Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Kevin Hagan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Portland, Oregon. I was in the closet until my early 30’s I have a mood disorder I believe might have been largely fueled by forcing myself to pretend to be straight so longI was cowardly and didn’t come out out of fear. Like a soldier who wounds themselves in fearing to be wounded or killed. Coming out was a great liberation. I have a wonderful partner now. I attended Pacific University in Forest Grove Oregon and majored in Political Science. I live in Oregon now.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized I was fascinated with books when I was 8 and read Cosmos by Carl Sagan my first adult non fiction book. My father helped me a bit with some of the heavier concepts like special relativity but overall I feel like I had good comprehension even at that tender age. I started writing in my teens, principally bad science fiction and now hopefully good poetry.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is William Shakespeare by far, in the field of Poetry I love Lord Byron, Shelley, Poe, Frost, Cummings, Angelou and Tennyson to name a few. I also love science fiction. My favorite science fiction novel is Dune followed by the entire Baxter Xeelee sequence and the entire XX01 series by Clarke and its expanded universe with Baxter. Lately I have been reading a lot of Bova and his grand tour and of course I greatly admire the Mars Trilogy by Robinson. What inspires me is good writing of any kind. For pure technical admiration there is in my opinion no living author that can presently hold a candle to Cormac McCarthy the Blood Meridian is the most technically beautiful book I have ever read by a living author.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest “Hatter and Lilith Tales from the Queer Asylum” by K. R. Hagan is an exploration mental illness throughout history as well as the conjunction of madness and coming out and an exploration of how privilege can actually be a detriment to a smooth coming out and can stunt ones growth as a person. I am very excited about this work. It has poems from when I was in the closet prior to even deciding to formally come out, poems from when after I decided to but before execution and of course even post coming out poems. It also has sympathetic poems to people in difficult mental situations and about the horrifying history of the way that LGBTQ people have been treated in this and other countries. The book is a compilation of poetry written over half a decade. I have another book in the works that expands more on my lost out life that will be forthcoming this summer.

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Kevin Hagan Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Alexandra Tourret

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a professional dog trainer, dog groomer and hydrotherapist. I am the owner of my dream business which i set up when i was at University. I reside in Kent, United Kingdom and we love living in the countryside surrounded by green fields and green trees. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and my dogs are the reason for my book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
i started writing a couple of years ago
i didnt think i was going to be able publish and get to where i am today but this was something i wanted to achieve so i ensured it happened

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
i am not an avid reader and the types of books i enjoy are wildlife based, dog behaviour books. The inspiration behind my book was my dogs.
Because of all the extra training i have put into my dogs i am able to enjoy their company when i enjoy my favourite activities. i know that owners can achieve a deeper bond, stronger relationship with their dogs and i wanted to share that with all the other dog owners out there.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Adventure Dogs – is all about water based activities and how owners an follow the easy step by step guides to train their dogs to join them on 20 different water based activities that i have personally trained my dogs in and written the training guides for.

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Alexandra Tourret’s Website

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Featured Interview With Soma Kar

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a writer by passion and a test engineering lead by profession. I live with my family in Sydney, Australia.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am an avid reader and have been reading books since my kindergarten years.
I trace back my love for writing to my high school years, where I would write extensively for my school magazine. Driven by my passion for creative activities, I completed a Diploma in Fine Arts.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read books by a good number of authors. I have quite a few favorites.
I enjoy reading literature and mystery.
I am self-motivated when it comes to writing, which is my passion too.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Old House By The Woods is a mystery book with colored illustrations for middle graders, teens, and young adults.
The protagonist of the story is the private detective Ria Robertson who is an ex-police officer. She enjoys what she does. It has all the excitement of her former job plus the liberties of being your own boss. Hired by Eve to investigate strange occurrences in her newly bought home, Ria can’t wait to solve the mystery of the century-old haunted house in Mistgrove.
Joined by Jenny and Andy – her sister and best friend – and the last words of a dying man, they set out to uncover the secrets of Eve’s house. Little do they know that a mysterious killer is on the loose and that no one is safe in the old house by the woods.
Running against time, will Ria be able to solve the mystery behind the paranormal occurrences, stop a killer before he strikes again, and save innocent lives from a conspiracy far more dangerous than she ever imagined?
This is a thrill-packed, fun read with plenty of twists and turns for every mystery lover.

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Soma Kar’s Website

Soma Kar Facebook Page

Soma Kar Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Camille Cabrera

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Camille Cabrera was born and raised in California. She loves writing on the beach and enjoys spoiling her two cats. She has decided that the cats really dictate her writing schedule.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Camille Cabrera was fascinated with books from the very start. Camille remembers coming home from preschool and desperately wanting to read. It amazed her that there was an entire world just outside of her grasp. As soon as Camille could read, she couldn’t get enough. That love for reading slowly morphed into a love for writing and the rest is history.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
She tries to read different genres to better understand diverse themes and perspectives. However, Ms. Cabrera absolutely adores Agatha Christie and anything remotely related to mystery or suspense.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Mystery of Mistletoe Motel, delves into the holiday season with two sisters desperate for a Christmas miracle. It takes place in 2007, but bounces between contemporary times and the Victorian era. The book explores the consequences of a little white lie when it’s told to the never-ending internet. The novel officially arrives the week of Thanksgiving 2021, but it is currently available for pre-order.

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Camille Cabrera’s Website

Featured Interview With Alene Nation

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in north Idaho and received my degree in Computer Information Systems. I ran an embroidery/screen print shop for 20 years. After my husband and I retired, I started thinking about the stories in my head. I loved reading and when I found an excellent writing club, my next adventure began. Since 2013, I have published many novels and novellas. I currently send out a free monthly newsletter with freebies, discounts and a short story attached.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading as a child. My parents read to me before I could read. I always wrote stories in my head but started writing for the public in 2013.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Agatha Christie, Isaac Asimov, J. A. Jance, Rita Mae Brown, Diane Mott Davidson, and so many others. I enjoy reading science fiction and mysteries. I also write urban fantasies from the viewpoint of the character. I’m inspired by the authors I read and also by the world I live in. Some of my travels have also inspired my mystery stories.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the ninth tale in my Domino Sagas. This is a YA SF adventure of a teenage girl interning on Mars and the troubles she gets into until a strange alien is discovered on the red planet. This story took me about three months to write. I started a little bit with the 2020 nanowrimo event and waited until my editor could send me back updates. My main theme was ‘would you recognize life if you saw it and it didn’t look like anything we have on Earth?’

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Alene Nation’s Website

Alene Nation Facebook Page

Featured Interview With R. J. Eastwood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Bristol, Rhode Island, but now live in Sunny Florida. Dog have always been a must in our family. Unfortunately, our last died of old age. Since my wife and I began traveling quite a bit, we have not had a dog since, but once again we are looking.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began writing short stories at age 14 and over my career have authored 7 screenplay for produced films, and over 140 hours of TV production before retiring and turning to writing books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love memoirs, but also read Cormac McCarthy, Steven King, Lee Childs, and others.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I had this idea back in 2015 to write about a near future society paying for the sins of our current society. The entire book unfolds through the thoughts of the protagonist in first-person stream of consciousness. That was hard, but in the end rewarding. Then came the political events of 2016, the pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter protests and I new I had to revise and expand the book, which is what I have now done with the release of Midnight Black revised and expanded version.

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Robert J. Emery (pen name R. J. Eastwood’s Website

Robert J. Emery (pen name R. J. Eastwood Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Brittany Earnest

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Princeton, West Virginia. I lived there until I was six, but my family moved us to Georgia. I didn’t live in one place for long because my family loved to travel to different places. We mostly stayed within areas we’ve traveled to previously, but it was an adventure. I currently live in Georgia with my family. Ever since my father died in 2011, after battling cancer, I’ve tried to stay close to my family and live my life to the fullest. It’s been hard during this pandemic, but I have my family to help me through these difficult times.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve had a fascination with books before I could read. My parents bought me books with pictures in them, which fascinated me. I would sit and look at the pictures and try to figure out what the story was about before my parents would read them to me. My fascination with books helped influence me to begin writing at the age of sixteen. I wrote short stories that were centered around subjects that I was interested in, which was my favorite pass time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have a lot of favorite authors for different reasons. Each author brings a unique perspective that gives their readers something to think about, which I find to be important. Readers should have books that help them view a situation in a new perspective, so they can understand a person’s reactions better. Books help us see things differently, which can help us change in some, small way which is why I like different authors for what they bring to their writing. With that being said, I like Willow Summers, Tammy Falkner, J. S. Cooper and Addison Moore. Each one of the authors write their books very well. They help readers understand their characters and what they are going through, which I really like. My favorite genre is romance books because they are interesting to me because it allows readers to really get to know the characters. It shows more vulnerability than other genres because the stories are focused on their imperfections and how they can overcome them by viewing their self differently. The genre can focus on many different things which gives writers a chance to explore more storylines and characters. I’m inspired by a lot of people in my writing. I’m not inspired by just one person because a stranger can inspire me if I see something that sparks my interest, or I hear something that gives me an idea. I find inspiration in everything because there is a lot to work with if you pay attention to the world and people around you.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book Finding Hope took me a little over a year to write because I had a lot of things going on that took up my time. Also, I didn’t have a clue about how I wanted to write the book when I first started because I didn’t have time for planning beforehand. One day I started writing the first chapter, which I worked on for a long time because I wanted to make Jade’s backstory known before, I got into the present time in the book. I wanted readers to see where she came from and how far she has come to get to her present reality. I felt like that was important to the book, so readers would understand the story, fully without having to guess why the character behaves a certain way. Once I had Jade’s story set and her present reality, I began to focus on her love interest, Leslie. Leslie’s backstory is similar, but different. She had to go through a lot in her life, which caused her to have a lot of mental struggles that caused her to behave in a certain way that she isn’t proud of. Her story develops more throughout the story because she has a lot of growing to do. Both characters have a lot of learning to do, in order to stay together through the growing problems that they face throughout the book. Nothing is ever what is seems, so they have to, truly be ready for anything.

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Brittany Earnest’s Website

Brittany Earnest Facebook Page

Brittany Earnest Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Tonia Lalousi

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Tonia Lalousi and I was born in 1993 in Kalamata, a beautiful city of Greece. Today I live in Athens and I work as a biologist. Writing came in my life when I was studying biology and that moment I realized that I was needed a sense of art in my ambitious life.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I start reading when I was around 12 years old, mostly tennage stories and romance books and I never expected I could write a book. Writing came later in my everyday life, when I was around 20 years old. I started writing romantic stories and then I fell in love with crime fiction, so I wrote a crime series, starring the criminologist Peter Deligiannis, who is one of the most favorite heroes of my books in the greek audience.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is Agatha Christie but I also love reading the books of Gillian Flynn and Sebastian Fitzek. My favorite genre is generally crime fiction, and most specially psychological thrillers, detective and cozy mysteries. My biggest inspiration is my heroes!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My last book is ‘’The Last Symphony’’. The value of perfection, as a reference point for the conquest of the top and the social recognition, was the first idea which inspired me to write this book. The story deals with people who react to glory with different ways.

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Tonia Lalousi’s Website

Tonia Lalousi Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Winter Fox

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in Southwest Harbor, Maine, with my wife, our dog and our cats. I have always worked for myself, starting as a musician, horticulturalist, cook, and stone artist. I have written all along, but then in 2011, I was inspired to write novels. I guess I see the world through a particular lens, as we all do, and that colors everything, but particularly my writing. My world is bold and beautiful, with granite cliffs against crashing Atlantic waves. I value honor, dedication, patience, and grace under pressure. I value integrity and helpfulness and would like to think that good intentions and good acts are rewarded by a fair and universal God or gods.

I have just built a new treehouse office, which connects to my other little treehouse via a catwalk. This one is insulated for winter use and has a cute little heater. What I didn’t anticipate was, that if it is windy, the trees rock and creak so much that I can’t do voice recording. So, these days, I’m letting the weather dictate whether I narrate or write, and so far the mix has been pretty good.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I became enthralled with books very early on. I believe that I was reading at 4. My favorite book from that time was Richard Scarry’s “Big Book of Everything.” It showed pictures and names of everything in typical American life, from cars, buildings, or professions to kitchenware, farm animals, and clothing items. Only everyone was depicted as animals. Very humanoid animals, in that the frog guy was almost as tall as the bison guy, and the goose gal was not too much taller than the crow lady. It was kind of like a mix of Animal Farm and Where’s Waldo on ludes.

I built my own bed on stilts when I was twelve. That was after my first rudimentary treehouse, just a platform in the maple clump. Under that bed was a reading nook, with a little bookshelf, a white vinyl beanbag chair, and a lamp. I read all of the Fantasy greats, from Burroughs to Howard, and then on to sci-fi with Asimov, Herbert, and Heinlein. Later, I began to enjoy novels from Vonnegut, Robbins, Kingsolver, and King. I love history, and I suppose Pillars of the Earth inspired me to write my Flight of the Wren series.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love comedy and have recently discovered Christopher Moore, and his hilarious “The Stupidest Angel,” best Christmas novel that includes zombie ever. I love the seriousness of Marion Zimmer Bradley, and the goofy imagination of Tom Robbins. I love the optimism of Barbara Kingsolver, and the wry fatalism of Vonnegut and John Irving. I love kvetching, so I’ve been a David Sedaris fan ever since Santaland Diaries.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just recorded the narration for my second audiobook, “Voyage of the White Bear.” It’s the second volume of the “Flight of the Wren” series, which is a huge epic that takes place at the end of the Viking Age. In Voyage, our heroine Hilja goes to the Greenland Colony in search of her mother and sister, taken as slaves from their village in Lapland. In Norway, Olav Haraldsson steals a ship and goes raiding in Ossinia, and the Witch of Vestfold goes on the run as a wanted woman, and finally becomes the demon that everyone believes her to be.
Anyway, it’s a big book, with a lot of plot threads…

I have found that while I narrate my books, I frequently want to make little changes to the wording, as I find items that were not evident unless the book was read out loud. Having said that, I’ve finished writing and editing book 3 of the series, “The Loom of Bones” and I am narrating chapters every day, wind permitting. As I narrate, I’m putting the final touches on the copy editing. In a few weeks, when I send the audio files to the studio for mastering, I will format the book for ebook and print, and get my book launch ready. Hopefully, this will happen in May.

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Winter Fox’s Website

Winter Fox Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Winnifred Tataw

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, my name is Winnifred or Winnie. I reside in South Carolina and am an undergraduate at the College of Charleston. I was born in the U.S. and my parents are from Cameroon, Africa. As a military child, I have traveled extensively around the US East Coast and Germany, learning about the history, lore, and culture of each region. I love to spread positivity and joy to those around me and look at the world through a glittery pink lens.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Since elementary school (about age 7), I’ve always had a passion for reading and storytelling. As I got older, around 10-11, I began to put my stories onto paper.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Definitely Marissa Meyer and Lois Lowry. Those two women can write some books! Their stories always captivate me and expand my imagination. And to work with Marissa Meyer on a book one day, would be magical!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is the third book in my The Gods’ Scion YA fantasy series, The Lone Star Child. It takes on more of a sci-fi theme, but I love it so much. I cried so much writing some of the scenes too, goddess! My books are heavily charactered oriented. And the plot just goes hand in hand with the character’s motives, decisions, and pain. They are a beautiful fantasy world set in modern times with real-world problems and issues.

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Winnifred Tataw’s Website

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Featured Interview With Fred Rutter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born, raised, and still live in central Ohio, and have lived in a small rural village southeast of Columbus for a number of decades. I enjoy living in a funky little old house, in an old town, on the edge of the Appalachian foothills. It is where my roots have grasped familiar and comfortable soil, and given me a strong sense of home. Though I do, and have often traveled a lot, having a place to call home is important.

For just about my whole life I have lived in the company of cats. They make life interesting, and my wife, who used to be a dog person, now is a convert to the feline style of living. I also have many hobbies, but the main ones are history, photography, and collecting old imprinted paving bricks. All those pursuits provide ample excuses to get out of the house and do things.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books have been an integral part of my life since childhood. My parents were avid readers. My grandfather was both a reader and the author of a number of respected books on history.

Some feeble attempts at creative writing were made in high school, but the seed did not germinate until I was in my early twenties. At that point I began to write non-fiction narratives, and honed my skills crafting articles for a small historical publication. Writing continues to be a passion, and provides me with much satisfaction, even though much of it has never been published.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
What can I say? I am a reading pig! Cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, books – I read them all! Primarily, I enjoy well crafted sentences, intriguing word and thought combinations, and imagination. Lately I have been reading a lot of Michael Connelly, because I like the conciseness of his sentences and chapter structure. So that is realistic fiction. However, I also like non-fiction, and the last book in that genre, that I recently finished reading, was an incredible book titled “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, published in 2009. Currently, I am reading a novel titled “Ohio” by Stephen Markley, and am enjoying it thoroughly. So I cannot say any one author, or any specific genre inspires my writing – good writing inspires my writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Hitting the Road Without a Map” did not start out as a book. I was lucky to have been offered the opportunity to take a long trip. Events leading up to it forced me to take a deeper look into myself and deal with some hidden fears. The trip itself was transformative, as my partner and I learned to let go of a lot of preconceived notions and live in the moment. My wife could see that something deep had happened to me upon my return, and she had wrestled with a few of her own demons while I was away, so she encouraged me to write about what happened. What started as a short story, just for the personal pleasure of recounting the tale, evolved into something much bigger, and she pressed me to turn it into a book. I blanched at the idea, since I had never attempted anything approaching book length. Three months later, I had produced something resembling a book, and eight re-writes and edits later, there actually was a book. A publisher agreed, and took a chance on me, and on the book.

At its heart, the book is a road trip story, from the vantage point of two guys who do not know each other very well. They seize the opportunity to transport a large RV from Ohio to Oregon, even though neither one of them has actually driven a vehicle like this. So along the way the author learns a bit more about himself, how his fears have controlled his life, and what it is like to live day to day without much of a plan and literally no schedule. His partner proves himself to be up to the task as well. So the personal development is set upon the backdrop of two Midwesterners experiencing the grandeur of the West, up close and personal, for the very first time.

This is not a travelogue of what to see, or how to do it. The story is more about the richness of life and how to enjoy every minute of it, and for the reader to understand that process, the participants thoughts and background are necessary in order to provide context for the spiritual awakening experienced by the two men on the road, and the author’s wife at home. It makes for a richer story, and it is real.

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Fred Rutter’s Website

Fred Rutter Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Michele Olson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve lived most of my adult life in Green Bay, WI in the shadow of Lambeau field. Before that I moved around from Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to several places in Wisconsin. I spent the 70s as a DJ that spun records which led to professional voice work. I’ve had a 40 plus career as an advertising/corporate writer, specializing in health writing. It’s only in the last few years I’ve ventured into novels.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
It started with Nancy Drew and the Box Car kids. I couldn’t wait to get to the library every week to check out a new book. I wrote professionally since I was 17 in TV, radio and marketing, but novels I didn’t tackle until I hit my 60s!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read far more non-fiction that fiction, yet fiction is what I like to write. I do enjoy the classics like Agatha Christy. I love the work of Anne Lamott, fiction and non fiction. She picks the perfect words, every time. I also love Susan Branch who writes about her life and incorporates her watercolor…I am a watercolor/mixed media artist too, so I enjoy her work.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Being Dorothy (In a world longing for home) is the sequel to my first book- Being Ethel (In a world that loves Lucy). The story begins in 1979 with Piper Penn who unexpectedly lands on Mackinac Island and mystery, romance, friendship, and faith follow. In Being Dorothy, the story continues in 1980 when Piper Penn meets a mysterious couple on the porch of the Grand Hotel, but they aren’t who they seem to be. Think James Bond! It takes me about a year to write each book, and right now I’m working on book three, Being Alice (In a world lost in the looking glass)- set in 1981 on Mackinac Island.

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Michele Olson’s Website

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