Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Edward Hochsmann

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a retired Coast Guard officer current working as an analyst for the Joint Staff in the Department of Defense. I originally hail from a small town in Illinois about an hour-and-a-half northwest of Chicago, but haven’t lived there since I entered the Coast Guard at age 17. I had a wonderful time in the service, working as a ship driver, aviator and instructor, stationed mostly along the Gulf Coast and Washington, DC. Post-retirement, I have knocked around a bit, from Northern Virginia, to Fort Rucker in Alabama and New London, Connecticut. I am currently living in the Florida Panhandle, near my work place on Eglin Air Force Base.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was reading back as far as I can remember – there was little else to do back then, particularly in the winter of Northern Illinois, where the only alternative was watching bad TV. I had a particular fascination with science fiction, although I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories as well. I evolved into a good technical writer during my service and afterward, but I had not considered writing fiction until very recently. A number of my colleagues and superiors had remarked on my ability to make highly technical analysis and reports interesting to read and I thought I might try to leverage that talent into fiction. It took a fair bit of trial and error to find a good balance between the technical accuracy that I was used to writing and the “flexibility” in language to make the prose interesting to people who were not technocrats, but I think I got there. 😉

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
If I had to pick a contemporary favorite, it would have to be Jeff Shaara. He was a unique talent in creating dialog to go with the historical figures in his novels that breathe life into historical events. When he launches a book, I buy it, and I have never been disappointed. For past authors, I loved C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series and the earlier Bolitho novels by Douglas Reeman (writing as Alexander Kent). Ray Bradbury and Robert A. Heinlein were also perennial favorites for when I wanted a light scifi read and Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke picked up the slack when I was looking for more heft.
As far as inspiration goes, I suppose I would point to Jeff Shaara – my characters are more of the “everyman” variety faced with extraordinary challenges, much like the historical characters in his books. One exception is the neurodiverse genius analyst Victoria Carpenter in my Cutter Kauai series. Helen Huong’s “The Kissing Quotient”, although a bit racy for my tastes, provided an excellent point of view reference for a high-functioning individual on the autism spectrum. This book helped me make Victoria into a vibrant, appealing character rather than a caricature or object of pity.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Bravely and Faithfully is the third in my seaborne action/adventure series about a Coast Guard patrol boat and crew trained and equipped for special missions in Southern Florida, The Bahamas, and the Caribbean. The fundamental challenge in the novel involves a young coast guard officer, Lieutenant Haley Reardon, assigned to succeed a very popular commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Kauai, a special mission patrol boat with an elite crew. Her leadership style is different from the previous CO, leading to conflict with her Executive Officer, Lieutenant Junior Grade Ben Wyporek, and the senior enlisted personnel. Ben is also overcoming the challenge of his courtship of a Victoria Carpenter, a genius with a mild form of autism (previously known as Asperger’s), and the transfer of his best friend (the former CO). These struggles take place against a background of tension and danger as the boat is assigned a dangerous sortie supporting a Defense Intelligence Agency spy mission with geopolitical implications.

The story opens with a young family of four trapped on a disabled sailboat in the path of a major hurricane. When all seems lost, they are saved by Kauai’s crew in an extremely hazardous rescue operation. The action continues as the crew foils an attempted sabotage of a multi-billion dollar space probe launch by radical activists and rescues two dozen women destined for sexual servitude aboard a sinking smuggling ship before the climactic spy mission.

The story digs into the friendship and teamwork of a typical ship’s crew, illustrating the bonds and humor common to Coast Guard and other military units and the price they and their loved ones pay for their service.

The e-book launches on Amazon, Kobo, and the others on 2 August, although the paperback is available now. It was a relatively quick turnaround for this book, considering I started writing in earnest in early December and had a day job with travel the whole time. It was a remarkable journey for this book – I was banging my head for months trying to get this story started. Once I did though, everything seemed to come together.

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Edward Hochsmann’s Website

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Featured Interview With Chris Smith

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi. My name is Chris Smith, and I was born and raised in South Africa. I’m currently living in Marina Beach, and I have 3 dogs.

I’m an author of 12 western novels and one fantasy adventure. Book 14 is on the way and I’m hoping to write a book per month for the foreseeable future. I grew up reading the amazing stories of Louis L’Amour, Dick Francis, Agatha Christie, and Robert Ludlum, amongst others, and always wanted to write my own stories.

In my spare time I fish, hunt, swim at the beach, and barbecue with friends and family. I love connecting with fans on social media and my writing goal is to break into the Top 100 on Amazon and stay there.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began reading from age 6, but only started writing in my early 30’s, and only started considering it as a career in 2020.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy all sorts of genres from westerns to crime thrillers to spy novels and thrillers. Lee Child is a favorite of mine and I think that the Jack Reacher books are amazing. James Patterson, Dick Francis, Agatha Christie, Robert Ludlum, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle…the list goes on.
My family inspire me because they are all avid, readers and I’m always trying to drag their attention away from their favourite authors to my books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Steve Savage, Bounty Hunter: Bounty in Brimstone.

I love heist movies, like Oceans 13, and decided to pit my heroes against an intelligent and vicious gang of bank robbers who are terrorizing the Mid-West. This is book 6 in the Steve Savage, Bounty Hunter series and I’m enjoying the chance to bring something new to the western genre with this team.

I love a good team-up, like the Avengers or the A-Team, so creating a diverse set of characters just felt right.

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Chris Smith Facebook Page

Chris Smith Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Jose Nessin Abbo

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the Republic of Panama, where I was born. Still living in this country. I have been a financial markets practioner for 35 years. My writings are inspired by my fascination of the Universe, technology, politics and geo-pollitical events. Topics which are covered in my third book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing at age 17. By age 20, I was hired as a freelancer by the Economist Intelligence Unit covering financial and macro-economics topics in my home country. In 2000, I began teaching about the stock market. It was through my courses that I got inspired to write my first book, “Divisando Wall Street Desde el Sur de America”. Eight years later my second book was publsihed, “The Big Gamble, Are you Investing or Speculating”. My latest book, written in 2022 recently went live on Amazon, “From Asteroids to Pandemics: living a world of spontaneous risks”.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Finance, technology, life sciences, world history and geo-politics.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is “From Asteroids to Pandemics, living a world of spontaneous risks”. The main topics of the book are extreme existential risks such as a killer asteroid sriking the Planet, the threat of a nuclear war, and dangers civilization is facing in an anthropogenic world were geo-political volatility has become the norm.

It is my believe that after almost 80 years since the last global war, the world has entered a renewed cycle of conflagaration, which could easily unravel into a a thirld world war. The book is about foreseeing a future which has become very complicated to predict. As the winds of war blow stronger, global warming keeps worsening, and the menace of a nuclear war becomes real, whatever progress humanity has achieved over thousands of years it has evolved, it is now facing an existential threat all around.

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Jose Nessin Abbo’s Website

Featured Interview With E T McNamara

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
A native New Yorker, I was raised in the Bronx and Long Island. After retirement I moved to Pennsylvania. Although currently “pet free,” I have had numerous dogs throughout the years including two collies, a Siberian husky and a yellow lab/golden retriever mix. As a child growing up on Long Island, I also had the usual assortment of canaries, parakeets, a duck, turtles and rabbits.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed reading books. Despite writing fiction, I probably read more non-fiction. I find it useful to use in my novels which are a blend of 20th century American history and romance. I first started writing about twenty years ago, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I started publishing my novels. I have published three and expect to have the fourth book ready this fall.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I particularly like Tom Clancy, Erik Larson, and Nicholas Sparks which covers a wide range of genres. I am inspired by the people I have been fortunate to know during my lifetime. I find it easy to inject their positive traits into the characters of my novels. My wife has definitely been the inspiration for some of the lead female protagonists.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
When a recent Vietnam widow finds an unmailed letter from twenty-five years earlier, she is fascinated with finding the sender and the intended recipient, a WW2 Naval aviator and a “Rosie the Riveter” factory worker. Drawn into the love story of the two individuals from 1944, she embarks on a journey to find and hopefully reunite the two. Taking place just a couple of weeks before Christmas, she is unaware of the positive impact her quest is having on her own troubled life. If you love romance, you will find it twice with some little-known facts of mid-20th American century history thrown in.

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E T McNamara’s Website

Featured Interview With Simon Wright

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the Northeast of England, Berwick-Upon-Tweed to be precise. It is a very scenic and peaceful town with a long history and local traditions that I never got to experience! In truth, my place of birth was irrelevant; my father worked in the Prison Service, moving around the country at regular intervals as the job demanded. I suppose my longest tenure was spent in Northumberland, in a seaside town called Amble; this is close to Alnwick for all the Harry Potter buffs out there!
The most notable thing about my childhood was the bullying I experienced from the beginning of Middle School through to High School. There are many who can empathise, I’m sure, but I believe the events of this period shaped me physically, morally and emotionally; you can’t help but see this in my writing. I survived, though, and tried to follow my creative ambitions into acting. Choices define us, and it turns out choosing a brand-new Theatre School to attempt this was a poor one. The founder turned out to be a devious man, taking all the funds from the initial two cohorts to undertake his faux-courses and disappear without trace. Unlucky? Maybe, but I sometimes regret not following a more conventional route through University. Regardless, it left me penniless and prospectless in Birmingham at only nineteen years of age. I dabbled with work as a croupier in Grosvenor Casinos, an enlightening experience to say the least, but my younger self could not handle the levels of pressure involved in the role and I faced the shame-faced, cap-in-hand return home.
I took a little while to find my feet after that, but finally elected to join the British Army. Hmmm, strange one that. Why would I choose to throw away my artistic future for something so blunt as military service? Because everybody kept telling me I couldn’t do it. I still suffer from that complex today! So I did it, completed training and found the Army life a little too confining, the strictness of discipline and regulation not compatible with my holistic way of thinking. However, I was rather partial to the security, camaraderie and prospects the military offered and transferred across to the Royal Air Force. I’ve been with her ever since, although I’m now rapidly approaching my natural exit as I type this.
I was fortunate enough to meet my beautiful wife, Kerry, right at the beginning of my RAF career, and she has joined my in flitting from unit to unit, never lingering for too long before moving to the next challenge. We’ve enjoyed postings in Scotland, Cyprus, Cheshire, the Midlands, Oxfordshire and now Germany. Throwing in two deployments to the Falkland Islands in there as well, and It has been a unique experience to say the least. I can truly report I have been blessed in the area of family, having six children, five boys and a girl, with Kerry and now three grandchildren to boot. Not bad for a man in his mid-forties!
The only negative I can really think of regarding having children, is the fact they insist on growing up and moving away. My wife sometimes plays videos of them when they were babies and it brings an instant tear to my eye and sense of loss to my heart. I think this is why fatherhood remains so prominent an element in everything I’ve written so far (and probably most of what I am yet to write!) As for the final part of this question, ‘Any pets?’, we had a dog once, a loveable Labrador and Border Collie cross called Patch. He got old and his body began to fail him, so the only humane thing to do was have him put to sleep; it was possibly the most painful thing I’ve ever had to do, so no pets since.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always read above my age level from the first day this was assessed. I think I used to put my ability and enjoyment of reading down to the bullying; more time alone, less reason to go out and play. I’ve considered this since those early days, however, and realise there was always an inbuilt love of books and stories and they simply provided me a release from the sometimes-cruel real world. The escapism and endless possibilities in a book were incredibly appealing when I felt trapped or hopeless; and heroes that always overcame their villains, their own bullies, were an inspiration that kept me going. The one flaw was the books often ended in a way I hadn’t anticipated, or maybe I had but hoped for something different. It was a frustration that catalyzed my own ambitions; if stories didn’t go the way I imagined they should, then I would tell the stories myself!
I started writing at home, for pleasure, when I was about eight. Nothing earth-shattering, pretty standard child-effort stuff, really. Saying that, I know a lot of children that age struggle to get cohesive ideas on the page, so maybe I had the spark for creative writing even then. I tried to translate this into work for school, generating stories worthy of reading to the class during English lessons; you can imagine how that went for a kid already the target of constant bullying. This progressed into a penchant for celebration poems; every birthday, Christmas, anniversary all held a personalized poem for the recipient. This has persisted through to the present.
But maybe this misses the point of the question, I started writing my first real novel in 2010, completed three chapters with positive feedback from family members, then stopped. Why? Lack of self-belief; I didn’t see myself having the commitment to finish, couldn’t imagine anybody would want to read my words and didn’t think I could cope with the inevitable criticism when it came. In 2019, I showed those same chapters to a friend at work who told me they were just as good as some of the published stuff he’d read. He told me I should continue. He told me he needed to know where the story was going, where it would end. That single conversation breathed life back into me as a writer and Neil went on to proof-read my entire debut trilogy as it was generated. Where he provided the spark, Kerry provides my fan and the flame had been burning brightly since then.
So, take your pick, I started physically writing in 1986, I started writing my first released novel in 2010, I consider myself to have been an author since 2019!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
This is a question I guess every writer gets asked. It’s a hard one to answer, does a great book mean I like that author? Does a swathe of books mean the author is good? I don’t know, so I’ll just give you what I feel right now. When I was a child, I absolutely loved Roald Dahl, I’d read everything he wrote but was always most captivated by ‘The Witches’ and ‘Danny the Champion of the World’. I was also partial to Craig Shaw Gardener, many people seeing him as the alternative to Terry Pratchett but I preferred his books, and the ‘Cineverse Cycle’ was the most unique and enjoyable of his series’ for me (although Scheherazade’s Night Out was probably the individual book I liked most). As an adult, although this opinion is really defined through my late teens and early twenties, I have a list of five; Stephen King, David Gemmell, James Herbert, J.R.R. Tolkien and Timothy Zahn. I know, I know, nobody off-beat or quirky, nobody unusual or unknown. What can I say, I’m a slave to mainstream!
So, my author choices probably give this away, but I love Sword and Sorcery fantasy and Sci-Fi. Okay, maybe you could slip some horror in there too, but most of my favourite Stephen King books are more fantasy or sci-fi themed than actual horror; notwithstanding Salem’s Lot and Needful Things. I was completely blown away by the Drenai world and Middle-Earth, loving that idea that without a real-world foothold, the story could literally go anywhere at the next turn, ignoring even the bounds of physics or logic. Yet, these authors managed to keep their characters grounded, to give them real emotional attachment for the reader. And Sci-Fi? Okay, I’m a Star Wars fan, so I owned and read over sixty novels based on the expansion of that Universe following the original trilogy (yes, before the Phantom was Menaced!); Timothy Zahn wrote the Thrawn Trilogy which will always remain my favourite Star Wars series ever. However, what I learned from reading genres, is that many authors become complacent with their audience, by that I mean their work can often be inaccessible for new readers not familiar with that kind of book. Maybe that is fine if you only want to reach a certain fanbase, but I was incentivized to make sure my own writing remained accessible and engaging regardless of a reader’s usual genre preference.
Inspirations? Well, I hand that crown to David Gemmell. I think ‘Legend’ and the ‘Waylander’ trilogy are undoubtedly the biggest inspiration for my own fantasy trilogy. I believe I have a similar style, though focus far more on deeper characterization and believable personalities than he did, and there are definite thematic similarities; epic scope of stories, family, unity through adversity and ageing heroes to name a few. Wider than that? My wife and daughter have provided me great insights and personality traits I used to carve out the individual Fimarr sisters and make them so real, both positively and negatively (I’ve always believed that a great story comes from the audience feeling strongly about individuals, whether that comes as love or hate!). And all my kids, I suppose, because, as I mentioned earlier, my writing always involves elements of fatherhood, both the successes and the failures, but more than this, the perception. How an action taken, or a word spoken can be seen differently between father and child fascinates me and I can only thank them for being the very wonderful young people they are, and giving me a deeper understanding of our relationships.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest release actually moved away from the fantasy world of my debut trilogy. So far away, in fact, it is a contemporary drama with supernatural undertones! Why did I do this? Well, I decided at the beginning of the writing journey that I was going to avoid becoming trapped in a single series or genre. I know many great writers are actually successful because of a single genre, but that isn’t really my goal. I’m more interested in entertaining and interesting people with what I can create. The book is called ‘As Good A Man There Never Was’ and took me only eight weeks to write. Now, before you decide it must be awful due to that kind of turnaround, let me explain.
I published my previous book ‘Children of Serendipity’ on KDP and planned to take a little hiatus from writing. I was travelling back to the UK for a training course, so thought I’d take some reading material with me. I had often discussed with my family about an idea for parodying ‘A Christmas Carol’ so thought it would be useful to actually read the book! I’ve seen every movie, cartoon and TV series version of the story, I think, but the novella itself had evaded me. I read it in one sitting, realizing just how short it is, and was left a little disappointed. I wasn’t keen on the style (obviously a product of its time), the lack of development in any of the characters, the underlying moral of the tale, so widely expanded by pop culture, far more subtle in the original text.
I couldn’t help myself, putting pen to paper (or rather fingers to keyboard) immediately to rework that story. I wanted to honour it while telling my own tale, ideas that had been fermenting for years in my brain finally coming to life with relative ease. I gave tributes to Dickens throughout, never hiding from the fact his novella existed or that the idea of visiting ghosts is not an original one. I included his habit of 4th wall breaking between narrator and reader, but only as appropriate, and followed his structure and core elements, meaning there was a lot less development work required for me to do. But the primary reason for the book to be completed so quickly was that my words simply flowed onto the page faster than I could type them! I’ve never had such continuous flow without effort in anything I’ve written.
So what is it about? It is the story of a successful young man, Isaiah Moore, who has shown all the best moral qualities you could wish for in someone. He is charitable, kind, confident, assured, globally and environmentally-minded; an absolute treasure of a man with wealth enough to make a real difference. When things have gone wrong, he has learned how to be better as a result, leading the way in issues from the energy crisis to equality. So, when his deceased friend from the past arrives to warn him of the visitation of three ghosts, he is most surprised. Not only has he already heard the story of one Ebeneezer Scrooge, he cannot fathom how such a visit would be applicable to him. Furthermore, he acknowledges and celebrates Christmas, he’s also a genuinely good guy. But he has been selected, and has only a single night to discover why the three spirits of time have come to him, and what lesson it is that he must learn. Could I tell you more? Of course! But I’d rather not steal too many of the twists and surprises here!
Since the release of ‘As Good a Man There Never Was’ I have been working on another contemporary piece, a survival/drama/romance based on a short story I wrote for my wife fifteen years ago. This is the first one that feels really personal, with the main protagonists being an RAF officer and his wife. That said, it is not autobiographical, so don’t expect it to read like my memoirs when it comes out! Distracting me a little from that, is the other fantastic opportunity I have been given, having been approached to provide all the horror fiction elements of a brand-new Table-Top Role-Playing Game, The Dark After Dawn, being released in early 2023 by Dark After Games Ltd. So, all I have to find time for now is my actual job, right…?

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Simon Wright’s Website

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Featured Interview With Tefann McIntosh

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name Tefann McIntosh, born and raise in Jamaica, current living and working in the Cayman Island. I love working out, any outside activity I’m always there. lol
I don’t have any pet or pets however I do love seeing cats, they are so mysterious, nothing seem to be impossible for them.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am always writing, from a younger age I use to write wired stuff that popped up in my hand or writing in my dairy as young as 11 years old.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
jay Shetty, I enjoyed reading ‘think like a monk”. I am not the reading person which is so weird, I like to keep it moving, reading means being still for sometimes.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The name of my book is “Fixing her crow” actually it is a journal book, a 30 day self healing affirmation journal book. I created this book for female especially. males have always have an idea of how they want their future to look like before having a family and for some of us as female, we have a time we are running against.
note:
Females, you are never too old or too young to learn new about yourself.
selflove, selfcare, self gratitude

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Tefann McIntosh’s Website

Tefann McIntosh Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With Chaitali Nath

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a young lady of 19. I was born in Kolkata, brought up across West Bengal, mostly in Siliguri. I currently live in my birth city, pursuing MBBS.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write or read books. It was a hobby my father always encouraged, alongside all others, and he’s also somewhere the reason I am the person I am.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading all kinds of books. As of right now, I’m into metaphysics. I just finished The Everything Answer book by Amit Goswami, and am reading Physics Of The Soul by him.

As of inspiration, I look for inspiration in everyday life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s a poetry collection that talks about love, loss and healing. These are three things that keep going on in our everyday lives, yet we seem to oversee them, in some measure, atleast. This book aims to bring you back to those moments which you might’ve been overlooked and hold you close when you want someone to.

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Chaitali Nath Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Dr. Peg O’Connor

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, which is north central Massachusetts. I live in St Peter, Minnesota. I teach philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College. Do I have a pet? I think my terrier mix believes he has a person. As Mister Peabody said of Sherman, “if a boy can have a dog, why can’t a dog have a boy?”

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have loved books my entire life. I felt like a “big kid” when I could read on my own. I attribute my love of crime fiction to devouring all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books. I never liked Trixie Belden though. The first thing I distinctly remember writing was “The First Animal Christmas” in third grade. In that riveting tale, my cat and his best friend, a mouse, were transported to Bethlehem for the birth of the baby Jesus. I won’t write what my mother responded when I asked her, “Mom, what could the cat give the baby Jesus.” Hint: it involves a saying about cats. I would have been expelled if I had included her suggestion.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a lot of crime fiction. I am somewhat surprised I never turned to a life of crime. I love James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series because the depiction of addiction and recovery is so real and gritty. I also love Roman history. Give me an emperor, cunning and diabolical politicians and I am entranced. One of my favorite writers is Mary Karr; her memoirs are stunning. If I could write 1/10th as well as she, I’d be overjoyed.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My most recent book is Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering. I aim to broaden the notion of “higher power” of Alcoholics Anonymous. The idea of God alienates many people. The term originally came from American philosopher and psychologist, William James (1842-1910), who included enthusiasm for humanity, a sense of decency, moral principles, patriotism, and your own better self as powers that could help people to transform themselves. This book is meant for people who are seeking to reorient themselves in the world in ways that help them to say Yes to life.

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Dr. Peg O’Connor’s Website

Featured Interview With Blue Tapp

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up all over the U.S. My family moved nearly every year when I was a child; I went to 13 different schools. My dad wasn’t in the military… just a rolling stone, grass is always greener kinda’ guy. I was shy, unattractive, didn’t dress the right way, we were poor… blah blah blah… so it was difficult. I struggled with low self esteem and depression. God has healed me from all of that. Now I am strong, unafraid of change or failure, don’t care what anyone thinks, and incredibly happy. So it all turned out okay 🙂

Boy do I have pets! I have 42 chickens, 7 ducks, 2 rabbits, 2 cats and a livestock guard dog. We are homesteaders so we’ve got lots of animals and plan to get even more… goats, pigs, maybe alpacas and cows. Our homestead is called Hermit’s Way Homestead, and is in Blue Eye, Missouri, 30 minutes southwest of Branson on the Arkansas border. We grow our own food and raise our own meat. We’ve got a very funny YouTube channel about our homesteading adventures.

I have run a successful website development company, Blue’s ArtHouse Graphics & Web Design, since 1997. When I started my business, websites had only existed for six years. So I’m definitely an old-timer in the web design field and it has changed a LOT in the past 25 years. I’ve grown with it and stay very busy. It pays the bills comfortably and then some. My husband, Craig, worked for Boeing for 37 years and retired in 2021, then we moved across the state to start up our homestead. I have no plans to retire; I still love my job and who wouldn’t love working in their pajamas?

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been an artist since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I love to work with pen & ink, pastels, charcoals, and photography. I’m also a musician and singer. I play guitar, mandolin, flute, Irish whistle, sing and write music. I was even in a band for a while. So I’m a total artsy fartsy girl. When I learned how to read and write, of course I started writing stories. It was just the natural thing for me to do.

I began devouring books the moment I learned how to read; books were my escape. Discovering classic literature in high school lit a fire in my soul. I spent ten years in college studying Literature and then Rhetoric & Composition. I have an A.A. in Fine Arts, B.A. in English, M.A. in English Literature, and finished coursework for a Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Composition (dropped out before finishing my disertation due to family issues). I took many creative writing classes in college and submitted an anthology of short stories as my Masters Thesis. One of them was published in a college periodical.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I was an avid reader of classical fiction until my 40s. During college my favs were Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Herman Melville, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Ambrose Bierce, Flannery O’Connor, all the classics. I also loved sci-fi greats like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Something shifted in my 40s and I stopped reading fiction. I think I had finally read enough about worlds created in the minds of other writers. Now I wanted to read about what was REAL… biographies and other nonfiction works. I wanted to spend my time improving my soul, not just my mind, and got more into Bible and philosophical studies. Today I read works by the mystic saints like Teresa de Avila, and books about the working of the Holy Spirit including books by Kenneth Hagin, and Paul Haglin.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first full length book, “My Demon, My Jesus,” tells my extraordinary story about demonic oppression as a child and my struggle with suicidal depression as a young adult.

When I was 30 years old, I attempted suicide by swallowing a handful of sleeping pills. It worked. I died and my spirit left my body before I was brought back to life in the hospital. I am here today because God saved my life. He sent four angels who helped me call for help before I died.

However my battle with depression was far from over. I spent the next three years addicted to prescription medication under the care of a psychiatrist. But pills cannot cure depression.

Again God miraculously healed me. I am now completely free of depression and medication. God has shown me how to live an amazing life of joy and victory. ”My Demon, My Jesus” describes my healing process. I believe others who suffer from depression can follow these same steps to reach true lasting healing.

Then in 2019 I began experiencing astonishing visions where my soul traveled to heaven to pray for the world with millions of other saints. Today the visions continue weekly and God has taught me so much through them. He loves and cares deeply about each one of us and wants us to know Him intimately. I was being called to join with the saints in praying for our world, for a great awakening that would draw all people to God.

One of God’s charges was that I write everything down, every vision in detail. As I did this I realized that there was a connection between the visions and my own life journey, from my early experiences of demonic oppression and suicide to eventual miraculous healing through the love of Christ. I began to understand that my visions about God’s love for us were also a message to others struggling with depression. My own story of God’s healing could be used to help others learn how to seek God’s healing presence through meditative prayer.

So I told it all… from a demonically oppressed disturbed child who also fell in love with Jesus and prayed to become a Christian at six years old…to a suicidally depressed young adult who overdosed on sleeping pills and was brought back from death in the hospital…to years addicted to prescription drugs…to miraculous healing, victorious life, and divine visions.

My healing was miraculous. But it was not instantaneous. It was a process of learning how to think in a healthy way, how to shift my thoughts and spirit life from defeat to victory. My prayer is that my journey will help others climb their way out of the trap of poisonous thought patterns and prescribed drug addictions. There are so many of us out there fighting this battle…

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Blue Tapp’s Website

Blue Tapp Facebook Page

Blue Tapp Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Jonathan Faia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Fullerton, California about 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles. I still live in Southern California today.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I became fascinated at a real early age with books. I was reading books like, The Outsiders and To Kill A Mockingbird at around 10 years old. I love visiting the public library as a child and it just seemed so peaceful in there it was hard not to be wrapped up in books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Beat Poetry. I’m a big fan of Kerouac, Ginsberg and lately a lot of Bukowski. I’m inspired by the raw emotion found in those authors. They took real experiences and put them to paper. They lived every word they wrote.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Love Letters From Barstow explores all aspects of love while reminding others of the hope and resilience needed to navigate through complicated relationships and the pain of heartache. Shared in the spirit and rhythm of the Beat Generation, these poems delve into the emotions and failures that follow a man as he examines his depths amid an internal struggle to balance his sanity with his conscience while battling the sanity in life.
Figuratively illustrated by the long, lonely road from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Love Letters from Barstow shares empowering poems that reflect on love, heartbreak, and one man’s limitations.

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Jonathan Faia’s Website

Jonathan Faia Facebook Page

Jonathan Faia Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Barbara Goss

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Western New York, and I still live here with my husband of 31 years as well as my cat, Molly.
I’ve written 54 books since 2015 and am still tapping them out. I mostly write sweet historical westerns, but recently wrote a WW1 romance book called Tatianna. All my books are available in audiobooks as well for those who can’t see well, or just like to listen while doing something else. My fansite is welcome to any readers who enjoy my writing, I also have a website. I enjoy chatting with the readers.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading when I was very young. My grandmother would sent me books she picked up church rummage sales. She introduced me to Bambi, The Bobbsey Twins and others.

When I was in 5th and 6th grade our school had a large collection of books about famous people’s lives as children: Booker T. Washington, Dolly Madison, Abe Lincoln, and many others. I read all 36 of them.

I love reading because it takes me to wonderful places. While I’m there I forget any problems I have and live through my characters. I love to hate the villains and love the hero and heroines.

I prefer sweet books with a lot of romance and adventure. I write Christian books that are not preachy but the stories aways leave a faith message

There came a point (way to late in life) when I said, “I can do this,” and wrote a book and it was published by a large Christian Publishing House with a contract to write three more. Then I discovered self-publishing and preferred it. You can work at your own speed, you aren’t restricted by what you can and can’t write and the books get published quickly.

I’m not happy unless I’m in the middle of writing a book so I hope I can write for years to come. Grace Livingston Hill was my inspiration. I read all 100 of her books. I need to catch up to her.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Grace Livingston Hill was my favorite author, and I also liked Lavyrle Spencer. My favorite genre is, of course, romance especially ones that take place in the old west. Those were such exciting times. I don’t read contemporary romance because it’s too close to real life. I like the fantasy of reliving the past.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone of writing romantic westerns for my latest book. Tatianna is part of a series called “Already Home,” and is being run by Barr26 Publishing. There are 6 books in this romantic WW1 series, So far my reviews are excellent so I guess it was a successful switch of genres. The audiobooks come with a song written and song by Rick Barr, “Already Home.” The series was collaborated by Michele Pollock Dalton,

Tatianna agrees to write to the service men being sent overseas and one out of the many letters stood out. It was from a man named Ryan, Through letters (which I share with the readers) the friendship turns into something deeper. When the letters from Ryan stop, Tatianna worries. Will they ever meet? Fall in love?

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Barbara Goss’s Website

Barbara Goss Facebook Page

Featured Interview With BetteLou Price

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
BetteLou passed over to the Lord in 2020. We wrote together during our tenure as authors. I, her husband, Wayne, continue to write using her name as my pen name since she was the romance lover. We grew up in sleepy towns in rural Connecticut. We travelled America in a long, full size motorhome with twin daughters and a tolerant cat. Moving numerous times, we often wound up in resort areas; the last one being Aspen, Colorado. Our love of God bloomed during those difficult years financially. In her latter years, we discovered writing romance and the prophetic in the same book fit our style perfectly. Our current work titled A Second Chance to Hope is the latest. We lived to the end of BetteLou’s life in Tillamook, Oregon, a small dairy and logging community on the West Coast close to the waters of the Pacific ocean. I still live there.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
BetteLou always loved to read as far back as she could remember. Her mother always read to her as a child. I was a slow reader and poor in all forms of English in school–reading, writing, grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, the whole thing. I was laughed at for not understanding the difference between there, their, and they’re. But one miraculous day I woke able to do it all. I scored straight A’s and B’s all through high school! Authorship began to fulfill Wayne’s cries to God of wanting to be significant.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
BetteLou loved historical romance while Wayne dove into inventions and prophecy. So many books it’s impossible to count. Wayne’s inspiration comes from his deep faith while BetteLou loved caring for her family. Both of us found inspiration from rivers to oceans and camping with the critters in nature.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Second Chance to Hope is set in Colorado with hot air balloons and an opulent resort vacation house in the mountains taking equal shares of romance, God, and the vagaries of life.

Hope O’Leary fell for his cologne, leather with a hint of wood smoke, even before encountering his strong presence and masculine authority. However, unwelcome sparks fly when she unveils the source of her glowing personality and physical beauty.

A seemingly harmless childhood trauma sabotages Neal McGrath’s unbridled attraction to her. The match made in proverbial heaven is driven to breaking until Jesus Christ speaks eight words of divine intervention. The expected happily ever after ties up love and hope in unexpected ways.

One reviewer, an advance copy reader said: “I like the way she kept God in it. I enjoy love stories like this one.”

BetteLou’s sickness and our inexperience pushed the writing and publishing of this book into far too many years. The next one with my wife’s indomitable presence on full display should be ready near Christmas 2022. This book comes with my sincere prayers for you to enjoy and be touched by a little bit of heaven. ‘Till later… Wayne, and BetteLou.

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BetteLou Price’s Website

Featured Interview With Paolo G. Grossi

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Milan. I moved to London in my twenties and never went back.
Beside writing and reading I love Opera and the Arts in general. Every time I find myself in NYC I must pit stop at the Met or the Frick Collection.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always had a passion for writing but my career took me somewhere else. During lockdown I started writing The Tiergarten Tales to occupy the time and here we are, a year later, book published and selling well.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Mary Renault, Madeleine Miller, Stephen Fry, Edmund White and Patrick Gale. For history the best remains Lady Antonia Fraser. Her biography of Elizabeth I is rather the perfect history book.
The main inspiration for me is Mary Renault.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Tiergarten Tales is a collection of ten stories set in Berlin in various moments of history. It’s boys and men, their love stories but also troubles and pain as most stories are either before or after big historical upheavals.
LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction is a niche genre but there are quite a few aficionados and the feedback has been largely positive.
I am soon to publish my second book. It will be a full novel set in fifteenth century Italy and modern Florence.
It’s a tale about talent, the envy and resentment it can cause among less gifted but equally ambitious people.

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Paolo G. Grossi’s Website

Featured Interview With Gregory Tharp

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Greg Tharp has 20 years of experience as a librarian. He previously served as a member of the State of Connecticut Library Advisory Council on Library Planning and Development. He is a member of the American Library Association, Massachusetts Library Association, ARMA International, IACCM, American Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and Boston Bar Association.
Tharp holds a Paralegal Certificate from Boston University, a Master’s Certificate in Acquisitions and Contract Management from American Graduate University, an Advanced Certificate in Archives Management from Simmons University, a Master of Library Science from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Bachelor of Science from Sacred Heart University where he was elected to Phi Eta Sigma and received the Passion for Learning Award. Tharp also holds a Certificate of Professional Librarianship from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and is a Second Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Mi Guk Kwan.
Additionally, he received acquisitions training at Defense Acquisitions University, Federal Acquisitions Institute, and the University of Virginia. He also received human resources training at HR University and legal training at New England Law Boston.
Tharp has authored journal articles on commercial government contracts in the Contracting Excellence Journal, the National Contract Management Association Journal of Contract Management, and has presented on commercial government contracts at the Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Symposium and has written a book on commercial government contracts published with Elivia Publishing. He has also co-authored an article on Chinese academic libraries in the Library Hi Tech journal and has presented on virtual reality in academic libraries at the Library Research Seminar VII.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed books and writing.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t have a favorite author or genre. My writing is inspired by reading a variety of business books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This book will be of interest of those in the field of contract management in the United States government, the private sector, and internationally. This book is relevant to scholars and academics as well as both American and international policymakers, those working in the field of contract management, and those seeking to join the field of contract management. It will be useful for people interested in contracting with the United States government and in designing and implementing acquisitions and or contract management policy both in the United States of America and internationally. Lastly, it will be useful for people in a wide variety of industries, countries, and regions internationally and in the United States of America already contracting with the United States government or interested in contracting with the United States government in understanding how to terminate commercial contracts for convenience using United States of America procurement regulations.
A concise overview of the recommendations for usage of termination for convenience provisions, commercial government contracts, and cost recovery in commercial items contracts. Topics discussed include the Federal Acquisition Regulations System (FAR) as promogulated by the United States Congress, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, and the A201 commercial contracting standard as promogulated by the American Institute of Architects. Applicability of termination for convenience in commercial government contracts to sole source acquisitions and intelligence community acquisitions are also discussed. Net present value clauses, cash flow, and United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are also discussed within the context of United States government contracts terminated for convenience.
Purpose, design/methodology/approach, findings, and originality/value are also discussed as it relates to both recommendations for the usage of termination clauses in commercial government contracts terminated for convenience and as it relates to both recommendations for the usage of termination clauses in commercial government contracts terminated for convenience and as it relates to cost recovery in commercial government contracts terminated for convenience using United States of America procurement regulations.

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Gregory Tharp’s Website

Featured Interview With Simon Rose

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m the author of The Alchemist’s Portrait, The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, The Clone Conspiracy, The Emerald Curse, The Heretic’s Tomb, The Doomsday Mask, The Time Camera, The Sphere of Septimus, Flashback, Future Imperfect, Twisted Fate, Parallel Destiny, the Shadowzone series, and the Stone of the Seer series. I’m also the author of The Children’s Writer’s Guide, The Time Traveler’s Guide, The Working Writer’s Guide, The Social Media Writer’s Guide, a contributor to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction and have written many non-fiction books with Crabtree Publishing, Beech Street Books, Weigl Publishers, and Capstone.

I offer a number of services for writers, including editing, coaching, mentoring, consulting, manuscript evaluation, and writing workshops. I’ve provided substantive and copy editing services for many other writers over the years. This has been for novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, inspirational books, and many other genres. I also offer copywriting services for business, including website and social media content. Full details can be found on my website at simon-rose.com. I’m the founder of Children’s Authors and Illustrators on Facebook, served as the Writer-in Residence with the Canadian Authors Association, am a member of the Calgary Association of Freelance Editors, and served as the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Canada.

I offer a wide variety of presentations, workshops, and author in residence programs for schools, along with virtual author visits. I’m an instructor for adults with the University of Calgary and offer a variety of workshops and writing courses for both children and adults.

I’m originally from the UK, but have lived in Western Canada since 1990. I’ve always had pets and currently have a dog and a cat, who always seem to keep me busy.

You may follow me on Twitter or Instagram, or connect on Facebook and elsewhere on social media.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I probably had a fascination with stories at an early age, whether picture books, novels, or comic books. However, I didn’t take writing seriously until I was an adult, as I mention in my next answer, when my children were quite small. I began to submit stories to publishers more than twenty years ago, with my first novel for young adults being published in 2003.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It’s probably easier to tell a story of how I first became interested in being an author. When my children were small, I started reading children’s books again for the first time in many years. Some of the books were wonderful and I wished that I could write something similar. However, some of the books were very poor and I was surprised that they’d ever been published. This made me wonder if I could write stories of my own. I started thinking that I should write fairy tales and picture books for younger children, but after reading the first three Harry Potter novels, I realized that I wanted to write for the age group that those books are aimed at. I wasn’t interested in writing about the same things, such as magic, wizards, and imaginary creatures, and instead focused on themes that I was interested in, such as science fiction, fantasy, time travel, history, comic books, ancient mysteries and civilizations, superheroes, other dimensions, and the paranormal. The novels that have been subsequently published have mostly been in these genres.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series for young adults, primarily set during the English Civil War in the mid-seventeenth century. The Stone of the Seer, is the first book in the series. At Habingdon House, Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate, and Tom discover a magical black stone, mysterious ancient manuscripts, and the tempus inpectoris, an incredible time viewing device. They are also in grave danger from Daniel Tombes, who has a fearsome reputation as a witchfinder.

In Royal Blood, the second book in the series, Lady Elizabeth, Kate, and Tom move to London in the middle of the Civil War, experiencing the great political changes taking place at the time, including the trial and execution of Charles I. They are also still under threat from Tombes, who is also in the city. The story has many twists and turns, and I doubt if any of the readers will expect the novel’s cliffhanger ending.

I’m hoping that Revenge of the Witchfinder, the final novel and the conclusion of the story, will be published later this year. After that, people will be able to buy all three books in the series.

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Simon Rose’s Website

Simon Rose Facebook Page

Simon Rose Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Rick McCann

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a simi-retired Merchant Mariner that has been on the water professionally since I was 17. Started out in the US Navy then after my hitch was up, I sailed deep sea then moved ashore to sail for the Cape May Lewes Ferry in Cape May, NJ. This is my hometown and I still live here today with my wife and our 2 Labs. So far, our 5 children have provided us with 5 beautiful grandchildren to spoil and love.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My interest in books took hold while out to sea, as there wasn’t much to do on any down time. This is where the snippet of an idea that I could write a book began, but soon life got in the way of most of my dreams such as owning my own airplane and living on a Caribbean Island were replaced with many ours working and raising the family. As the kids got more independent and time restrictions eased, I began writing Standard Operating Procedures and policy manuals for my employer which brought back that little orphaned idea that I could write a book! It didn’t hurt that a lot of people had told me that I should write a book, of course the book I wrote isn’t the book they wanted me to write! About 20 years ago I started to put pen to paper but found that the only time I could really write was while on vacation, which is why it took 20 years to go from idea to publication. Of course the last 5 years were spent looking for an Agent/Publisher with an awful lot of rejection emails thrown in. So on October 10th 2021 my book, Two If By Sea was published!

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 Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts. Which all relate to my favorite genre to read is the Thriller/Suspense genre. I believe that the above three have combined to inspire my writings so far.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My 20 year quest to bring Two If By Sea to publication was rewarded on October 10th 2021. It is a mystery/suspense/thriller set in a contemporary maritime theme that keeps you on the edge of your seat and the pages turning. The characters come to life, and you are rooting for some while loving to hate others, but never do you lose interest in their ordeals they must live through. The plot has many intertwined sub-plots that all begin with the captain of the ship taking a few precious moments to watch a sunset that brings back her childhood memories. This moves to more involved areas that take international terrorist, Columbian drug cartels, most of the ABC agencies in Washington DC to try and keep a nuclear disaster from happening on the shores of the USA. There is budding romance and relationship conflicts in the lives of the characters that add to the overall complexity of the situation they find themselves.

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Rick McCann’s Website

Featured Interview With Jo Squire

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My parents were adventurous and I grew up in a few places. The years in Kenya took my heart. I now live in Australia with my 3 dogs. I’ve always loved wild creatures and the outdoors.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My father read us a lot of books ad my love for fiction came from that. I started writing just before we moved to Africa when I was 9 years old.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m not really a genre reader, though I like literary books with lovely descriptions of the outdoors and peoples relationship to the natural world. So many book and authors have inspired me. I hardly know where to start. Delia Owens, Seth Kanther, H.D.Thoreau, Thomas Moore and so many more.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Black Ivory is about a young wildlife biologist, Lou who is trying to protect the elephants that she studies. It’s also about Lou understanding herself and her own motivations. Who can she trust or dare to love despite her misgivings? The book is a novel but I have woven true incidents into the story from my years in Africa. I’ve been told it’s extremely realistic. It took me almost 10 years to write as I’m a full time vet. My aim to get the sequel written within the next 2 years though!

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Jo Squire’s Website

Featured Interview With Hemu Aggarwal

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hemu Aggarwal, artist, writer, and poet, was born in
Veraval, Gujarat State, India. She earned her Master’s
Degree (MFA) in graphic design from the City University
of New York. She came to the U.S. in 1966 for higher education.
Hemu has written several newspaper and magazine articles,
but this is her first attempt to translate hundreds of letters
and write a book.
She is an artist by profession. After graduation, she worked in graphic design firms in New York City for about ten years. She designed many album covers of famous singers,
such as the Beatles, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck,
Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Mantovani, and many hip-hop artists, including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious
Five, and The Sugarhill Gang. In 1980, she established her creative design firm, AQ Graphic Inc., in Rockland County, N.Y. She ran it successfully for over 25 years

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been reading books for many years. Written about 10 years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Kazuo Ishiguro, Stieg Larsson, John Grisham,

Favorite genre: Science fiction, Mystery and Murder stories, Biography.

Can’t think of an author who inspires me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am a new author who has just published a book.
The Forbidden Letters. A True Story.

The book includes 216 of the 500 century-old letters found in an attic. It tells the story of a young couple’s life, married when they were still teenagers, but lived apart intermittently for eight years. The letters describe their love for each other, the agony of separation, taboos of the times, and the hardships endured by women in a joint-family system. Crossing cultural, country, gender, and age boundaries, you take on a tumultuous 100-year journey from India to America, shedding the shackles of a joint family and allowing the next generation the freedom to chart their destinies.

A journey that starts in 1922 and finishes in 2022!

The Forbidden Letters, A True Story. Paperback, 400 pages. Now available on Amazon.com.

Visit my book page: https://www.facebook.com/theforbidden…

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Hemu Aggarwal Facebook Page

Hemu Aggarwal Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Matthew Donald

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
While I was born in Ft. Wayne, IN, my family moved to Fairview, TX when I was six months old, so I definitely don’t consider myself an Indiana resident. Honestly, I don’t consider myself a Texan either, as we moved to Colorado when I was only eight and the only characteristic I keep from my Texas youth is occasionally saying “y’all” to people. So while my early years were in Texas, my formative years were in Colorado. I have my own place in Centennial, CO right next to Southglenn Mall. It’s a wonderful location. Yep, my roommate and emotional support animal Lyra, a 3-year-old female pearl cockatiel. She’s so sweet and cuddly, but very timid and really only likes me. She is slowly starting to warm up to a few of my friends, though!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Pretty much right away. I read so many picture books when I was a kid, then kept moving up and up as I got older. I remember constantly going to my library in high school and just checking out whatever books looked interesting in the sci-fi and fantasy sections, and let me tell you, there were some real bangers there, as well as some stinkers of course. The inspiration that I got just from opening up your standard dorky fantasy book and seeing the obligatory world map was wild. I’d see something like “Northguard’s Keep” and I’d be like “Whaaaaat?! Who’s stationed there? What are they protecting? Who are they defending against?” So many questions! I miss that wonder I felt back then sometimes.” When I was six years old I won a contest at my school where we had to finish the sentence “It would be great if…” and I wrote a poem about how it would be great if I were an author. Since then I’ve dabbled in a few smaller writing projects, before seriously starting when I was thirteen. One of my first big stories was the first of what would be many versions of my story Megazoic, of which the final version ended up being my first published book. You like dinosaurs? You like sci-fi? How about them both together? Go check it out, available on Amazon or my website. Cheap plug!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I really enjoy the natural wonders described in fellow Colorado author T.A. Barron’s books, and the old school style fantasy he writes around them. I also enjoy the world-building of J.R.R. Tolkien, the wild sci-fi concepts of Michael Crichton, and the creativity of Greg Farshtey’s young reader books for various LEGO properties such as BIONICLE and Exo-Force. Also I know it’s cliche, but come on, J.K. Rowling’s plot and characters are amazing. There’s a reason her books are as popular as they are. Sci-fi and fantasy, particularly those aimed at younger audiences. While there are plenty of wonderful books for adults, I tend to find them more dry and lacking the wonder or fun of books for younger folks. I also really enjoy books with a good sense of humor. About the only non-speculative fiction books I read are comedy books. If there are books that combine both though, those are my absolute favorite to read. As well as the aforementioned authors, I get inspiration from all sorts of sources such as movies, video games, and television. I particularly like works with good production design, and have a soft spot for those more “toyetic,” if that makes sense. My friend shows me these Japanese shows with people in suits fighting each other with crazy weapons clearly designed to sell toys, and I quite enjoy them. More than anything though, I’m inspired by my friends and family who support me the whole way and work so hard to help me accomplish my dreams. This isn’t a solo game.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I have a book coming out August 16th, 2022 called Teslanauts. It’s a young adult sci-fi that takes place in the early 1920s after the world is still reeling from the effects of WW1. Seventeen-year-old Raymond Calvert learns his father, missing in action since the war, worked in a secret government organization led by Nikola Tesla that helps the world in the shadows using advanced electrical dieselpunk-style technology called volt-tech. Ever since the war showed the horrors humanity was capable of, the Teslanauts keep their technology secret, and erase the memories of those who learn of it that aren’t part of the organization. Raymond joins the organization in hopes of finding his father, getting involved in a world full of mechs, automated machines, disintegrator rifles, and lightning-armed biplanes, just as a new volt-tech organization formed from the remnants of the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire makes itself known. Called the Oberschock Federation, they are financed by a mysterious American benefactor and plan to restart the war to regain their country’s glory, but the benefactor has their own plans for them. Raymond learns that his father might have had something to do with Oberschock, and rushes to learn what happened while the Teslanauts do everything they can to avoid war breaking out across the battered world once more. This book is based off an idea I’ve had since I was in college, and I’m thrilled that it’s the next idea I’m showing off to the world after my previous Megazoic books. It’s the first of a five-part series, and I can’t wait to show it to y’all. There, see? My inner Texan has resurfaced once more.

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Featured Interview With Fred A. Idiaquez

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Welcome and Namaste:
I am a Non – LEO (Retired Officer) and a US Veteran
My Hindu Gods wish – Video “Enchanted Ganesh Blessings.”
Is to provide this Positive Book to the World.
I was raised in San Francisco, California currently live in the United States.
with no pets

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
at a young age of 15 in Junior High School. I started writing after I Retired fromHi The Federal
Service.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
one of my favorite authors is His Divine Grace – A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
genre to read is Spirituality in Hinduism Practice, beliefs and thoughts.
My Hindu God’s inspires me especially Ganesh.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This is a Self – Help Book for everyone’s who is trying to Cope. In today’s World – but Negative People makes it more difficult for good people to be inspired and live a happy fulfilling Life.

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