Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With La Fonceur

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
La Fonceur is a Dance Artist and a Health Blogger from India. La Fonceur is Masters in Pharmacy specialized in Pharmaceutical Technology. She has published a Review Article on “Techniques for Producing Biotechnology-Derived Products of Pharmaceutical Use” in Pharmtechmedica Journal. She is a Registered State Pharmacist. She is National Level GPAT Qualifier in the year 2011 and among Top 1400 nationwide.

Being a Research Scientist, she has worked closely with drugs and based on her experience she believes Vegetarian Foods are the remedy for many diseases, one can prevent most of the diseases with Nutritional Foods and Healthy Lifestyle.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Writing has always been my passion after writing many scientific Review Articles and writing Dissertation on Drugs during Masters of Pharmacy, I realized I enjoy writing and sharing knowledge with others.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I see various Diet trends catching fire every day but these are far from Healthy
diets, they may give temporary solution for health issues whether it is weight loss, diabetes or other disease but for healthy life one must have a thorough knowledge of food that they eat, what is the actual purpose of that food and how actually nutritious they are. I am trying to help people to understand their food in a scientific and real way.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am currently working on my next book which will be a Guide to how to stay healthy in the rainy season as most people fall sick or feel depressed in this season. Also, this season comes with problems like hair fall, skin infections, and many others. I will give a to z guideline to prevent these problems in my new Book.

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Featured Interview With Maureen Joseph

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a former copywriter and I love most genres of metal music. People are still waiting for my gothic phase to be over.
I was born in Brooklyn. I spent half of my childhood there and the other half abroad. You can say I have been to a few places. The only pets I have are my Israeli Black Mollies.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was around six years old. My mother used to take me to our public library in Sheepshead Bay. There was the upstairs area for kids. We had stuffed animals to cuddle with while reading a book. I still go there to reminisce when I miss her. I started writing poetry and short stories when I was around nine.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors. My first book was The Eyes of Darkness. I would also add the classics like Daphne Du Maurier and Edgar Allen Poe. I have recently started reading Sylvain Reynard. I have a whole list of favorite authors. It depends on the genre.
I read different genres. I cannot stick to one thing. My reading list consists of genres from politics and science to thrillers and classical romance.
Evil people and haters really inspire my writings. They really help me formulate situations and characters when I write. I thank them.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
First, I’d like to say that when I wrote the first two chapters of my book; I was going through a very dark and tough time in my life. It took me almost four years between writing and editing to get my book out. It took too long because I moved from one continent to another and I was finishing a ghostwriting gig. This won’t happen with my next book.
Twice The Demise is about an undertaker who is stuck in a love triangle. She is not your average undertaker. She lived a non-eventful life in her little goth bubble till her childhood best friend, Michael Nabakov, turned her world upside down. For many years, he had managed to keep his identity and motives under wraps. Polly is caught between her guilt with the familiarity of Michael’s presence and a strange yearning for his dark pursuer. Did I mention that Michael is a ballet dancer?

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Featured Interview With Wen Soon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a current graduate student studying marriage and family therapy. I’ve been surrounded by public health and behavior change my whole life and that influenced how I grew up. I was raised in the Bay Area in Northern California. I still live here. Unfortunately, I do not have much time to take care of any pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I would say I started writing in the past year because I got inspired to be courageous and take a chance on writing a book. I’ve always wanted to write one since I was a child because I loved reading and the adventures it used to take me on inside my mind.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love self-help books because they teach me so much about myself. I can count on Brene Brown, John Gottman, and Margaret Moore as some of my favorite authors.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In Self-Care: Ideas and Stories for Putting Yourself First, there are five pillars of self-care that Wen introduces to you that you need in your life. He also brings up common myths that we all have about self-care and really explores what self-care means to different people. Wen interviewed everyday people from around the world with different backgrounds to understand how they view their own well-being because he believes that everyone is an expert of their own care. In addition, he brings up common self-care ideas backed by research. In the end, he challenges each reader to build their own self-care routine and gives steps that have been helpful for people he has worked with in creating behavior change.

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Featured Interview With Maria Ann Green

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Maria lives in the Midwest with her husband and their family, despite the cold winters. She adores everything about writing. She loves how it makes her feel and how creative it lets her be. Nothing is as exciting as creating her own world and entire people in the midst of a twisting plot. She also loves reading, almost as much as writing. If you look for her, and she’s not writing, you’ll probably find her curled up with a creepy book and a cup of hot coffee or a glass of sweet white wine.

Maria aims to paint with her words, so her readers can feel connected to her passion for writing. She continues to believe that though not every story is for her, and her stories aren’t for everyone, every story has a reader.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing in elementary school and have been writing ever since! I’ve taken a few breaks, once for a couple years, but I always come back to it. I also devour books as a reader; so far I’ve ready 61 in 2019, and it’s only May!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genres to read are thrillers, horror, and contemporary romances. My favorite authors include Gillian Flynn, Chuck Palahniuk, Tana French, Megan Miranda, Ruth Ware, and Jamie McGuire. There are defintiely more; I could go on and on!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My current books are a series, and the first two are from serial killer points of view. They’ve been really fun to write! I had a dark idea and started running it, and now all of a sudden I’m writing the third book in the series. I never even anticipated it being more than one book!

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Featured Interview With Samantha Goodwin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Chartered Marketing Manager and have written professionally for my business career for over a decade before turning my hand to fiction. Raised in York, England, I now live in Leeds with my husband Chris and my son Jack.
As an avid crime fan, I regularly participate in the renowned Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate and I relish attending literature festivals across the country as well as engaging with online writing communities.
Keen to support upcoming authors, I recently launched the #IndieWritingWisdom initiative on Instagram to collate and share inspiring, original quotes from a wide range of different writers to encourage others.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy reading, countryside walks, movies, musicals and almost all chocolate (but controversially not Oreos).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always written stories, ever since I was about 5 years old. I find it to be a really positive creative outlet, it makes me feel so alive! Murder at Macbeth is my first full-length novel, before that I mainly focused on short stories and poems.

I’ve always wanted to write a book and it was my husband, Chris, who finally convinced me that I could do it.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve always been drawn to the crime genre, from books and TV shows to murder mystery games! There is such a sense of satisfaction in trying to identify the culprit in an intriguing whodunnit, especially when there are lots of twists and turns as new clues turn up. I’ve always found the best mysteries hook you so well that you end up thinking about solving the crime even when you’re not reading it.

One of the most influential authors for me is Paula Hawkins (who wrote The Girl on a Train and Into The Water). I really loved how her stories unfold through different narrators’ perspectives and the mystery is gradually revealed. That writing approach is definitely something that influenced my own novel.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Murder at Macbeth is a crime mystery novel centred around a talented, young actress who unwittingly stabs herself live onstage after a prop knife is tampered with. It’s a classic whodunnit as suspicion immediately falls on her eclectic band of castmates and the detectives have to figure out who had the motive to kill the show’s leading lady. Bitter rivalries, secret trysts and troubled pasts are just the beginning of the story…

Murder at Macbeth was longlisted for an international debut novel award and has received a lot of advanced praise from a number of other authors, including the No.1 bestselling crime author Joy Ellis, who said she “loved the book” and “for a debut novel, it is a cracker”) and Carol Deeley, author of the Britannica series, who said it is “a classic whodunnit that entertains in true Poirot style and read like a really good episode of a prime-time crime series.”

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Featured Interview With Pamela Q. Fernandes

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Kuwait. I graduated in the Philippines. I’ve worked in India and now I live in New York. I don’t have any pets though I’d love to get a husky some day.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved books in school. I wasn’t a very popular girl so books became my friends. I started writing fiction about ten years ago. nothing ever got published. Five years ago, my first novella won a competition and SEOUL-Mates was published. From then onward, I’ve been steadily accepted by publishers and now 13 books are out ten years later!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is George Elliot since I first read her in school. I also love Anne Cleeves, her voice is just so amazing even though it’s too brazen and honest. Then there’s Lisa Kleypas and Arundhati Roy. Roy writes very evocative prose and Lori Roy who’s book, Let me die in his footsteps, I’ve just finished reading is very similar. Arundhati is a Booker Award winner and Lori won an Edgar. Their words come alive on the page.
I love reading women’s fiction and romance.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Painting Kuwait Violet was the second book I started writing ten years ago. Back then the book focused on the relationship between the women. Two years ago, I submitted this for a pitmad competition and two agents were very interested. Carrie Prestritto gave me amazing feedback and I reworked the novel. When I submitted the book, my editor, John De Boer worked with me to focus on the side-stories and so we honed in on the thriller aspects of the novel.
By then the Filipino president had recalled all his workers from Kuwait and there were huge human rights issues in the country. I was inspired to finish this story and I’m so glad that I did. Women keep writing to me, saying their so grateful they’re born in the West….

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Featured Interview With Thomas Anthony Lay

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi there,
My name’s Thomas and I hail from the rural areas of Somerset, UK. I was raised in Street but moved to Glastonbury in 2016. It’s the perfect town for fantasy inspiration as the entire place is like stepping into a medieval village. I have a cat called Zelda and two rats called Ciri and Yen.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It may sound a little odd, but I didn’t get into reading until AFTER I got into writing. In school, my English teacher always praised me for my creative writing skill, often using my work as a positive example to the rest of the class. It was around here I felt a passion for world-building and storytelling. The more I wrote, the more I read!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite author is Douglas Adams. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was one of the few books I read in my youth and I’ve reread it so many times. It keeps me laughing the whole way through! My favourite genres are fantasy and comedy, but I also like sci-fi. My biggest inspirations are those around me. Other authors and fans who are a part of my writing journey showing great support and constructive criticism that ultimately makes me a better writer with each passing day. I love the community and always make an effort to be an active part of it.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is also my debut novel. It took a total of ten years (!) to write. It has taken many shapes and forms, been scrapped and reworked from the ground up several times until I crafted it into something I was truly happy with. Fortunately, not all my works take this long – book 2 is almost complete already! It’s the first part of a trilogy set in the Naeisus universe and it’s called The Age of Reckoning. It’s an immersive, lore-rich, character-driven dark fantasy featuring completely unique races and an action-packed plot that is sure to keep you gripped from page one. Early readers have praised the character building and the drive behind them, one, in particular, being Captain Levana. She’s a ruthless, psychopathic killer who enjoys what she does. She’s cocky and badass and for some reason, readers fall in love with her. She has an allure despite her nature and it’s a great feeling being able to give an inherently evil character enough charisma to still be adored.

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Featured Interview With Nancy Farkas

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised New York. I studied Psychology and English Literature at New York University. As undergraduates, my friend and I harmonized at a coffee house in Greenwich Village every Wednesday night. I always dreamed of becoming a singer; I never intended to become a writer, but certain events inspired me. I continue to live in New York with my husband. My children and grandchildren live nearby. I am sorry to say that I am no longer a pet owner. My dogs have a permanent place in my heart and a prominent place in my writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books followed closely behind my love of the cinema. Often I would watch a film that was based on classic literature, then “devour” the source material.
After my three three children left the nest, I developed a love of writing and did my best to perfect my craft. I particularly enjoy writing about the true events of my past, then fictionalizing episodes when the truth just does not seem interesting enough.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are James Michener, William Somerset Maugham, Lawrence Block, and Bill Bryson. I spend most of my time reading non-fiction; mainly books about linguistics, and travel. I am inspired by the members of my local authors society and writers workshop, all of whom are published authors.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first and only novel, This Nearly Was Mine, was published in 2013. The ebook version went on to become an Amazon Bestseller in three categories in 2015. This autobiographically inspired work takes the reader on Annie’s journey through many European countries in the years following her studies. Once the protagonist lands happily in New York, she goes on to marry the love of her life and have a successful career, all the while raising children and dogs. When Annie’s past unexpectedly came back to confuse her very existence, she began writing a novel that seemed to complicate her life even more.

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Featured Interview With Deb McEwan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Originally from Pontypridd, South Wales, I left home aged 17. Following a career of over thirty years in the British Army, my husband and I moved to Cyprus to become weather refugees.

I spend my time writing, entertaining our dog Sandy, and avoiding housework.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved reading and writing stories and started writing song lyrics about fifteen years ago. I collaborated with local musicians and once I started, I couldn’t stop.
My first book, ‘Reindeer Dreams’, is a rhyming children’s story about a reindeer who wants to join Santa’s team. My Aliens series followed shortly after, then the Afterlife series, Jason the Penguin and Unlikely Soldiers.
We adopted our lovely rescue dog Sandy in 2018. I wondered what her story would be if she could talk and so The Island Dog Squad series was born and is told from Sandy’s point of view.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a number of favourite Indie Authors including Jean Gill, Rose English, Maria Gibbs and Kelly S Marsden to name but a few.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Some of the events in the first book of my ‘Unlikely Soldiers’ series are based on my experiences in the British Army. I’m currently working on book four where Mouse (my heroine) finds herself in some tricky situations on the other side of the world.
The book will be published in early 2020.

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Featured Interview With J. C. Gilbert

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on one of a series of islands in the South Pacific which are collectively known as New Zealand. These days I am quite nomadic, and currently based in the mostly rural Waikato province. I live with a small dog named Bowie who is not my responsibility but is generous in his cuddles. Until recently, I was a practicing psychologist off the back of 10 years of university attendance. Now I spend most of my time wandering the hills, giggling, and taking notes.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I first started writing a full novel when I was 18. It was frankly terrible. I wasn’t quite sure how quotations worked and thus spent a good deal of time describing conversations which had taken place. 14 years and an English degree later and things have improved somewhat. My first favorite series was Anamorphs, and later Harry Potter. It was Terry Pratchett’s Discworld which turned me into a serious reader.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors to read are actually Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde. This may be a bit of a hangover from my university years, but I find myself re-reading their works annually. Terry Pratchett and Niel Gaiman are highly ranked in my tastes. These four authors along with J. K. Rowling and John Green inspire my work the most.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Secret Library: A New Keeper is a fictional and fantastical account of my experience of social anxiety during my teen years. It combines my love of books, libraries, adventures, and silliness. The main character is Alex who lives with social anxiety and uses reading to escape from her troubles. However, when she is selected by a magical library to be its new Keeper she discovers that some books have troubles of their own, and now they are relying on her to fix them. The book is perfect for lovers of magic, adventure, and books. Loaded it up and begin your escape.

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Featured Interview With Elizabeth Jade

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the county of Yorkshire in the UK in 1998 and moved to my current home in the county of Somerset before I was 5. My early schooling didn’t go well and I was home-schooled from the age of 7. When I was 18, I was diagnosed with Aspergers (an autistic spectrum disorder) which explained a lot about the difficulties I had experienced in school.

While I struggle to understand people, I have a natural flare with animals and have volunteered in a number of different animal rescues. Animals make far more sense to me than people. This is probably why my stories are written through the eyes of the animals.

I an definitely an animal lover and my pets are as quirky as I am. have a Shih Tzu who thinks she’s a Border Collie, and a Border Collie with the attention span of the average Shi Tzu. While my autism means I struggle with sensory processing and social anxiety, a really cool quirk of this is that I can smell colours.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I stumbled into writing at 14 when I began to struggle with depression and anxiety, and quickly found my ideas pouring out faster than I could get them onto paper. Writing is rather like a mad frenzy at the best of times and I often have no real concept of what I’m writing about until after the story ends. It can feel more like being a secretary than a writer. Despite this, my first foray into writing was very successful and the second children’s book I wrote was published in 2017. This is the first in a planned series of books for 7-11 year-olds.

My inspiration can come from a conversation, dream, YouTube video or photograph.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Whilst I grew up with the Animal Ark books by Lucy Daniels (a collective pseudonym), my preference these days is towards scifi by Gene Rodenberry, and books by Brian Jacques and Erin Hunter (another collective pseudonym).

Tell us a little about your latest book?
‘Akea – The Power of Destiny’ is a middle grade chapter book for 7-11 year-olds, although younger children will enjoy having it read to them, and adults will enjoy it as a light read. Wonderful illustrations accompany the narrative, giving a nice visual. This husky/wolf story is a new addition to the great animal fiction tradition of Jack London and Erin Hunter, where the story is told through the eyes of the animals. It is a captivating coming of age story which also teaches children about friendship and loyalty, and that being different doesn’t mean you can’t belong.

From the moment she was born into her husky family, her father, Kelleher, knew Akea was different. She somehow stood out from the rest of the litter even though Kelleher didn’t know why. As the pups grew and were able to play outside, a lone wolf appeared and watched from a distance. Akea was intrigued and felt drawn to the wolf, despite the firm warnings from her parents to stay away from him.

“Akea would always scan the edge of the woods in case the wolf came back, but she dare not let her father see her. Every night the wolf plagued her dreams, and although she had no idea what it meant, she was not afraid.”

Akea is born into a family of sled dogs and a life that follows a predictable path, but from the day she first sees the lone wolf, Kazakh, Akea knows her future lies beyond the safety of her home. Kazakh is well aware of Akea’s destiny and the pack laws he will break to help her reach it. Regardless of the challenges ahead, he must make sure this young husky will be ready, even if it means his life.

Her journey includes love and loss, teaching her a great deal about herself and her priorities. As in all the best stories, good and evil battle for supremacy, with several surprises and twists along the way.

The follow up story to this, ‘Akea – His Mother’s Son’, will be available later this year. Chapter one of this dual narrative story is available to download from the website.

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Featured Interview With Frank Prem

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the little town of Beechworth, in Victoria (Australia) in the 1960s and 70s. Like so many Small Town Kids I hightailed it out of there as soon as I could, only to find myself drawn back by the tug that little towns everywhere seem to hold. They don’t let go of their young very easily.

Actually, I found that by the time I had small children of my own, the entire childhood that I’d enjoyed and remembered as freedoms that were only natural for a child to have, had disappeared. The change seemed profound enough to me to prompt me to write a memoir of some of my growing up experiences. That resulted in my first free verse poetry collection (released in December 2018) called Small Town Kid. Bonfire nights and blowing up school teachers letterboxes with crackers, riding a bicycle for 14 miles just to see a girl. All those things that had disappeared by the mid 1990s, it seemed to me.

I don’t have any pets now, but I’m a dog person. I have two dogs I remember with especial fondness – An apricot coloured Standard Poodle named Sparky; and a black and white Border Collie named Leelu. Wonderful dogs that I still miss, from time to time, years later.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Oh, I started reading very young. I was one of those kids that ended up with their own allocated reading space because I was a devourer of books. I started writing early, too. I was just fascinated with stories and enjoyed writing essays at school.

I discovered poetry by chance, really. As I recall, I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to submit a full length essay on some subject or other (Autumn, I think the theme was), so I whipped up a free verse poem that took no time at all.

I was amazed to get a good mark for my effort and so I did more (and more, and more . . .) until, over time, writing stories in free verse poetry has become something I now associate with sense of self. I AM a free verse poet.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
These days, I’m quite taken with Speculative fiction – also known as ‘what if . . .’ fiction. What if we went to the stars? What if we survived a World War 3? What if Gandalf was alive, and Elves roamed the earth?

Some of my favorite authors include: Robin Hobb (The Farseer books); Ursula Le Guin (Earthsea books and science fiction); Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games).

I’ve been inspired in my writing by short story authors such as H. E. Bates, and Damon Runyan (both largely forgotten, now), and in recent times by a French Philosopher named Gaston Bachelard who wrote about poetry and poetics and used imagery in his work that i found extraordinarily inspiring and ended writing some 800 pieces of work in response. I hope to publish this work in book form one day.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Devil In The Wind. This is a free verse poetry collection of the voices of survivors and victims of our catastrophic Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

The events and the stories of survivors haunted me for a long time, and there are still a lot of folk that have been traumatised by those fires. So I wrote them down, and now a decade later, I’ve put them into a book that I’m quite proud of.

Some of the stories show how a fire can be like a living thing with a mind of its own. Others speak of the ultimate futility of good fire plans, when the fire doesn’t obey the old rules. Hiding in a dam with the ducks; using the Army Reserve to find suspicious mounds left behind in the rubble.

It is very powerful reading, particularly as wildfires feature more and more frequently in all parts of the world.

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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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Ian Evian’s Website

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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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