Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Lathish

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am from India. My parents are from Kerala, but I am born and raised up in Karnataka, in Gonikoppal, a district in Kodagu. I did all my schoolings in Kodagu, and now working as a teacher in a reputed institution here.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The first book I read was ‘Brahmstocker”s ‘Dracula’. That was a horror novel. I was just 9 years old when I read that. I don’t remember when I actually started writing, but then I had a fascination towards writing. I used to quote something in a rough paper, but then I loved books, I loved to read and had a fantasy of becoming a recognized writer.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
If you ask me what inspires me in my writings, I’d tell, my day-to-day activities. I am flocked with different mentality of people. There are lot many who criticizes me whom I don’t really think are eligible to. It’s true that I’m passive in nature. But then something comes to my mind that I have to reply to those who underestimate me, for no reason. Whatever comes to my mind, I just quote it as my first draft, and then, amazingly, I can find that I could turn those into amazing stories!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is, “On an exciting cocktail night’. It is a horror story. I don’t think I have done it to the maximum for someone who loves horror novels, but, I have tried my level best.

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Featured Interview With Linda Heavner Gerald

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in N.C. but am now retired to the Forgotten Coast of Florida with my husband. My only son and one grandson reside in Dallas, Texas. With a background in medicine, I worked as a Registered Nurse for years. Then, I wanted to experience a business side so I obtained my real estate broker’s license. Once again, I have reinvented myself. My calling to become an author is from God, I feel. Therefore, I always give Him the credit for each book which I write. Currently, I have written six novels most of which are Mystery/Thrillers. Soon my seventh book will be released in 2015. Writing began for me with Beaufort Betrayal. This story of betrayal and deceit will strike a cord with all. As the protagonist walks down the street of a beautiful seaside village on a late fall day, she realizes that she does not have a memory. Without a doubt, she knows that she is in Beaufort, N.C. This is a place where she has frequently sailed but nothing more is known. She is aware that she loves sailing when she hears the slight clink of a halyard gently hitting the mast of one of the sailboats in the marina across from where she is walking. The sound catches her attention. As she gazes at the sailboats lined up like soldiers, she feels no fear of her situation but is aware that twilight will soon fall. Where will she go? Suddenly, she hears another familiar sound. A gardener is pruning the roses in a yard across the street. The pristine homes, most of which are white, glisten in the fall air. Her steps head in that direction as she is cognizant of another sound. Amazing Grace, touches her heart. That is a song which she knows well. Without thinking, her lips move with the song. She approaches the gardener who is pruning the pink and white roses with intent of questioning him. Perhaps he will recognize her? There is a strong attraction to the beautiful home where he works. Could this be her home? Suddenly, she notices a man standing on the balcony. He is watching her. Does he know her? Her question is quickly answered as he calls her name. What was the name which he called? Blood is throbbing in her ears. Fear floods her soul. Before she can turn, the man is running toward her. “That was a long walk, Tory. Maybe too much for you at this time. Come on inside now, time to rest.” He is guiding her inside the home. When she enters, he closes the door. Welcome to salvation or is it hell?

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My writing began about two years ago with Beaufort Betrayal. The facts above just came to me one evening. Each night, they returned. Finally, I asked God to reveal if this was from Him or me. My answer was this small book which was written in two weeks time. Once I started, I wrote almost continually. Fear encouraged me to keep writing. If I stopped, I may not be able to finish. Once that was sent for publication, I began my second novel, Rosemary Beach. Now, I have six novels. Writing at this point in my life is totally unexpected. Never did I dream of being an author. This is truly a blessing from God. With my medical background, I try to incorporate current conditions which a reader may be experiencing but be too fearful to obtain medical advice. I have included depression, grief, drug addiction, macular degeneration, post traumatic stress and many others. Not just a desire to promote good health but provide peace. My goal is to demonstrate through my writing that no matter what we do, God is waiting for us to turn to him and receive forgiveness.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite writers are F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nelson DeMille, Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson and Nicholas Sparks. My favorite all time works are The Great Gatsby, The Gold Coast and The Gatekeeper. Nelson DeMille inspires me most. I love the fact that even in the midst of strong turmoil, he makes me laugh with his humor. He is wonderful.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, about to be released is Confessions of an Assassin. I can see improvement in my writing with each publication. Truly, my work has improved and that pleases me. Confessions of an Assassin is my best. The story of Catherine Carnegie who was born in N.Y.C. but dreamed of living in the south after reading Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece. When she gains acceptance to a southern university, her family is not happy with her choice. Still she completes her education with the dream of finding an old historic home in a southern town of her choice. Her dreams are answered in Eufaula, Alabama. There she finds the home which has filled her dreams with magnolias and wisteria for so many years. She opens her art gallery there as well. Her days are spent painting for the walls of her business while also providing display for many other local artists. Soon her life is changed by the appearance of a college associate. He entices her to join a secret government agency. The thrill of state dinners and small assignments which become more and more challenging make her smile. Her friends think she lives a boring, single life but nothing could be further from the truth. Finally, the deviousness of the group is blazingly manifested with the promise that they will let her leave the group when she completes their last assignment which is so outlandish that it breaks her heart. Never, will she be the same. After this last episode in Bali, Indonesia, she lives her life in fear and regret. That is until the package arrives. That package will set her free.

This book took six months to write.

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Featured Interview With C.E. Martin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born nd raised in Southern Indiana, in the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area. After four years in the USAF, I returned home to the area. I live with my wife, two daughters and our recently-blind dog, border aussie hybrd the girls named “Sunnie”.

I’m a homebody, splitting my time between work and my kids. Our number one past time is watching B-movies and scifi on tv–when the kids aren’t making me watch Spongebob or the kidtoon f the week. Somewhere in-between, I try to squeeze in some writing.

I retired earlier this year from a 17 year career in criminal justice. I’ve been enjoying part-time work, which left me more time with the kids and my writing, but it looks like my retirement is short-lived as I return to the full-time daily grind in January.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always enjoyed reading, but when my grandfather introduced me to science fiction back in the 1970s (David Gerrold’s “Deathbeast”) I became an avid bookworm. By high school, I was burning through as many as six paperbacks a week, and had discovered the joys of pulps and men’s adventure. After high school, I decided I wanted to be a ghost writer, like Will Murray and write something as fantastic as Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s “The Destroyer” series.

Alas, life didn’t work out that way, but thanks to self-publishing, I was finally able to set out as a paid novelist in 2012.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorites are Warren Murphy (and his late writing partner Richard Sapir), followed closely by Lester Dent, ERB, Piers Anthony, Keith Laumer, Will Murray, Roger Zelazny, Timothy Zahn and Poul Anderson. I enjoy science fictiony high adventure with a comedic twist, but have also greatly enjoyed series by Brian Lumley, Harry Turtledove and William Forstchen.

I am most inspired by Warren Murphy and Lester Dent. Their pulpish writing really resonates with me and I enjoy their lack of padding to tell a story. Nothng is worse than page after page of drama-filler just to make a page count. I hate that in movies and TV, but it’s worse in books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Most recently I published “A Lucky Day to Die”, the tenth installment in my supernatural military thriller series Stone Soldiers. This time around, the leader of America’s darkness-fighting supersoldiers heads to Vegas to investigate the murder of his nephew. He uncovers a dark conspiracy involving a witch that’s taking over the Strip and building an army of cursed gamblers. It’s another episode of over-the-top supernatural mayhem with the stone soldiers showing up as the cavalry when things go wrong.

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Featured Interview With Susan A. LeBron

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am originally from South Florida. I was an Irish/Italian girl who grew up in a Cuban neighborhood. I enjoyed grandma’s pizza on Saturday’s with all the cousins, and then frijoles negros con arroz on Sundays. Our family headed to North/Central Florida in the early 1980’s. After bouncing around to “find myself” and finally graduating college, I met a military man and have continued to move Coast to Coast for the past 18 years. We currently live in sunny San Diego with our six children. We also have a rescue Lab/Pit mix that we love very much.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always had a very active imagination and loved creative writing assignments with open ended prompts as early as the first grade. My inspiration was a fabulous teacher named Ms. Lovelace. I enjoyed pretending through role play and stepping into another world through books. I always dreamed in color and would share my nightly adventures to anyone who would listen. The numerous behavioral studies writing assignments in college encouraged me to explore various perspectives of issues and topics. I utilized this experience to develop and present information to audiences with various levels of learning styles and abilities in my first career positions in the Social Services Industry. I fine tuned my interpretive and instructional writing skills as I developed staff and sales training materials for several Fortune 500 companies.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy learning. I do not follow any particular author or have any parameters for choosing a book to read. Having a household of children, I have found it difficult to just sit and read any book cover to cover. If I was forced to choose, I would say I prefer non-fiction. I like to know behind the scenes details and learn the who and why behind how a life was lived and the choices they made. I usually read snippets here and there and love to hang on to quotes that challenge, convict, or attempt to change my heart and mind.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
No Fig Leaves Allowed! Getting Emotionally Naked! is a self-help book designed to bring awareness to an individual’s and/or a couple’s barriers to intimacy and help them create a “Safe Haven” where they can communicate about anything with a renewed openness and 100% honesty. The book utilizes the acronym S.H.A.M.E. Share, Have Fun, Accept & Adjust, Mirror & Make Changes, and Express Love. It begins with ‘My Story’ and peeks into some of the challenges and disillusions I have faced in my own marriage and how Rich & I fought to find our own “Safe Haven”.

It is loosely based on the iconic and Biblical story of Adam & Eve addressing deception of both ourselves from unrealistic expectations, and how we may be deceiving each other by not being forthcoming of our true feelings. Having, or believing that we have “issues” in various areas of our lives, often causes us to cover our true feelings with “fig leaves”. Over a period of time, this can build a wall of indifference, resentment leaving a couple wondering if they have a relationship at all. The goal for readers is to identify and remove these leaves, walking open and unashamed with those closest to us so we can all have the honest, loving, and compassionate relationships we deserve. Readers will be led by personal anecdotes and eleven exercises to identify and reveal their desires, insecurities, and frustrations…revealing those truly important “non-negotiables” that may be keeping them from having fulfillment in their relationships.

No more mind reading! No more holding it in to not “rock the boat”. I believe it is time for everyone to Get Naked! After reading, No Fig Leaves Allowed! Getting Emotionally Naked!, it is my hope that those words will not just be another title on your shelf. They will become the very phrase you will use in your own lives as a cue to get or keep your relationship’s communication on track. You can be the one to ensure that you and those you love are able to communicate freely with 100% honesty by saying No Fig Leaves Are Allowed!

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Featured Interview With Sarah Norkus

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. My father was the editor of a horse racing magazine. My young life revolved around horses. Dad would take us to the Red Mile, a standard bred racing track, where my siblings and I would place pretend bets on the horses. I learned to ride at a young age and horses were my passion until my teens when I discovered boys could be equally interesting. Now I live in Virginia with my husband, Michael. Sadly,no pets now, my granddaughter is allergic.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books began the minute I learned to read. When I was young I read any book that involved horses, The Black Stallion series, The Red Stallion series. I also read all of the Nancy Drew series. Now I read a wide variety of genres.

I didn’t discover writing until I was forty-eight. A suggestion from my daughter’s mother-in-law. I love writing and always have my reader in mind. I want them just as involved in the adventure of my imagination as I am.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have quite a few favorite authors. Lee Childs, Preston and Childs, Steve Berry, Stephen King(early years), Francine Rivers, J.K. Rowlings (Harry Potter), Richard Castle(no, wait, he’s not real)

The main author inspiration for the trilogy being published now is Diana Gabaldon. I read her historical time travel Outlander series years ago and also wanted to do a historical time travel series.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain” is the first in my historical fiction/fantasy series about a fifteen year-old girl, Emily Grace who discovers an old diary in a house in Petersburg, VA and goes back in time to prevent a murder. The story contains a twist you won’t see coming and an ending that has you smiling through your tears. This book is available now.

The second book in the series, “Treasure of the Battersea Bluffs” will be available in February 2015.

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Featured Interview With Sally Wiener Grotta

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Professionally, I’m a writer and photographer, and I’ve been privileged to be able to make a living doing what I enjoy most: creating verbal and visual stories that others enjoy. I’ve traveled on assignment for various magazines, newspapers and journals to all seven continents (including three times in Antarctica) and numerous exotic islands (such as Papua New Guinea and Madagascar). And the more I’ve seen of this world, the more people and cultures I’ve encountered, the richer my life – and my imagination – has become.

After traveling to all corners of the globe, I’ve now settled down in the Pennsylvania Poconos, where I live and work in an old converted Oddfellows Hall. My daily companions are my husband (and closest friend) Daniel Grotta (who is also a well-established author and editor), my 99-year-old father (who still beats me at Scrabble and has more on the ball than many a 50-year-old I know), Watson (our playful Golden Retriever) and Watson’s two cats, Rascal and Diva.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t believe there was ever a time I didn’t love stories. My earliest memories are of my mother reading to me, and my grandmother spinning tales. I still fondly remember the day I received my very own library card, and when I was finally allowed to borrow books from the upstairs library (the big people’s books), I knew I had found my home.

More than books, however, stories have always defined me. Stories and the fictional characters who tell them to me. I’ve often wondered what “normal” (i.e. non-writing) people do. Don’t they feel awfully alone without all those imaginary friends that I have, who are constantly telling me new stories that I’m compelled to write, to give life to them, to share them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors span such a wide range: Jorge Luis Borges, Michael Swanwick, Margaret Atwood, William Shakespeare, Daniel Grotta, Viktor Frankl, William Faulkner, Ursula K. LeGuin, Gabriel Garcí a Márquez, Charles Kuralt, Jean-Paul Sartre, Tennesse Williams — so many others.

Regardless of the genre, I love being swept up in a good story filled with fully-textured characters who live within a well developed tale that has depth and meaning. I especially favor stories that will linger long after I finish the last page, making me wonder and question.

Similarly, I don’t really think of genre when I write. I simply give myself fully to creating a story, sculpting the moments, layering on the flesh and memories of the people, rewriting and fine-tuning the prose and dialog over and over again, until it becomes alive for me.

My inspirations come from everything around me, but mostly people… the people I love, strangers I meet or observe, individuals in the news or from history. And, of course, my imaginary friends… the fictional characters who are an amalgam of all I’ve experienced or dreamed of and who now live in my mind.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Here’s the basic blurb of “The Winter Boy”:

The Valley of the Alleshi is the center of all civilization, the core and foundation of centuries of peace. A cloistered society of widows, the Alleshi, has forged a peace by mentoring young men who will one day become the leaders of the land. Each boy is paired with a single Allesha for a season of intimacy and learning, using time-honored methods that include dialog, reason and sexual intimacy. However, unknown to all but a hidden few, the peace is fracturing from pressures within and beyond, hacking at the very essence of their civilization.

Amidst this gathering political maelstrom, Rishana, a young new idealistic Allesha, takes her First Boy, Ryl, for a winter season of training. But Ryl is a “problem boy” who fights Rishana every step of the way. At the same time, Rishana uncovers a web of conspiracies that could not only destroy Ryl, but threatens to tear their entire society apart. And a winter that should have been a gentle, quiet season becomes one of conflict, anger and danger.

I’m honored that “The Winter Boy” is being compared to fiction by Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. LeGuin, because it “explores important political and social issues within a dynamic, character-driven otherworld, wrapped up in masterful storytelling.”

To read more about “The Winter Boy”, please go to http://www.pixelhallpress.com/the_winter_boy.html, where you can also download a free excerpt.

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Featured Interview With S. J. Brown

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born and raised in New Jersey I moved to West Virginia over 25 years ago. Over 12 years ago I blended my love of writing with wildlife photography. I return to New Jersey often to see family and friends and to get a few critter shots.

My pursuit of memorable images has taken me from Maine to Florida and as far west as Texas. Home is a small house in the country with my husband/ spotter and our dog Val. She is a 12 year old Lab Shepherd mix who loves people.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always remember books being a part of my life. I looked forward to trips to the bookmobile and rainy days curled up on the couch with a good book.

It wasn’t until High School that I began to write. A High School English teacher encouraged me to write for pleasure, not just a good grade.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are those I have met. I meet a variety of individuals at writers conferences, and book festivals. After sharing lunch or a conversation I can’t resist getting and reading their work.

My autographed book collection includes mysteries, westerns, anthologies, travel, historical, travel, and cozies.

My writing is inspired by life. The critters I encounter in the field, lessons I have learned, and things that life throws at me all become subjects.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Close Up & Close Encounters lets the reader look through the lens and experience wildlife photography from my perspective. I got started in wildlife photography on a whim. Armed with an inexpensive 35mm camera and a love for the natural world. Accompanied by my spotter and husband I venture to a variety of locations that re included in the book.

I quickly learned there is more to this than just camera settings, lighting and getting the right angle. Not all wildlife is agreeable to having their picture taken, and many are not easily accessible.

I encounter delicate butterflies, bears, birds, deer, wild horses and more. Along the way there are successes and failures, co operative critters, curious subjects, and some close calls.

Each chapter is another trip out into the field. I will deal with cold, wind, rain, and heat to get the shot. Within the pages there are over 50 images. To get those images I climb, hike, and even get into boats, although I can’t swim. Having a camera in my hand tends to make me a bit braver than I should be sometimes.

The hardest part about writing Close Ups & Close Encounters was deciding which stories to include. I spent several years in the field before a fellow author prompted me to put my stories on paper. It took me over a year to complete this work. I wanted to place the reader in my shoes, to see what I saw and feel what I felt. After a number of rewrites I think I have accomplished my goal.

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Featured Interview With JZ Murdock

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Tacoma, WA and spent some summers with our extended family on the east coast. So I grew up bi-coastal which put me always a step aside from others. We also moved a lot and wherever we lived there was no one my age until about fifth grade. I got used to playing alone a lot. I also got “grounded” a lot so I learned to love sci fi and horror and music. I now live on a couple of forested acres in the back of Suquamish, WA where Chief “Seattle” is buried. I have lived here with my German Shepherd for several years since my two kids moved out to seek their lives as adults. Both very creative individuals, my daughter is in a band and teaching art in a private school, as well as teaching kayaking. My son has been pursuing high tech and is now reinventing himself outside of the corporate life in the area of art and physics.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As I said, I read a lot as a kid because I had a lot of time on my hands stuck in my room. I discovered a sci fi series for young boys by some of the masters of sci fi. Then I discovered Poe and Horror films and The Hobbit. After that I would cycle through sci fi, horror, fantasy, science, over and around again and again. I wrote my first short story after reading Dune in tenth grade. It wasn’t under my senior year at my university that I wrote another full short story toward a creative writing minor that included a year of script and screenwriting.

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 non-fiction but I spend most of my time writing. I was a Sr. Tech Writer in the 90s and I’ve been trying to get back to my first love, sci fi. I was published on PerihslionSF.com with my story, Expedition of the Arcturus (available as ebook and audiobook). I always loved horror and fantasy. Clive Barker inspired me a lot back in the 80s and because of him I finally purused getting published with my first sale of a story titled, “In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear” which was actually a tribute of sorts to Isaac Asimov (who was the reason I became a Tech Writer, read his autobio, “In Memory, Yet Green” to see why that is). Before Clive, I read some Stephen King but I can’t say I was a fan, just a reader. I jumped around a lot in my reading, looking for what is new to me and felt fresh. I still love the old masters of horror like Edgar Allen Poe, Lovecraft, etc. I am partial to reading books that give me that roller coaster experience, so horror and some sci fi.
Friend and fellow author, Kurt Giambastiani’s Fallen Cloud series of revisionist history will always be one of my favorite series of books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Death of Heaven is my latest horror book and covers a massive amount of time from before the Earth is created to present day and spans the Universe. Though it mostly takes place on earth in the present day. It is about two guys who have been friends since childhood when they went through a horrific experience together. What they go through in the book changes everything they have ever known about life and the Universe and alter’s humankind forever. It has gotten some good reviews as you can see at deathofheaven.com. Written in a kind of portmanteau style, Death of Heaven covers a whole spectrum of horror with a little of something for just about everyone.

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Featured Interview With Rene’ Donovan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in my “Enchanted Cottage” on Cape Cod where my studio is filled with canvases, an easel, bookshelves, computer and printer, and a table covered with manuscript pages and folders. My days are filled with words and colors, paints and the sea. Cape Cod, the most magical of places, is conducive to solitude and creativity.
My novels and canvases begin with one thought: “What if…” Both are filled with light.
I wrote my first book, “Me ‘n God in the Coffee Shop” at a local coffee shop. At the time I ran a graphics studio from my home and would take breaks from work to sit at the coffee shop with a notebook. I had no intention of beginning a novel. I was just jotting down ideas like “What would ‘God’ say if He/She walked in here and sat beside me?” God, to me, is all creation, manifested in matter. (That means us too!) And so—unknown to me at the time—I began my first novel.
When finished, even before it was accepted for publication, I began to meditate on the next book, “The Stone Children.” In my meditation I saw marble eggs lying in nests of straw in a barn. I’ve leaned not to question the images that come to me. I follow them as I begin to write and the story unfolds in the process. I don’t make outlines, don’t know where the story will take me or how it will end.
Whatever “whispers” in my ear leads me to places I would never think to go with my logical mind. I’m always surprised. For instance, in “The Stone Children,” I had no idea how marble eggs lying in beds of straw could ever be a story. But I listened and heard the music of babies lying within those eggs and saw statues of children being carved. That music took me to the horrors of Nazi Germany and to the children in the concentration camps and, as the story unfolded, to butterflies and beauty and hope.
I began my third book, “The Daughters of Time,” when I was visiting friends in Virginia. We drove by an abandoned and neglected house, once a grand eighteenth century home. I began to imagine who had built it and who had lived in it. Had the home been filled with children and laughter and love? Why had it been so neglected over the years? Does a houses hold the energy of those who once occupied it and if I were to walk into that house would I be able to hear it speak to me? These questions, like breadcrumbs dropped on a forest floor, led me from the first sentence to the book’s conclusion.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mother read to me when I was a small child and that gave me my love of books. That also gave me the delight of creating my own stories. My first book was published in 1998 by a traditional publisher. My next two books were published by my imprint “Enchanted Cottage Publishing” through Amazon “Create Space.” I’ll never go back to a traditional publisher because with Create Space I have total control over the book’s cover and content. It required a long and difficult learning curve to publish but I’m glad I had the tenacity to do so.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have so many favorite authors, both fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, Alice Hoffman, Ken Follett come to mind. In poetry, Mary Oliver delights me. In nonfiction…I have an avid interest in spirituality and quantum theory so I suppose my favorite authors are Gregg Braden, Fred Alan Wolf, Wayne Dyer, Joel Goldsmith, among many others.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The Stone Children” opens at the end of World War ll in Germany. Uriel, a young soldier among those liberating Buchenwald Concentration Camp, sees not only the horrors but also sees images of butterflies, the symbol of transformation, drawn on the floors and walls of the barracks by children who had been imprisoned there. He learns that these images are in every camp and is deeply effected.
When the war in the Pacific ends Uriel returns to his Cape Cod village, marries his childhood sweetheart Marra and begins his career as a children’s book illustrator. Their home is filled with love but Uriel’s nights are tortured by nightmares of the horrors he witnessed at Buchenwald. Marra, a sculptor, also begins to dream. She dreams of eggs. She dreams of children:

“Eggs, at first. Her dreams swam with the images of smooth-shelled eggs: brown, white, blue, speckled. From deep within the eggs came songs as if their interiors held choirs. She felt the sound in her belly like something growing inside her, something that wanted to be born into the world. A force had entered Uriel at Buchenwald, a something that wants to be known. It wants to communicate through him and Marra, guiding their art and bearing a healing message for all humanity. It wants to prepare the world for the children to come, the Lumins, the compassionate children who had died in the Holocaust.”

This story takes the reader from World War ll through all the years that followed up to the infamous morning of September 11, 2001. Intertwined amid the turmoil and confusion of those years are wonders and changes that raise humanity’s awareness. “There is a noble fragment within us, a kind of beginning, a small secret…coiled love in fluid stone.”
_______________
It’s difficult to say how long it took me to write “The Stone Children” because I set it aside for a while to paint. I was in a Cape Cod gallery for several years and that required most of my time. When I returned to the manuscript I spent about six months editing it for publication. I was writing this story when the tragedy of 9/11 happened and I knew that the story would conclude with that event. As with all my books, I feel “guided” and often believe that something outside of my conscious self is writing. The characters that appear in my books come alive for me. In my mind’s eye and in my emotions I can see them and the scenes I create.

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Featured Interview With Peter Rogers MD

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, Home of the Huskies (high school team).

I got recruited to Stanford university on a wrestling scholarship and the academic competition transformed me into a learning machine.

I discovered that just as an athlete can be trained in sport skills, a student can be trained in learning skills.

Using these new found methods, I became a dominant student with straight A’s in premed classes at Stanford and then perfect scores on medical school and residency boards.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always wanted to be like my dad, who was a big reader. I had a big bookshelf in my bedroom and was proud to have read every book on it.

In medical school, I began writing in a scientific way.

In my thirties, I began to realize that I had messed up my social life by focusing too much on academics and medicine.

I began to learn a lot more about social skills, body language, marriage and raising children.

When I was ready to write a book, I began to study the process of writing in detail.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Oscar Wilde is my favorite. I try to live by this quote, “Some people bring happiness and laughter into whatever room they enter, others remove it.”

My Mom was like that, always making people smile and laugh.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Straight A at Stanford and on to Harvard. How to learn faster and think better.” by Peter Rogers MD.

This is the inside scoop on how students get straight A’s at Stanford and Harvard. It describes in detail the most powerful learning methods known to humans.

This book will raise your IQ.

I am a neuroradiologist and have read everything on the subject of learning, memory and thinking for decades. I have tried out the methods and taught them to hundreds of students.

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Featured Interview With Andrei Cherascu

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Timisoara, a charming, cozy town in Western Romania, relatively close to the Hungarian border. I’ve lived here all my life and all my family is here, so I have little interest in moving away. I live with my lovely wife, Ioana and our precious Netherland dwarf bunny, Picky, with whom I also share my home-office. Picky is more than a pet, though. She is an integral part of our family and by far the best friend anyone could ever hope for. She doesn’t read much SF but, on occasion, she’ll sink her teeth into a good book. Literally.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I think I started reading when I was 13, upon realizing that the life of a teenager can be very boring, while books were not. The first book I really got into was Treasure Island. I had seen the Japanese anime, Takarajima, based on the story and I was absolutely fascinated with the villain, John Silver. When the series ended I wanted more Silver, so I decided to read the novel. My love for Treasure Island evolved into a general love for books.

The first SF I ever read was Garden of Rama which was a gift from my grandfather. I always looked up to him, so I especially loved reading the books I knew he had read. Now, whenever I finish a book, I leave a small mark on the last page, just like he used to do. Many of the books on our shelves bear two small marks on the upper left corner of the last page.

My relationship with my grandfather inspired Sheldon’s relationship with Kinsey in Mindguard. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away while I was still working on the novel. He never got to find out about my tribute to him.

I started writing when I was a teenager. I wrote poetry – in German, of all things. I published a collection of my poetry when I was 18. It’s called Das Ende der Kindheit (Childhood’s End) – Google it! The title was an homage to Arthur C Clarke, though the book has very little to do with SF. After that, I took a six year break from writing.

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 SF but I will generally “devour” everything I can get my hands on. To quote my character, Sheldon: “I have an interest in everything”. I’ll read an encyclopedia about wine or A Brief History of Time with the same interest I read an Agatha Christie mystery.

My all-time favorite book is Frank Herbert’s Dune. It changed the way I view literature and life in general. Dune inspired many aspects of Mindguard, most transparently the short texts at the beginning of every chapter.

To be honest, I get very little inspiration from the (quote/unquote) real world. My storytelling is mostly inspired by other samples of storytelling, whether it’s something I read in a book, something I see in a movie or (most of the time) a particularly brilliant piece of music. I am a devoted audiophile, so I spend a good amount of time listening to music. I also run a website called The Music and Myth, where I review records and concerts and interview musicians. It’s mostly focused on jazz, but I’ll listen to everything, provided it’s brilliant. Hell, right now I’m listening to John Zorn’s concert in Warsaw with The Song Project (2013). Check it out, it’s really great!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Mindguard is the literary manifestation of my mind in all its raw, tortured, passionate, curious, bipolar clusterf**kedness (hey, if bootylicious is a word, then this one is too!) Really, it’s the novel I wanted to write all of my life. I wrote it with the pressing obsession that I might never get a crack at another one, so it contains parts of everything I care about and everything I ever wanted to say to the world hidden within an intricate maze of fiction.

The main characters, Sheldon and Tamisa, are manifestations of my own obsessions, with the “sound” turned up to eleven. I wanted to build a story that I would personally enjoy reading over and over again. I’m immensely grateful that, so far, the response to it has been very positive. Also that, in the end, I did get another “crack” at writing. Right now I’m working on a sequel to Mindguard and an independent story I plan to release as a serial early next year.

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Featured Interview With Filidh Lochlannach

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a Norwegian woman, 40 years old.

I published my first e-book “The Dragon Leaves” in the spring 2014.

I study climate change, history and philosophy in between my writing, and ”The Dragon Leaves” is a collection of vignettes inspired by my studies.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was an early reader. I started reading when I was 4,5 years old. I skipped most of the children’s books and jumped straight to Steinbeck and other novels by famous authors writing for a grown up audience. I soon found out that I wanted to write my own stuff, I’ve kept alternating diaries and journals since I started school and up until now, and literature was what I liked the most in school.

My first published book was “The Dragon Leaves” released in the spring 2014.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite author is still John Steinbeck, but at the moment also Tom Egeland and Snorri Sturlusson have to be mentioned. Steinbeck has always been there, but the others can shift a little bit from time to time.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Hiking is one of my main interests besides writing books. I like to walk to places with a purpose of finding out about their own unique histories. I’ve found old buildings, farms, hill-forts, old trails in the mountains and much more on my journeys, and some questions always pop up in my head. “What imprints were made on this land that shaped it into what it is today?” and “Who did it?” and “Why?” During my studies of nature philosophy I learnt how to get answers to these questions and I became very fascinated by the “Spirit of the Land” and the “Songs in the Wind”. I had thought about putting it all down on paper for a long time. I had kept some kind of a messy journal mixed with historical research, old myths and my own experiences from my walking. Then I joined the “National Writing Month” in 2013, a contest where the participants are supposed to produce 50.000 words in a month. I grabbed the opportunity and transformed my research into a story. I won the challenge, but there was still a lot of work to do to finish the novel. All I had was a very raw text that needed to be put a lot of effort into to become a manuscript, and I suddenly got that nudge in the right direction of going through yet another transformation – making the novel a collection of poetry and short prose. I happened to love to write in such a free manner. I chose a writing style that had few strict rules, and my creative imagination and intuition got the chance to flow more easily when I didn’t have to think about rules and compositions. My pieces of writing became snapshots of my own experiences. They became descriptions of moments that can stand alone, although I think they are strongest when they are read together from start to end.

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Featured Interview With Kevin Keely

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a working class family in Dublin, we weren’t poor and we weren’t rich, but we were pretty happy. That’s all I ever wanted once I grew up. Just get a nice house and be happy , somewhere in the country, So we moved to the North west and bought a house in the sticks. We’re not rich or poor but we’re pretty happy most of the time. Yeh, I like dogs, I’ve always had one. I like loyalty. Don’t give it unless you mean it and once you give it – its permanent, that’s what I like about dogs. Its also why I don’t trust cats. They’re okay but I don’t trust them……and I’m also allergic. I like spiders too, ugly as hell and don’t owe nothin to no one. Wish I could say the same for myself.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Can’t remember, I was young. Alan Garner and the Weirdstone of Brizingamen got me hooked. I dont read enough. I’m a slow reader, going back over bits just to make sure I got it all. I like Cormac mc Carthy, there’s a brutality to his prose that talks to the soul. Reading is a human thing, one of the most human things. Sharing ourselves with our fellow man. Even people who don’t believe in god, believe in the spirituality of books. No other animal can transfer part of their soul to an inanimate object like a page. It’s a miracle and once it’s on paper, it’s immortal.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Cormac Mc Carthy is great, I love his storytelling. Tolkien, what a genius, created a whole universe out of nothing and gave it to us all. I like stories told with conviction , characters that bleed and love and die and tell us what’s in their hearts. I flit from book to book I read anything that grabs my attention. I’ve always been inspired by anyone who can tell a good story and make us want to be better than we are. On the other end of the spectrum I admire Chomsky, he’s brave, he’s intelligent and he’s got a singular vision of justice that should be bottled and handed out at political summits. This world would be a better place.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Fistful of salt.. its just a story. That’s what I set out to do; entertain people and give them something to escape into. Really flawed characters with perfect ideals in an brutal world. Not afraid of the truth, not afraid to die for it , or even kill for it. Revenge, love and loyalty , all the best old-fashioned principles wrapped up in a gutsy tale. There’s nothing new in there, but I took what I thought was the best of everything we love, as humans, as people, and served it up hot and fast. Not pulling the punches. Lots of melodrama too, I like melodrama. People say that’s wrong, I say if it’s wrong then how come it feels so good ? I wanted it to be like a trip to the movies. I think I pulled it off.

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Featured Interview With Peter James Jacklin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am happily married to Susan, and have a family of two daughters, Jade and Sophie. I love to write, keep fit and enjoy outdoor life.

Age 57, I was born the 19th Day of September, 1957, Guisborough Maternity Hospital, Cleveland, England, United Kingdom.

For the first six months of my life, I lived at Marske, a small coastal town known for its fishing community. From there, my parents took me to New Marske, a former iron ore mining village. It is here that I still reside.

I have a pet dog, Tina – Tina is a crossbreed and was a rescued dog. She is loved, and a part of our family

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The realization came at a very young age. I can remember at Junior school, reading Mark Twain’s ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.’ What a book to captivate the imagination of a young boy! Adventure, Exploration and Excitement. What more could a young boy want for? This book, to this day, comes to the forefront of my mind. It must have been impressive for its words to have remained with me for so long.

I began writing at an early age. But my writing became much more intense when I attended Secondary School. English Comprehension and English Language Lessons, I thoroughly enjoyed.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Roald Dahl for his ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ From poverty to wealth. Taking a child member of a deprived, impoverished family, through an adventurous time of imagination, to wealth. Every child’s dream.

J.K Rowling for her ‘Harry Potter’ series, unbelievable for her imagination to develop and work characters.

Suzanne Collins, ‘Hunger Games.’ How the possibility of the unthinkable could become reality. Futuristic. Hunting of humans to survive. Let the Games begin!

Chris Ryan for his books on his S.A.S experiences – His books give a reader an insight into his military experience. Taking the reader into action without physically being in action themselves.

John Boyne for his ‘The Boy in Striped Pyjamas.’ Wartime reality of opposing children, exchanging places. A feeling of sorrow for the innocent.

My favorite genre is Children’s Fiction.

My Favorite Author: Probably Roald Dahl

Tell us a little about your latest book?
‘Bobby the Sheepdog and the Burglar,’ (Idea for story came from watching a friends sheepdog use its skills to round up and separate sheep). This is an educational story told from the perspective of a dog.

Bobby the Sheepdog opens with an introduction of himself. He then tells how he has been trained by his master, farmer Edwards to round up sheep and return them to the farm. Bobby gives two examples of sheepdog commands. He says there are more commands for him to obey but, for the moment, has not got time to explain – His reason for this being: he has an ‘interesting story’ to tell.

Bobby then goes on to tell his story of how –

One day, on his way home from work with his master, he sees the local Police Sergeant; holding a rolled piece of paper, waiting for them to arrive home.

Bobby wonders what the Police Sergeant could be wanting from his visit?

His curiosity is answered when the Police Sergeant is invited, by his master, into their home, and sees the piece of paper unrolled.

Bobby does not like what he sees.

Following the Police Sergeant’s exit, and night time falling, Bobby is told to keep guard of the door.

What was Bobby to be keeping guard from? And why?

Because of similar questions going on in Bobby’s mind, Bobby, that night, could not get to sleep. He was listening for sounds, outside. Bobby does not like unknown sounds. It scares him!

When Bobby hears an unknown sound coming from a downstairs room at the back of the house, he is really scared!

After Bobby telling himself things will be ‘O.K.’ he plucks up sufficient courage to go and investigate the source of the sound.

What he sees, shocks him. It is a ‘human creature’ that has entered their home, uninvited -and what is more,the creature is holding something that belongs to his master. Taking something without the owners permission is ‘stealing!’ Bobby knows this is wrong. So what Bobby does next is not surprising of a dog. He attempts to deal with the creature – but unfortunately, Bobby cannot quite get his teeth into this problem- it somehow manages to escape him,

Bobby begins questioning himself, wondering if this creature is going to get away. Well, not if Bobby has anything to do with it, he is not.
‘Bobby the Sheepdog and the Burglar,’ took me approximately five weeks to write.

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Featured Interview With Jack Jones

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. I have lived around the UK pursuing career but have since moved back and now live near Barnsley. My main interests are photography, fishing, travel, writing, reading and researching.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books was born out of an inability to speak. Mute from childhood, excruciatingly shy and anti-social. Failing to cope and communicate, words and sentences, information and knowledge became a voracious appetite.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like Christian authors: Francine Rivers. My genre tends to be spiritual, non-fiction, inspiring and about survivorship.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
God, The Devil And I is a memoir/biography of Jack Jones. A Christian book at it’s heart. God inspired. An epic journey and extraordinarily incomprehensible life alchemy experiences. Born an orphaned runt, mute, and into poverty.

Unaided and lacking in support. Left abandoned. An underdog in every social situation. Has been called by God to fight as a warrior, as David did with Goliath. But appointed by the Devil for death and destruction.

A journey of long suffering, fortitude and perseverance. Born into a dysfunctional family juxtaposed to a melancholic council housing estate, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Unidentified by family and teachers. Bereft, failing, weak, and vulnerable. A test of survival. Coping and enduring battles, conflicts, detractors and antagonists. Missing a sole defender, saviour or white knight. A book of faith and hope.

Topics addressed include, child development, abuse, neglect, mental health, spirituality and psychology. The effects of trauma, unmet human needs, roles and responsibilities within the family environment. The responsibility of the establishment, government, Mental Health services, Church, Christians and society as a whole. To love the unloved. A philanthropic endeavour to heal the world, institute peace, forgiveness and tolerance. A true story.

Excerpt from book: Chapter “The Room”.
It’s been five long loathsome years; nearly six. Marvelling at the fractal clouds; as I lay on my bed, hoping for an enigma, a reason why, meaning and purpose. Synonymous with the eponymous Robinson Crusoe; as the ocean ebbs and flows and as an old grandfather clock’s pendulum swings to and fro; time eludes me. Pondering, pontificating, perplexed and paranoid. Etching and sketching the tally chart of time. We who tally time by marks in sand or on a wall are proof ourselves that without mark or hope we are but a seamless sentence.

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Featured Interview With Diane Covington-Carter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a small town in rural Southern California. I now live on an eight acre farm in the mountains of Northern California where the Gold Rush started, with my husband, eight hens, two cats and visiting kids and grandkids.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved books and writing but got started with serious writing during college and then after when I worked for a newspaper.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Anna Quindlen, Willa Cather and so many others. This Martha Graham quote inspires me to write: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

Tell us a little about your latest book?
How do the unfulfilled dreams and promises of our parents shape our lives and our destinies? During the Normandy Invasion in 1944, my father, a navy lieutenant, took a French orphan boy Gilbert under his wing, making sure the boy had enough to eat and giving him attention and love.

As the months passed and their bond deepened, Dad tried unsuccessfully to adopt the boy and bring him home to America. Years later, I grew up hearing my father’s stories about his time in France and about the orphan Gilbert.

During my childhood, Gilbert felt like an invisible brother, hovering in my consciousness, slightly out of focus. Fifty years after the war and two years after my father’s death, I found myself compelled to write about how his stories of his time in France had influenced my life.

As I journeyed to France to retrace my father’s footsteps, would I be able to complete what he had left unfinished? Could I find his orphan and tell him that my father had never forgotten him?

My this true story about the power of love and kindness spans seven decades, beginning and ending on the shores of Normandy.

In it, I discover the role that forgotten dreams play in guiding us towards our destinies. This book is a testament to the importance of a father’s love and how it change lives in ways that ripple down through the generations.

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Featured Interview With Jim Melvin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
First, thanks so much for providing this service to writers! I know it’s a lot of work for you, but it means so much to anyone not named J.K. Rowling. 🙂

I was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but spent most of my life in the Tampa Bay area of sunny Florida. I now live in Upstate South Carolina in the foothills of the mountains, a beautiful place to write, to say the least.

I am a long-time journalist who has worked in a variety of capacities at several large newspapers, including the St. Petersburg Times (now called the Tampa Bay Times), the Greenville News and the Charlotte Observer. But though I have supported myself and my family as a journalist, I consider myself to be a novelist trapped in a journalist’s body.

As for pets, I have had many in my life, including dogs, cats, birds and guinea pigs. But right now, I have just one beautiful black cat named Woody (he wandered out of the woods by our house and adopted us), and he is so awesome my wife and I have decided to stick just with him so that we can pay him all our attention.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wrote my first novel when I was 21 years old and Jimmy Carter was president. Sarah’s Curse was an artsy murder mystery bursting with passion and intensity. I shopped it around to various publishers and got no bites, but I wasn’t particularly concerned at the time. It’s usually the second novel that hits it big, right? So I went about the business of writing it.

At this point in my life, I was in love with J.R.R. Tolkien (and still am), so I decided that my second novel would be a high fantasy. My roiling imagination gave birth to a character named Torg, and he was to be king of a band of desert warriors called Tugars. I made up these names just because they sounded cool.

Needless to say, I was full of zest and excitement — but not necessarily of worldliness or maturity. Over the next several years, every time I sat down to write about Torg I’d get a few pages in and then hit a wall. Each time, my excuse was that I was just too busy. I already was married, raising a family, and working a challenging job at a big newspaper. That’s a lot for any young person to handle.

Years turned into decades. As I said, I wrote my first novel at 21. It wasn’t until age 45 that I wrote my second one — book 1 of what turned out to be a six-book, 700,000-word epic fantasy titled The Death Wizard Chronicles. And my how things had changed over the course of that time. George Bush was president, for one thing. I was remarried and had five daughters, the youngest three of whom were adopted from Cambodia. But most importantly, at least as far as my writing career was concerned, I finally had developed the worldiness and maturity to bring Torg and the Tugars to life at the level of quality they deserved. After almost 25 years of starts and stops, The Death Wizard Chronicles was born for real.

Hopefully, before President Obama’s final term is over, the series will become a best seller. 🙂

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My three favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien (LOTR), Steven Erikson (The Malazan Book of the Fallen) and Stephen Donaldson (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant). Tolkien will always own my heart. I also love John Updike (Rabbit Run remains the single most brilliant book I’ve ever read). Erikson is the most creative author I’ve ever read. Donaldson is pure poetry in motion.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is titled Healed by Hope, and it is the sixth and climactic installment of The Death Wizard Chronicles.

The concept of karma and the art of meditation play key roles in the symbolic aspects of my work. While deep in meditation, Buddhist monks have had recorded heart rates of fewer than 10 beats per minute. My main character takes this to the extreme. In an original twist never before seen in this genre, the Death Wizard is able to enter the realm of death during a “temporary suicide.” Through intense concentrative meditation, Torg stops his heartbeat briefly and feeds on death energy, which provides him with an array of magical powers.

For those of you who are just interested in a fun and entertaining read, don’t let any of this dismay you. Though my series has a lot going on between the lines, it is fast-paced and action-packed, nonetheless. I describe The DW Chronicles as a cross between Tolkien and King – Tolkien because it contains many aspects of epic fantasy, King because it’s pretty darn scary and rough. The Death Wizard Chronicles is a classic tale of good versus evil, with lots of action, monsters, and magic. It also contains a compelling love story.

Book 1 titled Forged in Death is currently available for free on Kindle. So that is the link that appears below. The series must be read from book 1-6. Each individual book does not stand on its own.

Here is a synopsis of Forged in Death:

Only a Death-Wizard can die. And live again.

Only a Death-Wizard can return from death. And remember.

Only a Death-Wizardr can tell the world what he’s seen.

For a thousand years, none have rivaled the power of Torg, the Death-Knower wizard, as he ruled his people and kept peace on Triken.

Now a new threat has suddenly arisen. The evil sorcerer Invictus is greater even than Torg, and his greed and ambition threaten to engulf the land in eternal darkness. When Invictus imprisons Torg in a horrifying pit bored into the solid rock of a frozen mountain, the fate of Triken hangs in the balance.

Torg becomes freedom’s final hope, but first he must die to earn the victory.

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Featured Interview With Deborah Lloyd

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a farm near Fort Wayne, IN, and am the oldest of nine children. I now live in Asheville, NC, with my husband. We have two adult children and three grandchildren. My fulltime job is working as a hospice social worker. Also, I am a Usui and Karuna Reiki Master and a certified holistic therapy practitioner, and offer Reiki sessions and trainings in Asheville. One of our passions is traveling; we especially love learning the culture and history of places that are new to us.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved books and reading! I usually am reading two or three books at a time. Whenever my husband I move to a new location, one of my first tasks was to find the local library and get a new library card. For me, writing began by journaling my thoughts and feelings. Eventually, it led to writing a book. Now, I enjoy blogging and writing articles for a website, reikirays.com.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have read so many great books it is difficult to pick out just one favorite author. My favorite genre is books of a spiritual nature, both fiction and non-fiction. But, I also love a really good novel, especially a novel where I learn about a particular culture, historical time or event, etc.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book is called Believe and it is True: A Story of Healing and Life Lessons. It is the story of my own healing journey. I had polio as a child and experienced chronic fatigue as a result of post-polio syndrome, beginning in the 90’s. My first experience with alternative healing modalities was having a Reiki session in 2001; the fatigue left my body within a few sessions. I then became open to other healing modalities. While my book details my story, it also includes life lessons learned along the way. These life lessons are ones all of us can relate to, on our own life journeys.

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Featured Interview With Jen Fraser

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m on a personal mission to educate, entertain and inspire tomorrow’s visionaries. I am the founder and lead trainer of Ideation Training, a corporate training firm which specialises in transforming staff into ideas engines for medium to large corporate organisations right across Australia.

My highly acclaimed debut book, ‘Everyone’s a Genius’, is endorsed by New York Times best selling authors Seth Godin and Piers Anthony.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy singing, sampling my husband’s ancient Roman style cooking (TimeTaster.com), and working to keep my nasty chandelier habit under control. I am a dual British-Australian citizen living in sunny Brisbane, Australia.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
After 20 years of working in various creative roles, I realised that most of us limit ourselves to a small dream, because we believe a big dream is beyond our reach. I wanted to create a book which would be an invaluable source of inspiration and tools to help people THINK BIG. I started writing in April 2014 and completed the very final edit around October 2014.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I loved ‘Ignore Everybody’ by Hugh MacLeod. I wanted my book to be just as sharp, insightful and enjoyable – so having an existing benchmark to compare your work to goes a long way to help when aiming to write a great book. Incidentally, my book explains how and where to easily get inspired.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut (indie) book is titled ‘Everyone’s a Genius: Simple Tips to Boost Your Brilliance Now.’
An idea costs nothing, and yet the problem most people have is that they dream about coming up with a BIG idea, but they don’t know how or where to get started. This book is an invaluable source of inspiration and tools to help you do exactly that. Far too many books in this field require a university education to understand, but this book is different. It is set out ins easy to read, bite-sized chunks of information. The book includes a series of wonderful quotes by some of history’s greatest minds, and lovely illustrations and stories to entertain and inspire brilliant ideas.
I find it deeply satisfying to know I’ve already sparked off many fantastic new ideas for my readers!

Buy the book on Amazon.

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