusty Blackwood’s Website

Rusty Blackwood Facebook Page

Rusty Blackwood Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Professor M. S. Rao PhD

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I served in the Indian Air Force and entered into the teaching profession in 2007 due to my passion and vision to shape students as leaders. I earned my Ph.D. in 2011 and founded MSR Leadership Consultants India in 2007 to provide training programs to educational institutions and corporates. I have become an author in 2010 and published 45 books. One of the books titled Soft Leadership https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628655909 is selling great globally. I was born in Eluru in Andhra Pradesh in India and I currently live in Hyderabad, India. I don’t have any pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been reading books since childhood. I used to observe wall posters and read a lot. I used to read slogans and quotes. I am a voracious reader since my childhood. I started writing in my early twenties when I was serving in the Indian Air Force. I resumed my writing from 2007 after I entered into the teaching profession. Now I am a fulltime author.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read lots of books during my lifetime. After I entered into the teaching profession, I read several books on management and leadership. My favorite authors include Peter Drucker, Marshall Goldsmith, and Dave Ulrich. It is my passion for teaching, training, research, and consultancy that inspires me to write books and articles.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The title of my latest book is: “Soft Leadership: An Innovative Leadership Style to Resolve Conflicts Amicably through Soft Skills and Negotiation Skills to Achieve Global Stability, Peace and Prosperity” URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628655909 This book introduces and explores soft leadership to achieve global stability, security, peace, and prosperity. It explains the causes, effects, and remedies for global conflicts and wars. It draws a blueprint to resolve conflicts amicably. It offers innovative negotiation tools and techniques for soft leaders to resolve conflicts amicably. It illustrates with inspiring examples of great global leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. It emphasizes Mahatma Gandhi’s twin principles of truth and non-violence. It implores to replace religion with love to build a better world. It implores to love your mother but don’t hate another person’s mother.
This book outlines soft leadership, soft skills, conflict management, negotiation skills, global peace, and prosperity. It serves as a curriculum for global peace studies. It inspires people to grow as global citizens and soft leaders. It is a quick reference guide for scholars and practitioners on leadership, and for learners and leaders to enhance their leadership effectiveness and success. You can easily toss the book into a briefcase, or purse and read here and there as time allows.

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Professor M. S. Rao PhD’s Website

Professor M. S. Rao PhD Facebook Page

Professor M. S. Rao PhD Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Alvaro Bayona

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello everyone! Well, my name is Alvaro and I’m a self-published author trying to make it on my own. It’s pretty difficult so far, but I’m getting there one step at a time.

I was born and raised in South Gate for most of my life and still live here to this day. It’s a nice city with some good perks, and I enjoy it. I own a small dog at home. Well, it’s pretty much my little brother’s, but we call it the family’s dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated with books when I was a small kid with the works of Dav Pilkey with his Captain Underpants series. I found the humor very funny and as a kid, the imagination was bizarre yet fun. After that, I got myself into literature, but I really wasn’t a big fan about it. I used to sometimes get sleepy until I got myself into comic books.

I love the fact you can view the scenes in comics rather than reading words, and I knew that I should be part of it as well. I didn’t start writing until around 17 when a ground of friends decided to start a writing group that I became a part of it and gave my ideas out.

After, I decided to look out for myself as well and decided to make something of my own. I wanted to build myself to be a comic book author, but I had to start somewhere. When I turned 19, I published my first ever novel, “And Now, Ladies And Gentlemen…Stacy!”, which was suppose to only be a one-shot as part of an anthology, but that idea went out the window.

There was a time two years ago where I was struggling to make a new type of superhero, but I didn’t know where to turn. Somehow, I turned back to my old novel, and I thought that there’s a chance to bring her back.

After a few thoughts, I resurrected Stacy back and gave her a new chance of life. Now, I’ve opened the doors to a series under the name, Stacy!

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 Frank Miller, Scott Snyder, and Stephen King.

If I had to say, I’d pick any genre to read, but mostly action or Science Fiction.

To be honest, as much as I love reading, not a lot of authors inspire me. What inspires me to write is actually something you wouldn’t expect from an author. It’s music, specifically Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Every time I would write, I would hear music and think about a wild fictional scene of action and mystery. Every time I did, I kept thinking about how I could bring it to life. It’s the visual I would pick up that makes me think about scenes from movies and television. I just want to create that kind of world.

I even reference my favorite songs or bands within my own stories. For instance, Stacy herself is based on the ex-guitarist of an all-female Heavy metal band, Girlschool. The fact that she’s known for having a motorcycle is based on the theme of my favorite band, Judas Priest!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is simply called Stacy: Part 1!

It’s actually a prequel to the novel I did back in 2015. After a few years struggling about a new path to take for a new project, I had no idea where to go, no direction. Suddenly, I thought about how this one-shot could be explored to its potential!

Stacy: Part 1! takes place a year before the 2015 novel and it once again centers around the main protagonist, Stacy! Our story starts with a young curvy ginger Rock ‘N’ Roll gal who ends up homeless on the streets with only her motorcycle, when all of a sudden, she turns herself into the greatest Superhero ever, Lady-Fire!

The danger of snarlin’ criminals around the world are running wild and it’s up to Stacy to knock them down! In the story, Stacy teams up with her best friend, a blond police officer, Lisa! Together, they travel city to city in a quest to defeat the evil of a wicked mafia known as the Sedula Mafia!

It’s a nice mix of retro action, loving characters, straight to the point plot, and a nice touch of Rock ‘N’ Roll!

It’s on Amazon on Kindle right now! Available for anybody in need of a good and fresh new kind of story, unlike anything you’ve ever read!

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Alvaro Bayona’s Website

Alvaro Bayona Facebook Page

Featured Interview With KEITH K LONDON

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Tyler, Texas, where I still reside. I don’t have pets because my grandson has autism and does not like any animal. He is 20 years old and has been living with me and my wife since he was 5 years old. Being around him helped me to grow into a better man.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I never really read a lot of books until I discovered this is my gift. I have been writing about 3 or 4 years now. I mainly write short stories. I let a teacher of mine read one of my short stories and he encouraged me to develop the story into a novel. This is a great experience.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre is young adult. I don’t really have a favorite author. I am inspired to write by observing changes in society. I like finding solutions to problems.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The name of the book is “Going Through.” My main character, Kory, wants to live the life of a baller. He wants to live the life that he sees on reality tv. But he has a wife and 2 beautiful daughters. He parties all night and comes home the next afternoon. Confronted by his wife, he gets violent. She reached her limit and decided to show him how to party like a pro. After she and the kids left he decided to change.

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Featured Interview With Deedee Panesar

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am from Vancouver, Canada and have spent over the last 10 years in Europe, mostly in Italy. I have lived on the shores of a lake, in the forest on a mountain, in a countryside full of corn fields and of course, within cities. It was in Europe where my facade fell apart and I was forced to connect with the truth of my own self. I spent time reading, writing and discovering new ideas and raising my vibration substantially. I became aware of the truth within this existence both spiritual and physical. I will share many of my stories of my travels, as it was during this time that I had my awakening and calling to share through writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My love for books started at a very age, my first visit to the neighbourhood library. It was my escape from my sisters, brother and parents. The library was a quiet space. Later in my teens, I worked in the main library, the first to be computerized in Canada.

The library was inspiring to see everything I could learn. On the other hand, it was extremely humbling. It helped me see how little I knew, and it helped me see that even if I spent my whole life just reading, I would still only know a fraction of knowledge out there.

The power of reading led me to writing and drove me through a fascinating journey to where I am today.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am a bibliophile. I love books. If you love to read as much as I do, walking into a bookstore feels exactly like walking into a candy store as a kid. The shelves are lined with the wisdom of humanity, insights that each author has spent years refining. It’s all right there at your fingertips, condensed into a format that you can curl up with. A book can change your life. So many authors have changed my life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The book, entitled AS I THRIVE, I RISE are 70 fearlessly shared, personal stories of transformation which prove that all breakdowns are breakthroughs.

The healing stories will help you rise above your limitations and encourage you to believe that anything is possible. The stories are about depression, divorce, fear, grief, spiritual awakening, trauma, and releasing self-doubt.

There is an author biographies section with contact information to support you on your journey.

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Deedee Panesar Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Kimber Bowers

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner and Growth and Empowerment Speaker in Dallastown, PA. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, I spent time living in multiple cities across the country as an Executive Chef and Pastry Cook before venturing into a holistic path and settling down here with my husband, two children, and dog about 8 years ago. I enjoy writing, socializing, healthy cooking, exploring nature, Qigong and meditation, and any kind of creative pursuit! I am passionate about empowering people to embrace themselves and step into a fuller expression bringing more joy and fulfillment to their everyday lives!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have loved books for as long as I can remember and attempted to write my first book when I was five, which no one but me could read because of the nature of the scribbles! I believe that I have learned more from any one book that I have read than from my 19 years of classroom education combined! Books offer an opportunity to expand our way of thinking, to examine our own interpretations and to ponder new and different possibilities. I began writing passionately when I was around 10, but never believed it was within my reach to be published. I have now been published in several anthologies and am working on my first solo book. I am also supporting my 10 year old son in his own writing endeavors. I am hoping he learn from this age that no dream is too big for which to aim.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
At this point in my life I enjoy historical fiction — fictional stories created around historical events, like The Winds of War, The Things They Carried, or The Great Alone for example. Some of my favorite authors of all time, which oddly are not from this category, are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Manil Suri, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Elie Weisel, Paul Coelho, and Mikhail Bulgakov. Favorite book of all time is Narcissus and Goldman by Hermann Hesse. So many authors and poets inspire me it is impossible to list them all! Ideas and virtues have spread across the ages to support me in becoming who I am. I know that a young and early writer I took a lot of inspiration from Emily Dickinson and Michelangelo.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Most recent book is When I Rise, I Thrive a collection of inspiring stories of trials transformed into triumph. I believe that this book offers hope and options for anyone suffering. My personal stories include topics like confidence, depression and mustering the strength to face another day to alcoholism and finding the courage to face what you’re drowning. My son also has a piece in this book about how to remain calm in emergency situations. More insight into embracing the chaos as a growth opportunity and finding the perspective that allows you to thrive is included in the recently published Happy Thoughts Playbook, also from As You Wish Publishing, and in the solo book I am currently working on right now.

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Kimber Bowers Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Karista Rose

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Yes I have pets!! I am the proud owner of 3 beautiful, loving Sphynx, Osiris, Ra and Lily Bastet who is pictured with me. I have been married since 2005 to an amazing man who is literally the wind beneath my wings. We also have a teenage son. I am originally from Kingman, AZ growing up in a trailer home with no heat and no hot water, alongside railroad tracks parallel to the famous Route 66. Today this is not how I expected my life to end up, to be an author of a book. I didn’t expect to live through my childhood and I am not supposed to be here after having a code blue called on me last year as you will read in the book. So I am thrilled to be alive and here, to be able to be a part of a project to encourage and inspire the world which has been my personal mission throughout the years. I have had many life difficulties and risen as as Phoenix several times as will be eventually addressed in my autobiography but this chapter “Phoenix Defying” is just a glimpse into my most recent rising. As for the rest of my personal life I am also an advocate for several causes that have touched me personally including child abuse, domestic violence, adrenal Insufficiency (a rare daily life threatening condition) as mentioned in the book, foster care, and chronic daily pain. My life’s mission is to touch others lives through various avenues including beauty pageants, volunteering and speaking at events. I am currently the 2018/2019 International Ambassador for Ultimate Elite Pageants. I compete in pageants to show pageants are more than just looking for a pretty face, we are about serving the community and advocating for important causes. My playform is “Defying the Odds” and I’m proud to share it with the world and hopefully give at least one person a glimmer of hope and encourage them to Defy their Odds. I literally rose again from the ashes and was given another lease on life. I HAVE to live life to the fullest and take every opportunity that comes my way. I want to leave a legacy of inspiration and community service showing you can Defy Your Odds and I feel this book is just the start.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have to give credit to my mother. She started me reading at a very early age with hooked on phonics. She built a whole wall library of books in our home and I literally read everyone of them from cover to cover. Not to mention trips to the library every several days. The books I read from age 2-12 were deep books. They were history books, religious books and Bibles and every type of educational book possible. Story books were put to the back of the pile however. I learned to speed read very quickly. After every book, to make sure I read and mentally processed the book, I had to write a multiple page book report. That amounted to quite a few book reports over a decade, but I enjoyed it. It was an escape from the daily abuse I experienced. It was my safe haven. Highschool I continued to write and my freshmen year I entered a National poetry contest and placed in the Top ten and had my poem published in the book. I wish I could remember the name. Throughout high school I entered several poetry and essay contests and won or placed. I was told one day I would write a book. I of course didn’t think that I was capable of such an awesome opportunity. And now I have not only this book but several others in the near future planned.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My all time favorite author is V.C. Andrews. I fell in love with her works in highschool as I could relate to some of her characters and their experiences and emotions. I also love Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, John Grisham and Michael Crichton. I prefer fiction but will read anything involving cats or the Egyptian culture. There is no one person who inspires my writing. I have to say that life in general, circumstances, events are what inspires me and I only get inspired occasionally. At those times I have to drop everything and start writing or it slips from my grasp. I do think I naturally have a creative writing gene in my DNA if that is possible as mother wrote songs and poems and so did my father.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is my first book and is a collaboration with many other authors with amazing stories of thriving through life’s difficulties. I participated in this project as it aligns with my personal cause of encouraging the world to Defy Their Odds by being and example of “Defying the Odds” myself with everything I have been through, most recently the code blue and my rising as told in the book.

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Karista Rose’s Website

Karista Rose Facebook Page