Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Becky Lower

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a boomerang baby. Born and raised in Ohio, but escaped when I was 22. I lived in various parts of the country–south, west, Texas (it deserves its own category), the mountains. Now, I’m back in Ohio, in a small college town near Lake Erie. Six months of the year, it’s lovely. The other six? I’m still working on a solution. But all this wandering around the country has provided me with numerous backdrops for my novels, both contemporary and historical.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The best part of my youth was when the bookmobile rolled into town. I consumed books the way other kids consumed candy. The first recollection I had of actually writing a story was when I was 12. I submitted a screenplay to the Bonanza TV show. Fortunately, the writers sent me a very gracious rejection letter, so I continued to write, off and on over the years. But I didn’t start writing romances in earnest until about eight years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My top three favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn and Jude Deveraux. Each of these great authors has inspired my writing in some form or the other. My historical series came about after reading all Julia’s Bridgerton series. I wanted to do the same kind of thing–a huge, sweeping story about one family, covering years, but I wanted to set my story in America. I tied it into the introduction of the Cotillion Ball into society in 1854. The decade leading up to the Civil War was an exciting time in the United States, and I’ve woven it into my stories. My contemporaries are influenced by Nora Roberts, mostly. I love to write about family dynamics and multi-generations of the same family, all finding love.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Voice Of An Angel is a mash-up of one of my favorite movies–Eddie & The Cruisers–and a local folk singing legend who died way before her time. The idea of merging the two story lines came to me one night while I watched the movie for the millionth time. And once the idea took hold, it took me only four months to write it. Here’s what the story is about: Evelyn Hammer is a woman on the run from her past. Max Bainbridge is an ace reporter with a nose for a story. When they meet, sparks fly. But some secrets are better left alone.

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Featured Interview With C. Robert Cales

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Ohio and apparently the off-switch for the imagination pump malfunctioned and I ended up getting a triple dose. That can either be a gift or a curse, depending on how the overdose is used.

When I was ten I became addicted to the horror genre at the hands of Christopher Lee as Dracula. This addiction drove me to any movie with the slightest potential to provide the next big scare. I’ve seen it all and frankly, a great deal of horror is just lame. I’ve grumbled a lot, but I’m like a moth drawn to porch light. I have no choice.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was a Freshman in high school when I took my hard earned grass-cutting money to the bookstore the first time. I doubt if anyone was surprised by my first purchase, Dracula by Bram Stoker. That’s when I started feeding my addiction a higher quality fix.

I was about sixteen when my imagination started demanding an outlet. I thought about making movies, but even to my teenage mind the start-up costs were prohibitive. On the other hand paper and pen were dirt cheap. I made my decision and set my sights on the writing craft.

I dabbled in science fiction and political intrigue, but nothing was really clicking with me. When I wasn’t trying to figure out the writing craft I was feeding my addiction. This particular afternoon I was leaving the theater after a particularly poor excuse for a scary movie. I was grumbling to myself that I could create a better story. It was at that precise moment that I witnessed a three-way collision between my imagination, my need to write and my love of horror.

My first product was a short story titled Devil Glass. The concept was exactly what I wanted, but I was dissatisfied without really understanding why. After the third rewrite I had a sixty-five page short story with which I was still unhappy. It didn’t have the impact I wanted. That’s when I was hit with my first major lesson along the path to the writing craft. I needed more character development. That’s when I realized the story had to be a novel and suddenly I felt like I was way over my head. I needed help. I needed to see how others did things. I needed to study their work. I needed unwitting mentors.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The unwitting mentors I selected were Stephen King and Anne Rice. They were my goal posts. Everything I wrote was compared to their best works.

I read horror, but I want it to be good. Horror has a tendency to be plot driven with only enough character development to show the reader who the zombies are eating. I want a dynamic plot, but I want a great cast of characters, also. The most minding plot is doomed to be flat and lifeless if it doesn’t impact real characters offering emotional attachment.

I’m inspired by authors who move me, of course, but there is an answer of greater clarify. At times my imagination leaves me stunned. I begin a story with a basic concept, some concept relevant characters and turn it over to my lifelong invisible companion. Periodically I view film clips that are prepared for me and then I use my skill as a writer to show the reader what I’m being shown.

I am not unaccustomed to being shocked by the actions or dialog of characters. I never know the ending except in the most general terms until it’s exposed to me. The entire process is quite entertaining except when it’s not. I’ve killed off some good characters, but not all were by design. Sometimes a sacrifice is demanded.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
George Saunders was the quintessential bookwork who grew up to be a rare book dealer. The Bookseller, his bookstore and the residence above sit across from Boston Common and was a wedding present from his father-in-law thirty years before the story begins. He’s married to his college sweetheart who runs a coffee parlor in a corner of the bookstore. These are good people with good friends. Their lives are about to be turned upside-down.

Carlos Ramirez, drug lord, child molester, murderer and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nonhuman spirit, hundreds of past lives, billions in treasure, bloody footprints across history, memories of everything. His best men have perfected a process for infusing liquid cocaine into the pages of books and withdrawing it at the destination point. He’s looking for a bookstore in the perfect location for acquisition to complete the next step of his plan.

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Featured Interview With Patti Sheehy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up along the Delaware River in Yardley, PA, earned a degree in history from Rider University, and spent the bulk of my career in marketing and communications, primarily in the healthcare industry. I now live in a small town in South Jersey called Haddon Heights, where I have hung my hat for more than thirty years. My book, THE BOY WHO SAID NO: An Escape to Freedom, was named ONE BOOK HADDON HEIGHTS and just about everyone in town has read it by now. The protagonist of the book, Frank Mederos, and I have been speaking to various book clubs and civic organizations about three times a week since the book was launched in June 2013.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. When I was young I had a very long school bus ride and would entertain myself with a book. My mother was also an avid reader and one of my early childhood memories was her reading WINNIE THE POOH to my siblings and me. While I did public relations and magazine writing for many years, THE BOY WHO SAID NO was my first attempt at a book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am very eclectic in my reading habits, and select books from a wide variety of genres. I buy used books so I can mark them up and make notes in them without feeling guilty. I judge a book by how defaced it is when I finish reading it. I love authors who use crisp, clear prose that allows the reader to clearly picture scenes in their minds. I tried to accomplish that in my own writing. Some of my favorite writers include Jodi Picoult, Jeannette Walls, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oats, and Lee Child.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
THE BOY WHO SAID NO is based on the true story of Frank Mederos, who grew up in Cuba during the early years of Castro’s rule. We see the gradual destruction of the country through his eyes and follow him as he is drafted into the army, promoted to Special Forces, falls in love, and defects to join the love of his life who has left Cuba for America. Chased by 300 members of the Special Forces, Frank makes three harrowing escape attempts in the name of love and freedom.
I interviewed Mr. Mederos every week for more than a year to obtain the material for this book. THE BOY WHO SAID NO has been greeted by critical acclaim, having won the 2013 USA Best Book Finalist Award, the ForeWord Best Book of the Year award in its genre, and the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for BEST NEW VOICE IN FICTION. The sequel to THE BOY WHO SAID NO will be released by Oceanview Publishing September 2, 2014. It is called STALKED: The Boy Who Said No and begins where THE BOY WHO SAID NO ends. Each book took a little over a year to write.

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Featured Interview With Deborah H. Bateman

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a Christian author. I primarily write Bible studies and devotionals. I was born and raised in South Carolina and still live there. I am happily married. I have two beautiful daughters and five precious grandchildren. I love studying the Bible and sharing it with others. I am the founder of Christian Daily Resources, a Christian online ministry and publisher, dedicated to “Sharing God’s Word” around the world through books and blogs. I am the author of the Daily Bible Reading Series, in which I have written and published twenty books so far and have more on the way. I also am the author and publisher of Self Publishing Simplified: How to publish books on Kindle. I love coaching and encouraging other authors through their publishing process.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed reading books. It has always been easier for me to express my feelings in writing than through speech. I started blogging in 2010 and became a published author in 2011 and haven’t slowed down since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy reading Christian books. Some of my favorite authors are Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Max Lucado, and John Maxwell among others. I am inspired by God to share His Word with the world. My family and friends support me in my endeavors.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Book of 1 Thessalonians: Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is a Daily Bible Reading Study of the book of 1 Thessalonians by Deborah H. Bateman. It is the twentieth book in the Daily Bible Reading Series. The Book of 1 Thessalonians is from the New Testament of the Bible. It’s a letter from Paul, Silas and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians.

Paul established the church of Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. It was known throughout the land that the Thessalonians had great faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul loved the Thessalonians. He had a great concern for the Thessalonians and desired to see them again. But, since Paul couldn’t go see them he sent Timothy to encourage them in the faith.

The Book of 1 Thessalonians: Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians contains eight Bible lessons which can be used for personal of group Bible studies. Each lesson contains a brief commentary by the author, the Daily Bible Scripture, several questions for contemplation or discussion, and a prayer to go along with the lesson. Our desire is that this book will help you to have a better understanding of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.

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Featured Interview With Arti Honrao

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Arti Honrao is author of fiction books ‘My Life-story’ and ‘Is This Love & Autumn – The Last Leaf’ and Novel ‘Resemblance – The Journey of a Doppelganger’.
She began studying medicine but realized soon that her real calling was writing.

Today after some ten years of blogging at Straight from the heart where her entire work is neatly categorized in Poems, Short Stories, Short Story Series, Fiction Letters, Sentimental Posts, Silent Night and more, capturing some breath taking moments with her camera, and sharing different quotes on her My Two Cents Page and having published a few heart touching stories she is glad she listened to her heart.

Most of her writings depict human feelings and emotions, which she tries to bring out onto the page and into the minds of the reader. She believes that essence of writing lies in not only entertaining the reader, but speaking to them through words. Her style of writing makes it easier for the readers to visualize the story unfolding around them. She is of the opinion that being good at writing a story is not about the story being unpredictable, it is about the way you narrate the predictable story and still keep the reader interested.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was 12; got published in college magazine. A couple of times in JAM. When I was studying Medicine, on one side I had my medical books and one the other side I had a blank writing pad and a pen..
Whenever I got tired of studying, I used the pen to compose a poem on the writing pad. I became serious about writing at a later stage.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading Nicholas Sparks, Mitch Albom, Sidney Sheldon, Cecelia Ahern and a few more. Rhonda Byrne with her book “The Secret” has influenced my life in a special way. So has Eckhart Tolle with his book “The Power of Now”.
Though I am open to reading any genre, I specifically like Romance.
A few friends have said my writing style is somewhat similar to Sidney Sheldon, though personally I would like to be someone like Nicholas Sparks, a person who has the capability to touch hearts with words and bring tears to your eyes. I enjoy reading his letters and a few fiction letters I have written are influenced by them ..

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Resemblance – The Journey of a Doppelganger is the story of Sneha who falls in love with the man whose wife is a look-alike of hers.

Synopsis:
When you perform on stage in school or college days, you try your best to become one with the character you portray in the play. The applause from audience is the prize you get for your performance and dedication.
However, it is totally different if you have to play the role in your real life. Portraying someone else, being one with someone, giving your best shot to be that person is not as easy as acting on stage. And, the applause does not come. Silent gratitude from the person to whom it makes the difference and hostility from those who are offended, without you wanting to offend them, is all you get in real life for role-playing.

When Sneha sees Ajay for the first time, she is not aware her life is going to turn upside – down. She does not know she is about to lose her individuality and step into someone else’s shoes willingly. What seems like love at first sight for her also means facing responsibilities which she is not sure, initially, whether she is ready to accept. The intensity of her feelings for Ajay, however, finally makes her take up the challenge of role playing of a wife and a mother.

Resemblance begins with Sneha being exposed to the shocking fact that she resembles a woman she has never met before in her life, a woman who is the wife of the man she falls in love with. The story completes a full circle when in the end Sneha finally reaches where she is meant to be, being who she is really meant to be. She faces the hostility of few people, swims through the sea of emotions, accepts the challenge of life and battles the desires which take a toll on her peace of mind to finally fulfil her true purpose in life.

On one hand, Resemblance takes us on a journey of Sneha’s life and on other hand it also tells us about the depth of mother’s love for her child, which overcomes even the barrier set by death.

Read more here > http://www.artihonrao.in/p/resemblance-journey-of-doppelganger.html

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Featured Interview With Aida Jacobs

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Southern California to a Cuban mother and a Scottish father, and I spent the first thirty years of my life there.

I’ve always been a shy dreamer with a highly active imagination (obviously, that hasn’t changed). Even as a child, I knew that I was different from other children my age because I always preferred books to television (both of my parents loved to read, so it was inevitable). I was the type of student to get in trouble for reading books during class when I was supposed to be working on other assignments simply because I couldn’t wait until recess or lunch to find out what would happen next to the story’s protagonist. I was also the kind of student who would always read ahead in reading assignments…which would also earn me a lecture from my teacher. I simply couldn’t help myself. I would get completely drawn into the story, and I could envision it all perfectly in my mind as I became ever attached to the characters.

Simply put, I was (and still am) a giant geek, and I couldn’t be more proud of that.

Almost three years ago, my husband and I decided to pull up stakes and move to Minnesota where we now make our home with our inquisitive, almost two year-old daughter, and our two very spoiled cats. When I’m not writing or spending time with my husband and daughter, I enjoy gaming (of both the video and table-top variety), reading, collecting comic books, and cooking.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My love for books (especially books of the fantasy genre) was kindled by my father when I was a little girl. An avid reader himself, he strove to share that love of the written word with me by reading aloud to me every night before I went to sleep. Among the many books he would read to me a chapter at a time before I went to bed as a child, ‘The Hobbit’ was one of them. After that I was hooked.

I had honestly never made the conscious decision to pursue writing as a career until my Senior year of high school during the creative writing class I took as an elective. Up until then, I had always preferred to simply read and live vicariously through the characters on the pages. When I wasn’t writing essays or doing other homework assignments, I would occasionally dabble in fanfiction for my favorite books and anime. One fanfic in particular that springs to mind was a sequel I wrote to ‘Phantom of the Opera’ (my obsession for that classic, tragic tale still continues to this day) when I was in junior high. It was so the very first story I ever wrote (and that has long-since been lost since it was originally written on an 8 inch floppy disk), but it was not until that first creative writing class I took in school that the idea of becoming a published author really pushed itself to the front of my mind. From the first moment I started scratching out my heroine’s character description in my notebook, I knew in my gut that this was a dream I wouldn’t be able to walk away from.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Fantasy has always been my favorite genre. From the first moment my father read ‘The Hobbit’ aloud to me as a child, I was completely hooked on the genre. Every book I’ve read since then, every video game I’ve played, and every film I’ve watched has only increased my love and fascination for the world of dragons, elves and other mystical beings.

My favorite authors within this genre are Tolkien and Salvatore, but lately, I’ve developed quite the fondness for David Gaider (the head writer for the Dragon Age series over at Bioware) because he has expanded upon the characters and world I’ve grown attached to through all the times I’ve played the Dragon Age games.

For me, Tolkien will always be the master when it comes to the fantasy genre, and I can only hope to be one tenth as good as he was. Perhaps it’s because of my early exposure to him, but I will always have a special place in my heart for his writing.

I love the humor that Gaider and Salvatore weave into their stories, and I try to use them as a general example for how to add humor into a scene. Make no mistake, I love drama and angst as much as the next person (after all, how can a character truly grow if they’ve never been put through the paces?), but I truly believe that a well-placed quip is sometimes all you need to keep a scene from getting too dark and heavy.

My guilty pleasures though are paranormal romance novels, and my two favorite authors of that genre are Lynsay Sands and Christine Feehan.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Dragon Guardian series (the very first draft of Dragon Guardian: Fire in any case) originally started off as my creative writing project during my Senior year of high school. The students in the class were required to submit a new written piece every week (or in the event of the student choosing to write poetry, three new pieces). We had free rein. Occasionally, Ms. Skacan, our teacher, would give us a prompt for an assignment to be done and turned in by the end of class, but for the most part, she allowed us to work on our weekly projects.

It was at that moment I came up with the idea of writing a novel during the course of the year. The chapters would of course be my weekly submissions for the class, and when I approached Ms. Skacan with the idea, she very enthusiastically told me to run with it. After that, the idea for Marin, the sassy redhead that would become my protagonist, popped into my head and I spent the entire weekend getting to know her in my mind. Thus began the first of what would be the many pages of notes that I reference back to on a continual basis.

That was fourteen years ago.

‘Dragon Guardian: Fire’ introduces the world of Primordya that suffers under the tyrannical rule of Nahga–queen of the dark elves. It falls to the deposed Princess Marin Draconya, the intrepid, half-elven heroine, and last remaining heir to the throne, to restore peace to the war-torn, tumultuous land that was once ruled by her father.

‘Dragon Guardian: Fire’ marks the beginning of my Dragon Guardian series, in which over the course of four books I will bring to life a world and characters that have been growing within my imagination for fourteen years. This series truly is my life’s work, and I am very excited to share it with the world.

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Featured Interview With Randy Attwood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up on the grounds of a Kansas insane asylum where my father was a dentist. I attended the University of Kansas during the troubled 1960s getting a degree in art history. After stints writing and teaching in Italy and Japan I had a 16-year career in newspapers as reporter, editor and column writer winning major awards in all categories. I turned to health care public relations serving as director of University Relations at KU Medical Center. I finished my career as media relations officer of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Now retired, I am marketing the fiction I’ve written over all those years. And creating more.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In grade school I started reading Tom Corbet and the Space Patrol series, I believe it was called. I loved the Black Stallion series. In high school I read Fu Manchu series, Sci-fi (early discovered Philip K. Dick) and James Bond. Then in college I branched into more general literature. My writing is all over the genre map.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Joseph Conrad, Eric Remarque, Graham Green, Elmore Leonard, Robertson Davies, Walker Percy, John D. MacDonald, Adam Hall, Evelyn Waugh…so many more.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Heart Chants,” second in the Phillip McGuire series. I loved John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee mystery series. I read and reread all of them not so much for the mystery, but because I wanted to be with Travis again. I wanted to create that kind of character. Heart Chants, too, contains what I think is the best and most complete re-telling of the amazing Navajo creation story and its FOUR Great Floods. It’s been not only favorably compared to Tony Hillerman, but several have said “Heart Chants” is better.

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Featured Interview With Belle Blackburn

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Knoxville, TN and moved to Nashville for college and stayed. Was too busy raising parents and children to do any serious writing until recent years. My husband and I had a conversation years ago about distinguishing murder vs. suicide and it percolated in the back of my mind for a long time until it had cooked itself into a book. Nashville is a city with wonderful history so I set the story there.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
For some reason my mother did not want to spend her entire day reading to me and I hated her closing a book to get on with her day. I was fortunate to have a brother two years older who would come home from school and teach me what he had been taught in school that day so we learned to read together. Getting my library card at age four was like the key to Disney World to me. I used to be frustrated that the kid mystery books featured nine-year-olds and never someone my age. I wrote a book at age ten called Irving the Ghost that involved a mystery but have no idea what became of it. So I am late getting to the first book, but here we go.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I think the authors that have influenced me have been Susan Howatch, Margaret Mitchell and Diana Gabaldon, to name just a few. Susan Howatch is a genius at telling a story through different viewpoints and you think you know a situation until you see someone else’s point of view. She always explores the complicated human condition so thoroughly in her Starbridge and St Benet series. I read Gone With the Wind when I was 14 and it was the first time history really came alive for me, more than just statistics in a book. Diana Gabaldon is good at incorporating medicine and history in her books, which I have attempted to do in mine.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Doctor’s Daughter: Journey to Justice is set in Civil War Nashville and involves a murder mystery. Kate is convinced her father did not commit suicide and is determined to clear his name. She takes a real journey through antebellum law and medicine to finally get the answer with a lot of laughs and some romance along the way. Nashville really played a pivotal role in the war and was the country’s first experience with military occupation so was a great setting for the book. And to answer the first question I get after people read it, yes, there is a sequel on the way! That troublesome girl just left too many things undone. The book has been #1 in historical fiction on Amazon and I am grateful for the readers that put it there.

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Featured Interview With P.S. Winn

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Kalispell, MT, left and lived in Utah for over 20 years and have returned to my home a couple of years ago. I have 11 novels, 12 very soon. I love to write, read and review. I feel that it is the readers imagination that finishes my novels, without them my books are just words on paper. I want people to read my book and think wow, and then read them again.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I read when I was very young, before beginning school. I was the youngest girl in my family and spoiled rotten. Luckily for me I was spoiled by being taught things. I always remember writing, but didn’t actually try to publish until October of 2012. I have a hard time sleeping at night because the stories whirl around in my head. I have to put them on paper to stop them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read horror, mystery and supernatural. Which I also write. Although I like to read and review children’s books because it is so important to instill the love of reading in our kids. I love Stephen King, Joe Hill and of course Tolkien and Dickens. I have so many knew writers I have found by doing reviews and it is nice to know great writing continues on.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The newest novel I will be publishing soon is a conspiracy book that is based on a true story. A man has invented a device that can eliminate pollution while making energy. Of course big oil companies don’t want that and that is where the adventure begins. It is called “Suppression” and should be available in May sometime.

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Featured Interview With Eva Gordon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi,
I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently live in Dallas (hubby transferred there for work).
I write genre bending paranormal/fantasy novels with a strong romantic element. HEA. I love to create stories that combine my passion for mythology, romance, and suspense and werewolf lore. I also write steampunk and Victorian era historical and alternative novels. Hand of Miriam, A Bayla and the Golem Novel, is book one in my gothic romance steampunk adventure. Her Majesty’s Witch, A Bayla and the Golem Novel will be book 2.
Lycan Gladiator is book 1 in my paranormal wolfish romance historical series, The Wolf Maiden Saga. Book 2, Wolf Knight in King Arthur’s Court is with my editor.
I also have two books in the After the Bane series (paranormal romance/zombie apocalypse), Apocalyptic Moon and Book 2, Raven Moon released April 9, 2014.
I have a BS in Zoology and graduate studies in Biology. I have taught high school Biology, Environmental Science and Anatomy/Physiology. When not in my den writing, I enjoy world travel, steampunk conventions, hiking, raptor rehabilitation and wolf sanctuaries.
I also teach online workshops on wolf lore ancient falconry and animal lore. I will be doing Wolf Lore Lecture at the Romance Writers of America 2014 Convention.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been a reader since I learned how to read. Then I fell in love with horses and read just about every horse story from Black Beauty to King of the Wind. Along the way I fell in love with reading fantasy and science fiction. Romance reading came later when I discovered I loved happy endings.

I started writing while teaching high school biology and raising my children. Soon my addiction to writing grew and I decided to quit teaching and follow my passion.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Wow. There are so many authors I love both in fiction and non-fiction. I love Diane Gabaldon, Terry Goodkind, Jacqueline Cary, Bernard Cornwell, Michael Crichton and so many more.

My stories are actually inspired by my passion for nature, animal lore and myths. Naturally, paranormal romance became the perfect genre for my musings. I also love fantasy and steampunk, which appeals to my world building love and the addition of Jewish myths into my current novel, Hand of Miriam.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Hand of Miriam, A Bayla and the Golem novel takes place in a Victorian world of supernatural creatures, magnificent airships, and a secret society. Bayla is a bluestocking adventuress who, threatened by evil seeks protection by awakening the golem.

Here is the blurb:
On an archaeological expedition, Bayla Gideon, is widowed by a supernatural force and branded with the Hand of Miriam or Knowing Eye. Threatened by evil, she awakens the golem; a mythical man of clay, who protected the Jewish community over three centuries ago.
The golem, Gesher, is surprised. Freedom –by a beautiful, enchanting woman. His desire is to return to the celestial spheres and regain his status as an avenging angel. Yet, Bayla challenges his mind, body and soul. Would he risk his return to the heavens for her?
Besides, dealing with the otherkind, mad inventors and an unrelenting matchmaking aunt, Bayla is equally determined to resist her steamy attraction to the striking fallen angel.
Thrust into a malevolent war, which includes facing Jack the Ripper, they must resist the magnetic pull toward each other, while protecting the world from encroaching evil.

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Featured Interview With Jeramy Goble

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Jeramy Goble is a whimsical and refreshing science fiction and fantasy author, originally from Morganton, North Carolina. While traveling with his sister, mother, and military father, Jeramy accumulated passions for the wonders of world faiths, and the excitement of science and technology. In addition to being an author, Jeramy is an IT professional, composer and avid gamer. After studying music, Jeramy received his bachelor’s degree in 2004. He and his wife, Julia, were married in 2010 and currently reside in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
When I was six, I vividly remember first reading WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein. To this day, I can recall how other-worldly Shel’s introduction to the book was, and how the power of his words transported me into the shoes of those different than me. He instilled in me an appreciation for imagination and humor, as well as a passion for learning about others. That experience actively kicked off my love for reading, but I didn’t begin writing in earnest until I was in college.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I usually alternate between science fiction and fantasy, but also often read biographies and historical non-fiction. I make an effort to search out original premises in science fiction, but especially fantasy, because gnomes, trolls, faeries and dwarves, (a la Tolkien), have been done to death. I absolutely adore Tolkien, now that I’ve brought him up, but someone outdoing what he did so well is extremely rare. With that said, Tolkien is an important influence on my writing because of how well he conveys the mammoth scope of Middle Earth and the cultures within, as well as all of his attention to history and minutiae that sells the context of his stories. Minutiae and context are extremely important to me.
In addition to Tolkien, Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, Brandon Sanderson’s work, and Madeleine L’Engle are some of my favorites.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Souls of Astraeus is the first book in my Akallian Tales series. I did the bulk of writing on it some six or seven years ago before life interrupted and inserted many a writing hiatus. I added to it, revised, edited and finished in October 2013.
It tells of Akal, a fairly submissive young man who, when faced with losing the love of his life, experiences a transformation that makes him aware of his millions of past lives and gains access to their abilities. What will he do with his new knowledge and abilities? Are there others like him? If so, how are *they* using their abilities? If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve had past lives and what it would be like to have the knowledge of those previous experiences, this science fiction and fantasy adventure will give you an idea.

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Featured Interview With Harold Titus

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
A graduate of UCLA, I am a retired English and American history teacher. I taught mostly eighth grade students in Orinda, CA for 31 years. I coached many of the school’s sports teams. For several years I taught a drama class that performed comedies I wrote that spoofed TV shows (“Little House on the Prairie,” “Batman”), novels (‘Shane,” “The Outsiders”) and middle school students and teachers in a fictitious school much like where I taught. I was born in New York State, lived two years in Tennessee, but was raised mostly in Pasadena, CA. I have lived in Florence, OR since 1996.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I believe the first novel I read was “Shasta of the Wolves,” about an Indian baby raised and protected by wolves, when I was in the fifth grade. Thereafter, into high school I read a lot of animal novels — Albert Payson Terhune’s dog stories and Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” and “White Fang.” I read Thomas Costain’s “The Black Rose” and “The Silver Chalice” in high school. A history major in college, fascinated by the Civil War, I read MacKinlay Kantor’s “Andersonville” and Michael Shaara’s “The Killer Angels,” both great books. Soon after graduating, I enjoyed reading “Raintree County” by Ron Lockridge, Jr. I wrote several short stories during my early teaching years that did not merit publication, but I enjoyed the challenge and experience. I wrote several bad chapters of a historical novel about Grant’s campaign at Vicksburg while I was in the army, between graduation from college and teaching in Orinda. I began my Revolutionary War novel “Crossing the River” several years after I retired from teaching in 1991. It was published in 2011.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I especially like Winston Graham (read all of his Poldark novels) and A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (read all of his novels of the West). These two authors’ style of writing has influenced me. Betty Smith and Jessamyn West are favorite female authors. I like James Alexander Thom’s novels about native Americans. Then there is John Steinbeck. Historical fiction obviously is my favorite genre.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Crossing the River” is about the beginning of the Revolutionary War: the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the retreat of the British army to Charlestown April 19, 1775. It narrates the internal conflicts, hubris, stupidity, viciousness, valor, empathy, and sacrifice of many of the historical day’s participants. It investigates simultaneously the cause and consequence aspects of high-risk decision-taking.

Three characters among many stand out.

Corporal John Howe is the personal servant of an infantry captain chosen to lead a two-officer spy mission to locate the stockpiled stores. Howe demonstrates useful attributes. Commanding General Thomas Gage pairs him with Colonel Francis Smith to conduct another covert reconnaissance. Howe completes the mission alone.

General Gage orders Howe to alert prominent Tories north of Boston of the intended Concord raid and then to ride to Concord to report what he has seen on the roads.

Howe is conflicted by his regard for Gage, his desire to achieve officer rank, his disdain for Tories and brutish army life, and his growing respect for independent-minded provincials.

Acton schoolmaster James Hayworth musters in the yard of his life-long friend and neighbor, Minuteman Captain Isaac Davis. Davis is the first man killed at Concord’s North Bridge. Enraged, Hayworth parallels the British army’s retreat, endeavoring to kill at every opportunity. Physically and emotionally spent, he rests beside a two-story, red-roofed house a mile west of Lexington.

The enormity of what he has committed overwhelms him. He longs for a return of normalcy. He wants to marry the remarkable young woman he covets. A looter leaves the house and disappears down the road. Leaving his place of safety to draw well water, James is challenged by a second looter.

Conniving Simon Winsett volunteers to be the third Lexington scout to ride down the moon-lit Menotomy road to locate General Gage’s advancing force. Rejected by his family and distrusted by most of the townspeople, Simon needs to demonstrate his core goodness. He is captured by the army’s advance scouts but later escapes.

Many other characters contribute to the tapestry of the day’s events. The novel took me, off and on, 17 years to write.

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Featured Interview With Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, I’m Sandra. I was born in Chicago and currently live in the Chicago suburbs, but in between I’ve also lived in Wisconsin, Ohio (for grad school), and Maryland (during an internship).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading when I was three years old and only stop when things like work or sleep require me to. I wrote a play in middle school and some poems in high school, but I didn’t start writing fiction until my mid-twenties after getting some inspiration from the Beatles. You can see their influence in the characters I write and in the way my characters come in groups of four.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read and write science fiction and fantasy. Some of my favorite authors are Patricia McKillip, Connie Willis, Julie E. Czerneda, and Lindsay Buroker.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Twinned Universes is the (science fiction) story of Paul Harrison, a young actor who learns he’s not just the descendant of a TwenCen rock musician named Sean Lyon, but a clone of Sean himself. When Paul’s mother dies under peculiar circumstances, Paul suspects the death has something to do with his being Sean’s clone–especially when Paul’s great-uncle pressures him to take up music. Paul’s search for answers takes him into an alternate universe where Sean is still alive but fated to be killed soon. Will Paul pursue justice for his mother, or will he risk his own life to save Sean?

Paul’s greatest ambition as an actor is to play Hamlet, and he quotes from the play throughout the book. His best friend, Scott, is a computer whiz who’s as loyal as Horatio, and Scott’s sister, Yvonne, as devout as Ophelia. Yvonne struggles between her attraction to Paul and her religious beliefs that insist clones have no souls. Rounding out the group is Paul’s younger sister Cass, who has no counterpart in Hamlet

Twinned Universes went through so many drafts I’ve lost track of how long it took me to write the book.

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Featured Interview With Shelby K. Morrison

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in California and Utah, where I currently live. I am married with two shih-tzus. Which is all so very boring. I am a writer, pure and simple. I have stories pushing and shoving to get onto paper, characters eager to meet me and make their debut and a keyboard that just can’t keep up. My first book, Shattered, is a psychological thriller but I plan on exploring the fantasy genre for my next book. Any book that takes me away is a book worth writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began reading books from the library by the wheelbarrow full in junior high. The right book can transport you to a whole new world, let you be a different person, change your perspective and take you on an adventure. Most of all, it provides an escape. I can sword-fight before bed and then wake up to uncover a mystery only to learn I have special powers before lunch. Books are amazing. It was eighth grade that I wrote my first story, after having written several poems and songs. After that, there was no turning back. My brother would sit on the floor beside me and listen to each chapter after I wrote it and tell me how amazing I was. And so I continued to right on the hope I’d have other readers who thought the same.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like to read a wide variety of authors and books so I don’t have a favorite author. Favorite genres include Fantasy, Thrillers, Action Adventure, Spec Fiction. But I’ve been known to read any genre, as far as Christian Romance if the author is great. I read to learn. Almost every author stands to teach me something so I try not to stick too strictly to my favorite genres and instead search for the best writers. I am inspired with every book that keeps me up at night, that causes me to daydream or that evokes a tear. I want to be that author.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Shattered is a psychological thriller that follows college student Alex Bowen as she digs for answers after discovering she’s being watched. She is taken from the comforts of Oregon to the dangers of a mysterious island to disquieting buildings with dark histories and beyond. Alex realizes she’s been shoved head first into a conspiracy theory and that all her digging might destroy all she knows.
Shattered took a few years to write, re-write, re-draft and re-write a few more times. It started off a very different story than it is now.

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Featured Interview With Andi O’Connor

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Fantasy author based in Harrsiburg, PA where I was born and raised. Actually, I’m living in the house I grew up in with my husband, son, and four dogs (don’t ask) so my life’s pretty boring in regards to places I’ve lived, but with a 3-year-old and four dogs, it’s never dull!

I ambitious…or insane…depending on how you want to look at it and am writing and publishing three different series at the same time. I write mostly adult Fantasy delving on the darker side of things, but I do have a YA series, The Vaelinel Trilogy. I love Fantasy because it’s completely imaginary, yet it’s real. It’s relatable. It lets us escape but reminds us of our own experiences. I am extremely conscious of this when I write and find ways to incorporate controversial topics and issues in a way which may not be blatantly obvious to the reader.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I had a fascination with books ever since I can remember. My mom loved reading and imparted that on me since the day I was born. She’d always read to me, take me to the library every weekend, buy me books when she could. She was a teacher, and I’d go along with her to Scholastic sales, totally fascinated with the shelves of books as far as the eye could see. Because of her, I learned to appreciate books, not just for the words, but for everything they have to offer. For me, it’s not just a book or a story. It’s an entire sensory experience. The smells, the sounds, the feel. Books are a part of my life and my home. They’re welcoming, inviting, cozy, and intriguing. And all of that is imparted on family and friends the minute they step through the front door.

Though I’ve always been a reader, I didn’t begin writing until college. I got an idea for a story, started writing for fun, and it spiraled from there. I didn’t start with the mindset of getting published or becoming an author, but now it’s what I do full time. That music performance degree is really coming in handy! 😉

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
As you might expect, I read mostly fantasy, though I do enjoy mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and adventure novels as well. My favorite Fantasy authors to read – as well as those who inspire me – are Terry Brooks, Juliet Marillier, Mercedes Lackey, Terry Goodkind, Anne McCaffrey, Philip Pullman, Jonathan Stroud, and Ursula LeGuin. (I could go on, but I think I’ll stop there!) I love supporting fellow indie fantasy authors as well, and a few who I’ve thoroughly enjoyed are Scott Marlowe, Duncan M. Hamilton, and Byron A. Wells. If you’re a fan of fantasy, check them out! They’ve got some great stuff!

As far as non-fantasy, I love Clive Cussler, Andrew M. Greeley, Dean Koontz, Diane Mott Davidson, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child….to name a few.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Silevethiel, was released in December 2013 and is the first book in my YA series. It actually started as an idea for a short story and then exploded into a full novel. I started writing it during NaNoWriMo while I was waiting for a response from the publisher of my first book, The Lost Heir, which is subsequently part of why I have 3 series going on simultaneously!

It is YA, but many adults have enjoyed it, and it was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2013. It follows a typical delicate princess, who’s father is murdered. She is betrayed by the only other person she trusted and finds herself an exile. With the help of some unlikely friends, she must rise above the frail, dependent woman she was raised to be and find the strength and maturity to unite the four elf races and stand against the evil threatening to destroy the world.

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Featured Interview With P.G. Glynn

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Kent (often referred to as ‘The Garden of England’) and lived in Switzerland for a while before marrying and moving to Bournemouth, Dorset, where I brought up my two daughters. Since then I’ve lived on the glorious Gower peninsula in Wales, in Falmouth, Cornwall – and am currently based in medieval Totnes, Devon. Roughly every seven years I find myself feeling restless and ready for new horizons! I’ve now lived in Totnes for almost six years, so it’s anybody’s guess where I’ll end up next. (Maybe I’ll even stay here!)

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved books since my early teens, when I read ‘Gone With The Wind’ and was totally absorbed by it, morning, noon and night till I reached the end. Around that time I also became a Daphne du Maurier fan – and to this day ‘Rebecca’ is among my favorites. In fact, I have trespassed at Menabilly (where Daphne once lived and which became Manderley in her bestseller)! As a result of trespassing there, I met her former housekeeper and the housekeeper’s son – Ralph Rowe, who until his recent tragic death was a master jeweler in Par, Cornwall. In fact, I commissioned Ralph to create a ring for me. It’s simply beautiful and I’ll treasure it forever.
As for when I started writing, this was initially at the insistence of my grandmother, who saw potential in the letters I wrote her from France at the age of 13. I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually write a massive saga (‘The Foreigner’)!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve already mentioned two of my favorite authors. Others include: Robert Harris (especially ‘The Ghost’), Robert Goddard, Susan Hill, Lee Child, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Rosie Thomas, Kate Mosse, Kate Morton, Kate Furnivall and Joanna Trollope. I love good thrillers and have fallen for Jack Reacher in Lee Child’s books. I also like it when novels touch at least a little on the supernatural – and am impressed by those where the author explores relationships in a meaningful and ‘real’ way. My best reads have been when a novel (whatever its genre) has absolutely absorbed me from beginning to end. I’m inspired by every author who succeeds in grabbing my attention! I’ve also always been inspired by my grandmother, without whose early encouragement I might never have found the confidence (and optimism) to begin writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I can’t really take the credit for my latest book – ‘Sam’s Story: It’s A Dog’s Life’ – as it was inspired (and co-authored) by my Bearded Collie, Sam. His whole approach to life and to the people and animals he meets, set me thinking about how much humans can learn from dogs. I’ve certainly learned massively from him and his quest to grow wings! ‘Sam’s Story’ took the two of us about six months to write, whereas ‘The Foreigner’ and ‘Out Of Time’ both took many years, as can be seen from my website.

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Featured Interview With Ikish Mullens

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the central ward of Newark, New Jersey, where I lived until the age of 5 or 6. Then around 1987-88, my family and I moved from the central ward of Newark to Bradley Courts, or Hoodaville as we call it, which is located in the west ward of Newark, where I remained until I graduated from high school in 2000.

Moreover, soon after graduating from Newark Central High School, I began working for the Newark Board of Education, which was the first job that I can recall ever having. Then after a year of working for the Board of Education, I landed a job in the corporate world, working in the copy center for a law firm based in the downtown Newark area, where I remained for the next five years, up until the time I began writing Mind Games: A Brick City Story.

Then around 2005-06, my family and I moved again. However, this final move was bittersweet for me and brothers, because it meant leaving Hoodaville, our friends, and everything we knew behind, in order to relocate across town to a section of Newark that we knew nothing about.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It may sound funny or weird for me to say this, but I didn’t like to read as a child. And whenever I had to do a book report or essay for school, I would always wait until the last minute, and basically skim through the book and pick out the different plot points. But, once I reached high school and had to do a twenty-five word research paper, my views toward reading began to gradually change.

As for when I started writing, I began writing novels, poems, and songs around the seventh grade . . . Yeah I know I said I hated to read and that I didn’t take reading seriously until high school, but I wasn’t dumb by a long shot. I was the perfect student in school . . . I fast learner. That’s how I was able to write the material that I wrote, because I taught myself by studying what others did.

And as I read different genres of books, a switch flicked in my mind, and I was like, “Hum, I can do this.” I should write my own book. So after I had hand written a few novels, my mother told me that I needed to type the pages, but I didn’t know how a novel should be structured. So again, I went back to the book that I had read, and I compared their structures together. And after going from book to book looking at the proper structure of a novel, I created a template of the structure in MS Word, in order to make it easier for me to replicate with every novel that I was preparing to type.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have an eclectic collection of authors on my book shelf and ebook devices that I like to read, from authors like Al-Saadiq Banks, Robert Greene, 50 Cent, Jerry and Esther Hicks, Pam Grout, Sister Souljah, Rhonda Byrne, James Redfield, and Donald Goines to name a few.

However, even though I like to read and personally write urban fiction novels, I like to read books about business. But my favorite books to read on my downtime are in the new age/spiritual & religious genres.

Yes I said new age/spiritual & religious . . . Don’t judge me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Mind Games: A Brick City Story is the first of many novels that I plan to release through my publishing company, MYCA Publishing, and it is set in the fictional world of Newark.

This is where the Brick City Story comes into play, because around the world Newark is known as Newark Brick City. No matter how many people outside of Newark, New Jersey may try to claim or use the name for whatever reason, but everyone knows that the real Brick City is in Newark, New Jersey.

However, I use the Brick City as kind of a backdrop for Mind Games: A Brick City Story, because when some people hear the name Brick City, they automatically focus on the dark side Newark, because all of the negative publicity that it receives from the media. And I am not saying that what you see on the news or read in the newspapers are false, because the stories are true, but they’re just not as bad as the media make Newark out to be.

But getting back to Mind Games: A Brick City Story, there was so many ways that I could have written the story, with all the material that I had access to. Therefore, instead of getting deep into the drug aspect of the city, I decided to take my readers behind the proverbial velvet rope, and deep into the hustler’s lives, and show a side of the drug game that the media doesn’t show.

And no . . . In no way shape or form am I trying to glorify the drug game through the use of Mind Games: A Brick City Story. In fact, my intentions and reasoning behind Mind Games: A Brick City Story is to shed light on the internal conflicts that most of the hustlers face while partaking in such a shady lifestyle.

For example, Desmond Jones is the main character of Mind Games: A Brick City Story, who after waking up one day learned that his estranged father Raymond Jones had recently died and left him everything that he owned.

Moreover, as the story opens up, the reader finds Des at his father’s funeral, where he meets his grandmother Gwen for the first time. And from their first meeting, Des’ world is rocked to the core, because while he’s dealing with Ray’s sudden death, and the fact he now a millionaire, Gwen makes him promise to keep it all a secret until he accepts his inheritance and learns the family business.

Basically, in a nut shell, I’ve been told by some of my readers that Mind Games: A Brick City Story has some of everything that they love about urban fiction, or street fiction novels into one place. And that’s exactly what I went for when I wrote the story. Because as a reader myself, I like to be entertained with every page and chapter of a novel that I read. Therefore, while writing Mind Games: A Brick City Story, whenever I felt that the chapter wasn’t interesting, or if I felt is didn’t add to the drama and suspense of the story, I took is out. And while I was in the proofreading and editing stage, I deleted whole chapters, paragraphs, and dialogs from the story, because I felt like they were slowing the story down. Because as I said before, I wanted to take my readers on a ride . . . A Fast ride . . . A ride that they’d had to see come to an end.

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Featured Interview With Donna W. Hill

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in the shadow of the old Bethlehem Steel during the great prosperity of the 1950s when manufacturing was booming. My father worked on the railroad post office and my mother was an inspector at a local factory called Magnetic Windings. I’ve stayed in Pennsylvania throughout my life, attending college in East Stroudsburg, the gateway to the Poconos and then living in the Philadelphia area for 20 years.

Most of my career was spent as a singer-songwriter, and I have three albums out, including The Last Straw, as Donna Hill, on iTunes & CDBaby. I presented school assemblies on diversity, full inclusion of visually impaired people and American history. I had a boat-load of age-appropriate songs to inspire people to go for their dreams, and I received honors for songs for special occasions from the National Park Service, WWII Submarine Veterans, Glenside Chamber of Congress, Pennsylvania Legislature and the Fellowship of the USS Olympia.

We’re now in the Endless Mountains, on 17 acres with a pond full of frogs, a Labrador retriever named Hunter and a strawberry-blonde rescued male tabby name Goofus. My novel has received recommendations from professionals in the fields of education, rehabilitation and the arts as a classroom resource for diversity-inclusivity and anti-bullying initiatives in junior high through college.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t remember ever not liking books. My first published work was a 4-line poem about Thanksgiving in our elementary school’s monthly newspaper. That first taste of public recognition was all I needed to get the bug.

I always loved books and was usually writing something in my head — a song, story or poem. By 6th grade, I knew I wanted to write a novel that also included something about songwriting and music.

I was inspired by a teacher who shared musicals every Friday afternoon. I received my first real record player that year for Christmas and bought an LP of My Fair Lady. I was astonished to read how many people were credited! The book and lyrics were written by Alan Jay Lerner; the music by Frederick Loewe. Furthermore, the whole thing was based upon George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. Three people to write one musical? I was determined to do it all myself, which might explain why it took me all this time.

Abigail, the heroine of The Heart of Applebutter Hill, is a shy songwriter, and the lyrics to several songs come together as the plot unfolds. The songs are real and have melodies, and I hope to record Abigail’s songs someday soon. I’d like to have a contest with young musicians submitting their own versions.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I think of my inspirations as a long string of authors and songwriters whose work kept me from going over the edge. There are so many, but the authors start with Harper Lee, Joseph Heller, George Orwell, J. R. R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. The musical influences go from Simon & Garfunkel, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger and the Beatles to Dire Straits, David Mallet, Kate Rusby, Richard Shindell, James Keelaghan, Passenger and Jake Bug.

My current favorite authors include Janet Evanovich, David Baldacci, Jerry Whittle and I’m reading Jeffery Martini for the first time. I am always late to the party. I tend to jump around from nonfiction to crime mysteries, fantasy and general fiction. Some of my greatest inspirations for The Heart of Applebutter Hill came from the pages of Discover magazine.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Heart of Applebutter Hill is my first (though I hope not my last) novel. I call it an adventure-mystery with excursions into fantasy for general audiences. You’ll see it listed some places as a YA or fantasy novel, though I feel that these categorizations are either misleading or limiting. Take this with a grain of salt; I’m also the songwriter who had a hard time getting used to being classified as a folk singer.

I wrote this over the course of 20 years; it was a side project as I pursued my music career. Finishing it was the reason I finally broke down and learned to use a computer. My brother used to nag me about getting one.

“If I’m going to sit down,” I replied, “I’m going to do it at a piano keyboard.”

And, now, here I am standing at my computer. I’m not sure what any of this means.

If you have an interest in dogs and cats, songwriting, progressive/private schools, books with unobtrusive references to classical mythology, world religion and literature, nature, humor, arts and a mystery that brings danger to two 14-year-old refugees, who are on the verge of young love, you’ll probably find something in this book that will hold your interest.

Abigail, Baggy and their friends attend the Plumkettle Learning Center. It’s a sprawling, mish-mash of a campus where students grow and make their own food and have regular chores. They study whatever they like — if, that is, they can demonstrate a general knowledge sufficient to get out of ordinary classes. Baggy, who is good at almost everything, gets to divide most of his time between the photography department, the auto center and the carpentry workshop.

He’s not pleased when he finds out that Survival 101, a practical math and science class, is a required course for anyone who enrolls at Plumkettle after third grade. He’s even more disturbed about his adviser forcing him to take Writers’ Roundtable with everybody’s least favorite teacher, Eli Thornhammer, who has a list of banned four-letter words and is the only Plumkettle teacher who insists upon being called “Professor.”

Fortunately for Baggy, he gets to share these experiences with his best friend Abigail, a shy songwriter. Abigail, who leads a weekly sing-along for the kindergarten, is invited to write music for the summer puppet theater. She accepts, of course, but not without some angst about being pigeonholed as a writer of children’s music.

Whether it’s the young children going through traffic exercises at Pedal town, or the most talented older students in the precision driving team, everyone at Plumkettle studies driving. And, everyone means everyone, even the blind kids.

But, The heart of Applebutter Hill isn’t all about school. When Abigail’s guardian leaves town for a month, Abigail stays with the Blusterbuff’s, an eccentric couple who live next to Baggy and his guardian Captain Sodpeg in the mountains. Exploring Elfin Pond, they find a camouflage ship they call the Cloud Scooper, and they end up in the innermost courtyard of the Castle of Bar Gundoom, where they learn a dangerous secret.

The castle’s art director, Yuki, helps them escape and sends them to Satori Green to seek advice from Shushidwyn and Anbata, the Lady of the Desert Well. Some of the help they get isn’t much help at all. They are determined to locate the mysterious Heartstone of Arden-Goth and stop whoever it is that is trying to steal it. Complicating matters is a far less glamorous situation regarding their troubled friend Christopher, a handful of not-so-nice upperclassmen and the school cat. Abigail’s service dog, Curly Connor, helps them solve the mystery, but will headmaster Ashton Cinderbin believe them?

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Featured Interview With L.K. Evans

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a native to Arizona, though I had a 4 year stint in Texas and a few months in Arkansas when I was a little girl. I honestly don’t remember much from those other states except tornadoes, my cat (Misty), and a nice older couple who always had a pile of toys at their house when we’d visit.

Sadly, and no offense to those who live here, I’m not a fan of Arizona. I prefer green stuff, trees that are actually alive, clouds, and lots and lots of rain. And cold. I love to be cold. So hopefully come 2018, I’ll be writing from a forest somewhere in Washington… where there’s water… lots of water.

I have two siberian huskies, two cats, and three newts. I’m a fan of pretty much any animal which means animals will always play a vital role in all of my books. My favorite is elephants, though I haven’t written them in to any stories yet. I’m deathly afraid of crickets and cockroaches. And I’m not a fan of grasshoppers. I do run from bees and wasps, though they’re kinda cute so I feel bad. Oh, and monkeys are my least favorite.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books have been a part of my life since I can remember. Both of my parents are teachers, so they brought home their passion for it. My sister was a bigger reader than me when we were younger, but I’d like to think I caught up to her over the years.

In high school, I tested out of english and was able to take creative writing instead. That’s when I realized how much I enjoyed and needed to write. It was a way to express myself since I was—and am—an extremely shy person. I stopped writing when I got recruited into the corporate world right out of high school. Because my family was never finically stable and we were even homeless for a time, I sought job security and stability from an early age and ignored my passions. I had a knack for accounting and worked my way up into management, handling exorbitant amounts of money in a highly stressful environment. It was about 4 years ago when I started to realized how unfulfilled I felt, so I quit my job with the support of my husband and found myself again (as cliche as that sounds, it’s the truth). So, my long winded answer is that I’ve only been seriously writing for the last two and half years.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre has and will always be epic/sword sorcery/dark fantasy. I’ve tried other genres and the only way I like the book is if I’m in love with the writing. Which brings me to some of my favorite authors. First off, in the fantasy genre, I love love love Patrick Rothfuss, Anthony Ryan, and Michael J Sullivan.

Patrick Rothfuss has a beautiful writing style that I’m simply in awe of. I admit, his story was a little slow to start and it took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. His character came alive for me and, again, his writing is stunning.

Anthony Ryan has written the only sci-fi series I like. Of course, he’s better known for Blood Song, which was simply brilliant, but I’m as in love with his Slab City Blues series. It’s his characters and accessible writing style that I admire. Plus, his stories are engaging and fast, another bonus.

Michael J Sullivan has written one of my favorite characters of all time. I spent a weekend reading his Riyria series with little to no sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and it took weeks for me move past them. He’s truly an amazing story teller and a very approachable author. I sent him a little note expressing how much I loved his books and he responded quickly and sincerely. I was very moved by his humbleness as well as his appreciation for his fans.

Another author who has my attention is Thaddeus White. He wrote of comedy fantasy called Sir Edric’s Temple that I can’t seem to get enough of. I’ve never laughed so hard. His other serious novels are entertaining and he can give me some intense, nail biting moments. I’ve never read a comedy fantasy, and I have to say his wit is unmatched. So I’ll always read anything he writes.

As far as other genre authors, I have two that I’ll buy anything they spit out. Zachary Jernigan writes sci-fi (No Return) and though I didn’t absolutely love it, I’m in amazement over his imagination and writing. The other author is Zichao Deng who wrote People Like Us. It’s a murder thriller type book which, again, is not my preferred genre, but his characters were AMAZINGLY funny and cynical. I’m in awe of his writing, witty dry humor, and captivating story.

I’m sure more will be added to my list, but these are the ones I have so far.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book, Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 is an epic fantasy; some have called it dark, some have called it adult, some have called it young adult. The heart of the story is about two inseparable brothers, Wilhelm and Salvarias Laybryth, who are forced by a dark god on a journey of trials and tribulations.

One thing I find fascinating is the human mind. I’m not a worldly person by any means, but I’ve been around enough people to see some truly inspiring individuals and some absolutely vile ones. I’ve always believed that every person is capable of good and evil. I strongly believe that our childhood experiences and influences impact us as individuals on an immeasurable level. So what I did was create a character, Salvarias, where the evil is an actual force within him—a presence, a being—that lives in his mind and manipulates him. I wanted to test a group of people to see how they perceive situations involving Salvarias. I wanted to see how they judged him. And I want to see how the readers react when secrets are unveiled throughout the series. I’m curious if readers will correctly guess who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. In order to do so, I’ve put my characters in horrible situations and I’ve delved into several of their minds to give readers a chance to experience more than one viewpoint (each broken into its own section so as not to float mid paragraph). My mission is to see how low I can take the brothers before they break. I want them to overcome all I throw their way, but I’m not sure if they will. Book 4 is still a work in progress, so not even I know the outcome.

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Featured Interview With E.J. Norris

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in the beautiful state of Maine and I’m still here. I love being surrounded by all the trees and having the peace and quiet this state provides. Its a fine place for books to be born.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always enjoyed writing. It was always fun to create people, places, and events on paper. However I got far, far better at when I got more into reading. For the eighth and ninth grade I was homeschooled because of a complex medical situation and it was during those two years that my love of books was truly born. I was a real couch potato to begin with, staring for hours at a flashing t.v. screen, and my mother knew that there was so much more out there. So, she gave me a bit of tough love by saying one day, “We’re going to the library. You will pick something and you will read it.” Now, when mom talks like that there is no arguing. I started with mystery novels; they excited me and I would always try to solve the mystery before the sleuths did. Then later I was introduced to my favorite fantasy writer, Brian Jacques, and I got hooked. I learned a lot from him and got even more into writing than before. I always thank mom for her wisdom in giving me that nudge. If it weren’t for her the depth of my passion wouldn’t have been realized.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Brian Jacques is still at the top of my list. I learned pretty much everything I know about images and scenery from him. Then there was C.S. Lewis who showed me Christianity and fantasy in harmony. Christopher Paolini was another writer I enjoyed. Among other things, he showed me good dialogue and characterization. Kathryn Lasky was another. She further sculpted my way of creating villains. Last, but certainly not least, the latest addition to my favorites list, John Flanagan. So far he has taught me more about character development over time and the importance of a steady pace. When I read I always try to learn new techniques for my bag of tricks

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My novel is The Mirror and The Sword, my first to be published. For me it began in the summer of 2011, mid July as I recall. I was seeking new inspiration and I prayed saying, “Lord the pen is yours. What do you want me to do.” Out of that prayer came the biggest idea ever! Piece by piece I began seeing a young man’s epic journey from a world of deception to the kingdom of the true king.
Summer ended and I went back to school. By that time I had moved on to public school and the idea went into the halls and classrooms right along with me. I successfully juggled it with my studies, writing whenever I could throughout the day. It was both a joy and a comfort to me. My bizarre medical situation did continue in the very background of things and each time I went in for yet another surgical procedure the story helped me escape the unhappiness and anxiety and during recovery it helped me strive to get well.
The initial writing of the story from start to finish took ten months. The typing and revision took about three. In sharing this story with the world around me I hope that it brings the same joy and excitement to others that it brought to me. We all have troubles and often times stories can give us the hope we need to overcome them.

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