Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Rebecca Bolton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a writer, poet, historian and mum to identical twin daughters. I am now based in rural England, although I grew up in a busier town that was commonly voted one of the worst places to live in the country! Although, from the inside out—it wasn’t all that bad.

When I’m not reading or writing, I am usually in the garden tending to my many rose bushes and being escorted by our chubby cat, Arlo.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved reading but when I was ten years old, we had a class teacher who really appreciated books. He spent an hour every week reading The Hobbit to us. I looked forward to that hour every week and I think it really kicked off my love of fantasy stories and lore-heavy worlds.

I began writing as a teenager and have always enjoyed the process, from journalling to submitting to competitions. This year I decided to finally get it all down on (digital) paper and self-publish.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I really enjoy Delphine Woods Victorian thrillers. The books are full of twists and turns that keep me on the edge of my seat and I am always thinking about the characters long after the end of the book. Woods’ writing inspires my process when I am writing plot twists into my own fiction.

Reading a genre is very mood-based for me. I will go through phases of reading every fantasy book I can for a few months and then move on to a non-fiction about how clothing processes are damaging the Earth and get hooked on that rabbit hole. I think that reflects my own writing quite a lot too. Eclectic.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest publication is a poetry collection entitled, We Are the Fall.

It is mythical retellings in verse and focuses on women in myths, sourced from Celtic, Greek, Norse and more. It was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about the similarities between Pandora and Eve. How they were both blamed for the birth of pain, the end of peace. The Fall. What if the stories were flipped? What if the women in myths that were painted as victims, moral warnings and monsters were rewritten in a new light. To regain their voice and agency. Modern myths… with a dash of feminism stirred in.

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Rebecca Bolton’s Website

Featured Interview With Anurodh Das

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
First of all, it’s such a pleasure for me to introduce myself to the interview team of such a renowned magazine! I am Anurodh Das, born in 2010. I currently live in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, India. I am 14 years old, and my father is an entrepreneur and former teacher, while my mother is a homemaker. When it comes to pets, I have indeed had some past experiences, having had two birds as pets for a while when I was around 7 years old. However, as of now, I don’t have any pets, but I plan to have one in the future, possibly a cute puppy.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The hobby of writing has been within me since I was a small child, because I wrote several stories from my imagination. And by the time I was 8 years old, story writing and telling had become my major hobbies. It was in 2020 itself, when I was 9 years old, that I started utilising my storytelling ability in making YouTube videos for my channel RODH’s ZONE, and since then, it has continued. And by the time I was 12 years old, I wrote my first-ever book, Living In The Mars, and since then I have been utilising my story writing ability as well. Now, if we talk about books, since the beginning of times, I have been reading fiction books, but it was in 2023, when I turned 13 years old, that non-fiction books too drew my attention alongside fiction books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am a true fan of Dr. Vikram Sampath and Sanjeev Sanyal, and I really love their work. It is because of them that history became my favourite!

I am mostly into history, as mentioned earlier, as well as historical fiction, as well as sci-fi and fiction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
VISHWAVIDYALAYA: The Lost Knowledge of INDIA, ISBN: 979-8894468747, 979-8894468730

VISHWAVIDYALAYA: The Lost Knowledge of INDIA is a compelling non-fiction history book that delves into the rich educational heritage of ancient India through the lens of its four major universities: Takshashila Vishwavidyalaya, Nalanda Vishwavidyalaya, Odantapuri Vishwavidyalaya, and Vikramshila Vishwavidyalaya. These renowned centers of higher learning not only attracted scholars and students from Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia but also played a pivotal role in establishing India as a global hub of knowledge and culture. This book provides a detailed account of these ancient universities, exploring their contributions to various fields of study, their unique educational methodologies, and their lasting impact on the world. Through meticulous research and engaging narrative, This book “Vishwavidyalaya: The Lost Knowledge of India” reveals how these institutions were instrumental in earning India the epithet “Sone ki Chidiya” (Golden bird), highlighting their significance in the historical and cultural fabric of the nation.

It took me almost a year to research and write the entire book! And it was my first foray into the non-fiction field.

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Anurodh Das’s Website

Anurodh Das Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Joakim Lloyd Raboff

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Swedish-American writer and visual storyteller. I was raised in Los Angeles but have lived in Sweden for many years — currently based in Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city and close to Copenhagen. I’ve authored over 25 books, including documentary-style projects, travelogues, and humorous explorations like Phobias & Fears and The Aging Man’s Survival Guide.

While I don’t have any pets at the moment, I have had three dogs and one cat. I am a lifelong animal lover and spent a few years of my childhood on a farm in rural Sweden.

I’ve worked as a stand-in for Bruce Willis (Moonlighting) and on several other shows in the 1980s, which is in part why I became so inspired by storytelling.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Like most kids born in the 1960s, I started reading books series like Cat in the Hat. I wrote my first short story when I was 12 or 13 and after High School, I studied journalism. So, I’ve been writing for most of my life.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Here are some of my favorite authors. It’s a mixed bag, and I love switching genres.

Stephen King – I admire how King turns everyday situations into psychological minefields, making fear feel both intimate and inevitable.

Toni Morrison – Her language is like poetry wrapped in power — every sentence feels earned and unforgettable.

Frederick Forsyth – His precision and research-driven storytelling taught me the value of detail when crafting suspense and realism.

Isaac Asimov – Asimov’s ability to make vast, abstract ideas accessible continues to influence how I approach complex topics.

Douglas Adams – His mix of cosmic absurdity and razor-sharp satire reminds me to never take the universe — or myself — too seriously.

Haruki Murakami – Murakami’s surreal logic and emotional distance pull me into a world that feels like memory and dream at once.

Margaret Atwood – She balances dystopian terror with dry wit in a way that makes even the bleakest futures feel grippingly human.

George Orwell – Orwell’s clarity and moral urgency have shaped how I think about truth, power, and the weight of words.

Virginia Woolf – Woolf’s interior monologues taught me that introspection can be just as dramatic as action.

Agatha Christie – I love how she mastered misdirection — making you feel clever just before revealing you’ve missed everything.

Ernest Hemingway – His brutal simplicity and emotional restraint remind me how much power there is in what’s not said.

Gabriel García Márquez – His lush, layered prose feels like reading myth and history all at once — utterly transportive.

J.K. Rowling – She built a universe that’s both wildly imaginative and grounded in deeply relatable emotional truths.

Ray Bradbury – Bradbury’s nostalgic yet cautionary tone hits that rare nerve between wonder and warning.

Neil Gaiman – He seamlessly weaves myth, fantasy, and melancholy into stories that feel ancient and freshly imagined.

Salman Rushdie – Rushdie’s fearless language and mythological density always challenge me to think bigger and write bolder.

Kurt Vonnegut – His tragicomic tone is a reminder that absurdity and sorrow are often intertwined — and inseparable.

Leo Tolstoy – Reading Tolstoy feels like standing in front of a vast, emotional fresco of humanity at its most raw and complex.

Franz Kafka – Kafka’s bleak surrealism mirrors the anxiety of modern life in ways that still feel disturbingly accurate.

Joan Didion – Her cool detachment and incisive voice have influenced how I observe, distill, and dissect the world around me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Phobias & Fears started as a curiosity — and maybe, if I’m honest, as a bit of self-therapy. I began noticing how many people close to me had very specific fears. Some were classic, like spiders or flying. Others were more unusual — elevators, holes, even birds. The more I talked to friends and family, the clearer it became: fear is everywhere, and it doesn’t always make sense. And strangely, a lot of these phobias seemed to grow stronger with age.

So I decided to dig into it.

This book is a mix of things: part research, part observation, part storytelling. I explore how phobias develop, what’s happening in the brain when fear kicks in, and why certain anxieties latch onto us and refuse to let go. I also look at how fears evolve over time, how culture and upbringing influence what we’re afraid of, and even how animals experience fear.

But it’s not a clinical guide, and it’s definitely not a self-help manual. It’s more like a conversation — the kind you might have with a friend over coffee (or maybe something stronger if you’ve just had a run-in with a clown or a long-haul flight).

I wrote Phobias & Fears because I think it’s important to understand why we feel the way we do, especially when those feelings seem irrational. I hope readers will come away feeling a little more informed, a little less alone, and maybe even a bit amused. Because once you realize how common (and often bizarre) our fears are, they start to feel a lot less scary.

And if nothing else, you’ll learn to keep an eye out for ducks. Just in case.

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Joakim Lloyd Raboff’s Website

Featured Interview With JOHN DONKEYPLONK

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in the UK. I was born and raised in the London area but now live further north, in Sheffield, and I love it there. I have done a whole variety of jobs in my time, but the main one was 25 years in the UK civil service. I retired last autumn, but did do a comeback gig as a Father Christmas in a shopping centre for a couple of months!
I have two sons who live in London, and a stepdaughter who is at University in Leicester, but no pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was always a keen reader, right from the age of about 7 or so, I used to like adventure stories, but as a teenager, moved on to SF.
As a civil servant, I did enormous amounts of writing – official reports, guidance, briefing for Ministers, the lot. At that stage I had a couple of ideas for books but I never got round to doing anything about it, because I had a ready outlet for my need to write. It was not until I stopped doing that job that I realised how important writing was to me. I was asked to edit a book about Ugandan politics and that whetted my appetite. I started to write in earnest two years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Jasper Fforde. He does what I am trying to do – introduce the absurd into the everyday and see how the everyday copes with it. I like his quirkiness, but you can find quirkiness where you least expect it, it doesn’t have to be futuristic or surreal. I recently read “The Sisters Brothers” by Patrick de Witt, which I would describe as a quirky Western; and loved it! So I have more of a favourite feel than a favourite genre.
I have read widely and I like to think that all the good stuff has inspired me to a degree at least.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The book that I have just released on Amazon is called “Prepare for the Zargian Delegation!” It is a satirical romp through the public service mindset, in which I use the impending arrival of a delegation from the Planet Zarg to poke fun at the gimmickry, pretentiousness and back-biting of the diverse group of public servants who are asked to draw up preparation plans. Whilst set in the UK I think it will appeal to anyone with a quirky or irreverent sense of humour, but perhaps in particular to current or former public servants, or anyone who has experienced the “groupthink” of a large corporation, I ran an early version past some ex-colleagues of mine and they found it both hilarious and alarmingly accurate!
It was quite quick to write, because I didn’t really have to do any research – it all came from my memory or my imagination. I suppose it took me about six months to write and six months to edit and publish.

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JOHN DONKEYPLONK Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Jad Phillip

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Beirut—so storytelling came naturally. I now live with two mischievous kittens who think they’re dragons. Luke and Lea, except they’re not twins.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was five when I started reading, but even at three, I’d scribble nonsense and pretend I was writing a book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve always loved fantasy. GRR Martin, Neil Gaiman (controversy aside), J.K. Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, Cassandra Clare, and Suzanne Collins are some of my favorites. GRRM probably inspires me the most—with the sheer scope of what he was building (until D&D butchered it). That’s actually why I wrote a fanfiction retelling of Season 7—it’s up on Wattpad under my name!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is The Crimson Crown, the epic finale of The Chosen and the Cursed series. It’s where everything comes full circle—magic, prophecy, betrayal, and love. Clara must finally face the monster within… and the one she might love. If you’re new to the series, start with The Jade Necklace, the Amazon bestseller that began it all.

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Jad Phillip Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Leland P Gamson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Growing up three miles outside of Washington, DC, I had a Huck Finn childhood with access to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. community land preserves, state parks, and the Potomac River. I was also a bus ride away from the wonders of our nation’s capital. I made frequent use of the library, making friends with Winnie-the-Pooh, Homer Price, and Snuffy the Tugboat. I was an Eagle Scout and began writing at a young age.
After completing an MSW from Catholic University, I moved to Marion, Indiana, to work at the VA as a caseworker and therapist. I enjoyed the challenge of the variety of assignments, including working in substance abuse, psychiatric admissions, as a homeless veteran coordinator, and running the residential care program.
Receiving a direct commission with the USAR, I pursued a parallel career, working in both a combat stress unit and a medical hospital unit. I retired as a light colonel and later served as a battalion commander with the Indiana Guard Reserve.
I wrote for the Wesleyan Church’s Sunday School curriculum for several years. Since retiring, I have focused on writing stories for young folks. I also do Bible characters and am involved in jail ministry. My LOKAEL: THE DONKEY WHO CARRIED JESUS was an Amazon Best Seller.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I do not remember ever not being fascinated with books and loving to both hear and tell a good story.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
C.S. Lewis, George McDonald, Garrison Keeler, Isaac B Singer, Mark Twain, George Orwell, Gertrude Compton, Aesop, to name a few favorites. I enjoy reading children’s books as my inner child is very much alive. I also enjoy Christian apologetics and the Bible.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
MALGRIM JOINS A GANG
Living with his humans, Malgrim was always well fed, safe, and had a big yard to play in. All this changed when a pack of stray dogs asked him to join them. Ignoring his sister’s advice, he left to live on the streets.

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Leland P Gamson’s Website

Featured Interview With SARA FITZGERALD

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I write clean romance novels, most of which are set in Salt Lake City and are inspired by my life. For example, Pink and More Pink Haily is a beauty consultant raising her daughter and has a zany American Eskimo dog. I sold Avon for 14 years, have a beautiful daughter, and my own zany American Eskimo Dog. Making a Mess of Things is about a struggling artist like me. Suzy falls for a total business suit that she finds herself entangled with. In my Christmas novella, A Kiss for Kate, Kate’s grandmother is a lot like how my mom was: full of strong opinions, loved thrift store shopping, and desperately wanted me to be happy.
I also write paranormal YA books full of danger, secrets, and magic. As children, my sister and I would pretend we were magical witches and that we could soar into the midnight sky.
Besides writing, I love watercolor painting, hanging out with my family, and my dog, Glitter.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In junior high school, I discovered the joy of reading romance novels. In high school, I was on the literary magazine staff, and my secret dream was to be an author one day. I wrote my first historical romance at eighteen; to this day, it has never seen the light of day, but I had the most fun writing it. I write clean romance novels, young adult paranormal books, and inspirational books, and I recently took a horror workshop. Some of my stories have been accepted in several new anthologies coming out this fall.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Some of my favorite authors are Kristin Higgins and Debbie Macomber. I love reading romance novels and young adult paranormal books. My real life and the places I travel to inspire me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Who’s Chasing Who is A sweet romance novella that will make your heart happy.

Meg Smith dreams of becoming a top-notch reporter, but can she track down the sexy, media-shy billionaire Ryan Foster? She’s raising her brother, desperately trying to keep him out of trouble while not losing her job. She needs the Ryan Foster story to live another day at the struggling newspaper.

Ryan’s heart was broken not only from the woman he loved betraying him but also from losing his niece to cancer. The last thing he needs is a reporter invading his privacy, but the moment he meets Meg and her scowling teenage brother, he falls head over heels in love with her. Soon, he wonders who’s chasing who.

Will Meg get her story or begin her own?

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SARA FITZGERALD’s Website

SARA FITZGERALD Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Liz Ellyn

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Liz Ellyn, an award-winning erotic romance author, turns up the heat. With degrees in both engineering and law, she argues the positive energy gained by embracing desire is essential to balancing the serious forces of daily life.

She expertly weaves sinfully erotic scenes with heart-wrenching romance, nourishing readers’ cravings for both passion and emotional depth. Her stories are as irresistible as the decadent desserts she loves to create and share.

When she isn’t writing steamy romance books, she is out walking her dog while listening to audiobooks. Her seven year-old, Boomer, is a mix of a Bernese Mountain dog and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He misses the snow in Chicago, but has made many new dog friends in the San Francisco Bay Area.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Like many other pre-teens, S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders captured my heart. I read it so many times, the pages started falling out. Before I knew it, I was rewriting scenes and spinning out side stories. A fan fiction of sorts. But my true obsession with characters began after I picked up John Irving’s books at the age of thirteen.

High school English and law school derailed my love of reading. With all the required reading, I forgot the magic of stories. It wasn’t until Twilight landed in my hands that I remembered books can transport, inspire, and bring joy.

In the past, my writing has run the gamut, including: simple poetry, legal briefs, impassioned pleas to congress, Greek mythology, and non-fiction.
But spicy romance with character-driven plot lines is where I found my voice. After years spent courtside at junior tennis tournament, devouring love stories in hotel rooms and hours on the highway, I finally carved out space to write my own.

I’m now the author of Overruling Judgment, Willful Parties, and Defending Engagement. These three steamy romances explore love’s complexities with passion and heart. Each book in the series has earned the Literary Titan Book Award. And, I’m just getting started.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am drawn to authors who push boundaries and celebrate sensuality. Tiffany Reisz (The Original Sinners Series), Lauren Dane (Brown Family Series), and Shayla Black are a few of my favorites. Their bold storytelling and fearless exploration of polyamory resonate deeply with me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In Defending Engagement, JD, Ian, and Sasha share a love that’s passionate and all-consuming. Behind closed doors, their polyamorous relationship burns with undeniable heat, but beyond their Chicago home, judgment waits to tear them apart.

At the O’Malley family’s annual St. Patrick’s Day party, whispers turn to outright condemnation—immorality, illegality, and taboo desire. JD and Ian fear the scorn will drive Sasha away. They underestimate Sasha’s ability to eviscerate closed-minded arguments and fire to defend what’s hers.

It is time to take a stand and defend their engagement.

This book acts like a long epilogue to Overruling Judgement, but it stands on its own as a fun, provocative novella. I chose to self-publish this book to make it more accessible and affordable for readers.

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Liz Ellyn’s Website

Liz Ellyn Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Kailey Oliver

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada—a city that’s close to my heart and continues to inspire my writing. After studying at the University of Toronto and later attending Algonquin College, I moved back to Ottawa, where I currently live and create. Over the years, I’ve shared my life with many pets, but these days, my closest companion is a pigeon who refuses to leave my balcony—always coming back like clockwork. It’s a small reminder of the unexpected connections that fuel my creativity.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My love for storytelling began early—I wrote my very first story in grade 3 and even won a contest for it. That early success sparked a passion for writing that has stayed with me ever since. Writing became a way to explore my thoughts and emotions, and to connect deeply with others through shared experience.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Two of my favorite authors are Mitch Albom and Stephen King—though very different in style, both deeply influence my creative lens. I admire Albom’s ability to weave tenderness, spiritual reflection, and human connection into simple yet powerful stories. His writing reminds me that small moments often hold the deepest truths. On the other hand, Stephen King inspires me with his fearless approach to storytelling—he dives into the shadow side of the human psyche, unafraid to confront discomfort or complexity. His work shows how even darkness can be a mirror and a lesson.

I also draw a lot of inspiration from philosophers, both ancient and modern. Thinkers like Marcus Aurelius, Nietzsche, and Alan Watts have shaped how I see the world, often helping me frame emotions, conflict, and healing through a more reflective and existential lens.

When it comes to genre, I’m drawn to anything raw, thought-provoking, and emotionally honest—from literary fiction to poetry, memoirs, and even philosophical works. I like writing and reading that sits with the messiness of being human—something that stays with you long after the last page.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Paint Your Universe, is a powerful and tender collection of poetry centered on self-love, inspiration, and empowerment—and the courage to fully embrace who you are. It’s lovingly dedicated to my 7-year-old daughter—a reminder to her, and to anyone reading, that you are always enough just as you are.

Written over the course of a year, this book came to life during a season of deep reflection, growth, and personal transformation. Every poem holds space for softness, strength, and the journey of becoming. It encourages readers to reclaim their voice, rewrite their narrative, and paint their own universe—with intention, love, and authenticity.

Whether you’re learning to let go of the past, rediscovering your worth, or simply trying to feel more at home in yourself, Paint Your Universe offers gentle guidance and hope. It’s a book for anyone who’s ever needed a sign to begin again—and this time, in full color.

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Kailey Oliver’s Website

Kailey Oliver Facebook Page

Kailey Oliver Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Harlan Porter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in Tuscola, Illinois, where I grew up. I have left several times for career changes but keep coming back. A little over 10 years ago, I attended my 30th class reunion, where I reconnected with a classmate, who was a school teacher in our hometown. We married a few months later. My career has been in journalism managing both daily and weekly newspapers, and serving as Director of Communications for a large newspaper trade association. Aside from writing novels, I have two non-novel books published and have written a humor column weekly for 35 years, which has won first place for Best Humor Column from the National Newspaper Association twice.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
When I was a kid, we had a “teaching typewriter,” which does not have the letters on the keys, so I taught myself the keyboard when I was probaby 8-9. I was really interested in poetry in third grade and wrote dozens of poems. I started writing for local radio and newspapers while in high school and helped establish a journalism program there. I dropped out of college to take my first job as a reporter in my hometown. Six years later, I was recruited by the Illinois Press Association to be their editor. I didn’t start writing books until a few years ago; my first was a compilation of newspaper columns. I then wrote a how-to book on newspaper publishing. I wrote a novel about 15 years ago, which is not yet published but will be soon. I wrote another novel, Kill Seeker: Confessions of a Psychopath, which is available on Amazon.com. I am writing another novel (untitled) and have an outline for a third.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Stephen King, Mark Twain, John Grisham, Dave Barry. While still in high school, I wrote to Stephen King for writing advice, and he wrote back. A few years ago, I became acquainted with Dave Barry, who endorsed my first book for me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Kill Seeker: Confessions of a Psychopath is story about a guy who kills his best friend when he’s 12 years old, and then takes over his life, eventually moving in with his victim’s family. He views his spontaneous action of killing his friend as the best thing that ever happened to him, and he wants to do it again. He goes through a series of “practice” kills as he grows increasingly confident. When the police begin to suspect him and his adopted father begins to figure things out, he confesses his murders to a priest.

It took three months to write the book. I then shared it with a small group of friends and family, who made good suggestions for improving the book. Best advice from my sister: I want to smell it.

When I write a book, like my newspaper columns, I don’t set out with an ending in mind. I let the story take me where it wants to go. I feel like I’m discovering the characters at the same time the reader is.

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Harlan Porter Facebook Page

Featured Interview With R.L.Baxter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in London England

I currently live in Brighton Hove, a lovely seaside town just by the south part of England. I don’t currently have a any pets, but I used to have a few hamsters and a rabbit when I was younger

I have and always been quite the daydreamer, which makes sense as a fictional author!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I would say at the age of thirteen was when I got interested in books. At the time, my class studied Romeo & Juliet, which was my first dive into reading a story from start till finish.

I started writing soon after that, and I can still remember my very first story. It was named Rei’s great adventure, and the premise was about a boy who could transform into a Weretiger. Since then, I had been writing ever since!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I absolutely adore escapist fantasy, especially ones many have not heard of. My favourite author is Miyuki Miyabe and her novel: ICO Castle in the mist. It’s a beautiful tale about a boy who is trapped in a dark castle with a mysterious girl. Together the two must seek to find a way out while learning about one another.

I don’t really have a particular person who inspires my writing, however I often get inspired by life events and people around me. It could come at any moment, but once I’ve observed something interesting, I will note it down and find a way to include it within my books

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest Book is called: Bluer Lunar & The Apex Grail. The premise sees a young boy named Luke who is chosen by the Goddess of the Moon to stop the plans of a despicable wizard. Luke is joined by Aurora the mighty female warrior, and Umbra the mysterious Vampire. The story involves a vast cast of characters and bizarre locations

This book was actually written twice. The first time when I was a teenager and had written it upon numerous notepads. The second time, I wrote it again as an adult and it took me about 3 years to finish!

Of all the 12 books I have written so far, Blue Lunar & The Apex Grail holds such a special place in my heart, as the characters are inspired by many interesting friends I have made in my life. The overall message of promise, unity and friendship is what I believe makes it a great read which many readers enjoy!

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R.L.Baxter’s Website

Featured Interview With Merili Freear

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m Merili Freear — a runner, writer, and running coach originally from Estonia. I now live in rural Lincolnshire, England, with my incredibly supportive husband, our son, and our crazy but lovable schnauzer. I started running in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown to support my mental health, and that one decision completely transformed my life. Since then, I’ve run many marathons and ultramarathons, including a 100-mile race.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. As a child, I’d spend hours reading and imagining stories of my own. The library has always been my happy place. But it wasn’t until I was in my late 30s that I seriously started writing. After running my first marathon, I began writing about the experience — and from there, the idea for my first book grew. Writing became a way for me to reflect, process, and connect. It’s now a huge part of my identity, right alongside running.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I mostly read non-fiction — books that explore the human mind, personal growth, or endurance. Authors like Johann Hari (Lost Connections) and Jessamy Hibberd (The Imposter Cure) have influenced how I understand myself and shaped how I write about mental health. When it comes to running, books by other endurance athletes have inspired both my training and my writing. I also love poetry — short, powerful pieces that say a lot with very few words. I’m especially drawn to Shelby Leigh’s work. That love of poetry inspired my second book.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Whispers and Footsteps: Poems from Doubt to Becoming — a collection of poetry that came to life after I completed my first 100-mile ultramarathon. Instead of the sense of triumph I expected, I felt lost — like I’d reached a destination but didn’t know what came next. Writing poetry helped me make sense of that strange emotional space. It’s a deeply personal collection that speaks to self-doubt, courage, identity, and growth. Running took me far — but poetry brought me back to myself.

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Featured Interview With Susanna Sweeney

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in a country that no longer exists – East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain. In fact, I was born within a kilometer of Checkpoint Charly in Berlin and grew up there – on the wrong side of the wall. Growing up in a quite regimented world where mass surveillance was an everyday thing, where you couldn’t speak freely, where you couldn’t get truthful news and only propaganda, where many world-famous books were banned, and where there was no regard paid to mental health or personal development, had a profound impact on me. I’ll never forget finally getting my hands on Orwell’s 1984 just after the Fall of the Wall in November 1989- a book I had been wanting to read for years.
The disregard for the individual’s emotional lives, which affected me directly as I had issues with anxiety from early on, brought me down the path of becoming a psychotherapist- after I relocated to Ireland in my early 20ies. For 25 years, I worked exclusively in the area of trauma and anxiety.
These are two areas where you will be on a steep learning curve to determine what works and what doesn’t, provided you are open-minded and pay close attention. Within five years of my career, I realised that talking alone was not enough to help people overcome the difficult feelings they experience daily, which limit their enjoyment of life and their potential in work and business. This insight led me on a journey to seek solutions that are more effective, easier, and safer than talk therapy alone.
Part of these solutions lies in working through the senses rather than the cognitive mind alone- which is what I specialise in now. Since this approach is less well-known yet, I aim to bring it to a broader audience by incorporating it into my writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been fascinated by books since the moment I started school at the age of six. When I was young, I primarily read fiction, but in recent years, my focus has shifted to nonfiction. I started writing as a kid. Initially, I wrote poetry and, in fact, was a published poet in my teens, with my poems appearing in print and read out on national radio.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
In my nonfiction work, I am inspired by some of the great writers in the therapy field, such as Lori Gottlieb, as well as writers with a more professional audience, including Pat Ogden, with whom I trained, and Peter Levine, John Bowlby, and Dan Siegel.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Relationship Anxiety Guidebook is my first piece of nonfiction writing. It came to be because I came across relationship anxiety again and again in my work and realised just how widespread it is and how connected to other forms of anxiety.
I aim to show readers effective ways to reduce relationship anxiety. The book features some targeted information on the multiple drivers behind this complex issue, along with practical, hands-on solutions. One primary key to fulfilling and securely attached relationships lies in being able to regulate your emotions effectively. In my book, I teach safe, gentle, and effective psychosensory approaches to achieving just that alongside many other tools, exercises, and strategies.

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Featured Interview With Charlie Garratt

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Manchester, England, in an area known as Tripe Colony, long gone to redevelopment. Now I live in Shropshire, close to the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. I’ve also lived in Warwickshire, where several of my novels are set, and in Donegal, Ireland, where I started my writing.
We have a black cat, which I fastidiously feed, whilst being fastidiously ignored by her at all times.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
When I was a child, a friend of my father’s said ‘he would read brown paper, that one’. And so I would at that age. Later I read fiction much less, spending much of my working life reading reports and policy papers.
I started writing fiction around 2008, when I took a creative writing class, and then joined a writers group- something I’d recommend to any aspiring authors. The discipline of producing pieces to share, and the process of receiving and providing feedback, hones your skill as a writer.
I enjoy writing historical crime and mystery fiction, and have six novels published in that genre. It’s something about the mental challenge of putting together a story which keeps the reader guessing, but not completely mystified at the end.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My early influences were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Rider Haggard. I was introduced at school to John Steinbeck and think his ability to describe place is second-to-none. It’s hard to say who inspires me, because I’m inspired by almost everyone I read, either by the quality of the prose, the ability to build characters I can believe in, or the development of plot. I’d rarely leave any book without picking up something I’d aspire to emulate.
When I’m binge-reading, say on holiday, I’ll take one or two spy or crime novels – probably my favourite genres- a ‘classic’ or two, and maybe someone I have been recommended.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
When I finished the fifth novel in a series featuring Inspector James Given, set in 1930s/40s England, my publisher suggested I start a new series. I’d had a character in my head for many years who was a clerk in the mid-18th century. As I began to work on an outline for the new one, the location changed, the character became female and her occupation became a gardener, or an under-gardener to be precise. She was also not the main character. However, she was strong, and shuffled off her role as sidekick – I just couldn’t stop her. So, Meg Valentine rose in status, and became the lead in The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice.
Meg works for the local magistrate, whose wife, Sarah, is burgled, losing some letters she has held secret for years. To recover them, she engages a thief-taker, Edwin Hare. Meg convinces Edwin to train her as a thief-taker, a path she sees as an escape from the poverty and drudgery of her life.
As Meg helps him uncover a trail of blackmail and hidden motives, she questions the trustworthiness of those around her, including Edwin. She’s forced to navigate tangled relationships, dangerous secrets, and her own ambitions, to uncover the killer and secure her future.

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Featured Interview With Breanna Atkinson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the GTA in Ontario Canada, I still live there and don’t have any current plans to change that. I have a dog that is affectively another of my children, she is a spit fire and arguably my best and worst friend. I love writing and have recently uncovered a love for fantasy romance writing!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I struggled as a child with reading and writing due to a learning disability. I finally started reading in the grade level of eight. Once I started, I quickly advanced to a college level reading grade and stunned all of my supports, aids and teachers. The twilight novels that got me reading were reread so many times that the first books spine let go! I only recently started writing novels but have been writing poetry since I was eighteen. I published my first book in January of this year!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Sara Dressen, Melody Joanne, T.L. Swan, Julia Quinn, Penelope Douglas are all some of my most read authors. My favourite genre is dark romance, my husband calls it my rebellious outlet! My inspirations in my writings are my loved ones. They’re sewed into every fibre of my being and inspire me daily. It would be almost criminal for them not to inspire me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Oh I am SO excited to talk bout this book! I wrote Phoenix Raised as a gift for my husband who’s favourite genres in all entertainment are romance and fantasy. So of course a Romantasy was a must for him! I chose to use phoenixes as the mythical creature because of my personal obsession with them, something has to be for me right? Abbigail is the main character and the novel is written in her point of view. Abbigail is a phoenix sibling in a district that rarely has any successful sibling bondings, when her and her best friend were born and successfully bonded it was quite the accomplishment. Due to this she is kept in her district by her family to prevent unwanted attention where she grows up on her families orchard. She goes through many personal trials, so much personal growth and a few well deserved break downs. She is twenty-three and at that age belonging in the world is difficult, trapped between your immaturity and your newfound adulthood. Now add in magic giant birds, a corrupted kingdom and a bunch of secrets to that trial and you get Phoenix Raised. Abbie’s Phoenix Brigid however is a sassy, know it all with a tendency to give her a hard time. Brigid despite being the same physical age as Abbigail is much more self assured and outspoken than Abbie in the beginning. Don’t worry though Abbie finds her metaphorical peanuts throughout this adventure – especially when she finds out she’s betrothed to the Prince of Markandeya. I’ve been told that the book will have readers laughing and crying with the wide emotional range. One reviewer described it as soul deep and I’d have to agree. I put in a lot of effort to make the characters relatable and realistic with their emotions, actions and personalities. Because of this the book took three months to write the first draft, editing took another couple of weeks to ensure each characters personality was consistent and “true to character”. I also took my time ensuring my Easter eggs, foreshadowing and sneaky little nods were all well placed and not too obvious.
I cannot wait for book two to be finished to help answer some of my books fans unanswered questions! Phoenix Raised fans don’t even realize the fire to come!

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Featured Interview With Gayne C. Young

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a full time writer living in beautiful Fredericksburg, Texas. I’m a fourth generation Texan and have called the Lone Star State my home all my life.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always loved reading and writing and discovered I was pretty good at the latter early on. Writing always came easy and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to make a living at it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Larry McMurtry. James Carlos Blake. Carl Hiaasen. Tim Dorsey. Zane Mitchell. I love them all and take from them what inspiration I can.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In a nutshell, Tiger Tales from the Acuña Cartel deals with a writer who retires to the Texas – Mexico Border only to end up being forced to write up the exploits of a cartel boss. Hilarity ensues.

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Featured Interview With Adem Yaseen

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised between cities, cultures, and stories—an upbringing that taught me how layered identity can be. Today, I live in Canada where I balance my time between writing, reflecting, and walking through bookstores like they’re museums. No pets at the moment, but I suspect a cat would get along with the kind of haunted mirrors I write about.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I fell in love with books early—somewhere around the age of nine. But I didn’t realize stories could live in you until I wrote my first short story in high school. It was terrible… and it changed everything. I started writing seriously in my twenties, exploring themes of identity, trauma, and the supernatural—especially the kind that lingers in silence.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I gravitate toward writers who blur the line between reality and imagination—Shirley Jackson, Paul Tremblay, Gillian Flynn, and Stephen King top the list. I read mostly psychological thrillers and horror that leans quiet, internal, and unnerving. I’m also inspired by real people—those who carry invisible burdens and live with unsolved parts of themselves. Their stories deserve a voice.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Don’t Blink is a psychological thriller with supernatural layers. It follows Detective Lucas Reid, who answers a strange call that leads him to an abandoned apartment… and a mirror that doesn’t just reflect, it remembers. As the story unfolds, Lucas loses his memories, sees his reflection delay, and realizes that the thing in the mirror isn’t trying to kill him—it’s trying to replace him.

This book explores what happens when guilt becomes a doorway and our darkest truths look back at us through glass. It took over a year to write and revise. I poured a lot into the atmosphere, emotional weight, and the twist I hope readers never see coming.

It’s about identity, regret, and the horror of almost forgetting who you are.

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