Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Nathan Haddish Mogos

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I an an Eritrean-Norwegian residing in Oslo. Born in Addis Ethiopia moved to Eritrea at the age of 16. And no I don’t have pets

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always had a wild imagination growing up, was known for my colorful store telling among my peers. But took to writing in high school, just jotting down wandering thoughts. But then life got serious and my outlook changed so did the books I read. The talent of writing was further honed while doing my BA in English. the older i got the more Existential thoughts made it to my diary and once I left my country, living as a refugee in Diaspora writing became therapeutic. Having settled in Norway the hobby eventually turned into a career once I embraced it as my calling.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It’s hard to leave out anyone from this list but here we go. I love reading literary novels that depict their times and their reality without inhibitions. Knut Hamsun’ Hunger, Aldous Huxley’s books Crome Yellow and Point Counter Point, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Dambudzo Marechera’s Cemetery of the Mind, Richard Wright’ s Native Son, On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Dangling Man by Saul Bellow I can say had a formidable influence in my writing style.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Titled Ripe Dreams, it depicts the reality of unaccompanied migrants journey across the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean sea for a better life in the west. The atrocious current state of migrants stranded in Libya is well documented, however it had been going on for decades. The most vulnerable being minors that experience severely traumatizing incidents in the hands of smugglers, militants and the lawless authorities with insignificant interference of international community or relevant institutions . Sexual abuse, slavery, extortion, executions, torture to name a few while locked up at all times. Many succumb in the early phases of the journey.
However for those lucky enough to make it across the sea, they have a tremendous fight on their hands. The PTSD hinders their integration and progression in the European communities. Accordingly the novel follows the journey of two minors who had make it all the way to Norway. The protagonist Teme ,his side kick Toure, an objective therapist and a native girlfriend usher the reader into fast paced unforgettable thriller in the inner city as they try to cope with the culture shock, the migration route trauma, adulthood, friendship and love life. Their interaction with the natives and institutions explores the current hot issues of migration, terrorism, sexual exploitation, nationalism and cultural barriers relevant in every aspect of European political and social sphere.

With many years of experience working as a freelance interpreter in Norway and UNHCR in Africa, as well as a motivational speaker working along other psychologists and case workers I have tried to objectively depict the reality in a fictional manner while maintaining the integrity and anonymity of the victims stories.

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Featured Interview With Stephen J. Semones

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Northeast Tennessee and have lived in the area my entire life. The first fourteen years of my life, I lived with a lake in my backyard. It was such a great time and, looking back, I really miss living there. For the most part, it was peaceful. I could swim or canoe, or just play around the water. My brother and I loved living there. When I was 14, my family moved about 20 minutes into the city and I’ve lived there, or around there, ever since.

Do I have any pets? Yes. I have a dog and two cats.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been what you would consider a “good” reader. It was around first grade I was put in an advanced reading program, but I was a lazy student. I always wanted to do my own thing, so my school work wasn’t a priority. It’s unfortunate because now, as an adult, I like to learn.

I always liked comic books over novels. I guess because there was artwork and novels felt to hard to complete. Once I became an adult, my love for reading really improved. I regret not loving books (novels) when I was younger as much as I do now.

I’ve always been compelled to create. I guess when I was about five or six, I started drawing my own little comic books, so that was a start for me. Then, at about twelve, I started writing my own stories. They were terrible, so I didn’t do it often. Then, at about eighteen, I fell in love with screenwriting and wanted to do that for a living. I wrote numerous movie scripts, but ultimately decided I should be a filmmaker because I didn’t want anyone messing with my visions.

That didn’t last long. I wasn’t a good filmmaker. I was a better writer. However, I still have a passion and love for filmmaking, I just know and understand that I’m a better writer and I’m more comfortable doing that.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, Mark Twain, Timothy Zahn, and a bunch of independent authors- too many to name. Some are actually friends I’ve made along the way, so it’s cool to read someone’s work and have them influence you and then you become friends later and bond over writing.

I get inspired to write numerous ways. My family is my biggest inspiration, but ultimately, I just have story ideas in my head that I feel I need to get out. Not all of them are great, so my favorite ideas are the ones to get published.

I like horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Those are my favorite genres and what I love to write. I also write superhero fiction, which is a direct connection to my love of comic books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The last book I had published was the fifth book in my GLOOM series of novels. It was called GLOOM: Ronin. GLOOM is my action\adventure comic book series that centers around a vigilante in Detroit. It’s my most popular books and I’m going to start writing the sixth book in 2020.

Right now I’m editing a comic book called NEBRASKA that I worked on with an artist friend of mine, Christopher Gibbs. Chris passed away a few years ago, so I assumed the comic book we were working on was never going to happen. However, I was gifted the original artwork he was working on when he passed, so I’ve went back and retooled the script and should be assembling the book soon. After that, it’s off to the printers. It’s a project that’s bittersweet to me. I’m glad to finally be getting it out there to the public, but I hate it’ll just be the one issue and I won’t get to work with Chris again.

I’m also currently writing a fantasy novel called Realms of Chaos. The first book is called The Broken King, but after seeing how Game of Thrones ended, the title will more than likely change before publication. It’s one of those coincidences that happen, but it’s okay. At least I don’t have to rewrite my entire book.

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Featured Interview With Sr. Robichaud

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a born and raised Maine native who was raised on Disney movies and Harry Potter books, what more can I say? My mind likes creative things. I am currently still living in the great state of Maine. Writing, reading, painting, and cooking are some things I am passionate about. Putting bits of myself or people I love into the characters I create gives me a sense of thrill. I also greatly enjoy steaming hot herbal tea poured into mugs with encouraging sayings on them, or mermaid tales. Oh, and I am a mom! My children are fourteen and ten and neither of them cares that I write books. A dream of mine is that one day I’ll be considered a “cool mom.” I’m not there yet. My dogs, however, all three of them, think I am pretty awesome, so that is almost as good. Jada, Lando, and Zeke are their names, all rescue dogs and big snuggle bugs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wrote my first short story in 4th grade, I think. I was young and it was a Halloween story that I used to enter a writing contest. I won third place in the whole school and bought body glitter with my winnings. I read for enjoyment since then. My obsession started with the Goosebumps books before moving on the Harry Potter. And now, I have read plenty of different styles and genres.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The Brothers Grimm and J.K Rowling are huge influences for me, but can I be honest? Television shows like Once Upon A Time, and comics like iZombie are HUGE in my life, too. I like to keep a wide variety of all things slightly geeky to keep my ideas coming. I love it all. Currently, I am reading “And the Mountains Echoed,” by Khaled Hosseini, and can I just say that I adore his writing. The way he tells his stories with such detail, it makes you wish that you could be there. I think it is inspiring, and enlightening.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
King Beckford’s fulfilling reign over the kingdom of Leward was disturbed by an unwanted intruder, who had upsetting news for the future. The prophecy of a child overthrowing his reign sent King Beckford into a murderous rage. Determined not to lose his kingdom, he enlisted the help of a strange psychic.
Bringing Gerica home to be raised in the castle was an odd choice for a man of power, but killing to get his way was not. In order to ensure the future of his kingdom, he took Gerica under his wing and raised her as his own. But she was much different than the King was lead to believe. Followed by devious shadows, and stalked by nightmares, Gerica was not what the King had in mind.
The King let danger into his castle the day Gerica came to stay, and before long death had a grip of the castle, forever changing the faith of Leward. Trapped between her life now and the life she should have had, Gerica has to find herself while in the middle of chaos.

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Featured Interview With P.I. Barrington

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am now an ex-Californian living in the Southern US! Raised in California, I always planned to die there (or in Maine). Well, I did just that. In 2015, I fell over dead from my desk with a cardiac arrest! I was dead for 25 minutes and woke up in a rehab facility. My sister insisted we move closer to the rest of the family in case it happened again. So far, I’ve been fine but that same sister passed away a year later from cancer. I’m still shell-shocked from her passing. So, if I’ve learned anything, it’s being careful what you wish for ’cause you just might get it.
I now have 2 dogs, my sister’s MaltiPoo, Whiskey Pete and his sister, my dog, CupCake. Yes, I know they sound like an old gold miner and a prostitute. We named Whiskey Pete after the casino, Whiskey Pete’s on the California/Nevada line. We love them both.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It was more a fascination with reading and books themselves, especially when my little public grade school took us to its library. You could read books for free! (That was also when I began my lifelong obsession of keeping library books because I believed that no one else would love and care for them as I would–you could read them for free, but you could not keep them for free. My name was on that library list until I was about 43 and I insisted they expunge my name. True story.) Writing wasn’t something I ever really thought about until one day in 3rd grade when the principle of my school announced that we all had to write a story about how to care for and preserve the flag written in First Person point of view. “What a dumb thing to do!” I thought, but I wrote it. Guess what? Yes, you are correct. I won First place out of the entire school district! That was right around the time I mastered cursive. From then on, I spent all of my time fighting not to write but it chased me around like my shadow. I ended up a news reporter, a news director in radio before I gave in to writing at the perfect time for me. I’d never wanted to write because writing fiction wasn’t a “real job” and I wasn’t the dramatic artsy type. But but when I gave in to that artsy side, it was all over for me—I kept wondering why I didn’t focus on it before.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve read everything from John Milton to MAD Magazine. Stephen King is still the one who influenced me the most. I love his writing, it’s dramatic and deep but still very accessible to people. I loved Mary Stewart, Tolkien, Colleen McCullough, James Michener, So many I can’t list them!
My favorite genre has to be near-future (I call it that because I never set my books further than 100 years from now) crime thrillers & sort of dystopian genres.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest, which will be released at the end of this month, May 30 to be exact, is The Brede Chronicles, Book Two. It picks up a year after where Book One ended on its cliffhanger. Book Two is more of a mystery, however, with all sort of goings on in that Brede family dynamic. I was writing this book while my sister was going through chemotherapy. It was difficult but I think it got me through that and through her death. It may sound cruel and uncaring, but I couldn’t have handled it without writing. I took about six or eight months to write it and my publisher was understanding. Normally, I can kick out a story in about 4 months and kick up the action too. Book Two has everyone scattered across the galaxy, and I even added more characters! I don’t know if readers will love or hate them, but they’re there. I hope everyone will enjoy this new book! (FYI, The Brede Chronicles, Book One is $0.99 at Smashwords): https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=The+Brede+Chronicles+Book+One

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Featured Interview With Candace J Carter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a South Carolina-based writer, but grew up in rural Ohio, near Kentucky. I joined the military and did a little traveling. Following military service, I received veterinary degree from Iowa State University. Private practice wasn’t my passion, so I took a job in Colorado with the US Department of Interior. I ended up spending most of my professional career with the National Park Service, where I’ve worked with several threatened and endangered species including the black-footed ferret, Florida scrub-jay, and four species of sea turtles. Muddy Waters is my first published mystery.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading books. I probably started writing in grade school but didn’t get serious until college. It still took a long time before I actually got serious about finishing and editing a book. So here I am, retired and finally published.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I grew up reading books about horses and westerns by Louis L’Amour and Max Brand. Of course, my favorite books are traditional mysteries. I enjoy British mysteries, too. Occasionally I will read a romance or a western.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s about a Colorado range detective, Henry “Whispering” Smith, who goes home to North Carolina for his uncle’s wedding. He hasn’t been there in a long time, and of course there are issues to deal with while there. His uncle pushes him to reconcile with his father. He runs into an ex-girlfriend. It wouldn’t be a mystery without someone being murdered. The local police think cattle theft is involved. Henry has mastered some unique skills as a range detective, and he uses them to try and track a killer.

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Candace J Carter’s Website

Featured Interview With Ian Evian

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in North Philadelphia and I still reside in the city. I now reside in the upper part of Philadelphia. I graduated from Temple University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Arts. Next I attended Temple University Japan in the study abroad program and studied Asian Studies: Japanese Popular Culture (Manga) & Comparative Studies in Japanese Anime. At the end of college, I became a freelance screenwriter, writing independent projects. Screenwriting was my first passion, but then I went back into writing short fictions.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always had an active imagination. Creating stories as a kid, I would say, was the catalyst for my storytelling. I had watched movies a lot, some cases I would watch them over and over again. Video games were also a huge part of my life as well. It wasn’t until 7th grade where I wrote my very first short story. Ms. Kane, our teacher, introduced me and the class to reading novels. The first novel I read was S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. That led to writing my first story for class. I remember being so into it, it felt like the only thing that existed was the world that I was creating in word form, and nothing else. That’s how deep in thought I was in when writing. And when I reached high school, I took writing more serious, which led to my decision to be a screenwriter.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
George Orwell is one of my inspirations due to his idea of a future that depicted the troubles of society due to a higher form of authority, giving the thought that such totalitarianism could exist and reshape social grounds. It makes you think about how order is perceived through the eyes of men and women that appear to be molded into somebody affected by extreme change. Edgar Allen Poe is another inspiration. I really liked the dark tone he sets in his works. They were written so well, it came off as if he was a romantic writing tragedy and mystery. I’m also a huge fan of Rod Serling and the original Twilight Zone, along with Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki and Takashi Miike who are great Japanese creators.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote Children of Gods because it takes on the idea of a human’s relationship with technology. Every day we are introduced with a new form of technology or device that will make our lives better. But also within the shadows of our world, there is technology that is used for bad intentions like weaponry of war and destruction. That’s what the title of my manuscript represents. We live in a world where everyone takes on the role of God and create. In the story, the characters are made by these men and women, and shapes them into becoming something more than human. It was an interesting concept to take on as it deals with our reality in the future that we live in now. It took closely to a year to create a compelling story, and numerous edits, adding and deleting ideas written. It was fun to do. I liked how it came out.

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Featured Interview With Laolu Otiko

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a pencil artist by day, and a poet, author, overall storyteller by night. I grew up in a sub-urban town; Akure, in Nigeria. With a mix of exposure to the urban/western lifestyle, through cable TV, and a reality of superstitious beliefs, through my immediate environment. I grew to see the world from differing perspectives and it helped groom my narrative skills. I live in Lagos; Nigeria, now. A fast paced city, with lots of people and lots of stories to tell. I enjoy the madness of the city, as an observer.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I can’t place the exact age I got fascinated with books, but I got into comic books really early. Archie comics and DC were my first points of contact, and at the age of 10, I created my first comic book. It was something about the capture of Osama bin Laden by the American army. Yes, I was 10 when I made that. Writing, for me, started about two or three years after that. I got into a lot of poetry and songwriting. It was mostly rap songs, so both mediums had a good convergence for my young brain, I think.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a few favourite authors. From Wendelin Van Draanen, to Chimamanda, to Shakespeare, Wole Shoyinka, Robin Cook, and a host of others. I must not understand the meaning of the word; favourite.
My favourite genre to read is romance, don’t let the looks fool you. I get inspired by too many things and people, to think of just one thing or person. The inspiration for what I’m currently working on however, came from the shape of a character’s mustache, in a Spanish telenovela. Yeah, I watch them, and I love them.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, “Roving Birds” (not out yet) is a romance short. It’s about love from the perspective of someone who is unworthy, or thinks so; of their self. It explores the thoughts we have when in love, those ones that remain thoughts, and how these thoughts are interpreted from different vantage points. I’m trying to be very vague but it’s quite hard, as I’m very excited about the book.
It is a short story infused with poems, so it only took two months to write it. That’s excluding the two months of re-drafts however. By re-draft I mean you write something really amazing before going to bed, you wake up the next morning, read it, and forget the night before; ever happened. Yes, two months of that.

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Featured Interview With James Miller

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a north-central Indiana born midwestern kid. I grew up between Indiana, Florida, with short stints in New York and Boston. I’ve lived in all 48 mainland states and D.C., Sonora, Mexico and very short stayed stint just north of the U.S./Canada border. Current I reside in the country in a rural northern Indiana town with quite a few chickens and cats

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was 7 or 8 when I really began to enjoy reading. I have been writing since they taught me cursive handwriting in 2nd grade, 7. I was publishing poems in anthologies throughout my senior year in high school.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors/poets are Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, e.e. cummings, and Charles Bukowski are my favorite writers to read. I love poetry, but I like a good suspenseful crime mystery or a solid nonfiction fiction book like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. I have a lot of muses that inspire my poetry. I am fascinated by the behaviors, personalities, and reactions of people.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Footnote for Tomorrow is a collection of poetry written over a dark twenty year period of my life. I had a love for living in the moment and taste for excess, especially with drugs and alcohol. This collection was written in my travels beginning directly after college all the way through the first half of my music career. There was a period of sobriety where I was living in Tennessee and the music management/promotion pursuit was looking great. The easy access to alcohol increased my thirst and the scene has always been touched with tools for expanding the mind. My highs and lows, joys and pains are fully laid out in this collection.

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Featured Interview With Clive Fleury

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an award-winning writer of books and screenplays, and a TV and film director and producer. I have worked for major broadcasters and studios on a wide variety of successful projects in the US, UK, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.

When I was young, a man behind a big desk who called himself a ‘Career Specialist’ fell about laughing when I told him I wanted to tell stories. The ‘Expert’ had other plans. “You should be an engineer, that’s what you should be,” he said. I ignored his advice and embarked upon a very different life.

Kill Code: A Dystopian Science Fiction Novel is my latest book-the first in an exciting new dystopian science fiction series set in a world facing climate catastrophe where nothing is what it seems.

Fans of fantasy adventure books like ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘The 5th Wave’, and ‘Divergent’ will be captivated by ‘Kill Code’.

Besides ‘Kill Code’, I also wrote ‘Scary Lizzy’ – a novel about an eight year old girl, Sarah Wilde, who befriends an African child ghost – and the teen action adventure book, ‘The Boy Next Door ‘ – or what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next-door neighbor, who isn’t all he seems. And I co-wrote ‘Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four’ – a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician. It was a Kindle Book Review Awards Semi-Finalist.

When I’m not writing, lazing on the beach, drinking coffee, reading, or going to the movies, I love to travel – anywhere, and anytime I have any spare cash. Oh, and I have a cat named Louis.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started when I was around four years old. I didn’t actually read them but used them to make ‘marble runs’ – structures constructing so I could run marbles down. It was only later that I realized that it was more fun reading them. My real interest in writing came when I was at school and about ten years old. My English teacher encouraged me to write.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
As a kid, I read sci-fi books all the time. The novel Planet of the Apes (Pierre Boulle), which explored many of the themes that are still so relevant today particularly affected me. Since then I have read most of the master’s of sci-fi—Ray Bradbury, H. G. Wells, John Wyndham, etc. and more recently, Sabrina Vourvoulias’s (Ink), Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven) and the extraordinary Hav by Jan Morris. I love reading crime and thriller novels too, and the surprising twists and turns the principal characters go through when the genre is written by brilliant authors like the late Elmore Leonard, James Patterson, and Gillian Flynn. We often dismiss crime books as ‘pulp fiction’ but I find they can supply far more insight into people and their actions than so-called literary novels. I’m hoping eventually to write a series in this genre, but it’s a daunting task when you look at what’s out there already.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The best way I can tell you about my latest book, Kill Code: A Dystopian Science Fiction Novel is to give you the synopsis. So, here goes:

It’s the year 2031. Our future. Their present. A world decimated by climate catastrophe, where the sun’s heat is deadly and the ocean rises higher every day. A world ruled by the rich, powerful, and corrupt. A world where a good man can’t survive for long.

Hogan Duran was a good man once. He was a cop, forced to resign in disgrace when he couldn’t save his partner from a bullet. Now Hogan lives on the fraying edges of society, serving cruel masters and scavenging trash dumps just to survive.

But after four years of living in poverty, Hogan finally gets a chance to get back on his feet. He’s invited to join the National Security Council, the powerful paramilitary organization responsible for protecting the rich and powerful from the more unsavory elements of society. All he needs to do is pass their deadly entrance exam, and he’ll be rewarded with wealth and opportunity beyond his wildest dreams.

But this ex-cop’s path to redemption won’t be easy. The NSC is hiding something, and as Hogan descends deeper and deeper into their world, he starts to uncover the terrible truth of how the powerful in this new world maintain their power…and just how far they will go to protect their secrets.

In a world gone wrong, can one man actually make a difference, or will he die trying?

Kill Code is the first novel in a planned new dystopian science fiction series.

Fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, and Divergent by Veronica Roth will be captivated by Kill Code.

You’ll also love this book if you enjoy:

• Dystopian novels and stories

• Stories about futuristic societies

• Stories about disgraced cops

• Stories about unlikely heroes

• Stories about conspiracies

• Stories about injustice

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Featured Interview With Amber Daulton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in North Carolina (I’m still there!), but I don’t have a Southern drawl as most people do around here. About everyone I meet for the first time will ask me where I’m from, and it’s funny to see their shocked expressions when I say, “I’m from around here.” They always think I’m from up north or from a foreign country since I sound so different.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I read my first romance book when I was 12, and it inspired me to write my own story about two people finding adventure and falling in love. I finished my first novel within six months, and I’ve revised that book several times over the years (it’s currently not published).
I write because I must. I have so many ideas and characters inside my head that I just need to get it out. My imagination is pretty vivid, so I need an outlet. Writing provides that.
Lyrical Embrace is my eleventh publication, but I have about ten more manuscripts on my computer waiting to see the light of day.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love all genres of romance (especially romantic suspense and paranormal), but it’s hard for me to pick a favorite author or book. I think my favorite series, however, is Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Lyrical Embrace is book 4 in the Deerbourne Inn series, and my second publication from The Wild Rose Press.
I love writing small town romances, especially ones with an edge and a little bit of danger weaved in. I also love stories about music and rock stars, but I don’t like the cheating and drugs that go along with the lifestyle. I haven’t published a story featuring a musician yet, so I figured I should get on the ball and do it.
My heroine, Erica, was in a bad relationship and finally found the courage to break free. Even though she found help, a new love, and a chance for a better future, the past was still looming over her.
I think a lot of readers can sympathize with such a situation, especially those who have experienced abuse and neglect from someone claiming to love them.
My hero, Dylan, has retired from the New York music scene, and he now teaches kids how to play instruments. He’s gotten his life back together after all the drama of being a semi-star, and he and Erica have an instant connection.
Despite the dark undertones, this story is fun, uplifting, and hot. The characters are real and flawed.
This novella has a word count of 40k, and I finished writing it in about a month. I then spent the following months working with my editor at The Wild Rose Press to make this book as great as it could be. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope readers will love it.

Here’s the blurb for Lyrical Embrace…

Out-of-work violinist Erica Timberly decides enough is enough. She leaves her abusive boyfriend and flees the big city, but then her car breaks down in the middle of the night. Though wary of men, she accepts help from Dylan Haynes, a stranger driving by on the road, and soon recognizes him as the sexy former drummer of her favorite indie rock band. Maybe, just maybe, her run of bad luck is finally turning around.
Music teacher Dylan Haynes knows Erica is in trouble, and her black eye is only the first clue. The stubborn yet vulnerable woman needs a friend, but he’s determined to give her everything she deserves.
Will Erica listen to the music in her heart and trust Dylan, or will her past always threaten her future?

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Featured Interview With Blake Allwood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in rural west Tennessee but as soon as I turned eighteen, I headed north. I went to school in a tiny town called Lamoni, Iowa and when I graduated I landed in Kansas City where I stayed until recently. My husband and I recently moved full time into an RV and now he, our two exceptionally spoiled dogs and I are exploring the country.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Sometime in high school, I became rather obsessed with romance novels. Bless my poor southern librarian’s heart she just rolled with it. Mary Stewart was my first love in romance novels but I’ve fallen for many more. I started writing about two years ago after my foster son came home crushed from a one night stand that didn’t’ go well. I wanted him to see that gay men could find and fall in love too…

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Oh wow, so I do love Nora Roberts. I think I aspire to be like her as a writer. I also love Lucy Lennox who has really helped me expand my horizons in the world of gay romance. I read all sorts of things but at the moment I’m fairly focused on gay romance of course.

As for what inspires me, I think helping other gay men experience the happily ever after effect that a good straight romance has but with a twist so it meets the needs of our community.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Aiden Inspired was a total hoot to write. Aiden is sort of sick of living in the big city and although he has a good life there it isn’t really inspiring him. When he runs across a profile for a gay rancher in the middle of nowhere Eastern Washington, he is blown away and before he knows it, he’d created his most impressive masterpieces yet.

Wanting to thank his muse, he travels to the wilds of Washington… the rest of the story picks up there. No spoiler alerts here, you’ll have to read it to find out the rest.

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Featured Interview With Richard Sanford

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I came of age in a small town in the deep South suspended in time and haunted with stories. I’ve published novels, poetry, short stories, and a play. Today I live in the Pacific Northwest.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been addicted to writing since childhood. I sold my first book door-to-door in the neighborhood when I was ten. I have five published novels: two horror (THE CALLING and ROADKILL), an American odyssey set in 1968 (LONG TIME GONE), and a dystopian thriller with a climax in a drive-in theater (RING OF STARS). That’s four. The fifth comes up two questions later!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m attracted to stylists: Bellow, James Salter, Michael Ondaatje, Nabokov, Walker Percy. T.C. Boyle. A couple of my favorite genre writers are Thomas Harris (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) and Neal Stephenson (SNOW CRASH).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
THE SOUL SNATCHERS (http://www.invernesspress.com/soul_snatchers.html) is set in the near future, a dozen years out. Tzaro Janssen, a seismologist in a next-gen lab in the San Juan Islands, is toeing a fault line. His girlfriend Therica has become … not herself. Stories like hers are lighting up media around the globe—psychotic breaks, social isolation, explosive violence. And no known cause.

A chilling discovery on Therica’s phablet fractures the world Tzaro knows and propels him into a strange, altered one. At the center is Therica’s obsession, the mega networking platform Wundrus.

With the fates of Therica, his son Derek, and billions of the socially interconnected in the balance, Tzaro and the rag-tag team who join him—Calvin Carmody the professor of ancient languages, Svetla the Bulgarian Guber driver, Wes the old-school programmer, and hardheaded Morgan, rebel with a cause—plunge into a race against madness.

In a future world not so distant, in a cyber cell in the shadowy foothills, the soul snatchers are watching, and waiting.

The emphasis is on entertainment, but the novel has a point to make about isolation in our hyperconnected world. It took a couple of years to write, start to finish. That’s fairly rapid for me.

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Featured Interview With P. J. Maia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Campo Grande, in the midwest of Brazil. Growing up I lived all over the place: North Dakota, South Dakota, São Paulo, Florida, New York, Rio and now back to São Paulo. I don’t have any pets but I do keep a small garden on my terrace so I get the odd bird visitor every now and then.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I think since I was very little, I was hooked on comic books, they helped me want to learn how to read faster. My parents always encouraged me to read books and they knew I was a big fan of magic so that’s how they made sure I kept reading. I started writing as a kid, at age 7 or 8 I think.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are those whose words come across as those of a dear wise friend. I’ve recently finished “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her voice felt so real as I read it. I’m inspired by poets and daydreamers like Walt Whitman and Virginia Woolfe. My favorite genre to read, howerver, is fantasy.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first book is called “The Missing Spirit” and tells the story of Keana, a young human girl living in prehistoric Earth who is raised by accident in a realm of immortal gods. Once she comes of age, her presence starts to stir problems in heaven and her only way to safety might be defecting to a glacial winter to live among woolly beasts and primitive cave people.

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Featured Interview With Allen Grove

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello! My name is Allen Grove. I write adventure fiction novels with sport and nature both heavy influences. I also write short stories that I plan to publish in the upcoming future. Currently, I live in South Florida, although I try to travel as much as I can. When I’m not writing, I’m fishing, hiking, or exercising. But at the end of each day, you can find me reading a good book with a cold beer.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always had a fascination with books. I remember the three things that got me excited as a kid, playing baseball, fishing, and reading a good book. In the fourth grade, there was a writing competition. The best ten stories out of all the fourth graders got a hardcover copy made for their story with a book cover and all. I was one of those lucky ten students, and when I grasped that hardcover of my own work in my hands, I was hooked.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m old fashioned when it comes to what books I like and the authors I look up to. The two authors that come to mind are Jack London and Ernest Hemingway. It’s hard to say what genre is my favorite. I’ve always loved adventure fiction, but then again there are great mysteries out there, and some of my favorite books are considered literary fiction. As for who inspires me, I would say each and every person I come into contact with. People are fascinating, and one conversation, one phrase, one word even can spark an idea that blossoms into an epic journey.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Heart Like a Bear is my debut novel. I worked hard on it for just over a year. The story begins in a small town about an hour inland from the coast of Oregon in the early 1970s. The main character, Casey Copperham, recently returned home from Vietnam, in which he experienced first hand how brutal war can be. Instead of finding help with his issues after returning home, he finds comfort in prescription pills and drinking. He loves his wife and newborn son, but he can’t help himself. He needs to get high. Through a coworker Casey lands a job that pays ten times more money than what he currently made. Only it’s not a job in a nice office, it’s one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: Alaskan King Crab fishing. Boats sank all the time from twenty foot, ice cold waves barrelling into the cabin. All in search of what might as well have been gold at the time, King Crab. There were no limits to how much you could catch, and men of all kinds were getting rich quick. With that kind of money, came drugs, booze, and prostitutes. Being so close to Alaska, the Russian mob were the ones supplying most of those drugs, booze, and prostitutes. Casey finds himself working closely with the mob while fighting for his life at sea in search of more than just money.

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Featured Interview With Patricia A. E. Hampton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello and thank you for taking the timeout to read my book and I hope you enjoyed it. First of all I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Patricia A.E. Hampton. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana where I have lived most of my life. In 1988 I graduated from Rutledge College with a major in Nursing Assisting and went on to work in numerous of Nursing Homes around the metropolitan New Orleans area.

As a child, I had always wanted to become a writer and to be an actress. Over the years I have written some short stories in my spare time and have also performed in a stage dance play when I was a child at one of the local recreation centers in New Orleans.

After hurricane Katrina, I moved to Houston, Texas and in my spare time I took the time out to write this book. I then later moved to the Ohio area in hopes of furthering my goals in writing. I am now staying in the Dallas Ft. Worth area. You can say that I am a traveler As of now, it looks like my goals of being a published Arthur have finally come true.

Once again thanks for considering my book. P.S. This is a photo of me at my daughter’s house in Houston, Texas after Hurricane Katrina.

Sincerely,
Patricia A.E. Hampton

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mother bought me all sorts of books before I even started school that she would help me read or read to me and as I advanced into higher grades; basically around the third grade, this is when I became obsessed with writing short stories at home in my spare time while playing school with my friends.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have no set boundaries to the authors who I read; nor genre. In the past, I have enjoyed reading some of Terry Mcmillion books as well as Alex Haily and Rowling to name a few. my biggest inspirer was my mother who always kept writing in her tablet, and one dear elementary that told me how gifted.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a child fiction book entitled, A Witchful Friend. Despite the book is of fiction, A Witchful Friend gives a true insight of some of the everyday struggles that some kid’s face in today’s society and that changes can be made with a little trust.

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Featured Interview With Anya Stassiy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Kazakhstan and moved to the US eighteen years ago. I finished college in NY where I now practice as a physician assistant for my day job. I have three kids who keep me busy all days of the week. I try to write when they are busy for an hour during their extracurricular activities or when I am putting my little one to sleep.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started to enjoy writing in high school and when I took creative writing in college I understood that I was really passionate about writing and putting words together came easy to me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy reading. I read various genres, by different authors. I do buy Dan Brown’s books when they come out and I have been waiting and waiting for George R.R. Martin to release his next book.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book is called Eyes of Amber. It was inspired by my experience in the medical field and all the patient stories that I have collected over the years. I started writing it at least five years ago. I had about 30,000 words written and I put it away for about 2 years, I picked it up after attending a work shop of an indie author who inspired me to finish it. Which I did in just two months.

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Featured Interview With Katie Blanchard

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in a small town in Southwestern, PA. I live just a few miles from where I grew up with my husband and our two kids. I wrangle them all day and type at night. I have a new book, a psychological thriller, due out July of 2019. Keep your eyes peeled for it; it’s called Dear Anna.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I can’t place a finger on the age, but stories have always been an active part of my life. I have always wanted to write. Writing poetry and short stories helped me cope with my teen years. I shelved the dream for so long, thinking it wasn’t possible, until one day I told my husband about it. He gave me the nudge I needed.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I will read any genre, but I do have a soft spot for women’s fiction and psychological thrillers. I love Tarryn Fisher, Catherine Ryan Hyde, and Stephen King. I’m inspired by daily life; the messy stuff. I love a good triumph or a tragedy from it all. Depends on the character.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Well, my latest book isn’t out just yet. (Waiting patiently for July) Dear Anna is the title and its a psychological thriller about a wife discovering her husband’s infidelities. In the journey, she has to plot her way out of the marriage in secret when he holds all the cards of financial security. And we all know what happens with secrets, they leak out. Her task takes on a more sinister nature once secrets start exposing themselves. It’s going to be a fabulous book, and you should look for it. It’s on exclusive preorder with apple books right now.

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Featured Interview With M A Price

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am from Cambridge in the Uk and I have four incredibly spoilt cats! They are my fur children and know exactly how to get their way and all have their own geeky names after some of my favourite characters. I used to work in freelance journalism, but moved to novel writing last year. The Caged Kingdom, the first book in The Unforgiven Series has just been released! It’s a dark/epic fantasy series for YA-Adult fantasy fans!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been reading since I could pick up a book. I used to get in trouble for it both at school and at home, but can honestly say I regret nothing! I’d also write as soon as I could. All these crazy stories. Each of my teddy bears, since I was about 4, had an entire back story and character arc that I knew and I’d be so mad if someone didn’t remember the details.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m a big fantasy and sci-fi fan. I always have been. I do read other genres, but they are my go to. That’s adult and YA stuff. It’s mainly always about good characters with me. Show me a character I can fall in love with, or the perfect anti-hero and I’m 100% there.
Inspiration wise, I’d have to mention: George R R Martin, V.E Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Laini Taylor, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter F Hamilton, Mark Lawrence, Cassandra Clare, Nicholas Eames, Erika Johannsen and Neil Shusterman.
I adore their work and only hope my stories can touch someone even half as much as theirs have touched me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Caged Kingdom is the first book in The Unforgiven Series. It focuses on four main POV characters: Katanya, Mara, Camrin and Jaxon. They are all very different and each facing their own challenges. I love the way you see them grow through the story. You have to think: Swords and sorcery, epic battles and a dash of romance. Hopefully there is something for everyone!

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Featured Interview With Sandra Glosser

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Thank you for taking the time to read my biography. A product of South Florida and now living on the Western Slope of Colorado. From the ocean to the mountains. I moved to the center of the country due to constant travel for my speaking career. I have enjoyed a 30-year career as an international motivational speaker/ trainer with expertise in law enforcement training. And my little friend, Bacci Bogie, traveled with me for 500,000 air miles…read all about it in my book. I now have a funny, loving boy named Paco. He is also a Maltese but twice the size of Bacci. I love him dearly.

My clients included top-notch corporations such as IBM, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. One day I was home, in San Francisco, watching television and saw a group of police officers out on the Bay with teenagers. I thought that looked like fun and a ‘light bulb’ went off in my head. I picked up the phone and called the police department’s training unit and asked for a meeting. To make a long story short, that meeting resulted in a two-year contract with the San Francisco Police Department and acted as a springboard for a career training law enforcement officers across the country.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My first experience as a writer started with the Dallas Morning News as an obituary writer. My bizarre sense of humor helped me maintain a sense of well-being and the opportunity to write feature stories for the newspaper increased my appetite to become a writer.

When I moved to Aspen, Colorado, I wrote a newspaper column and then penned a book about a local police officer who moved to the community as an undercover agent. I also enjoyed a fourteen-year experience as a host for my local television show.

Writing became a hobby as I pursued my speaking career traveling across the country with my magnificent four- pound Maltese dog named Bacci Bogie. I started writing this book twelve years ago and it was just published. This is a dream come true and I hope you will share this dream with me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Hemmingway and my favorite is “A Moveable Feast.” When I started my speaking career, I gravitated toward self-help books. Writers like Stuart Wilde, Rollo May and Eckhart Tolle inspired me as a public speaker as well as a professional trainer.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“My Name Is Bacci Bogie Frequent Flyer Extraordinaire”… written with love and tears about a 4-pound adorable Maltese. His human-like antics drew people to him where ever he went. People stood in line for his autograph as he performed funny tricks. Bacci traveled over 500,000 air miles as my ‘jet pet’ experiencing life in a very unique way. His hometown was Aspen, Colorado where he co-hosted my local television show for many years. I wrote Bacci’s memoirs from his point of view and in his voice.
Most of all the book is an entertaining testament to the multi-faceted richness that pets can bring to human life.
Please visit our website: www.baccibogie.com where you will get a sense of this amazing dog and fall in love with him, even before you read the book.

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