Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire-Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake

*All her Audible.com audio books here:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_at_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith&x=17&y=16

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire,

Witches, The Nameless One short story, The Calling, All Things Slip Away, Egyptian Heart,

Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, Before the End: A Time of Demons, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Scraps of Paper, Dinosaur Lake, Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

My Websites:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-Meyer-Griffith/579206748758534

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/889499.Kathryn_Meyer_Griffith

***

*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kathryn%20Meyer%20Griffith

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading anything and everything (I really loved science fiction, historical romances and spooky stories) when I was about ten. And I started writing at 21…43 years ago now. I’ve written/published 21 novels now since 1984. I’m getting ready to release book #22.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The classic horror authors like Anne Rice, Dan Simmons, Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I also like Joe Hill, his writing reminds me of his father’s. Lately, though, I can’t seem to find any new horror writers I really love, but I’ll keep looking. I like the traditional horror where it’s the story and the characters that count, and believable motivation for what they do or don’t do…not profanity, graphic gore or sex. And I want excellent writing. Writers break the rules if you must, but keep me interested enough to continue reading.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising is the sequel to my 2012 Dinosaur Lake, my best-selling novel of all my 21.

Prehistoric creatures have again invaded Crater Lake National Park

…and this time there’s more than one.

DINOSAUR LAKE II: Dinosaurs Arising

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.

Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.

Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.

A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail.

And this one has wings.

Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them.

For this one isn’t alone.

They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.

So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again. ***

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Featured Interview With Alexi Lawless

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Gertrude Stein famously said, “America is my country, and Paris is my home town.” Well, the way I see it, the world is my country, but Miami Beach is my home town.

I’m what you’d consider a global wanderer. I hold multiple passports and I’m on the road in some form or another at least six months out of the year. But when I’m not boarding planes, trains and automobiles, I’m kicking back on the lush, airy, Art Deco building-lined streets of Miami Beach. You see, I’m a nomad. I suspect I was born that way, but I think I’ve got the soul of a Latina, and Miami, of all the cities, countries and vistas I’ve seen, has always felt comfortable to me. Maybe it’s the musicality of the place, the tropical climate, or just the easy, breezy feel of it all, but I breathe a sigh of relief each time I return.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
For as long as I can recall. I had a Commodore 64 I used to bang away on. I upgraded to a massive word processor in middle school that took up a ton of space in my room and had what had to be the slowest dot matrix printer in the the world. My mother used to have to kick me out of the house to make me play with other kids. So I’d just sit on the porch and annoy the hell out of her telling her about all the stories I was writing.

But I got really serious about it in high school and most of college– even chose the school I went to with their phenomenal English program in mind, but alas, my capitalistic side took over mid-way, and I decided to go pre-Law and business so I could fund my expensive appetites and proclivity for shoes.

I never really stopped writing though. It’s always been a major expressive outlet, but the deeper I got into business and the higher I rose up the ladder, I felt more and more like a closeted creative.

I realize now the writing professionally was always going to happen. Whether at 65 or now, it was never really a question. One my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou (God rest her lovely, lovely soul):

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

I’m not big on agony, so I figured it was time to get a move on the untold stories.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My first love is poetry. Discovering Sandra Cisneros’s My Wicked, Wicked Ways and Loose Woman changed my life. I saw in an instant how vivid and gorgeous writing could be in a really spare, lyrical way. I also have an on-going love affair with Frank O’Hara. Meditations in an Emergency is a staple I think everyone should read.

I’m a die-hard Anne Rice fan. She had me at “Lestat.” I think my mother was incredibly worried that my dream man was an 18th century vampire with a penchant for leather pants, hot blood and the debauched streets of the French Quarter. When I read “Exit to Eden” at fourteen, I was pretty certain being a Domme was my intended job description, and may actually explain a great deal of my career path in strategy and management consulting (those hard-ass executives seem to jones the most for chronic abuse after all).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Complicated Creatures Part Two is the continuation of an action-packed thriller series that forces you to ask the question, “Isn’t it terrible when love is not enough?”

In the action-packed sequel to Complicated Creatures: Part One…

Jack Roman was perfectly happy living the life of a high-powered and charismatic philistine. He had time, money, women and a penchant for the fast life. Until he met his match in Samantha Wyatt and his obsession with her would take him to hell and back…

Wes Elliott’s been dreaming of the muse he let go of as a young man—the woman he never forgot throughout his travels and the successes he’d left her to find. He always thought he’d see Sammy again—he just never expected her to be fighting for her life when he did…

Samantha Wyatt is being challenged by her past, tested by her decisions, and hunted by her nemesis. As her dangerous present and enigmatic past collides, Samantha conducts the riskiest operation of her life, and the men who love her will be forced to decide: Do they trust her enough to let her protect them? And do they love her enough to let her go?

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Featured Interview With Abby Fitch

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in a little country town in Holley, New York. Population is just over 2000. My parents were John and Patty Fitch. My father worked at a tissue factory in Rochester, New York and my mother was a homemaker.

I currently reside near Rochester, New York with my three children and husband, but we plan to leave New York to go to where there are more jobs and someplace that will give our children better lives.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing short stories the summer of 1994. I was 13 years old at the time. My mother had bought me a composition book for 39 cents at a bargain store called “Odds & Ends”, but this store has long gone out of business. My mother encouraged me to write because she knew that I had a hidden talent that needed to be put out on paper. So I wrote a little short story and since then I continued to write. My mother would read my stories and some made her cry. She knew that I was going to be something with my writing. My father, on the other hand, was less encouraging. He said that it was a waste of time and money. My mother always told me to ignore him and keep doing what I love to do. In high school, my sophomore year, I took Creative Writing & Journalism. My class was full of seniors and I was the youngest.

In 2012 I got my very first published. It was “The Preacher’s Daughter” and since then I have been coming up with new stories and new ideas for my readers. As of October 2014 I have a total of nine books published and I am proud of every single one of them. My husband encourages me to keep writing because he knows that it is what makes me who I am and makes me happy. I am grateful to have such a supportive person in my life.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When asked who are my favorite authors I always have to say “I love the classics” and I come up with a list that consists of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Lee Montgomery, Harper Lee, Shakespeare, and I could go on and on. I don’t have that many favorite authors of my time, the list is few. I like Sarah Shepard, she is the writer of the books that my favorite TV show is based on- “Pretty Little Liars.” I enjoy J.K. Rowlings, the one who introduced us to “Harry Potter.” But no matter what, the classic will always be my favorites.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
What can I say about my latest book. Well, it’s been published October 2014 and entitled “365 Days.” It is a story about this woman who finds out that her fiancee has been cheating on her. After breaking up with him she turned to the internet. Kelsey, the lead female role, stumbles upon an online contest. The contest is called a Mystery Contest and you won’t know what the contest is about until you are chosen. Kelsey is chosen and it is set up for her to go to NYC for the very first meeting of the participates. She learns that the contest is a dating contest and two people from each of the 50 states will be paired up. They will have to live for 365 days as a dating couple and convince everyone around them that they are in love. Interviews will be given monthly and if you express anything or the interviewer expects anything wrong with the relationship that couple will be disqualified. Kelsey thinks it’s a pretty cool contest until she is paired up with Rick, our lead male role, whom is a person she can not get along with. The prize for being the winner is $250,000 each and a fully paid trip to Paris. Kelsey wasn’t going to give that up, even if it means having to be “in love” with a person she really doesn’t like.

I won’t tell you too much about the story. I’d rather you read it for yourself and experience it yourself. It is more fun to read the story and experience the passion in the writing than to have someone sit and give you a synopsis. A synopsis only tells you so much and a lot of detail isn’t put into one.

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Featured Interview With Vincent Watson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Chicago but lefty home when I was 18 and ran all the way to Iowa. I realized upon my arrival that it wasn’t the most exotic of locations to run away to, but since all of my friends were there starting college, I mostly tagged along for the ride and ended up staying there. I have spent the last 20 or so years in Minneapolis having arrived in much the same way I had arrived in Iowa. I came for a weekend and never left. I tend to get bored with where I have been fairly easily, but I am usually thrilled by the challenges of newness. It’s kind of the same way, I absolutely detest moving house, but love the unpacking bit. Its the one time everything is in the exact place you need it to be in.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have experienced the love of a few thousand books and the tragedy of having lost them all at one point and having had to start my collection all over again. I don’t understand people who have twenty thousand books that they have read exactly once. I would rather have a few hundred books that I have read over and over again. When the words take hold of your mind and soul, you discover something new each time.

I have always dreamed in color and remember them vividly and it was probably that that made me want to write. At fifty years old, I have journals that are falling apart having survived my pre-pubecent scribblings. I have letters from old girlfriends and lists of things made many years ago consisting of simple things that I wanted to remember from places I wanted to travel to.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I tend to like authors who write in first person, which to me is from the heart. Its easy to tell a story that you made up, but its harder to write down what you are feeling having put yourself in the place of your characters. Scott Spencer is one such author and I feel that Orson Scott Card is another even though his characters are made up. Its obvious he put all of his beliefs into each one. I’m also a science fiction geek. I have seen episodes of Star Trek or Stargate a few million times and I am only slightly exaggerating that number.

My writing habits lean towards letter writing. I sit and write as if I am telling a story. Imagine the feeling in your gut and how you felt when you first told someone that you love them. If you don’t feel that way when you are writing your novel, then no one else will either. I want people to be sick with anxiety when they read my books. I want the story I am telling them to take them back to a certain time, or a certain place. And when they are finished reading it, I want them to pick it up and start all over again.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I have had this story in the back of my head for about twenty years as it was based on a short story I wrote when I was in college. That story was essentially a letter written to a girl in the form of a short novel. For some reason she showed it to a friend who was a member of the writers workshop. A few days later, I received in invite to join them, which I declined based on the fact that one of my TAs was on the membership panel and I was under the impression that he hated me. In hindsight, I should have, but I was young and stupid and also drunk on cheap beer a lot of the time. Isn’t that what college if for?

The reason it took me so long to actually get past the original story was because it needed a valid reason for Julia’s departure and I needed ending that I was never able to put into words.

When The Stillness of Winter starts out, Samuel returns home one day to find that the love of his life had left leaving only a note on the table. As far as he knew, nothing was wrong with their relationship so he was confused, hurt and angry. He does eventually find out why Julia left but the question he has to answer is how he feels about it and how he feels about her.

What I wanted was an ending that made sense. I wanted an ending that reached right into your soul and began to squeeze. I wanted an ending that made you feel happy and sad at the same time. But mostly I wanted an ending that didn’t fit into the norms of scripted serials where you could guess the ending before the first chapter was over.

I was in a movie theater in London when The English Patient was first out. I looked up at the screen during that first scene with the airplane flying over the desert. I leaned over to a friend and whispered, “This is the end.”

First of all you don’t talk in movie theaters in the UK. Second of all, my friend while being surprised was annoyed. I didn’t really mean to spoil it, but hey, I was right then wasn’t I?

I didn’t want one of those. I wanted surprise. Everyone who has picked up my book is completely taken by surprise when they find out why Julia left Samuel. That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I got. I really think that if you haven’t had it spoiled by someone, you will be genuinely surprised.

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Featured Interview With Daniel Lee

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised just north of Austin, Texas. At age 19, I moved to Oregon. A writer since a young boy, I have always aspired to be a full time novelist. My favorite authors, Charles Dickens and Dean Koontz, have powerfully influenced my own writing. “Falling Stars” is his debut book, a thriller-suspense novel I hope will be the first of many to delight and entertain.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was eight years old when my third grade teacher introduced me to fiction novels and I fell in love with the library. I started writing that same year.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Charles Dickens and Dean Koontz are my favorite authors. I love to read suspense-thrillers. Yahweh, even Yahshua the Messiah of Israel, inspired me in my creative writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Powerful international bankers have lost an item that could change the entire world forever. For years they have searched for this terrible secret, keeping a careful eye on the two people they believe know where it is. But when one of their agents goes rogue, they are forced to send a ruthless assassin to track it down.

Oz Dellworth, twelve-year old lover of comic books with an overactive imagination, is drawn into a dark world of mystery, danger and lies. His new neighbor, Kena Walker, a blind girl his age, both fascinates and troubles him. With the face of an angel, Kena bears strange secrets. Oz soon finds himself immersed in a world both unfamiliar and surreal. Kena, broken by her terrible burden, sees in Oz a hope for redemption.

The haunted past and mysterious present collide, as forces both powerful and unimaginable threaten two twelve-year old kids, whose friendship and bond will be the only shield against this darkest of all storms.

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Featured Interview With John W. Taylor

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in a small town in central Illinois. I lived in the Washington, DC area until about two years ago when I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started to enjoy reading around the age of 12, though it only applied to books I wanted to read, not necessarily books assigned in school. I didn’t start writing on a regular basis until about five years ago. I started writing out of necessity, when I founded a financial research company. However, I shifted into true crime writing about four years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like to read anything by Malcolm Gladwell or Dan Brown. I think both of them write in a very engaging manner. I enjoy reading true crime and business ethics.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote a non-fiction book about the tragic murder of Nancy Cooper. Nancy was a beautiful housewife and mother, who was strangled to death in her upscale neighborhood in Cary, North Carolina in 2008. Her husband, Brad Cooper, was immediately suspected in what appeared to be a rush to judgment by local law enforcement in order to appease a nervous community. Brad was later arrested and then convicted of Nancy’s murder.

For many, the question remains, did they get the right person? Did the evidence convict Brad of murder or did he merely fit the narrative that the husband did it, which provided a quick solution to an unsolved murder? The murder conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeals, which called into question many of the assumptions regarding what happened to Nancy. Isolated Incident unravels many of the overlooked and ignored details of this very troubling case.

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Featured Interview With Candace Vianna

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My parents cautioned me to stay away from art related careers. Instead I should pursue a serious occupation that would lead to a “real job and a stable career,” which I did by becoming a metrologist (Yes, that’s how it’s spelled. Metrology is the art and science of measurement which has nothing to do with weather other than ensuring the measuring devices are accurate.) When thirty years later, a pesky thing called ethics got in the way of my career (I have them,) I decided to try my hand at writing.

Born in Seattle, Washington, growing up as the daughter of an engineer, it is small wonder that I ended up pursuing a career in the sciences. During my childhood we traveled across the United States as my father moved from one project to the next, finally finishing up in Charlotte, North Carolina.

After working at a series of bars and restaurants earning $1.65/hr + tips, I came to the realization that a girl with only a high school diploma and no skills, no matter how intelligent or hard working, would always be waiting tables. So I enlisted United States Army where met my metrologist husband of thirty years and traveled the world before settling together in southern California to raise our three beautiful children.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a book nerd all my life. But I’m dysgraphic (a learning disability that effects written expression,) so I never considered writing until about 18 months ago after loosing my job.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
There are too many to list all of them, but below are a few who’ve had the biggest impact:

Stephen King is great when it comes to setting up a scene and creating mood. He’s great a master at crafting metaphors using every day objects. “The Man in the Black Suit” is a prime example.

Ray Bradbury, when it comes to descriptive writing… “And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town. A flooding sea of hot air; it seemed as if someone had left a bakery door open. The heat pulsed among the cottages and bushes and children. The icicles dropped, shattering, to melt. The doors flew open. The windows flew up. The children worked off their wool clothes. The housewives shed their bear disguises. The snow dissolved and showed last summer’s ancient green lawns.
Rocket summer. The words passed among the people in the open, airing houses. Rocket summer. The warm desert air changing the frost patterns on the windows, erasing the art work. The skis and sleds suddenly useless. The snow, falling from the cold sky upon the town, turned to a hot rain before it touched the ground.
Rocket summer. People leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky.” The Martian Chronicles

Kalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” is a great example of using juxtaposition to enhance a point… “Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed”

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s a full length, stand alone, funny, laugh out loud, contemporary romance about a science geek and a sweet guy with big feet. It contains some not so sweet language a few sexy love scenes (the hot, sweaty kind that will make you want to take up smoking.) If you’re bothered by graphic sex and profanity, this may not be your cup of tea–just saying. But if you want a light romance that will (hopefully) make you laugh, this could be your new guilty pleasure.

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Featured Interview With Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in California and raised in Utah. I currently live in West Valley, near Salt Lake. Although I still love California, I find the slower pace of Utah more fitting to my personality. I moved back to California as an adult for two years, but would still rather vacation there. Writing can be involving enough without trying to figure out the freeway system.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was in the first grade when I first developed a love for writing, but I have always been interested in books even before I could read. Serious writing for me, however, didn’t begin until I married and started a new life with my husband. Before that, it was just serious reading for me. I really never thought I’d be a published writer until I became an adult.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy C.S. Lewis and any book that inspires me to move forward in life. That means I read a lot of non-fiction, but it’s surprising how motivating a book of fiction can be if it’s an inspiring read.

I have a lot of help from family, friends and fans to continue to write. I love it when I hear that someone is anxiously waiting for my next book to come out.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Sunny Side-Up, a cozy mystery, was released on October 1, 2014. It’s the second installment in the Susan Cramer Mystery series, and takes place on a cruise ship touring the Hawaiian islands.

Since I traveled the Hawaiian islands in 2007, and gained many fond memories, I was more easily able to write Sunny Side-Up, though you need to know that much care went into accuracy involving working areas of the ship.

For example, do you know where they store the deceased if they die on board?

I didn’t until I did some research.

Sunny Side-Up will be available in both print and eBook formats.

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Featured Interview With Nichole Giles

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Nevada, raised in Arizona, married and settled in Utah for a long time, and have spent the last two years on the Texas coast. We recently had a wonderful opportunity to move back to Utah, which is where I hope to stay forever and never have to pack another moving box ever again!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved stories since I was born, I think, and was a voracious reader in my younger years. In fact, I did a lot of babysitting as a young adult, and spent about 90% of my money at WaldenBooks in the local mall. Mostly on Nancy Drew stories.

I didn’t consider becoming a writer until much later, when my youngest child was starting kindergarten and I realized I might actually have a chance to do something I enjoyed. I took a few writing classes and discovered a whole new love.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I mostly read YA books, because I think they are the most creative, and the most succinctly told. I do also read adult and middle grade, and even picture books on occasion. I am really not all that picky as long as it’s well written. But YA continues to top my most desired TBR list.

I’m a big fan of Suzanne Collins, Ally Condie, Leigh Bardugo, Elana Johnson, and so many others. Really, that’s an unfair question, because my collection of favorite books truly spans more than four full-size bookshelves. But all of these authors inspires me.

I am also very inspired by music and beautiful scenery.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am currently in the process of writing the third book in my DESCENDANT series. DESCENDANT and BIRTHRIGHT are both already available, and they tell the story of Abby, a girl who has inherited healing abilities and psychic sight from her ancestors, along with a 500 year old enemy who wants her dead AND a curse that keeps Abby and her true love, Kye, from being together. This third book follows the couple as they have run away to escape the demons who are chasing them. Along the journey, they must figure out who to trust (after many betrayals) including from each other, while they figure out how to truly break the curse, which will include one last, final sacrifice.

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Featured Interview With David R. Donnelly

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born opposite the Palace Theatre in Manchester, in the United Kingdom, and guess that makes me a genuine Mancunian. I recently became an Author and Self-Publisher based in Felixstowe, England, after working for 36 years as a Solution Designer for British Telecommunications plc.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In 1968, the first book to really capture my imagination was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. However, my work at BT involved reading, writing and illustrating many very large technical documents. Now working for myself I have had some success publishing “The Poetry of Science” in 1998, and “Designing in a Big Way” in 2009, which was a technical paperback in a niche marketplace. Currently, writing under the pen name of Rhett Goreman, I have branched out into Science Fiction with “Escaping the Sun”, which I believe should have a much wider appeal.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading about the true history of Science, it is often stranger than fiction. However, my favourite trilogy in five parts is “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In “Escaping the Sun” the world is getting hotter and we need to evacuate the Earth, but that is not the main problem. When massive asteroid impacts wipe out almost all life in our solar system, the human race has to be rebuilt from genetic archives. But as the new generation of people on Earth, the Moon, and a huge star cruiser discover more about events in the past, so the ultimate fate of all humans is thrown into jeopardy once again. Rhett Goreman hopes that by reading this book, which took him two years to write, you can help him to save the lives of millions.

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Featured Interview With Desmond Ihenze

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Desmond Ihenze is a teacher, wedding planner, relationship and marriage counselor.

His book as a wedding planner is titled Wedding Manual. A book that is written to help all couples to plan their weddings successfully.

This book is currently available on amazon.com book store.

Tell us a little about your latest book?

Are you planning to host a wedding in the near future?

Do you want to plan a successful wedding using whatever budget that is available to you?

Do you need a step by step guide that would help you to plan your wedding so that you will completely avoid wedding planning stress?

Do you want to avoid forgetting any wedding checklist, feature or item that is needed for your wedding to prevent embarrassment on your wedding day?

Then, Wedding Manual by Desmond Ihenze is for you.

Wedding Manual is a complete detailed step by step guide written to help couples all over the world to plan their wedding successfully. It is prepared to fit any church denomination.

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Featured Interview With Kenneth Hicks and Anne Rothman-Hicks

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks have been married for a little over forty years and have produced about twenty books and exactly three children in that time. At press-time, they still love their children more.

Their most recent novels are set in New York City, where they have lived for most of their married lives. Anne is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College where, in 1969, as the fabled Sixties were drawing to a close, she met Ken, who was a student at Haverford College. They don’t like to admit that they met at a college mixer, but there it is!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
We both were avid readers as young children and started writing stories when we were still in elementary school (none published!). While in college, we persuaded one of our favorite professors at Haverford College to sponsor a project course in which we collaborated on a book for children, complete with poems (also not published!). We have been collaborating on novels for adults and children in many genres ever since, as well as photography books and numerous other projects which can be found on our web site www.randh71productions.com.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Anne and I both are big fans of Charles Dickens and Kurt Vonnegut. Anne loves to read mysteries (almost any author) and mainstream books by authors such as Jodi Picoult, Ken Follett and Jeffrey Archer. Ken also likes mysteries, but also likes to read the classics (Cicero, Thucydides, Virgil, Dante) and historical works such as the Shelby Foote’s Civil War series.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
MIND ME, MILADY, published by Barbarian Books, evolved over a long period of time. We liked the idea of having a strong woman character at the heart of the book, and that is certainly Eve Andersen, a corporate litigator who has promised her recently deceased mother that she will close down her law practice in an orderly way and protect her clients. We also liked the idea of writing about a person who remembers bits and pieces of what she thinks is an earlier life, and this concept is at the core of the story as Susan and Eve try to find out the truth. At the same time, Susan has the sense that she is in great danger and, in fact, it becomes clear that s serial rapist operating on the Upper East, dubbed “The Gentleman” by the cops because of his British accent, has both Susan and Eve in his sights. Indeed, very time the phone rings, Eve fears that it will be the Gentleman Rapist to taunt her with the plight of a new victim awaiting rescue.

Eve is a determined, strong woman. But she has enough to deal with in her personal and professional life. But the Gentleman Rapist has escalated to murder and Eve must catch the Gentleman Rapist and stop his deadly game before yet another woman feels a wire tighten around her throat, and hears him whisper, “Mind me, Milady. Mind your master.”

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Featured Interview With Lysander C. Stark

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a house nestled cozily in the woods of a small town in Upstate New York. I was the middle child in a house of 5 boys, spending my childhood trying to make everyone laugh, climbing trees and getting lost in books (and occasionally, the woods). I became a teacher in 2008 and have taught in both New York and in North Carolina where I’ve lived since 2011.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t remember any time in my life where reading and writing stories were absent. But in 4th, 5th and 6th grade, I started to get good feedback on my writing by some of the greatest teachers of all time. I have been writing ever since then.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Calvin and Hobbes comics by Bill Watterson and Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are never far from my nightstand. It is thanks to those two gentleman that I had such an imaginative childhood and maintain such a love of reading and writing. I also loved John Bellairs, Roald Dahl and Jon Scieszka. I was obsessed with Shakespeare in high school and college, but now’a’days I read everything that Neil Gaiman releases, and fill in all the gaps with non-fiction history books. T.J. English especially has a great mix of information and intrigue.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My new book series is called Super (Elementary School) Heroes. The first in the series is titled Kidnapping in Queen City. It’s about seven 4th grade students who develop superpowers after sneaking into an restricted laboratory during a field trip to a science museum. What’s special about these characters though, is not just their super-human abilities, but the way in which they navigate the enormous challenges in their personal lives. My current students love them, and love hearing about the real students they were based on. I vividly remember working with the girl Ke’osha is based on – the team’s telekinetic underdog. Her family had moved several times in a short period (switching schools each time), she cared for her numerous siblings because her mother worked two jobs to support them, and she worked herself to tears to keep her grades up. I was so disappointed that she had so few literary heroes – so few characters who looked and lived like her. The lack of diversity in literature is still troubling, though it’s getting better. But where does a poor, black, transient girl look for inspiration. All of my books are designed to reach a wide audience, but especially those who never get to see themselves reflected in the books they read.

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Featured Interview With Vartika Singh Sikarwar

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a 15yrs old. I wrote this novel when I was in class 12yrs. I was inspired to write this by the most renowned authors of the wold, like William Shakespeare, J.K.Rowling and R.K.Narayan. I believe in God and the soul which resides inside me, and thanks her for all her support during my struggle period. I’m inspired by my soul and is determined that I should never let it go down. For now I live in Ghaziabad, India.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized when I was 11yrs old, that some eternal connection with Books, which soon came out as my firt published book at 15yrs. I started writing when I was 12.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite author is J.K.Rowling and Chetan Bhagat. I also love Hitler’s “My Struggle”. My favourite genre to read is Adventure and Horror.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My Adventure To The Secret Door

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Featured Interview With Georgianne Landy-Kordis

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Spent the first fourteen years of my life in Jamestown, N.Y. until I and my immediate family were taken away from friends, family and belongings by an evil step-father. We were not allowed to tell anyone of our plans to sneak away nor allowed to ever contact anyone from our past for many years. We ended up in Oklahoma where we still reside.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized that I had a very vivid imagination at a very young age but started to write while in the seventh grade while the teacher was teaching something other than writing. I got caught by a very strict nun who embarrassed me so badly that I didn’t write again until I was a senior in a creative writing class. I was again delighted to experience how easily my pen kept up with my thoughts in a very comprehensive way. I have always had a passion for movies and screenwriting and have dabbled in movie making in the past as well.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I never had much time to read for pleasure growing up but I do prefer non-fiction and self help books and I’d rather watch the movie first, then read the book.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This book that I have written is a memoir of my life detailing how a good Catholic family falls into a terrible dysfunctional mess. It details physical and emotional abuse as well as desperate plots to murder. Included is insurmountable amounts of love from the unloved. Only through strong faith in God and the belief of His forgiveness of sins allows this author to survive. Bad choices lead to terrible consequences and only through the death of the mother, aged knowledge and continued faith in God, as promised, was rewarded. This book started out to be a therapeutic adventure for me and has now turned into the readers reflecting on their pasts and being inspired by true strength and perseverance of this author. Once I was serious about writing this story it took a year from start to finish.

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Featured Interview With K. J. Janssen

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Ken is a multi-genre novelist living in Ohio, with his wife and miniature Schnauzer.

Blood Money, Ken’s debut novel centers on Mark Matthews, a private investigator turned FBI agent. In the novel Mark topples an association funneling money to terrorists. Published November, 2011.

Fatal Dose, the second Mark Matthews Mystery exposes a drug mafia distributing counterfeit prescription drugs and revisits some of the villains from Blood Money. Published March, 2013.

Both of these thrillers have multiple five star reviews including Jack (Spywriter) King.

The Path Taken exposes the secret battle for the consciousness of man. It is a modern day Everyman, exposing the between Super Consciousness and the Collective Unconscious.

Siblings, has all the wonder and excitement of a modern day romance novel coupled with an introspective into the hierarchy in sibling families. Romance, gambling, drugs and infidelity are rampant in this tale of the Symington family.

Family Matters is a multi-genre work about three generations of the Kingston family and their interactions with five townspeople in the peaceful community of Old Pebscott, Connecticut. The protagonist, Adam Kingston, provokes each of the main characters with a series of ruthless actions until one is driven to hire an assassin to kill both Adam and his father, and to burn Kingston Manor to the ground.

Ken is a member of ITW, ASCAP.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Around age eight, when I began to write short stories about space travels.

In high school I was editor of The Purple Quill the schools literary supplement.

Over the years I have written and published many short stories.

When I retired, I penned my first full sized novel, Blood Money and have written 4 other novels including a Romance/Suspense novel and an Inspirational one.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Stuart Woods
John Sanford
Josten Gaarder
Paulo Coelho

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Behind the pandemic of counterfeit prescription drug distribution is a cartel run by the mob. When the FBI sets up a Pharmaceutical Drug Squad of Special Agents to close the cartel’s operations down, the members are immediately in danger as the antagonist, Marco Vennuti, takes measures to protect the cartel from the deepening FBI probe.

Special Agent Mark Matthews is assigned to the squad and is teamed up with Special Agent Wendy Farrell who becomes his new love interest. The danger to Mark is amplified when, Mel Tarkington, responsible for the death of Mark’s former lover, Susan Harrigan, comes out of hiding bent on killing Mark.

Fatal Dose has numerous sub-plots that will take the reader down dark and sinister paths. This is Mark Matthews at his best. The novel sizzles with emotion and suspense from start to finish.

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Fatal Dose
Author: K. J. Janssen
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Available at: http://bit.ly/10TPLjN or at Amazon

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Featured Interview With Voss Foster

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
For the most part, I was raised in Moses Lake, Washington and, aside from a six month period when I was a kid, that’s where I’ve been my whole life. Smack in the middle of potato country.

I grew up around animals. Mostly cats, really. We were known to have 20+ cats at a time. Which made the coyotes very happy. Of course, my herd is slightly smaller, now, but I still have a couple kitties roaming about, and a handful of dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’d say I didn’t truly become fascinated with books until around age eight. Before that, I liked to read. Kind of. But around second grade, that’s when I really immersed myself in reading. And, go figure, I was reading fantasy almost exclusively.

That’s also right around when I first tried out writing. And it met with disastrous failure. I have that very first, early short story in a box, if you really need proof (Although my mind has wandered back to the Adventures of Super Duck. Perhaps it’s time for a rewrite?). But that was mostly just me playing around as a kid. I really got serious about my writing in my junior year of high school. I would even give away short stories as Christmas and birthday presents. And people thought that was just peachy. They loved them. I even wrote my first full book in high school, albeit under protest. But I had to do some kind of project to graduate. A book just sounded right.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors vary, depending upon the day. But I have a few I know I can fall back on, no matter what. Christopher Moore is probably the main one. If I see his name on the spine of a book, I at least know the book will be entertaining, if not pure brilliance. I would put Erin Morgenstern right up there with him, too, if she would just put out another book. The Night Circus is easily the best book I’ve read in a long time. I tore through it three times in a row, it was so good. And, to round out the list, I would say Ira Levin. This Perfect Day and The Stepford Wives are two of my all time favorite books.

My favorite genre is a toss up, for me. I can’t settle between science fiction and fantasy, and I have no intention of trying. I prefer writing fantasy, but with reading it’s about equal, for me.

When it comes to inspiration, my answer always used to be vague. It took me a long time to pinpoint authors and artists who were influential to me as a writer. But recently, I’ve managed to ferret out a few. Edgar Allen Poe was one of the first authors I attempted to emulate, although I didn’t realize. But, when I look back through older works, it’s clear as day. Guillermo del Toro is another one who crept into my creative milieu, with his darkness and generally indistinct fantasy (I’d say Pan’s Labyrinth is the movie of his I took the most away from.). And, in their way, my other friends and acquaintances who write are my biggest inspiration. That conspiratorial spirit we share as fellow creatives is almost addictive.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is The Jester Prince, which is the second book of the King Jester Trilogy. It picks up after the destruction of the eponymous circus from the first book, Zirkua Fantastic. Toby, the main character, is now an immortal, and there’s no more hiding the truth from him. Things are not good, and they’re only going to get worse now that King Jester is free to roam the Earth again. But worst of all is that King Jester, the spirit of discord, has his claws in Toby’s boyfriend, Marley. And nobody seems to concerned about the rescue mission. So what does Toby do? He decides to charge in there himself and rescue Marley. What else would a teenage boy in love do?

I got to spend a month with this book, and I fell in love all over again. The first book, of course, sparked the whole affair. But this one was different. We were no longer on the first date. No more getting to know each other. The characters and the world and I were already well meshed by the time I wrote The Jester Prince. So I just got to play. Which, in the end, is why writers write. Or at least why this writer writes: I get to play.

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Featured Interview With Judith Starkston

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I write about the Trojan War and the Greeks set in what is modern Turkey, although back in the period of the Trojan War it was the western edges of the Hittite Empire. That’s a long way from Southern California where I grew up. As a child, I gobbled up books about pioneers on the American frontier–not nearly as far back into history as I’d eventually go. Now I live in Arizona, where my golden retriever Socrates ably assists me in writing by sleeping on my feet and keeping me in my chair.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From my early fascination with pioneers, I moved on in college to classical literature and history. A group of young but inspiring professors hooked me on the ancient Greeks. After a career teaching works like Homer’s Iliad, I decided to write a novel to answer a question I’d been thinking about for years. In the tales about Troy, the captive woman Briseis falls in love with Achilles, the invincible Greek warrior, a half-immortal son of a goddess. He’s destroyed her city and killed her menfolk. No matter how godly he is, Briseis’s love just didn’t make sense to me–so I went digging. Quite literally, since much of the evidence for this intriguing woman comes from archaeology. And before you decide it’s some ancient Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind Achilles is not only the best fighter, but the man who questions why they are fighting the war. No brainwashing here. The answer lay deeper in the psychology of Briseis. Read ‘Hand of Fire’ to find out who she is and what happened when she discovered her love for this famous hero–he doesn’t make it easy!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre is historical fiction. I’m deeply inspired by the Homeric poem, the Iliad, although no one needs to have read the Iliad to enjoy ‘Hand of Fire’. It’s my job to keep true to the tradition and bring you all the history and life of this exotic place and time–you get to sit back and enjoy the time machine and a fast-paced plot. Other authors I also love include Priscilla Royal, Kate Quinn, Sharon Kay Penman, Rebecca Cantrell, Ann Weisgarber and a host of others. Basically, my favorite reading experience is stepping effortlessly into the past with an author who knows both superb story-telling and her history.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Trojan War threatens Troy’s allies and the Greek supply raids spread. A young healing priestess, designated as future queen, must defend her city against both divine anger and invading Greeks. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god. Will that be enough when the half-immortal Achilles attacks? Hand of Fire, a tale of resilience and hope, blends history and legend in the untold story of Achilles’s famous captive, Briseis.

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Featured Interview With Mitch Aigner

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, and after too many freezing winters and mosquito bites, moved to the Pacific Northwest. As an Electronics Design Engineer, moving to the “Silicon Forest” seemed the right move, and it worked for a while. But now, unemployed and caught in this latest Recession, with so many technology jobs getting shipped to China, I’m thinking that maybe I should have just learned how to drive a bulldozer and work on a state road crew, as they can’t out-source that off-shore. As an Engineer, I always did like bulldozers and similar toys. But I would still live out here in the northwest. It’s very pretty.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
A Computer Game junkie from way back, I started writing free on-line Game Guides for a variety of games. If you type my name into Google, many of the hits will be for those old guides. I still write a guide for a game these days called World of Warcraft.

My first real adventure in writing came when my son came back home for a visit after two years in Business School and had no idea what a Stock, Bond, Mutual Fund, or 401K was. His Mom still did his taxes every year. I decided to give him a few lessons, and started writing a brief short course in investing, and how the markets work, for his next visit. By the time I finished, I realized that I almost had a book, and that there were a lot of other youngsters out there about to hit the job market with no idea what a 401K or Roth IRA was. So I re-packaged the course and finished it off into a complete book. I then sent query letters to about a hundred different publishers and a few dozen different agents. What followed was a long and painful exercise in rejection. Fortunately, E-Books were invented, and I finally was able to publish it myself on Amazon. If you don’t have a Retirement plan going yet, you should read it. Short, simple, no long words.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genres are Fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance series), Action/Adventure ( I always liked Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, and Tom Clancy), and Science Fiction (was always an Isaac Asimov fan).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first novel, it’s a roller coaster ride, like my favorite Action/Adventure books, mixed with a bit of The Hunger Games, in that most of the hero’s are kids. Very unusual kids. That’s all I’m going to say about it. You can read the first few chapters on Amazon, but to meet the kids you have to buy the book 🙂

I hammered most of it out in about two months, then got a bit of writer’s block for another two months. It turned out that the solution was to go back to the beginning and start the editing process, which takes a lot longer than people think. In re-reading the whole thing several times, from start to finish, looking for errors (there were lots), I found new ideas to fill in the holes to finish it.

The other problem I had was that some of my proofreaders complained that it was a little short as novels go, and that I should add some “filler”. I couldn’t think of any “filler” that would add much to the story. I finally realized that the filler I didn’t want to write, the readers really wouldn’t want to read either, and besides, a roller-coaster ride is supposed to be fast-paced. The solution was to just state right up front that it’s a short novel. No additives or preservatives.

Marketing blurb:….

A short Novel
Category: Action/Adventure

Ted Kingston had worked for the CIA for almost twenty years, and was not very happy about it. Returning from a particularly unpleasant mission overseas and ordered to take a long vacation by his sympathetic boss, he accidentally witnesses an event that would eventually lead him to an ancient file that the CIA would prefer nobody ever opened. A very dangerous file. A file about a top-secret project that began in World War II, as the unstoppable Nazi war machine was rolling across Europe, and the Japanese bombs were falling on Pearl Harbor, and America was desperate. Very desperate. Desperate enough to….

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