Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Katy Joseph

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I moved to FL by way of the United States Virgin Islands, I have been living here for the past 17 years. I moved to St. Thomas when I was 9 years old, originally born on the island of Portsmouth, Dominica. I’ve worked for the same company for the past 17 years as well and I have tried on many hats while there and I’m currently working as a Payroll Specialist. I don’t have any pets, but I do have two beautiful daughters.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always had a fascination with reading. I loved reading and realized that it not only broadened my vocabulary, but it gave me an outlet into other worlds. I read a book and I visualize the scenery as well as the characters.
I started writing in 2011-2012. My first thing to write was for my healing and my reading only. I then started writing little snippets and a friend suggested that I had material to write my own story and that I should tell it. I took his advice and I published my first book in August of 2014.
My first book was written to show that we all have bad experiences in life, but we cannot let those experiences dictate the rest of our lives. We have to find a way to deal with our tragedies and move on no matter how painful it may seem!

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 John Patterson, Dean Koontz, Terry McMillan, Zane, Mary B. Morrison, Sylvia Day, Carl Weber, there are many more I could name. I don’t have a favorite genre per se, I read books that are engaging and thought provoking. Books that can teach me to be a better person, or books that can let me escape to another time, place, or fantasy!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book took me approximately a year to write as I was gathering information, not realizing that I was actually going to publish the material as a book.
The book is written as a memoir in the form of snippets. It tells of instances where I may have been directly involved in situations and how I was able to cope with all of them by eventually learning thru self-love, and other key elements to being able to move forward.

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Katy Joseph’s Website

Katy Joseph Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Sione Michelson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, my name is Sione and my passion is Life mastery. I am dedicated to teaching others how to become the best they can possibly be so they can reach higher levels of achievement and happiness. I believe people should help one another whenever possible which is my life’s mission and why I have authored and co-authored several books in hopes of reaching and helping millions of people around the world. I love reading, writing, eating healthy foods, playing sports, traveling, and most of all enriching other peoples lives. I also like to help promote other authors when their main goals are to help people whether it be in relationships, health or otherwise. I was born in St. Paul Mn but currently live in Clearwater Fl. I have 2 ferrets, Leo and Layla, who I absolutely adore.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At the age of five is when I started to really love reading and I started writing 6 months ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Brandon Carter, Napoleon Hill Leo Gura & Elliot Hulse. All of these authors inspire me a great deal because they all write about personal development and that’s mainly what I write about.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My Latest Book:

The Low Carb Nutribullet & Ninja Recipe Book: 10 day juice cleanse: 100+ Health Sustaining Low Carb and Delicious and Nutritious Juice and Smoothie Recipes … for Weight Loss, Women’s Health Diet) Kindle

Description from Amazon:

Discover one of the first steps In finally taking control of your life and that is getting healthy. A great way to start is with juicing for your health

Get this Amazon bestseller for Free Regularly priced
at $7.99. Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device.

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!!NEW!! Over 100 Delicious Juicing Recipes
Millions of people die every day all over the world because they aren’t aware of the damage they are doing to their bodies. Its no secret that because many of us have such busy lifestyles that it causes us to think “convenience” over health when it comes to eating. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, feel tired all the time or you are overweight like i was then you must do something right now to reverse these debilitating conditions because your body is telling you “I’M DYING. There is absolutely no better way to start your journey to optimal health then juicing.

I can’t even begin to tell you how beneficial juicing is to your health, you just have to try it to believe it. Juicing helps you consumer more fruits and vegetables in one sitting than you probably will care to consume in a week, I know it did for me. Juicing has helped me shed tons of weight, get clearer skin, lower my cholesterol, lower my blood pressure and obtain massive energy.

If you want to be successful at anything in life, if you want to get rid of excess weight, if you want to get that guy or girl of your dreams than it all starts with how you feel and being healthy is critical in achieving this and all the things you want in life. 10 years ago I was 50 pounds over weight, divorced and just down right depressed until I saw an infomercial on the Ninja Blender in the middle of the night. I was amazed at how easy it was to stick large pieces of fruits and vegetables into the blender and then moments later you had a delicious healthy life saving drink.

100 + recipes that are low carb and body cleansing to help you reach your weight loss destiny. I hate to brag but this book has everything you want in a juice book!
Table of Contents

Introduction/Your Free Gift!

2. Preparation for all recipes

3. Quick Start

4. Fruit & Veggie Galore

5. Parsley Parley

6. Kale Transformer

7. Apple Magic

8. Spinach Delight

9. Sweet Beet

10. Bunnies Favorite

11. Fat Melt

12.Blue Berry Awesomeness

13. Almond Satisfaction

14. Good Bye Cellulite

15. Attractive Juice

16. Curves in All the Right Places

17. Booty Transformation

18. Makes Your Tongue Slap Your Brains Out! (Spicy)

19. Urkels Metabolism

20. Daily Glow

21. Brain Food

22. Love Handle Eliminator

23. Over 40 Delicious Nutribullet Recipes!!New!!

24. Over 40 Delicious Smoothie Recipes

25. Closing

Take action today and download this book for free from 07/29-08/01/2015.
YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU

Link To this book:

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Sione Michelson’s Website

Featured Interview With Ellie Firestone

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Well, I’m a bit of an introvert, for starters. I like being by myself, and if I have a book with me, then so much the better! I’m currently living in England, in the Cotswolds, which is a very nice place full of cream teas and sheep (though I’m not such a big fan of the weather). However, I visit my relatives in Texas for several weeks of the year, and it’s there that I indulge in all sorts of horse-y stuff. Horses are my favorite animals, but I don’t have one of my own … yet. Right now, I just make do with a load of pet fish, which, since I can’t really tell them apart from each other, are all called Rainbow. I also have a dog, who’s an English Toy Terrier named Bonnie.

I also like superheroes. As I have already mentioned, I like books and horses, too, so maybe that has something to do with why I write children’s books about superhero horses (or maybe I’m just a bit strange).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading and writing books at around the age of three. Well, I say ‘writing’ — I couldn’t actually write as such, so I dictated my stories to my mother to write down! All my earliest books were about animals, but mostly (you guessed it) horses.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
There are many authors whose work I enjoy reading, including (but not limited to) Mark Twain, Eoin Colfer and Madeleine L’engle (a diverse bunch, I know!). I don’t really have a favorite genre, but I tend to like sci-fi, fantasy and mystery the most. There are two people who inspire me in my writing: Mary Shelley, and the aforementioned Madeleine L’engle. Mary Shelley inspires me because she wrote her amazing book Frankenstein when she was just 18, and Madeleine L’engle inspires me because of her fantastic book A Wrinkle in Time, which taught me that reality and imagination are not all that different.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the seventh in my Super Sporty series. It’s called Super Sporty 7: The Fight Before Christmas. As you can probably guess, the story is set at Christmas, and when I was writing it last year I realised that it would be nice to release it at Christmas. Trouble was, it was August and I was only ten pages in. Fortunately, I worked on the book every free moment I got, and the book was released on Kindle on December 12th 2014.

So what’s it about? Well, it’s about a pair of superhero horses, Sporty and Harley, who are back home with their families for Christmas. After their last crazy adventure, everything is back to normal — but it doesn’t stay that way for long. A local horse is caught robbing the Horsecitty bank … but swears that he didn’t do it. Another horse is caught shoplifting … but she denies all knowledge of it. Sporty suspects that mind control is the real culprit, but she’s going to have trouble proving it with no evidence and no clues. And time is running out….

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Ellie Firestone’s Website

Ellie Firestone Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Vanessa Morgan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m an author, screenwriter, and blogger from Belgium. Two of my works, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man, have been turned into films. My short film script Next to Her is currently in pre-production. When I’m not working on my latest book, you can find me reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for my blog Traveling Cats. My heart belongs to my feline soulmate, Avalon, who passed away in July 2013. He has important parts in several of my stories (A Good Man, Next to Her), played in a movie based on one of my stories (The Strangers Outside), and even has his own memoir (Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing fiction right after seeing Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying on stage in London. I wouldn’t be an author without it. As I Lay Dying inspired me to write stories with the same emotional impact. Before that, I wrote film reviews for several Belgian magazines and websites.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love true stories, especially if there are elements of travel or cinema involved. I’m particularly fond of Carol Drinkwater’s series of memoirs about life on a French olive farm. I’m also an avid horror fan and follow authors such as John Saul, Ania Ahlborn, and Adam Nevill.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book – Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story – is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet. In this heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story about my neurotic Turkish Van cat, I detail how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw my dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for me to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even my landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon’s demonic boisterousness, I recognized my own flaws and insecurities, and I understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst I could do to him. Thanks to my unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for me.

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Vanessa Morgan’s Website

Vanessa Morgan Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Almondie Shampine

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I have lived in over 30 different locations. My current home is Durhamville, NY I’ve had for 5 years, but have only stayed in 2 years at a time. School years started out in Central Square. Then DeRuyter, Cazenovia, Canastota, Vernon, Syracuse, Oneida, Utica – all in New York, and I lived in North Carolina as well. In 10th&11th grade, I went to 5 different high schools. Talk about always being the new girl! The upside – I got to go to several proms 🙂

I have two children ages 10 and 13, whom I’ve been single mom to the majority of their lives, and we’ve taken in a little dog, a cat, and adopted a fish. Our other pet is TwoFlix – our car, inspired by ‘How to Train a Dragon’ (Toothless), but my daughter kept saying TwoFlix, so it stuck for the car’s name. When TwoFlix dies, he will become our very own Car-Fort in the backyard.

I’ve had as many varying jobs as I’ve moved. I’ve done everything from working in a deli, retail, waitressing, bartending, being a legal secretary, administrative assistant, being a counselor for the developmentally disabled, and a mental health therapy aide for the state. Oh, I was also a supervisor for Sprint once . . . and a professional singer, and a street saleswoman, a cook – Yeah, you name it, I’ve probably done it. Have I ever been a paid pooper scooper? Yep, I worked on a farm. Toilet cleaner? Absolutely. And I excelled at every single one of them . . . until I got fired, or ‘laid-off’, as I call it, or resigned. I’ve always been a perfectionist, even though I’m so utterly flawed.

For my secondary education, I went through six of those. I got certifications for freelancing, for children’s literature, for being a chemical substance abuse counselor, and tripled up on my Associates/Bachelor Programs where I got a BS in Psychology: Applied Behavioral Analysis, a Minor in computers and chemical abuse, graduating with 4.0’s. It got me a decent scholarship to Syracuse University for my Masters. It did not get me a job, and thereafter I became overqualified for managers to want to hire me.

Now I work full-time as a freelancer, publisher, editor, cover-designer, event scheduler, public speaker, social-media professional, web-designer – OH, and an author, which is the part I like BEST. No, actually, the part I like best is that I can’t get fired and I have no intention of ever resigning, because I’ve finally found a job I’m happy with. 🙂

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’m sure my first book was used as a teething-ring to drool over and chew on while my teeth were coming in. Dad owned the remote for the TV, so it was a blessing when I learned how to read. I was hooked from the very beginning. I won all the reading-log contests. I seriously annoyed my teachers, “So, if I read the bible, does that count as one book or 66?” Perhaps I started off as a bit of a nerd – just a bit.

I began writing when I learned how to write letters, words, sentences. My first book was in elementary about a lost goose. Then I illustrated one about fish. I got the majority of those writing awards. Old school friends don’t even flinch when they know I’m a professional author now. They’re like, “Yeah, I figured.” I was the student in the back of the class writing stories while the teacher just thought I was an avid note-taker. Eventually I became the employee that would write on my bathroom breaks, and my lunch and dinner breaks. Everywhere I went, I was either reading or writing. I wrote my first full-length novel at 18 when I made the decision to do it professionally, and that is what I’ve been doing ever since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It began with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, BabySitters Club, the BoxCar Children, then graduated to all of V.C. Andrews. While waiting for more, I got into Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Diane Steele, then Patterson, Grisham, Lindsay Taylor, Harlequin, Historical Romances, Nora Roberts, Nicolas Sparks. When I began my six book series, The Modules, I dove into all of Patterson’s Maximum Ride, Roth’s Hunger Games, Collin’s Divergent Series, Orwell, etc . . . I am a fan of every genre, which is why I practically write every genre. Horror, thriller, suspense, drama, memoir, literary classics, romance, satire, fantasy, sci-fi.

You will find other interviews where I speak of books saving my life. The reality of my childhood made the fiction of books my best friend. Through books like BoxCar children, I found ways to get away. Through books like BabySitter’s Club, I learned how to make money. Through books like V.C. Andrews, I learned how to cope, how to endure, how to survive, and not lose hope. Horror books served to show me that there are worse horrors in the world that I was happy to not have to experience.

My experiences, my life, my children and all that I listed regarding different locations, meeting hundreds of thousands of different people, and all my many varying jobs, and educations inspire my ideas for my books; however, it is my readers that inspire my writing, because as long as I can know that I am inspiring, maybe helping, providing hope to children and adults alike, I am 100 percent inspired to keep writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I had 3 books published in the month of May, 2015: The Reform, Glimp$es, and The Modules, available in both digital and paperback formats. Two more will be released end of August, 2015: Intelligent Design & Blind Fate. I am frequently doing promotions, sweepstakes, and events, one that is coming up July 26th, 2015 for an entire 7 day price-crunching event. The easiest way to become advised of the bargains and new releases is through my website or Facebook. Free books is never a bad thing, especially until you know an author and that they won’t fail to disappoint you.

The Modules Series, beginning with the Reform, is a young adult dystopian action-adventure that can be enjoyed by adults as well. It features Catina Salsbury, who winds up being the prodigy they’re looking for in the new reform, but with a very big personality glitch, as they call it. She tested inconclusive, a Purple, in predictable traits. She’s belligerent, sarcastic, rebellious, can neither be controlled, nor her behaviors predicted. In an education/job system that mandates like stay with like, Catina absolutely refuses to be separated from her twin sister, Kadrin, who tested Pink – optimistic, complacent, enthusiastic, and trusting. As her conspiracy theorist father’s favored child, he taught her everything he knew, including his distrust and paranoia, but also the tricks of the trade. Her rebellion attracts the attention of both the Commanding Officer of High Intelligence and The President, where he winds up getting stuck with the job of trying to tame the unruly Cat, break her Purple personality, and graduate her into a more controllable and predictable one. By the time the second book, The Modules, starts, she is the only Purple remaining and they are more intent than ever to break her, though the Commanding Officer secretly encourages her personality. 14 being old enough to work, following an accelerated education, she begins balancing work meant to break her while continuing her studies in the Business of Medical Sciences. She develops some really cool and scary abilities from the Mind-Enhancement drugs they were giving her, where the sci-fi/fantasy elements come in. No longer just a prodigy that knows six different languages, advanced physics, and all the words in dictionaries, she comes to learn that she’d also been trained to fight, and even to kill, which makes her a bigger threat than they ever could have imagined. Especially when she finds the formula that they will kill to get their hands on.

Glimp$es is an adult psychological thriller that features a psychic, technological, and spiritual design in providing a glimpse of the future of the characters choosing for a hefty price of one million dollars, but the money becomes the least of their problems when those unrealistic and far-fetched futures begin to come true.

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Almondie Shampine’s Website

Almondie Shampine Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With R.M. ArceJaeger

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Like the president, I wear a lot of hats. I’ve been an author, publisher, computer scientist, and teacher (believe it or not, there were a couple of years where I was doing all that at once!) My first novel, Robin: Lady of Legend (The Classic Adventures of the Girl Who Became Robin Hood), was a #1 Amazon Bestseller and 2nd prize winner in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award. I recently released a trilogy of short novels that merge the fairy tales Beauty and the Beast & Sleeping Beauty into a single story, and I am also the author of the Astounding Animals series for children.

I am a California Arts Scholar for excellence in Creative Writing, and possesses degrees in Computer Science and Education. I was a columnist for the Gold Country Times for two years, and the Sales Executive, Website Specialist, and Editorial Assistant for Manzanita Writers Press. In 2011, I started my own publishing company, Platypus Press, which is devoted to helping independent authors achieve success by providing quality formatting, editing, publishing, and website design services.

On a more personal note, I love to dance (but only with a partner—I’m terribly self-conscious about dancing by myself!) My near-impossible-but-I-can’t-help-hoping-for-it-anyway Dream is to one day to be on Dancing with the Stars.

Speaking of stars, I live in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Before that I lived in the Bay Area, and I can still remember how amazed I was to see the blueness of the Sierra Nevada sky for the first time. It is a wondrous feeling to wake up surrounded by pine trees and cedars, and to hear only the chirping of birds and the footsteps of deer without the ceaseless roar of traffic drowning it all out. At night, I can look into the sky and see a star-spangled void, and the Milky Way ribbon sweeping across the heavens.

My family has a dog named Shasta, two pygmy goats, and a bunny rabbit.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started to write stories when I was around five years old. At first, these were retellings of the scary stories my uncle used to tell us around the campfire, or new tales featuring my favorite book or TV characters. Although my writing is far more advanced now, I still love doing that more than anything.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read stories that take me on great adventures. I prefer fantasy because it takes me away from my normal existence and into a realm where magical things can happen. For that reason, I love Harry Potter, Dragonriders of Pern, fairy tales, and so forth more than any other type of story.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Cursed: A Merged Fairy Tale of Beauty and the Beast & Sleeping Beauty (The Enchanted Rose Trilogy: Book 1). It is the first in a trilogy of short novels that weaves the tales of Beauty and the Beast & Sleeping Beauty into a single story.

I got the idea for this book from the rose that is featured in both tales, but its strength came from a desire to keep the romance of the original stories without simply gliding over the darker elements: abandonment, captivity, and true evil. I also wanted to provide an explanation for the parts of the original stories that never made sense: Why couldn’t the fairies undo the enchantment? Why send the girl away until the day the curse was fulfilled? How come the wicked fairy didn’t just kill the child to begin with? My book does all that and more!

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R.M. ArceJaeger’s Website

R.M. ArceJaeger Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With V.L. Brunskill

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Savannah, Georgia ten years ago after finding my biological family. I am an adoptee and searched for 13 years for birth father and mother. I live in sunny, romantic Savannah with my bass player husband, above-average daughter and a delightfully bad dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It all started with a polar bear! I was in the fifth grade when I won a poetry contest. The task was to write a poem about a polar bear. I wrote ‘Did you ever see a polar bear, so big, white & furry? I’d hate to be in ones way when it’s in a hurry.’ I won the contest, and was accused of plagiarism. The boy who accused me was jealous. I was proven innocent the next day.

After that icy accomplishment, I went on to become a professional writer. My career started as a national music journalist at Metronome Magazine, CREEM and the Boston Phoenix. I interviewed every musician and band that stopped in Boston from 1989-1998. Poison, Whitesnake, Buddy Guy, Deep Purple, Chicago, Lynyrd Skynyrd….you name a band and I will probably have a story to share.

From rock stars to rocking ions, I went on to become senior editor of an IT magazine, and a technical writer in the ion implantation field. I am now a conference/webinar producer for business management conferences in the law, HR, finance, and healthcare industries.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new role as a traditionally published novelist with Southern Yellow Pine Publishing.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Pat Conroy, Charlotte Bronte, Sue Monk Kidd and Barbara Kingsolver are a few of the authors whom I adore. I fell in love with Bronte when I was living in a shelter for battered women and children at the age of 12. It was summertime, and all of the activities at the shelter were focused on young kids. One of the counselors have me ‘Jane Eyre’ to read, and I was never lonely again.

I had the pleasure of meeting Pat Conroy twice and I believe that he is one of the greatest writers of our time. I nearly swooned each time I touched the hand of the great man. His novels explore family. The good, the bad and the ugly of it. In a recent interview he was quoted as saying, “My fate was to be the memory in my family. It tortures me that I do remember.”

I had him sign that quote and it hangs on the wall in my office. I am also a memory keeper. ‘Waving Backwards’ has quite a few memories scattered through its fictional journey.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote ‘Waving Backwards’ in 30 days. I used the NaNoWriMo style of writing a certain number of words per day. Three years of rewrites later, I found a publisher.

The tagline for the book is-

Imagine not knowing who you are, until you find yourself in a statue 800 miles from home.

Waving Backwards introduces you to intensely passionate and fiercely independent New York college student Lara Bonavito, and brings you on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery in sigh-worthy Savannah, Georgia. Adopted into an abusive and impoverished home, Lara’s quest to find her roots lands her in the Southern jewel’s historic district. A vivid cast of characters help her unravel clues found in a cryptic letter hidden in the family bible for two decades. “The baby’s roots are with the Southern lady who waves forever.” With the help of mischievously handsome trolley tour guide Robert Taylor, Kipling-quoting florist Abel Bloom, and comically outspoken Louisiana beauty Susan Fletcher, Lara uncovers family secrets wrapped in the mystique of Savannah’s Waving Girl statue. Waving Backwards is a coming-of-age quest that reveals the healing power of family bonds and maternal love.

Beyond the adoption theme, ‘Waving Backwards’ explores what it means to be family, and tells a lot of Savannah’s history. Felix de Weldon, sculptor of the Waving Girl Statue is a character in the book. He also sculpted the USMC Iwo Jima Sculpture in Washington, D.C.

There is something for history buffs, romantics, mystery lovers and all of the world’s memory keepers in ‘Waving Backwards’.

‘Waving Backwards’ is available at Amazon.com, SYPPublishing.com, Barnes & Noble, Savannah Visitor Center Bookstore, EShaver Books in Savannah, and Cadre Shops.

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V.L. Brunskill’s Website

V.L. Brunskill Facebook Page

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Featured Interview With SE Zbasnik

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
S. E. Zbasnik has a degree in genetics, which means there may or may not be a horde of monkeoctopi doing her bidding to take over the world. Bringing that scientific approach to the fantasy world is her game, trying to put some common sense into magic and magic into common sense.

She currently lives with her husband and beloved dog, who dress up like Sherlock Holmes and solve mysteries in their spare time. She spends nearly of all her time in Nebraska but that’s because it is impossible to leave without finding the lamppost. She lives in a house that has at least four walls and there are some other souls wandering forlornly calling to their lost lives within.

She loves and hates writing as she both loves and hates herself.

She’s a huge video game nerd especially for Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Bioshock as well as Doctor Who and makes fan art in her down time.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It was an extremely nerdy start that got me into noveling (not a real word, but I’m sure it’ll catch on). I entered a fanfiction writing contest for a video game and won a sword from a weapons replica store. I like to call myself a sword winning author. That little bit of a boost was enough to encourage me (never a wise move) and with a little help from NaNoWriMo I wrote my first manuscript, then my second, my third, and it just kept coming. I think I’m at eight right now.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Out of all my favorites, I’d say the late Terry Pratchett’s is the one whose style I’d most love to share. He didn’t rely on simple reference or pop culture jokes. His books were full of heart and brought a scientific eye to a fantasy world.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s called Dwarves in Space, a scifi fantasy series that blends together classic tolkien fantasy with your Firefly space opera to humorous results. It just dropped on April 8th and is garnering some good reviews and excitement. Luckily, for those begging for a sequel, it’s already written and going to be published in October 2015.

Thousands of years after the jewelry’s destroyed, the sword reforged, the dragon ridden, and the indecipherable prophecy translated into a recipe for sugared biscuits, the dwarves turned to that final frontier: space. And along came the elves, orcs, gnomes, trolls, ogres, and those vermin-like upstarts, humans.

Dwarves in Space is Tolkien merged with Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in a horrific transporter accident.

I’ve always wondered why in all the fantasy stories written since Tolkien created Middle Earth, no one ever thought to zip all the elves, dwarves, orcs, and miscellaneous a few thousand years into the future and drop them into space. It seemed like a golden opportunity to satirize both sci-fi and fantasy at the same time.

So much has been written about dwarves and elves, but they fall back on the tropes of dwarves love to drink, elves are snooty. It’s so boring. By turning them into their own species on a different planet I had free range to develop their culture and evolve them to something new. Sci-Fi also lets me come up with the wackiest technology a bit easier than fantasy does.

There’s a bit in all of my characters. It’s hard not to inject pieces here and there of myself and people I know. I’ve always been an observational person, so I like to build characters from complicated layers. Like Orn – he’s obstinate and takes little seriously, but he’s also surprisingly loyal and feels a sting when discovering he’s been lied to by a friend. Due to missing a hand, he’s also a great person to come to when you’re in a major crisis. He won’t sugar coat his advice, or frame it in inspirational sound bites, just lay out the good and the bad and point you towards a way out.

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Featured Interview With John M. Cahill

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in the history-rich Berkshire Hills. I earned a B.A. degree in journalism and political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After graduation I moved to New York’s Capital District where, for 34 years, I enjoyed a successful and rewarding career in public relations and social marketing with New York State government. While living in New York’s Mohawk Valley, I took an interest in the Dutch and English fur traders and their relations with their Iroquois neighbors and their French adversaries. I now live in Vienna, Austria.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It seems that I have always been fascinated with books. During my childhood and youth, I spent many exciting hours in the stacks of the local library searching for hidden “treasures”. Although I was a writer throughout my professional career, having published numerous scientific journal articles and book chapters, I just never seemed to have the time to write fiction. Now that I am retired, I have the opportunity to share what I have learned about New York in the 17th-century, what I consider to be a thrilling period of history. I hope that my readers are as excited to read my stories about the early American frontier as I am to tell them. Having published my first novel at age 68, I have achieved a lifelong dream.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Historical fiction/adventure is my favorite genre to read so, of course, many of my favorite authors write in that genre. My favorite living historical novelists are Bernard Cornwell and Jeff Shaara, but I have been influenced and inspired by, James Fenimore Cooper, Kenneth Roberts, Walter D. Edmonds and Mackinlay Kantor. Of course, being an unrepentant bookworm, I enjoy other genres as well. I really enjoy a good mystery (John Grisham, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly) as well historical nonfiction (Barbara W. Tuchman).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Descartes observed that there are only six primitive passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy, and sadness. All six could be found in abundance in 17th-century New York. Dutch and Canadian fur traders competed to control access to the Indians; their English and French masters used diplomacy, subterfuge and force to suppress the Indians; and, the Indians employed any and all means at their disposal to protect their lifestyle and even their very lives.

“Primitive Passions” tells the story of a young Irishman, Sean O’Cathail who decides to seek his fortune in the wilds of America. After deserting the Royal Navy by jumping ship in New York Harbor in 1681, Sean finds his way to Albany where he becomes one of the boschlopers (runners-in-the-woods). As a fledgeling fur trader, Sean learns the languages and cultures of the natives and the value of diplomacy. It is this art that earns Sean an appointment as the colonial governor’s special envoy to the Iroquois. He faces adversity, danger and intrigue while securing the English-Iroquois alliance and thwarting the efforts of the French to divide and conquer the Five Iroquois Nations. Even the women who love him – his Mohawk lover, Kai, and the Dutch bond servant, Laurentje van Reuyter – are eventually swept up in the primitive passions of the savage frontier. “Primitive Passions” is the first book in a series, entitled “The Boschloper Saga”.

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Featured Interview With Karen Bedore

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a band director, wife, mother of a 3-year old, and a coffee-a-holic that loves running. I grew up in Chicago and now reside in the ‘burbs(!) with my family and two pups. I love Doctor Who, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Gladiator, and…Bubble Guppies (thanks to my son). “The Bard” is my first complete published novel, but definitely not the last!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved books, since the time my mom would read to me as a baby—I can’t remember ever NOT reading! I love to get inside the character’s heads and use my imagination to bring myself to their world. Still to this day I cannot end my day without reading something.

The “Choose Your Own Adventure” books hooked me in the 80’s as far as writing goes. I remember starting out by writing a St. Patrick’s Day play for my 4th grade class, and then a few short stories. Then in junior high I started poetry as well. I can’t even begin to tell you how many stories that I had written over the years, most of which have gone unfinished because I had gotten bored with them. Something…was missing. “The Bard,” however, is the first one that I truly fell in love with and want to keep the story alive—hence, the trilogy idea. I have also written numerous concert band works (for local bands at all levels) and a full-length country/folk album called “Shades of Autumn.” Writing for me—regardless of the form–is how I communicate best.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Umberto Eco, and James Patterson have been some of my favorites in recent years to both read and become inspired by. Historical Fiction is my all-time favorite genre to read, but I also love most other genres as well.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The Bard” is part of a (soon-to-be-) trilogy. I am a musician and a hopeless romantic that loves mystery and suspense, with a fancy for Renaissance Italy. So… it was only fitting that amongst the suspense and mystery, my heroine falls in love with a hopeless romantic musician—in Renaissance Italy, of course.

“The Bard” was started as a fun NaNoWRiMo banter amongst some people to see how many words I could get for the NaNo of 2014. While I made it to around the 35K mark (which to ME I thought was pretty impressive!) I did not reach the 50K goal. I DID, however, have so much passion into what I was writing, that I did not stop–and thus, the first of the trilogy was born by the end of December. By the time all the editing and stuff was finished, the e-book became available in April, and the paperback in May of this year (2015). Oh, and yes…it’s definitely over 50K! 🙂

I love all of my characters—I can feel their passion, their anxiety, and I have even gotten mad at them for some of the stupid decisions they made. I don’t write by an outline, because I don’t want to feel trapped. My characters have developed on their own with their own unique personalities, and “The Bard” ended up taking a much different route than I had originally anticipated. I do jot down ideas when I get them, however, and if I know of certain events taking place sequentially, I actually figure out approximate days and times so it is realistic.

If I had to pick a “favorite” character, I would have to say Lord William Gordon. He’s hot, he’s romantic, and he’s strong without being afraid to show some vulnerability. (Remember I said I’m a hopeless romantic?)

Here is the blurb for “The Bard:”

After losing her mother and fiancé, Alcinia and her father travel west to Turin in the Duchy of Savoy to begin a new life. Getting adjusted to a new way of living in Renaissance Italy, Alcinia falls in love with a mysterious bard, and through their secret rendezvous is beginning to find happiness once again. Until…she finds out that her small-town father isn’t who she thought he was. Alcinia gets caught in a web of intrigue, and sets out to save her father from a scientific organization bent on using a biological weapon to destroy all men of the cloth. Her father’s life might be the only way to stop it… When she discovers the truth, it will change her life forever, for better and for worse.

Without giving TOO much away, here is a short excerpt:

…a few moments later, another man appeared. He was dressed simply unlike the gaudy clothing of the man playing before him, which made his striking physique all the more visible. He was not a large man, but it was obvious that he was strong and did not indulge in too much drinking or dining. His dark hair was kept short under his cap, and he moved quite gracefully as he took his seat. The thing that threw her off-guard was that they could not see his face—most of it was concealed by a dark mask that covered his eyes and nose. It gave him a mysterious appearance which made it all the more attractive. Alcinia now knew what Cassia meant.

Cassia saw her gawking and said, “Oh, you just wait, honey, he hasn’t even started playing yet. His voice will melt your insides like butter.”

Sure enough, that was the case. He was a bard, telling stories through song, never speaking without singing. Alcinia could tell that he put forth plenty of personal emotion into his music, and she was captivated.

“So? Was I right?” Cassia nudged her arm.

“Oh, yes and then some!” Alcinia said. She could listen to him sing all night if he would. “What is his name?”

“No one knows. He simply calls himself ‘The Bard.’ Rumor has it that he shows up, performs, and leaves without ever speaking to anyone. He is as mysterious as he looks. Perhaps I have even seen him in town and never even knew it!”

Alcinia and Cassia fell silent, watching and listening, falling captive to the music. Then, just for a moment, the Bard’s eyes set upon Alcinia and lingered—just a little longer than one tends to do. As their eyes met, Alcinia’s heart seemed to stop beating as she felt the warmth creeping up her neck.

“He’s got his eye on you,” Cassia leaned over and whispered to Alcinia.

“Nonsense,” she replied, “I’m sure it was just a trick of the shadows.”

“You tell yourself that,” Cassia said, “I’ve been around long enough to tell when a man fancies a lady. That’s one of those looks. Tell you what. You come back a few more times and see if it happens again. Then you can tell me it was a trick of the shadows and I’ll believe it.” She smiled.

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Featured Interview With Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a award-winning author with over ten year’s experience as a teacher. My first novel, Broccoli Chronicles won two awards, which can be viewed on my website. I consider myself to be an authorpreneur because I spend 50% of my time on the creative side and 50% of my time on the business side. I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband, our daughter, and our Yorkshire Terrier.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I originally started writing poetry way back in middle school. I recently started writing children’s books back in 2007. A few years later, I started my publishing company, Building Voices.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love children’s fiction, mainly easy readers and chapter books. I enjoy Sara Pennypacker, Barbara Park, and Judy Blume.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Little Kids, Big Voices Math Workbook, Grades 1-3 is a workbook that focuses on arithmetic, fractions, and decimals. It’s really great for beginning learners.

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Featured Interview With Dan Jorgensen

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
A Minnesota native, I grew up in rural South Dakota, where I attended a one-room country school. I was the first member of my family to go to college and have had a long career as a writer, editor, educator and p.r. specialist. I now live in Broomfield, CO.

In addition to writing hundreds of news, sports and feature stories, both as a journalist and in public relations, I’ve authored seven books – including the just-released “And The Wind Whispered” – three songs and a one-act play, contributed to two anthologies, and am the senior writer for “Broadlands Living” magazine. My current writing focus is on historical fiction, particularly set in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I’m also fascinated with the great journalist of the 1880s and 1890s, Nellie Bly, and have made her a central figure in my work.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been fascinated with books since I was a very young child riding on the range and herding cattle. I would carry bags of books and comic books with me and read for hours while caring for our cattle. We did not have a television until I was nearly in Junior High, so I also read at night, including one time when we were without electricity for over a week due to a severe ice storm and I read by lantern light (I felt very Abraham Lincolnesque at the time). 🙂

I started writing in high school, but got serious about it by taking journalistic writing in college and getting hired on a newspaper during my sophomore year — a job I kept all through college and beyond.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love adventure, mystery and, of course, historic fiction and historic mysteries — all influences on me. I also love the Old West and the interesting characters who populated it. In that genre I’ve enjoyed McMurtry and L’amour. In western mysteries, I love the works of Tony Hillerman and Craig Johnson. I’m a big Nevada Barr fan, and for the vast scope of his works, I’ve devoured everything written by James Michener. For adventures, I enjoy Ken Follett, Michael Connelly and Harlan Coben.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Set in September, 1894, the book opens with a murder in Wind Cave and a brutal robbery of a train filled with rich and famous vacationers on their way to Hot Springs. Over the next 24 hours, a veritable “Who’s Who of the Old West” joins together with an erstwhile group of locals – based on many of the real people who lived there at the time – to both resolve the murder mystery and take on the threat of the Doc McCarty outlaw gang terrorizing the region.

Nellie Bly, Bat Masterson, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, John Philip Sousa, and Deadwood Sheriff Seth Bullock and his visiting “deputy,” rising politico and close friend Theodore Roosevelt, are at the heart of the story, working hand-in-hand with two groups of teenagers who not only want to help, but also end up playing key roles in the story’s resolution. Among the teens are a Native American named Alvin Twocrow, the soon-to-be-famous African American musician Joe Hayden, sisters Laura and Minnie Thompson (daughters of a local newspaperman), 15-year-old Will Rogers, and his friend Lil Marr, destined to replace Annie Oakley as the entertainment world’s sharpshooter extraordinaire.

Holding them all together in both their defense of the community and solving of the murder is a grizzled old sheriff named Gene Akin, known in real life for his battles with feared outlaws, his creation of a defense group called “The Rough Riding Home Guard,” and his knowledge of a long-missing shipment of gold from Deadwood’s Homestake Mine.

This tale – its name derived from Lakota lore that says the Great Spirit came forth from Wind Cave to bring life and the healing hot waters to The People – shares events that changed the course of many lives, including the dignitaries caught up in the mayhem. Bly would meet her future husband Robert Seaman during this encounter and Masterson would shift his career from law enforcement to journalism. And Wind Cave, where the wind still whispers each and every day, not only would play an integral part in the story, but be “discovered” by Roosevelt, who just 8 years later would name it as one of the first national parks.

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Featured Interview With Dusty Grein

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
A lifelong native of the Pacific Northwest, I have mountains and evergreen forests in my blood. I have been living with one of my daughters in Ohio for a year, but am on my way back home to Washington State this month. A father of five, and grandpa to 7, I have also been a pet person all my life.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I learned to read at four and was devoted to Sesame Street as a young child. I devoured my first novel, “Lad: A Dog” when I was six and I have never looked back. In school, I was that kid who actually loved it when the teacher told us to read quietly at our desks – best day ever! – and longed for the day when I could buy my own books.

I started writing full time after a heart-attack interrupted my working routine, and now I only wish I had started sooner.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a lot. I love so many authors, and have tried to read everything they have written, successfully in most cases. Dean Koontz, JA Jance, Piers Anthony, Preston and/or Child as well as the classics – Dickens, Carroll, Poe.

Thrillers and Horror are my passion, and Stephen King is, hand down my favorite author ever. He is also the motivating force behind my writing career (and I like to think behind the success I have enjoyed so far). His book ON WRITING is the reason I finally realized that the story machine (and multiple characters) in my head needed to be turned on and let run free.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is something of a marvel. It is the story of the residents of a small town in Western Washington State to the east of Seattle. They live, work and play in the shadow of Mount Rainier – the largest dormant volcano in the continental US – and this story explores their relationships and lives during the week before a cataclysmic eruption.

Two of my characters are ten-year-old twins, who share a psychic link, and must use their abilities to save their family from the coming disaster. A second interwoven storyline involves their eighteen-year-old babysitter and the young man who loves her, and the final primary character is the local veterinarian, who is ready to retire. These people are all from a very small town, and know each other, and are unaware that within a week, their lives will change forever, and some of them will end, in the worst natural disaster to ever hit the US.

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Featured Interview With Patricia Hopper

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Patricia Hopper Patteson. I was born and raised in Ireland. I married an American and came to live in West Virginia where I had two children. I now have a grandson, Jackson, who is the apple of my eye. He is on his way to becoming an Irish Mountaineer.
My historical novel KILPARA was published May 2015 by Bygone Era Books. It takes place in 1866. The Civil War is over and the future looks bright for Ellis O’Donovan, until an urgent telegram sends him home to find his mother seriously ill. More disturbing is her desire to return to her birthplace, Ireland, to die and be buried at Kilpara, the O’Donovan ancestral home. Fulfilling this request is more difficult than Ellis anticipates. He must confront the aristocratic Englishman who refuses his mother her wish; the strife-ridden Irish who want an O’Donovan reinstated at Kilpara; and his growing attraction for Morrigan Purcenell, granddaughter of the man who bought Kilpara for a pittance.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was always interested in books. I didn’t start writing until I attended West Virginia University as a non-traditional student. I intended to get a degree in Business, but when I took English classes, and more specifically Creative Writing classes as part of my core requirements, I was hooked. I changed my major to English. Kilpara was born as part of my creative writing senior seminar. But it wasn’t until years later that I actually fleshed it out into a novel.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like many genres. In historical fiction I like Philippa Gregory, Edmund Rutherfurd, Peter Ackroyd, Morgan LLywelyn, Sue Monk Kidd. In mystery I like Michael Connelly, Sandra Brown, Catherine Coulter. Other, Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult, Margaret Atwood, Kim Edwards, Linda Kavanagh, Martina Cole. A couple of my favorite books by James Joyce is Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, and The Dubliners.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My novel is a historical novel. It could be explained as (a) An estate lost and a family exiled, (b) A mother’s dying wish spend her last days in her homeland, (c) A son’s journey toward self discovery. The story takes place in north-western Maryland after the Civil War and journeys to Ireland. It is the first novel in a two-part family saga. It is about family and the meaning of honor, loyalty and responsibility. It contains elements of adventure, self-discovery, love and romance. The story is told from the point of view of Ellis O’Donovan, a young bachelor, who believes the worst is behind him now that the war is over. His career is on the rise; he has relationships with women, but has no intention of getting married, and he spends his time the way he pleases with no responsibilities. Until his mother calls him home…
As mentioned I started the novel while I was an undergraduate. From there I went on to graduate school. I continued writing but only short stories and non-fiction pieces which were published. But life got in the way and I would pick the book up and work on parts of it from time to time. I became serious about really writing it about three years ago. Then it became two novels. After that I spent time finding an agent, which I did. She was not successful in getting it published. When the contract ended I began querying small presses and Bygone Era Books picked up the novel.

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Featured Interview With Rick Haynes

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
After a zillion reincarnations I think I know who I am, but I could be wrong.
Born in London and now settled in Southern England, I enjoy life to the full. Laughter is the best medicine in the world and I do have fun, simply because life is far to short to do anything else. In my dotage I will have a family dog. They really are man’s best friend.
Otherwise I write, my passion being Medieval Fantasy.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My desire to read started when I reached the age of eleven. A suppernatural story jumped out of the pages and grabbed me by the throat. I was hooked. I started writing poetry and continued, albeit rarely, over the years. But Tolkein inspired me to read and I swallowed up sci-fi and fantasy books as quickly as I could. But I only started writing seriously a few years ago. After quite a few operations in quick session I was going stir crazy. Writing became the medicine that led me on the road to recovery and I have never looked back since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors are J.R.R.Tolkein, David Gemmell, Issac Asimov and Bernard Cornwell. All are masters of their craft and reading their books all over again have really proved to be inspirational. My favourite genres are fantasy, sci-fi and historical fiction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Due for relaese later this month (July 2015) EVIL NEVER DIES has taken up a huge amount of my time, but it’s been worth it.

I have always enjoyed medieval fantasy tales. Once I started, I could never put them down, often reading them into the early hours. I found myself living the characters that jumped out from the pages. I always hoped that one day I could create my own world, full of vile creatures and true heroes. And after the passing of too many seasons I finally began to remove the ideas from my head and commence writing.
It has taken nearly 18 months to produce a story that had lain dormant for so many years. Evil Never Dies is my first novel and is a classic tale of good and evil set against a backdrop of green lands, snowy mountains and dusty plains.
I show the horrors of war, as well as the loyalty and fears of all those involved. I believe that all men are flawed, and I leave it to my readers, to decide whether I have succeeded in showing their strengths and weaknesses, their compassion and cruelty. For war brings out the best and the worst in even the gentlest of men.
I have let my mind wander freely over the words, and I hope that you will enjoy your trip into the world of my imagination.

BLURB FOR EVIL NEVER DIES

A Maxilla Story

The Maxilla are a peaceful clan but when rumours of dark magic arrive once again, can they survive the latest threat from, Myracadonis, the shaman?
Tarn is ordered to lead the Maxilla into battle for the first time, but a man with the mark of greatness will always have enemies. Grona hates everyone, including his son, Tarn. Both are destined to be heroes yet only one can stand before the gates of hell and win.
The gods are always watching, but whose side will they ultimately favour?

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Featured Interview With Michelle Lowe

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Michelle Lowe, I’m a mother of two beautiful daughters, wife, writer, and I love oil painting. I was raised in Peachtree City, Georgia. Currently, I’m living in California. I have one cat, October who will be sixteen this year. Yikes! She’s old!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always enjoyed books all my life, especially adventure stories, but it wasn’t until I was nineteen that I discovered I wanted to BE a writer. I was alone one night in my college dorm, and I decided to write out a short story that I had in my head. As I was writing it, it suddenly clicked that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve been pursuing as a career ever since. Funny how things happen.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Neil Gaiman is most certainly an inspiration on me. I’ve enjoyed not only his novels, but his style of writing. I love action/ adventure stories, science fiction, fantasy. Anything from The NeverEnding Story to American Gods. I can’t get enough of any story that takes me away to another place and time.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Atlantic Pyramid is my latest published work. It’s about a man, Heath Sharp, trying to escape from inside the Bermuda Triangle. I wanted to write in a setting that hadn’t been explored much, and since no one really has written about the Triangle, it inspired me to write it. It was another reason why I wrote about the highwayman, Claude Du Vall in Cherished Thief, because no one has written a book about him. That one took me nearly six years to write it, but well worth it. I think people like to visit worlds they have not seen before, and read about people they may not have ever heard of.

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Featured Interview With Dr. Aaron L. Smith

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Having been a resident of Newport News, VA for 42 years it is especially important to me that we continue to help our children be set up for success. Currently, I am the Program Director at Denbigh High School’s Aviation Academy located at the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport where we help students reach their fullest potential at our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) magnet.

I now reside in Chesapeake, VA with my wife and three children (Hunter, Ryan and Addison) with our two dogs (Brier and Cloe).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Truthfully it wasn’t until college where I began to realize how much fun books are and the power behind them. I would buy business and financial books in addition to my required education books.

It seems that all through my life I have been writing in one capacity or another. However, I began to realize the passion when I was completing my thesis and after my dissertation, I began to jot down ideas one at a time. Eventually I found a common theme with my work and at age 39 began to do rough drafts of my upcoming book, Awakening Your STEM School.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
People like Suze Orman and Jim Collins were and still are my favorites. I still enjoy reading financial and business books. Now a days, I read books by John Maxwell and educator guru John Hattie.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am the director of a pioneering STEM public school, where we help answer the question, “how can educators transform an ordinary STEM site into an inspired, premiere learning center?” “Awakening Your STEM School” provides a proven framework for teachers, administrators, and business partners offering forty-two actions and ideas with over 300 tips to transformation. I try to bring a passionate approach that is simple and focused and prepared just for teachers, principals, and business leaders who are daily cobbling together their STEM school, seeking inspiration and valuable suggestions. No matter where a school or program is in the advancement toward STEM education, the catalyst for transformation is already there – residing in the heart of the teachers and leadership.

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