Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Molly Garcia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Buckinghamshire, UK (about 30 miles from London). I grew up there until 1997 when I spent 7 years living in Tenerife. I then lived in Devon for 7 years before returning to Buckinghamshire until 2020 when I moved back to Tenerife. I’ve worked in social care since 1991 and am currently a freelance consultant working remotely.
When we left the UK we had to make the horribly difficult decision to give our much adored Singapura cat to our son as she’s far too old to make the journey abroad. We keep in touch with her by video call and visit her when we’re in the UK.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mum taught me to read before I even started school so I really don’t remember a time in my life that didn’t involve books! My parents soon learned that the traditional punishment of being sent to my room was actually something that I didn’t mind at all as I’d just curl up with a book. My mum used to say I was the only child she knew that had to be told it was okay to come back down now.
I’ve always written, I get ideas and they have to be written down, I find writing is very much like reading for me. I don’t know what the ending will be until I get to it so I enjoy the story appearing on the page as much as I would reading it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My very favourite author is Stephen King, he’s a genius. There will never be another author like him. I mostly read horror and suspense/thriller/mystery/crime novels. Jonathan Kellerman is amazing, his Alex Delaware series is one of the best I’ve ever read. I’ve read all of them more than once and always pre-order his most recent. Ian Rankin is another brilliant author, his Rebus series is another I’ve re-read a number of times.
I also enjoy true stories such as Shane Dunphy and Cathy Glass, having worked with challenging young people myself these books resonate with me.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My most recent book is “Becoming Bill” it’s a novella based on one of my characters from the other two books in the series but can be read as a standalone. Bill is a homeless man who helps the police when they have a case that involves vulnerable rough sleepers. In “Bedding Down” we learned a little more about his background and how he ended up on the streets but in his own book he goes into more detail. Becoming Bill follows his journey from successful man to rough sleeper, how he learns the ropes of staying safe on the streets and how the people he meets influence him.
Although Bill is a fictional character the experiences in the book are based on the real life ones of those who are homeless on our streets. I’m a fan of reading books that also raise awareness and hope that my readers feel the same about my writing.

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Molly Garcia’s Website

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Featured Interview With Peter Sarno

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Revere, Massachusetts—a working class city just north of Boston. I live in Georgetown, MA now—a much more rural area. Well it was much more so when we moved here 30 years ago (smile). I dropped out of Salem State University and finished my undergraduate studies at Harvard University Extension. Later I enrolled in graduate courses at Boston University before earning my Master’s Degree at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. I taught literature and memoir courses at UMass.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Perhaps earlier, but in the 6th grade Sister Mary Ellen (who played touch football with us in the schoolyard during recess at Saint Mary’s in Lynn) encouraged us to write a story in Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger” vein and I remember her liking mine and encouraging me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
That’s a difficult question to ask a lit professor (smile) There’s a score—too many to name and I’ll miss a dozen or more. Fitzgerald, Ann Beattie, Andre Dubus, Jr., Ann Patchett, Roland Merullo, Richard Russo, Anne Tyler, Billie Letts, Susan Cheever, Maya Angelou, Denise Duhamel, Susanna Kaysen, Joe Torra, Marge Piercy, Alice Munro—and, early on, the Russians, Camus, Ibsen, Dick Gregory, John Cheever, Eugene O’Neill…I’ll stop now (smile)…

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The novel is called “Visions of Johanna”.

I read a novel about a younger man and an older female artist and it hadn’t rung true. Though written by a well-established author, it seemed to me to be about a “pretend” artist. Of course, I could be dead wrong. Other folks were engaged and enjoyed it. But—with a certain level of arrogance—I thought, I knew a talented and brave artist and might be able to share the experience of what that artistic life was like more effectively.

Then I thought, “Why hadn’t that relationship worked out?”

Independent of this, over the years, I had tried several times to write a story about a dear friend who tragically lost her life while only sixteen-years-old. And I eventually finished two short stories based on her. She had been hit by a drunk driver, abandoned on the side of the road, and found dead by her older sister who went out looking for her after she hadn’t returned home from a trip to the neighborhood convenience store. I was numb for weeks and much longer. Years later, only two main images of my friend remained: one of her dressed in a stylish suede leather fringe jacket of the era with her sparkling brown eyes and luminous smile on the Friday she left for that weekend trip to Maine—the one I saw. And the other: her lying by the side of the road, alone, waiting for her sister to find her—the one I only imagined, yet could never rid myself of.

I didn’t know how to deal with that pain. There were really no such things as a grief counselors in “those days” and a man (even though I was only sixteen myself)—especially in my neighborhood—was expected to suck it up. It wasn’t until I started writing the novel that I understood that these events might be related. That perhaps one of the reasons my relationship with the artist didn’t work out had something to do with this traumatic event.

Finally I wondered, “Why is music so damn important to you?”

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Peter Sarno’s Website

Featured Interview With Brieanna Wilkoff

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello! I’m a believer in kindness, an ’80s rock lover, and a musical theatre nerd. I’ve always lived in Ohio; I was born in Dayton and currently live in Westerville with my husband, daughter, and dog, a cockapoo named Cap (aka Captain Cuddles, aka Captain Muddypaws, etc). Words are my passion—reading, writing, editing. (Oxford comma all the way!) Becoming a published author was a dream of mine since childhood, so I am beyond grateful.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved reading, and I wrote my first story around the age of eight. I got more and more serious about it throughout high school, majored in English with a concentration in creative writing in college, and wrote on and off in early adulthood. After my daughter was born, it was more off than on, but I made a New Year’s resolution in 2019 to write more, and I’ve been much more consistent since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Since I write YA, that’s definitely the genre I enjoy reading the most, although I read a decent amount of nonfiction as well, and occasionally throw in romance or other genres. Favorite authors is tough, but John Green and Becky Albertalli are at the top of the list. Becky in particular does such a great job with voice, so she inspires me in that regard.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’ll Be There for You is a contemporary YA novel and combines my loves of ’80s rock, theatre, and kindness. The seed for the idea was to write a story about the healing power of kindness, and I started working on it during the time I waited while my daughter was in a theatre class. Every chapter is titled with the title of an ’80s rock song, so that was fun. Originally, I wrote it as women’s fiction with the mom as the main character, but ended up starting over and making it YA. From the idea to publication took about 5 years, but there was a lot of stopping and starting in between. It was a good call switching to YA—the main character, Rae, and the boy she meets who convinces her to audition for the school play, Mac, have a lot of witty banter that was a blast to write. And he’s the person she needs to meet in order to move on after the death of her father.

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Featured Interview With Anna Broder

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Cheshire, UK, where I used to love visiting castles and historic towns. Then moved to Scotland, where I studied Chemistry, tackled Munros and enjoyed peaty whisky by the fireside. After that, I migrated to Australia for its long swathes of beaches, unusual creatures and seemingly endless sunny days. I enjoyed a career as a materials scientist, before deciding that fantasy and not science was my real passion. So I pursued my long-neglected dream of writing stories.
I now live on acreage with my family, where we keep some chickens who terrorize pests in my veggie garden. We have an old cat who sleeps most of the day, and a young one who likes to play. We also have a resident carpet python who hangs around the house and keeps the mice population at bay. Though not strictly a pet, he’s been around so long it’s hard not to think of him as a member of our household. His name is Slithers Lowe.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved books. As a child, I used to own an old leather-bound book of fairy tales. It was my most prized possession. It inspired me to dream up my own stories about princesses and castles and talking animals, in which I was the heroine on some bold adventure. I remember writing poems from a very young age, which were silly, quirky and highly amusing to me. I continue writing them even now. In my teens, I began to write stories in earnest, mainly in the sci-fi genre, of which I was a fan at the time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Largely, my reading tastes are eclectic, spanning many genres which take me out of this world into another. On that list are classics, myths and legends, sci-fi and regency romance. Fantasy, however, remains my favorite genre, with J.R.R.Tolkien and Robin Hobb at the top of the long list of authors I love. They are closely followed by Patrick Rothfuss, Raymond E Feist, Brandon Sanderson and G.R.R.Martin. I particularly enjoy dark and gothic tales and classic horror stories; Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps my favorite author in this genre. I am also a fan of romance, especially when combined with fantasy, with C.L.Wilson and Amanda Bouchet amongst my favorites.
All these authors inspire me to pursue not just writing, but the craft of storytelling, originality, and above all, characters with their own, unforgettable voices. My dream has always been to write stories that would outlive me. Time and readers will judge whether I realized that dream. For my part, I feel I am yet to learn much from those greats.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Bridge to Magic is a little different from many fantasy novels out there. Set in the sundered realm of Seramight, it is a dark, grim story about the nearing end of mankind, the mistaken belief that men had won the war against magic, and the confronting choice the last of humanity must face.
The Blight, an invisible wall of power, kills everything it touches. Now it’s coming for Terren, the last refuge of mankind. The residents must now decide: stay and fight this foe borne of magic or cross the bridge to the unknown terrors of the Deadlands. None who have crossed ever returned to tell the tale.
An orphan, Elika, is part of a gang of young thieves, surviving on the streets of Terren. Like everyone else, she clings to the hope that by purging the world of every lingering echo of magic, they can stop the Blight. Then she discovers that an echo of magic hides within her and through her, it can enact a malign will of its own. Her world shatters as her loyalties are questioned and her gang turns against her. The one man she thought she could trust and love abandons her. As she flees the angry mob and magic hunters on the streets, she discovers that in her past lurk dark and terrible secrets, and she must face the possibility that she might not be who she believes herself to be. That she might not even be human.
Elika now faces an impossible choice: destroy the magic inside her or cross the Bridge to her own uncertain end. All within Terren will fall prey to the Blight if she refuses to accept her fate. But what awaits her in the Deadlands, where the enemy of mankind roams wild? Does she have the courage to cross the chasm into an unknown future? And is Magic truly more evil than Man?
I am currently working on Book 2 of this trilogy.

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Anna Broder’s Website

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Featured Interview With Amber Cannon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Pennsylvania where I was raised until moving to Iowa in 2000. I've had short bouts where I've ventured out to other states but I came back to Iowa and have stayed ever since. I absolutely love nature and being outside. I find a lot of inspiration from what I witness on walks and bike rides. I also love learning about the environment. I'm currently taking classes to work in a field of wildlife biology or ecology. I've always been environmentally savvy. I have 4 wonderful fur babies ranging from the ages of 11 to 4 months. We have 2 small mixed breed dogs and 2 cats. Our newest kitty was born with cerebellar hypoplasia which affects his motor functions and ability to walk. But he has no problems getting around and has been keeping mine and my husband's lives interesting.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I've had a fascination for books from a very early age. The only problem was I couldn't understand them. I had the worst reading comprehension! The only books I could make it through were Scary stories to tell in the dark and Shiel Silverstein where the sidewalk ends. Which looking back are basically poems and I didn't even realize it. I started writing in 8th grade due to a module in my English class. I realized I could say whatever I wanted or needed to say and get my feelings out and people liked them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Some of my favorite authors recently have been Jennette McCurdy and Jon Krakauer. My favorite genre is non fiction! I tend to really love books related to war times. True life and what surrounds me are the things that most influence my writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called "Through Clouds and Sushine" its a compilation of poems coupled with illustrations done by my wonderful artistic husband. Theres two parts the cloud part and the sunshine part. The poems in the clouds tend to be the darker and more deep poems and the sunshine poems are the lighthearted poems. They are collection of my best work from 2014 til 2021. I do have a new book titled "Weathered in Wildflowers" currently in the works and is slated for early 2023.

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Amber Cannon’s Website

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Featured Interview With Nicole Gauder

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a spiritual alignment specialist, mental healer, and author who provides people with the tips, tools, and techniques they need to take their lives from where they are to where they want to be. I love reading and am passionate about enlightening others about the higher truths of life. I help my readers identify their goals, release limiting beliefs, and create lasting change in their lives. Life doesn’t have to be a struggle; happiness is your birthright!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was in my twenties when I realized my fascination for absorbing knowledge, hence the love of reading increased, and it was pure growth and ascension ever since. I recently started writing roughly one year ago. I was inspired to help people out of the ruts of their minds and into their hearts to find happiness and inner peace. Then, for those who are ready, to help them to discover their SELF where the bliss of existence exists. This was where the Mental Heath Series was created.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read non-fiction. Anything that can aid with my growth and ascension for that matter. As for my favorite authors to read, there are too many to list, but to name a few: Mooji, Neale Donald Walsch, Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Abraham Hicks, Neville Goddard, Stuart Wilde, Normal Vincent Peale, Joseph Benner, Ernest Holmes, Eckhart Tolle, James Alan, Deepak Chopra, Michael Mirdad, Gregg Braden, Emmet Fox, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ramana Marashi, Papaji, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Alan Watts, Sadhguru, Joseph Murphy, and Napoleon Hill. All these authors and more inspire my writing. The more people begin to wake up to their true power and potential, the better life will be for them and the world in general. Awareness is key!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book at the time of this interview is Conquer Stress: The Overthinker’s Guide to Peace and Happiness. Book one of three in the Mental Health Series. Conquer Stress provides you with the motivation and inspiration you need to change your mindset and turn your life around. Focusing on key aspects in chapters such as 16 Empowering Beliefs, Turning Your Negative into Potential, and Following Your Heart To Happiness, this book will guide you on your journey to peace. Helpful tools, reflections, and exercises are included as an added supplement to assist you on your journey to calming your mind. The secret is to align yourself with the happiness that you seek. Find happiness now. Be your own truth and start the journey of following your heart to peace and happiness.

Inside, you'll learn how to:
• Overcome anxiety and stress
• Relax your mind and body
• Maintain mental clarity while reducing stress
• Control your emotions
• Improve your self-esteem
• Improve your mindfulness
• Prevent overthinking and obsessing
• Stop worrying and stressing
• Increase your self-control
• And much more

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Nicole Gauder’s Website

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Featured Interview With William R. Douglas

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Debut author at 63! I was born in Evergreen Park, IL, and raised in Oak Lawn, IL until after my freshman year of High School. Our family relocated to Arlington Heights, IL and I remained in that area until 1992 when I moved to McHenry, IL. (about an hour northwest of Chicago).

My wife and I are empty nesters (six kids, 8 grandkids) and have pet cat named Peaches.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Grammar school. Loved Schi-Fi and History books. I started righting when I was in grammar school and loved it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I really don't have favorites. I just enjoy a good story. I love history, alternative history, and fiction.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Several ingredients went into my debut novel, The Death and Resurrection of Baseball: Echoes from a Distant Past

1.) An article I read several years ago about games kids used to play before the Civil War of the 1860s. These games are now extinct and are unknown to today's kids.

2.) David Aickman's novel: When the Almond Tree Blossoms. First published in 1993, re-released in 2016, and considered by many to be prescient. It tells the tale of a Second American Civil War fought along ideological lines, i.e. Socialists vs Capitalists/Constitutionalists. In the novel, Socialists now run the country.

3.) William Forstchen's Novel: One Second After. Tells the story of an EMP attack upon the US and its devastating aftermath with three massive 'die-offs' of the population.

4.) Numerous stories about the waning popularity of baseball, especially at the youth level.

A storyline developed in my mind based upon several 'what-ifs'. What if 40 years from now, baseball died as a sport? What if the trajectory of our current national divisions continues unaltered to their logical outcome, a second civil war on American soil? Besides losing popularity, what could be a final crises that seals the fate of the sport of baseball?

It all came together in 2016. I began writing in September and finished the draft in September of 2020. After many edits and revisions, finally was published in May of 2022.

The early results have been very encouraging. The Death and Resurrection of Baseball: Echoes from a Distant Past, is getting great reviews for its unique storyline.

The Death and Resurrection of Baseball takes those what-if propositions and transports the reader 140 years from now into the futuristic United States of America to the year 2166. A United States that is far from our current recognition.

A post-Second Civil War United States of America is finally back on its feet. Among the countless personal and cultural casualties of the war, the sport of baseball has been dead for over a hundred years.

12-year-old Joe Scott lives in the northern Illinois city of McHenry and goes exploring in the woods one day in a no man's land that a hundred years earlier was the site of the bloodiest battle of the Second Civil War. While there, he discovers a relic from the distant past, from before the war. It sparks a search for its meaning. Little does he know that the wheels of Providence have been unwittingly set in motion, leading to a stunning discovery in Dyersville, Iowa.

This second discovery has a direct connection with the relic found in McHenry. As events unfold, Joe finds himself at the center of the rediscovery of the sport of baseball, long lost and forgotten by the ravages of time and the lingering aftereffects of the Second Civil War. With no living person having any first-hand knowledge of the game, can he figure out the pieces of the puzzle to resurrect the game of baseball? Will his friends take to the game? What will the adults think?

The Death and Resurrection of Baseball will take you back to the happy days of your youth and your coming of age. The story will thrill you, move you, and make you think long and hard about where The United States of America is currently at, and where we could be headed.

Baseball has always been a metaphor for America and has always brought Americans together. In The Death and Resurrection of Baseball, you will find its greatest strength, hope!

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William R. Douglas’s Website

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Featured Interview With Emilia Ramos Samper

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Emilia Ramos Samper and I am one of the youngest people to ever publish a novel. I wrote my first book, "Crown of Scales and Wonder" when I was ten and my second book is coming out this year. I've won 1st and 3rd place in the LaPlume Young Writer's Contest. My hobbies include theatre, voice, and playwriting! I was raised in Denver, Colorado and now live in Miami, Florida. I have two siblings and my adorable dog, Snowy (funny cause we live in Miami)!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been fascinated with books ever since kindergarten. There was something about the worlds and characters that authors could create with a single sentence that made me so determined to do the same. In elementary school I buried myself in books until one day I decided to write one. In fourth grade, I did, and now I'm a proud twelve-year-old author.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
One of my favorite authors is Christopher Paolini, because I love the way he writes mythical creatures with such grace and depth. I also love Leigh Bardugo for her intriguing character work. In her novel, "Six of Crows" the characters have so much depth and backstory, something I try to include in my own work. As can probably be seen from my favorite authors, I am a fantasy junkie. Beasts, dark magic, and all things fantasy inspire the world of my books. However, I also take aspects of trips and people I've met on them into my books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
"Crown of Scales and Wonder" is my debut novel, telling the thrilling tale of two teens locked on separate sides of a timeless war. It is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook. Here is the description:

In a kingdom torn apart by dark magic and a million year war, Princess Naomi Elistaire searches for answers amidst the facade of her palace imprisonment. With an irreversible gift ready to destroy her and a martyred father buried in a web of lies, who’s to say which way fate will turn?

Deep underground, Agent Ez Shores trains everyday at the dragon base, waiting for the revolution, the day to kill the Queen. But as dangerous bloodlines reveal themselves and a seemingly suicidal mission is handed to him, Ez finds himself locked in the palace dungeons, facing the daughter of his worst enemy.

Lies.
Love.
Revolution.

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Emilia Ramos Samper’s Website

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Featured Interview With Zylkia Ivette Swensen

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born in New York, raise in Puerto Rico. Live in Kentucky,US. I'm a mother of 6 and have 4 poodles. I am a disabled Veteran and a homeschooling mom.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I been writing since I can write. I was lucky enough to have a scholarship to a really good School when I was 3. By the time I was 5i could write and read in Spanish and English. I bought notebooks and started writing fantasy. When I was 16 I wrote "After I died". I wrote in college and won a competition against order colleges.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Because I have dyslexia I don't really read. I am more of a visual learner. I love history and social issues, often fantasizing to help out country in any way.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book is my own story. I have been poor true the ringers and I wanted to share my experiences, hoping it will help others.

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Zylkia Ivette Swensen’s Website

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Featured Interview With Mitch Maiman

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and currently live in Long Island. I am a tennis enthusiast and active practitioner of Yoga. I became a physician at the age of twenty-four and am now retired. My lifelong experience in medicine has given me the keen insight to portray the realistic issues plaguing young physicians depicted in this book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I became fascinated with books as a teenager, using them to escape the conflicts of my own life and enter into the worlds created by the authors. It seems that I have been writing something or other forever, but only recently launched this, my first novel.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Robert James Waller, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Michael Connelly. I love to read compelling novels and psychological thrillers, as well as historical fiction. I am inspired by Buddhist philosophy as well as all the people that I have loved in my life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Every Third Night” is an eye-opening yet poignant novel set in a busy, dehumanizing and unyielding New York City residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1984. It brings the reader into the real world of medicine at a time of limited supervision and brutal duty hours, through the vantage points of young physicians enduring stressful conflicts and volatile relationships.
As the protagonist and his colleagues grapple with the overwhelming friction of their circumstances, the intertwined subplots collide and come crashing down when a haunting mishap leaves the program reeling and their lives forever transformed.

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Mitch Maiman’s Website

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Featured Interview With L.N. Hunter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m an ex-software engineer who took far too long to realise that writing fiction for humans is much more satisfying than making up stuff for computers. I grew up in Ireland but now live in a disorganised home in rural Cambridgeshire, UK, along with two cats and a soulmate.

I’ve written a number of short stories, appearing in in places such as Short Édition’s ‘Short Circuit’ and the ‘Horrifying Tales of Wonder’ podcast, as well as in several anthologies, and ‘The Feather and the Lamp’ is my first novel. There have also been papers in the IEEE ‘Transactions on Neural Networks,’ which are probably somewhat less relevant and definitely less fun.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I guess something went ‘click’ when I found the fantasy and sci-fi shelves of my local library at age 11 or thereabouts. I was never very good at English at school, and it took a long time before I thought about transitioning from reading to writing. I’ve been writing short stories since about 2016, and started my novel in 2017.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are at the top of my list. I lean towards sci-fi and fantasy, but the lightweight end of both: I’m more of a ‘The Hobbit’ person than ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ And I like a good dose of humour in the mix, ideally that odd sort of British humour that has its roots in Monty Python.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
‘The Feather and the Lamp’ is a comic fantasy in which Imperceptibility Happenstance is launched on a series of adventures by the malicious djinn in her lamp. Along the way, she has to deal with three-headed dogs, quantum dragons and underground monks, and that’s only the start.

It was probably about five years’ worth of evenings and weekends from start to finish, though I wasn’t working on the novel full time.

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L.N. Hunter Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Sylvia Day

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Inglewood, California. We lived there for a bit before making our way down to Redondo Beach and eventually to Anaheim. After high school, I moved to St. George, Utah. I joined the Army and was subsequently stationed in Monterey, California. After I separated from the military, I settled in Oceanside and met my husband in Carlsbad. We moved to Murrieta to start our family, finally leaving California for good in 2013 when we transplanted to Las Vegas. We’re still here in Sin City now. Our household includes four dogs (a German Shepherd, a Shiba Inu, a Chihuahua mix, and a Maltipoo) and one cat (an American Shorthair).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I asked my mother to buy me a book every time we went to the store. I was twelve when I decided to be a novelist. I still have boxes of my early stories and poems in storage. After my youngest child was born, I began pursuing publication. I sat down to write my first book at the tail end of 2003, and I made my first sale to a publisher in 2004. I’ve been writing for a living ever since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read Nalini Singh, J.D. Robb, Patricia Briggs, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Shelby Reed, Linda Howard, and Julie Garwood. My favorite genre is romance, and my favorite stories are long-term series featuring the same couple. Those stories have established relationships, and the mystery becomes the primary focus. I’m inspired by alternatives; by that, I mean what I would do differently if I were telling a story or how I would write a character to respond differently to an event.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In SO CLOSE, Kane Black has been grieving his late wife, Lily, for many years. One day, on the drive to work, he spots a woman identical to her and takes her home to his hostile and suspicious family. The story is told from the perspectives of the women and the majordomo, who is an objective observer. Lily’s point of view has shades of Rebecca, with a dissonance between the new and former Mrs. Blacks. Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has struggled to survive within the cutthroat family and doesn’t appreciate how easily Lily settles in. And Aliyah, Kane’s mother, has been the de facto queen since Kane was a widower. Now that Lily is back, Aliyah will not cede her place on the throne without a fight. These three women have been shaped by the events of their pasts and life within a family that is more dangerous than any external hazard they encounter. If Lily has truly returned, where has she been? If the woman Kane brought home isn’t Lily, who is she really and what does she want?

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Featured Interview With Rose Rosetree

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Before answering these questions, you’ve already seen my publicity photo here. So here’s a little inside info about that: For a decade, my husband Mitch has taken all my photos. (Professional photographers have always creeped me out; not a problem with them personally. Just that I prefer saying “Cheese” to a photographer who loves me.)

Anyway, here’s a useful photo tip for any of you who are also a bit too old to look good in selfies, etc. Mitch purposely uses an early model digital camera. Resolution is lousy. But that’s fine by me, because it smudges years off my face.

Back to answering the official questions…

Born and raised in New York City, since 1982 I’ve lived in a suburb of Northern Virginia. No pets, unless you count my garden. (I’ve been known to name plants. Also, my car, for that matter.)

Given these questions, I’m going to switch gears when responding to this survey, and introduce my next-to-most recent book. Unlike the newest release, my memoir actually fits one of the categories listed here.

Given where and how I was raised, it’s nearly impossible how I would become that unlikely thing, a spiritual teacher.

(In my case, that’s a teacher who’s spiritual but not religious. Although plenty of my students do belong to different religions. Basically, I’m into helping people to use their full potential in life, however they define that.)

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Very likely, that fascination with reading books began when I was three. According to my mother, I that’s when I started reading. Not that I’d qualify as precocious in any other way.

For instance, also according to my mother, I couldn’t hold up my own head until I was more than a year old. (In part, the memoir I’ll introduce you to here… begins with my glass-box start in life as a preemie, altogether a somewhat reluctant participant in my own birth.)

When did I start writing? Fortunately, I began book writing at age nine, long before my pencil-and-paper writing became legible. In college (Brandeis University), I had the luxury of majoring in English and American literature, studying with remarkable professors who gave me the heart to keep writing.

Never took a creative writing course, though. That could have squashed me like a bug.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Currently my faves are nonfiction authors; usually that’s also what I write, haha!

Favorite genres include self-help (Maryanne Wolf), creative nonfiction (David Sedaris), memoirs (Maya Angelou), history (Robert Caro), poetry (Gerard Manley Hopkins), and the history of ideas (“Timetables of History).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Spanning my life from birth to age 23, this story invites readers like you to follow every step of my halting, stumbling journey; a journey of waking up to being myself as a person; a New Yorker’s journey, replete with ever more colorful characters and vignettes, including…

* Discovering my purpose in life at age five, in the operating room; then promptly forgetting it for decades.
* My teenage bedroom featuring the “pin-up” image of… Picasso’s eyes.
* My one-on-one encounters with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass.
* Becoming a highly insecure (yet inspired) TM initiator.
* Moving Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to tears.

BIGGER employs a “gradually-maturing-voice” style of writing, as I evolve into a kind of work that, by now, I’ve now done for over 50 years, serving as a spiritual teacher.

With its myriad teaching tales and universal truths—this one-of-a-kind life chronicle aims to resonate on many levels, maybe even jump-starting a reader’s self-recognition.

Although each of us has a unique path, sometimes another person’s memoir can help us see our own life just a bit clearer-and-dearer.

How long did this memoir take me to write? In Japan, during my spare time while teaching personal growth seminars for VOICE, I flowed out the first draft in 2010.

Back in America I wrote and self-published a bunch of other books, then decided to bring this one to life. (No surprise that I backburnered BIGGER: Talking about myself isn’t what lights me up, not compared to writing about anything else.) In 2014, the edits and rewrites began. By 2018, suddenly, it was Publication Day.

No matter which book I write, I’m fully committed to make that wad of inspiration come alive. Unsurprisingly, that happened with this story of my early years. Maybe somewhat surprising, yet understandable if any of you readers are also on the shy side, I published this first memoir at age seventy.

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Featured Interview With John Sauer

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a midwestern guy, handspanked and corn fed. I am the eldest in my family and the wandering one. I left home at 18 and have lived in the north, south and southwestern US. I now live in the Pacific Northwest with my wife and two dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated with books and reading very early on. I was an active reader by age 4 and one of my earliest memories is being curled up on a couch with my dad while he read Travels With Charlie to me. I wrote my first story in first grade, an adventure about two soldiers who go into a cave to hunt a werewolf. Since then I have written a few books on video game strategies and a few video game scripts but fantasy and science fiction are my first writing loves.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am a sponge for good post-apocalypse fiction and other realm fantasy, as long as it is not too romance smooshy. My current favorite authors are DJ Molles and Will Wight. I have a soft spot for Stephen King because of the Stand. For hard, factual end-of-the-world writing William R Forstchen is the man in my eyes.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Divided Man Book One is the story of what could have happened if the prayer of the Ghost Dance had been answered by the universe. The Ghost Dance was a religious movement that swept the Native American tribes of the west and southwest in the late 1800’s. Its believers thought that by dancing the sacred dance, the land would roll up and reveal the world as it had been before white men came and took away their way of life. There were variations depending the shaman who had the vision. Some included good white people, some excluded everyone but Native Americans.

In the Divided Man Book One the world has ended in global war. Most of the human population is gone and the veil between the spirit world and our has been opened. Every god known to man has returned. Some good and some evil.

Out of the ruins, two are called. One to save the Tree of Life. One to drag it to darkness. Stripped of his soul by the elk-headed god Manitou, Luke Kimball is on a spirit quest that binds his fate to the Tree and the dark intent of the Wendigo. In a land where the roles of god and man have no clear boundaries, time is fluid, and the tragedies of his past await his return, Luke will have to kill a god to succeed. Or become one.

The book combines Native American Mythology, pure fantasy, time travel, military action and a lot of soul searching, wrapped up in realistic action and adventure.

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Featured Interview With D.F. Kennedy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live approximately fifty miles northeast of St. Louis in the village of Kane. I was raised around this area. I left right after graduation and joined the United States Air Force, where I served just shy of 8 years before being medically separated.

I am the mother of three adult children, grandmother of four, and mother of one spoiled dog, Elise. Elise works hard when I write. She keeps guard of the area around my feet, more like snores, as I write.

I am a pantser. I don’t outline and plan before I write. I have a story in my head, and I sit down and type as it plays out. I never know the story’s ending until midway through the book. Then the ending changes multiple times.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved to read. Reading provided a great escape for me. I began journaling early, and that is when I began writing. Roughly fifteen to twenty years ago, I acquired a desire to write “my story,” but I knew because of the subject matter, the story would need to age like a fine wine before seeing 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 don’t have a favorite author. I’m not big into having a favorite of anything. I just recently discovered I do have a favorite color—Red.

I write thriller, suspense, mystery, and romance all rolled up together. I plan on trying my hand at several genres.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Whole Truth is book two in the So Help Me God series. The Whole Truth begins right where the first book left off. The reader finds Dahlia and Roland on a mission to find forevermrshughes, but most importantly, the sender of the mysterious black dahlias. But before that can happen, they embark on vastly different and dangerous paths, discovering a new nemesis.

The first book, The Truth, introduces the reader to Dahlia Frost. She’s a new author who wrote and published a novel, Daddy Issues, under a pen name. When her identity is mysteriously revealed once her ex-boyfriend makes a grand entrance at her book signing, bringing with him the national spotlight. Determined to succeed against all who bet against them, Roland and Dahlia find themselves threatened, stalked, kidnapped, and torn apart by deception. And that is just by those who call themselves family. Finding their way back to each other, vowing no more secrets will come between them, their love and commitment are immediately tested.

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Featured Interview With L.M. Bracklow

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Luana and I’m a twenty-six-year-old Peruvian author. I was raised in Lima and that is where I currently live. I’ve lived here my entire life, actually. I’m a big fan of horror movies and true crime. And yes, I do have pets! A blue Staffy named Aquiles, and a German shepherd named Apollo. My family and I are dog lovers. There’s nothing I enjoy more than reading a book in bed with Aquiles lying beside me.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember! When I was in high school, they made us read around twelve books a year and I really enjoyed it. I think that was what made me fall in love with reading. However, I didn’t start writing until I was twenty-two. I had no idea I wanted to be a writer until then. I was watching a YouTube video about the universe and an idea for a book popped into my head. My writing journey began then. I did write that first book, but I never published it. A year later, I came up with the idea for The Islands of Iros. And here I am now.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’m a huge middle-grade fan so I have to say Rick Riordan, Shannon Messenger, Jessica Townsend, B.B Alston. I also really like Stephen King, Donna Tart, Leigh Bardugo, Madeline Miller and Alexandra Bracken!

My favorite genre to read is Fantasy, fantasy, fantasy! I read romance occasionally, but fantasy books have my heart. Psychological thrillers are great as well. I love plot twists and the unexpected!

I wouldn’t say I’m inspired by one person in particular, but by good writing in general. Reading a book with great writing makes me want to improve my own skills, to better myself as a writer.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I really enjoy watching anime so my biggest inspirations for The Islands of Iros were One Piece, Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. TIOI is a fun, middle-grade adventure filled with pirates, magic, friendship, sirens, and lots of sword fighting! I’m currently working on the second book in the series. There’s a lot more to come!

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Featured Interview With Maeve Birch

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the Appalachian foothills, in the land of cows and corn. In the spring when they’d put manure on the fields, I smelled it through the school bus windows for a week. When I was a teenager, my dad retired, and we moved further into the mountains. To my chagrin, none of the other teens at my high school were interested in nature outside of deer hunting season. I spent many summer days alone in the woods behind our house, digging fossils out of the mountainside, identifying tree species, and bringing home minnows from the creek. One day I sat so still that a fox passed three feet away from me, ignoring my presence entirely. Back then I encountered horses briefly from time to time, but never really got a good look at them outside of trail rides and chance encounters. It wasn’t until I moved back to the east coast after college that I sought out horses to interact with. I have never owned my own horse, it has always been at other barns, either horse rescues, boarding stables, or lesson barns. Far from being a disadvantage, this has allowed me to get to know a wider variety of horses and learn more about them than if I had only one horse to interact with. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to work with many equines. At home I have two cats, both tabbies. One is a complete cuddle bug and the other is the most adorably stubborn being I’ve ever come across. My spouse is supportive of my equine obsession, but never really got into horses like I did. I’m grateful that I can track horse manure into the house on occasion and he doesn’t complain.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mother was a librarian, so I grew up with books. Trips to the public library were a weekly occurrence. Finishing a good sci-fi novel while hiding under the bed covers with a flashlight happened more than my parents would’ve liked. Threatening to take away a book mid-read convinced me to get my homework done. I wrote poems and short stories beginning in elementary school, but every time I’d attempt to write a novel, I’d get halfway through it and lose track of the plot. What I needed was a topic that I cared passionately enough about to carry me through my first full-length book. The first glimmers of this memoir were initially journal entries, and it unfolded from there. In all, it took me a little over a year to go from journal entries and an outline to a finished, self-published book. Childhood me would be proud.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading nonfiction books about horses, wildlife, and gardening. I’m inspired most by those who mix their spirituality with the natural world. Books like Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and The Tao of Equus by Linda Kohanov led me toward my own integration of lessons learned from other species into my life and my spirituality. I also love Doug Tallamy’s books, including Nature’s Best Hope. Those inspired me to turn part of my backyard into a miniature meadow, which is a source of great joy and bountiful nectar. The smell of the blooming goldenrod in autumn is absolutely indescribable. In the winter, when the garden is asleep and the barn pasture is absolutely frigid, I read in the evenings. Sometimes I even start memoirs.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Standing in a Field With Horses is the story of the beginning of my time with horses. Initially I struggled greatly with codependent behavior, and it showed in how I interacted with horses. Horses are fantastic at pointing out where you’re lacking boundaries. That’s part of why they make such great partners in equine therapy programs. In my case I was also plagued by an inability to be a “dominant leader” towards horses. If you’re around traditional horse barns for any significant length of time you’ll hear phrases like “He’s taking advantage of you,” “Get after her,” or “Tell him who’s boss.” There is an overarching assumption that horses are out to pull one over on the humans, and will take advantage of us, or hurt us if we let them win any disagreement. In answer to that, horses are often handled with unyielding strength and rigid expectations. I couldn’t do it. I felt a deep-seated discomfort with controlling a horse’s emotional expressions when sometimes I could “hear” the horse in my body and my mind, telling me that something was wrong. It wasn’t them trying to dominate the human, it was pain, fear, or something else unrelated.
Over time it became soul-crushing. The memoir is about my quest to find my voice. I needed to share what I was seeing, hearing, and feeling from the horses. In the book there’s animal communication, moments where I failed miserably, and wonderful and mysterious happenings that I still can’t explain. I admit, some chapters made my editor cry. It’s not an easy book, but it’s an important one. Not just for equestrians, but for anyone struggling through something like codependency or fear of judgement. The emergence of equine positive reinforcement training and equine behavior studies closely mirror the rise of mental health awareness and falling away of punitive parenting and office culture in the human world. Horses are social creatures just like us. It’s no wonder, then, that we find a little piece of our own relational landscapes in the behavior of a herd of horses.
Emerging from the other end of writing this book, I have a community. There are others out there who don’t want a rigid control of horses anymore. The book is a cry of “We exist! You’re not the only one who feels like this.” I hope that’s what readers get out of the memoir. If nothing else these stories will take you on an adventure into the world of a misfit horse enthusiast, trying to find a way to be in the presence of horses while staying true to herself. Come, stand in a field of horses and listen… you might hear more than you expect.

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Maeve Birch’s Website

Featured Interview With Michael LaReaux

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in a suburb of Oakland, California in the 70s and 80s. It was a great place to grow up. Our street was like a little United Nations, so I got exposed to different cultures and beliefs from a very young age. Now I live thousands of miles away in the Maine woods, with my wife, my cat, and my two rambunctious dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started at a very young age. I read both Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer when I was in first grade. I probably started writing back then, but I don’t have anything from that time. I remember vowing to write a monster novel with my friend Richard, but we never did it. We were too busy whipping apples and playing detective.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t have a favorite genre anymore. It used to be fantasy and science fiction, but now I read a little more widely. Stephen King, David McCullough, Michael Connelly, Guy Gavriel Kay, Jane Yolen, Mary Stewart. I also like reading about interesting people who aren’t necessarily writers, like Jay Blades the guy behind the hit show “Repair Shop.” I want to read about a little bit of everything.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“A Place to Run Free” follows the journey of Jake Phillips through the afterlife of pets. Suspended from school, Jake sneaks out of his room and heads down to his spot near the river. A bad decision and some thin ice plunges him into freezing water. He wakes up in a vast forest populated by dogs. Jake discovers that the afterlife isn’t the one promised to him in church. Something dark lurks in the deep shadows among the trees, stealing away dogs. Jake is determined to find out what is taking the dogs, and rescue them if he can. He’s helped along the way by the animals he meets – Blue, a steadfast horse, a clever rat named Azrak, and many others. Jake’s journey leads him through deep forests and golden grasslands, searching for the truth behind the missing animals. It’s a journey of high adventure, tragedy, loss, and ultimately, love.