Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Alina Leonova

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Belarus – an Eastern European country. I was an activist opposing the regime (at the time of the interview, Belarus has had the same president for 26 years and a revolution to finally overthrow his corrupt government has been going on for over 3 months), but eventually I lost hope to change anything and moved to Poland, where I got a Master’s degree and later found a job as an English teacher and became a climate activist with the Extinction Rebellion movement. I have lately become a nomad: the coronavirus lockdown has made life in the city very constricting, and my husband and I decided to escape it, so we don’t have a place of our own anymore. We spent 1,5 months in the Polish mountains, another 1,5 months in a Slovak village, and we currently live in a small village in Eastern Poland, in the forest and close to the lake.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been fascinated with books. I guess it started with my parents reading me bedtime stories. When I was older, I took a book everywhere I went and read absolutely anything. As for writing, I started before I knew how to do it properly. My parents have saved the first story I wrote when I was about five, with some letters facing in the wrong direction. It was about kids who found a dinosaur egg. Later I wrote stories about cats traveling to space as gifts for my parents, an adventure book and other stuff. I’ve always been into it!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
N.K. Jemisin, Lois McMaster Bujold, James S.A. Corey, Andrzej Sapkowski, Strugatsky brothers, George R.R. Martin, Yuval Noah Harari – these are just a few.

My favorite genre is sci-fi because it deals with the most imaginative things, like life on other planets, the impact technology might have on human life, possible future and so on. It’s a playful genre that isn’t afraid to go to places where no one has ever been, explore scientific theories and discoveries, let the imagination run wild. It’s also often used to criticize the authorities or question a status-quo. It’s a genre that makes me think and reevaluate.

I believe every author I’ve ever read has inspired me in one way or another, and some of them showed me things I should avoid at all costs. Whatever I’m reading while writing a particular chapter has an impact on it.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Entanglement is my debut sci-fi novel. This is a character-focused book that explores the relationship between humans and nature and the effects advanced technology has on people’s lives. It dives into the characters’ experiences and follows their adventures, offering several plot twists.

The story is set in a world where the distinction between the virtual and the real has faded, and an inexplicable plague is changing the flora. A man is running away from home, as he feels that something strange has happened to his loved one. He will have to change his life, slowly uncovering the truth as he grapples with his doubts about the nature of reality. Can what is happening to him be real, or is he stuck in a simulation?

At the same time, a woman begins to realize that the restrictive community she’s spent her entire life with and the rules she’s been following all along make no sense. She’s had enough of the Master’s cruelty and the mysterious purpose that he’s constantly talking about never explaining it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55804884-entanglement

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Alina Leonova’s Website

Featured Interview With Mark Justice

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Vermilion, Ohio, on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie. I live in Sheffield Village, Oh, just a few miles from the beautiful shores of Lake Erie. The pull of water keeps me close.
I spent several decades in academia, both as a student and an instructor. I taught English Composition and Popular Culture, sometimes the occasional Into to Horror class.
I don’t have any pets at the current time. I had two dogs. They both died a few months apart in late 2017 and early 2018. Heart disease and cancer took them too soon. I’m still not over the loss. I’ll know when the time is right to get a few more dogs. They do make life joyful.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was read to from infancy and could read before I went to kindergarten. I’ve always loved books, especially classic horror and science fiction. I had amassed a pretty decent book collection by the time I was in my teens.
I didn’t start writing until I was in high school. I started with some poetry and short stories, found a little bit of academic success with writing, and naively thought, “Oh, I’ll be a writer. This is easy.” Haha!
I got a BFA in Creative Writing and continued writing poetry but always saw myself as a fiction writer, or at least that’s what I wanted to be. I wrote minor short stories, nothing of note. Fear kept me from really tearing into fiction for ages, fear of my inability to write realistic-sounding dialogue. Years of writing poetry had honed my use of imagery and concise phrasing, but sadly, I let fear dictate what I wrote for too long.
It wasn’t until 2012, when I started a no-budget movie-making company, Cyclops Movies, that I overcame that fear through writing scripts. I realized I could tell an entire story with nothing but dialogue, so after my third movie, I moved to writing long fiction.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Frank Herbert, especially his Dune series, which may contain two of my favorite books of all time: Dune and God Emperor of Dune.
I am a huge Robert E. Howard fan and consumed his heroic pulp in my teens and twenties. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Angela Carter, Lee Falk, and Stan Lee.
As far as non-fiction goes, I really do enjoy Stephen King’s book about writing. They’re inspiring.
My favorite genres tend to be science fiction, horror, and pulp of all kinds.
As far as inspiration goes, I tip my hat to Stephen King again, not so much for any particular novel but for his body of work as well his accessibility as a writer. I’m staggered by the amount of prose put out by great pulp writers like Walter B. Gibson. Simply astonishing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called Toxic. It’s a non-fiction book which examines my decades-long struggle with the Christian faith I grew up being taught to believe. I do this by carefully and academically examining the Bible, focusing mainly on portions of scripture that the Toxic Christian Church tends to ignore or gloss over. I engage these troublesome passages in order to show a much more complete picture of the Christian God.
Through Toxic, I invite anyone who has ever struggled with their faith, whether current believer, former believer, agnostic, or believer-turned-atheist, to examine their faith closely, carefully, and honestly. Ultimately, I want anyone who’s ever struggled with their faith to know they’re not the only ones who’ve done so. I want them to feel heard, understood, and validated.

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Mark Justice Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Bonnie Lieberman

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the Bronx in a neighborhood in which social acceptance was greatly based upon wearing similar clothing, hairstyles, using the same expressions, and walking with the same strut as my popular peers.
I am a retired teacher and I hold a NYS Reading Teacher’s License. My passion was helping my students recognize their creativity and individuality.
Today, I live in the Mid Hudson Valley with my child therapist husband and our two cuddly dogs. I relish spending time with my adult children and young grand girls.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
For as long as I can remember, I looked forward to bedtime only because my dad would bring a book in my room and read it to me. He encouraged me to connect with the characters, their problems, and how they resolved those problems. That was how I was first introduced to the skill of critical thinking.
In second grade, I wrote two stories. One was about a child who had sent invitations to his birthday party and was upset to learn that none of his friends would be able to attend. One can guess how it ended!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre to read is fiction. I enjoy or have enjoyed reading books by Naomi Ragan, Khalid Hosseini, Herman Hesse, Herman Wouk, Chaim Potok, Sidney Taylor, Lisa See, Richard Wright and Dr. Suess. My favorite short stories have been written by Fedor Dostoyevsky, Ivan Turgenev, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Antoine Balzac and Langston Hughes.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Congratulations are for… Being brave enough to make good choices for yourself, unafraid of making mistakes and not caring about what others think of you. Welcome to the Village of Nobble Ook, a place in which everyone wants to be like the king, but not really… Their king wants them to be like him, In the village, someone is going to be very sorry, Will he discover it’s never too late to become a better person? Love yourself for whom you are. and don’t try to be like anyone else. Wear the clothes you want to wear. Eat the foods you like just because you like them. Read the books you like because you like them. Be yourself!

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Bonnie Lieberman’s Website

Featured Interview With Laura J. Swallow

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Kansas. I moved to Japan for almost four years, then moved back to Kansas this last March.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. I remember going to the library as a kid, checking out a giant bag of books, and then returning them all completed a week later. I really started writing in middle school, which continued through high school. I took every writing elective I could and I actually planned to be a journalist all the way into my first year of college. Then I realized I wasn’t that into informative writing, so I changed my degree to teaching and didn’t write much for a few years. I toyed with blogging on and off, but it wasn’t until I was teaching middle/high school English composition classes in Japan that I remembered my love of writing. I started writing fiction at the beginning of this year and haven’t stopped.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have so many types of books and genres that I like. I really enjoy pretty much all genres of young adult. I love a good historical fiction book and I’ve even read (and enjoyed!) a large number of classic books. I feel like every book I’ve read has inspired me in some way. When I think of young adult, I think of Roth, Collins, Aveyard, Rowling, and Lewis.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called 6,393 Miles, which is roughly the distance from Wichita, Kansas, to Osaka, Japan.
While it’s technically fiction, it’s basically my very heart and soul from about age fifteen until now, only in paperback form. Honestly, it still freaks me out sometimes to think that I’m not only letting other people read something so personal, but I’m actively encouraging them to.
To start my explanation about this book, I’d like to acknowledge that (I think) most of us imagined moving off to a far-away place as teenagers. Especially during those days when nothing is going your way and you want nothing more than to completely disappear. Move to the other side of the world? Sure, anywhere but here. But most of us know that amazing adventure isn’t going to happen so we just live our normal, sometimes boring teenage lives. Only to Chloe, an average girl very lacking in coordination and very much into her best friend, this actually happened, and it happened when she didn’t want it to. When everything was going her way and she pretty much had her future figured out, her dad announced that he was moving her to Japan. And she’s angry, she’s upset at her dad, she’s confused, but she’s still a little excited. After all, it’s still a new place with new people and new perspectives. She grapples with her conflicting emotions, fighting her sense of adventure with sullenness and anger for a while. But the people around her eventually make her give in to her more positive emotions. She learns that change can actually be a good thing, even if it’s the last thing she ever wanted.

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Laura J. Swallow’s Website

Featured Interview With Laura Churchill Duke

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Laura Churchill Duke, and I was born and raised in rural area of the the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Canada.
I am a freelance journalist for Atlantic Canada and when not writing, I am a professional home organizer.
I live in Kentville with my husband, and two sons. We have 5 rescue animals, including a dog and 4 degus!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved writing. In fact, I recently found some of the stories that I wrote in elementary school. In Grade 6, one of my teachers wrote a comment: Keep it up! You might make money at this some day!
I never set out to become an author, but was something that just fell into place for me, as a natural continuation of what I was already doing.
I love doing historical research and looking into genealogy, and writing this Creative Non-Fiction was a chance to put all of these skills into play!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading a good story with great characters that I remember long after I close the cover.
Two of my favourite authors include Fredrik Backman and Lianne Moriarty.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Two Crows Sorrow is about the life of Theresa McAuley Robinson, a woman who lived on Nova Scotia’s North Mountain at the turn of the century. This is the true story of Theresa’s love and devotion to her children and her farmland, which ultimately led to her demise. In May 1904, Theresa was found murdered and her farm burnt to the ground. Her second husband William Robinson was accused of the murder. Two Crows Sorrow follows Theresa’s life to her death, then William’s court trial to its dramatic conclusion.

The book is a creative non-fiction, meaning that everything that happens in the book is true. It is all based on my historical research; however, it is strung together and reads like a novel.

Most people who start reading Two Crows Sorrow say they cannot put it down once they begin!

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Featured Interview With J. A. Jackson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi, my pseudonym is J. A. Jackson, my real name is Jerreece Ann Jackson.
Here’s a little about me.
I was born in Arkansas and come from a family rich in storytellers. My family (my mother, father and us kids) moved to Chicago and pretty much I grew up in Chicago, going to school there. I spent many summers visiting my grandmother in Arkansas. As well as spending time, as a child visiting relatives in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. Some relatives, from my family, moved west to California, and I lived one year of my childhood in Redwood City California, after which I returned to Chicago until I made California my home later in my life. Because I grew up in Chicago and have a lot of my family there, I have a fierce love-hate affair with this fabulous ruthless city.
Regarding my writing, all of my book’s settings have taken place in California. Except my book, Diamond At Midnight. It takes place in Chicago.
I was married for a very long time to my editor, and five years ago my husband passed away.
I am a dog lover. However currently I have no pets. I do have a neighbor’s cat who visit my backyard daily. Miss Cat and I love to sit on my back patio and enjoy the water fall feature in a corner of my yard. She and I find the cascading sound of water falling to be very soothing.
Over two years ago, I also endured the passing of my Big Sally. She was an American Hound Dog, from the German Scent dog breed. She was beautiful with a white coat, floppy ears with huge dark brown spots. She is greatly missed.
Prior to my Big Sally, German scent dog, I had two other dogs at the same time. A German shepherd named Lady Chance and a mixed breed Golden Retriever/Collie dog named Bear. Sad to say they passed this earth many years ago. They too, are greatly missed.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My love affair with books probably started around age 4, because I had to go to preschool, as one of my older brothers had to start kindergarten and rather than leave me with the sitter, my mother put me in the preschool at my brothers kindergarten school. Also, I started writing at a very young age. When I was a child I had very vivid dreams, I would tell my parents and grandmother when I woke up. My first recollection is of being given a tablet to write my dreams on. After that, I wrote, everything from dreams to poems, etc. The first book I wrote was in sixth grade. It was a very short novelette.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favorite genre romance suspense with a touch of paranormal charm/magic.
I am inspired by many of the authors I have read. Many things inspire me. I also get inspiration from tidbits of odd knowledge that I pick up while reading throughout the day. While reading, something I may have that “what if moment,” that inspires me to write about it. Other times ideas for my books can come from places that I have visited. I’d like to say that I am always inspired by the grandiose landscape of the magnificent State of California. For example, for my book the Grand Hotel my inspiration came from walking past the regal old Sir Drake Hotel on Powell Street in San Francisco one night. The flickering lights coming from welcoming door gave me a “what if “moment. From there the ideas for The Grand Hotel was born.
First on my list of favorite authors is Jane Austen, Pride, and Prejudice. Next, I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou.
Favorite books I have read are Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins. Juliet Blackwell In a Witch’s Wardrobe, Tony Dunbar Lucky Man, Diary of a Groupie by Omar Tyree, Love Potion Monica Jackson, Mistress Inc by Niobia Bryant, Sharyn McCrumb – The Song Catcher & Ghost & She Walks These Hills and The Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs.
Let me just state for the record these are just a few of my favorites. I love so many other authors too. I’ll just name a few other others. Harold Robbins, Cathy Yardley, Nora Roberts, Madelyn Alt, Cecily von Ziegesar, Jude Deveraux, Beverly Jenkin, Stuart Wood, Sidney Sheldon, Zora Neale Hurston, Tina McElroy-Ansa Sharyn McCrumb, Mia Caldwell, Laura Bickle, Lucinda Rosenfeld, and many, many, many others

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am currently working on that hasn’t a title yet. It is about a young lady named Mia. I may title this book the Lost Love of Mia, I’m still working on the book and the title.
I just released Book III of Lovers, Players Seducer – The Betrayal of Nicholas La Cour. It is about:
A Betrayed man, a bride left at the altar, and a plan for revenge.
Discover if love can transform even the best-laid plans.

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J. A. Jackson’s Website

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Featured Interview With Ivan Nossa

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in northern Italy where I have studied and got a degree in English Literature. Here I started my own business 25 years ago which I loved and was successful till the day I felt a different call and my life turned upside down.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At the age of 47 everything started to change for me. It is a long story that I love to tell in my books and at my events. I started to believe in myself and the power of life, I started to feel loved and understood that I had to follow my dream that has always been that of becoming an author. Miracles happened, I gave up my business, found a publisher and wrote many books most of which have sold very well in Italy. I overcame the fear of writing for the public, fear is what holds us back from our dreams.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I did not know anything about inspirational and self-help books till the age of 47, but now those are the books I cherish the most as they give me the will to believe in my dream and achieve them. Of course Dr Joe Vitale, from the bestseller the secret, that now is a friend and co-author. I would also like to mention Anthony De Mello, Neale Donald Walsh, Kahlil Gibran, Mike Dooley, Eckart Tolle, Dalai Lama but there are too many that have touched my life to mention.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This is my first title that I decided to publish in English, a language that I love. It is also my most successful book, gratitude has been a great start for my career at it dates back to my childhood times where the mother that adopted me taught me gratitude in a wonderful way, it is a story I tell in details in this book and that has touched many hearts. I am deeply grateful for that. Here in Italy I have done many events trying to spread gratitude and love for life. We always have to be grateful, it changes our look on life and creates miracles, even in our difficult times.

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Featured Interview With S.K. Grunin

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up on a farm in Michigan and went to college and graduate schools in Michigan, Indiana and Chicago. After working for as a Federal criminal investigator I went to work for the headquarters of the Federal Courts in Washington, DC. I have a doctorate degree in Public Policy Analysis and hold 2 masters degrees. I taught at several universities including the University of Virginia for over 10 years. I have been a coach, a CEO, a law enforcement officer, and after retiring took up my new careers of writing books and oil painting. See my website: www.SkgCreations.com for my works.
Note: That during Covid the profits from the masks that I am selling with my artwork on it are being donated to the SW FL farmworkers foodbanks. Besides masks and the artwork you can purchase other items including puzzles, mugs, yoga mats, bath towels of my artwork and of course of my book, Life Lessons and Tales of Little MisFit – Book 1: Life Isn’t Always What It Seems.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From the age of 7 I wanted to be a mystery writer. I loved books from the time in Kindergarten when I wouldn’t take naps and the teacher let me look at books while the other kids took their naps.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Agatha Christie, JK Rowling, Falkner, Steinbeck, Dostoyevski, Hilton, Tolstoy,
Dickens, and so many others!

I like many genres – including: Children, Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Biography, Educational and Humor

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Life Lessons and Tales of Little MisFIt, Book 1: Life Isn’t Always What It Seems is the first in a series of 7 planned books. These books are designed to provide through humorous tales some life lessons – book 1: Life Isn’t Always What It Seems – is Little MisFit’s first life lesson (from age 3 ½ – 9). She provides numerous examples in her tales that allow the reader and adults to have a conversation about their own life experiences. It is a great media for adults to share their own personal life stories without coming off preachy and at the same time getting kids to talk about their own experiences. There is a life lesson for each of the 7 books in the series that LMF learns as she grows up. I believe that Life Lessons and Tales of Little MisFit is a great media and especially book 1 – Life Isn’t Always What It Seems is a good way to explain to grandchildren on Zoom why they can’t visit and give hugs and kisses at this time. It also provides a great way to stay in touch and to share stories with one another during this challenging time.
THIS Book’s main character – Ivy Sue Klutz is a lot of fun her humorous tales gets us all laughing out loud. As one reviewer put it: “This is a book for the child in each of us!” If you want to have some fun times reading a book with your children, grandchildren or even elementary school students, this book is for you. See Amazon five star reviews – even the one by the man who is in charge of triplet 9 year old boys who said how these boys were reluctant at first to read this book but after they got in to it they all really enjoyed it and began talking about their own life experiences and asking him about his.

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Featured Interview With Carly Dober

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a 30 year old psychologist from Melbourne, Australia who deeply values our natural world. I love the beach, surfing, hiking, animals and exploring beautiful new pockets of the world.

I write books that focus on sustainability. As a lifelong animal and environmental activist, I thought I would write books for children that champion these values.

I wrote and published my first book, ‘The Beautiful Place’ in 2020 during the covid-19 lockdown we had, which went for many months in Australia. I had always wanted to write a book and thought it would be the perfect time to work on a project like that, my sister helped me out with the illustrations.

I have two adopted cats, one is deaf, both beautiful fluffly white girls with big blue eyes. My family also has an adopted Alaskan Malamute. Did I mention I love animals?

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have loved books as long as I could remember. My parents always had Golden Books where I would ready my favourite Disney stories from age 5, which graduated to me buying all the Goosebumps books and devouring them all, to getting my first library card and spending time through very difficult periods of my life reading. I have always loved to spend time reading a book, and I always will. I started writing this year (2020). I always wanted to, I just never thought I was talented or ‘had it’, which is still up for debate!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Too many to count! I am nowhere near as talented as the following authors, but please check them out:

Gillian Flynn, Steven King, Celeste Ng, J.R.R Tolkien & André Aciman.

Books:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

I also love psychological thrillers, such as Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson and Room by Emma Donoghue.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Three friends get together for a sleepover at Darius’ house looking to have some serious fun. Darius’ family eat a plant based diet, which is something Miguel and Hina never considered before.Miguel and Hina do not really know how eating plants could be filling, so Darius and his parents go on a road trip to show how the food we eat makes it’s way to our plates.With contemporary food production being largely outsourced, many children are unsure about how the food they eat is made or where it comes from. Making the link between the planet’s resources and how we interact with all species is important to facilitate children’s understanding of eating sustainably. Switching to a plant-based diet not only benefits your health — it can help protect the environment as well. People who follow plant-based diets tend to have smaller environmental footprints. It’s a simple story about some friends going on a journey to understand food production and sustainability.

Featured Interview With Roy Youldous-Raiss

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am 40 years old, married to Or for the last 12 years and a proud father to Elya and Liri, twin girls who were born via surrogacy. I live in Israel and like to read, write, travel and family time. Writing has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember myself, but ‘A Day of Pride’ is my debut children’s book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Ever since I was a young kid, I liked reading – all kinds of genres. From adventure stories to thrillers. I started writing professionally when I was 25 – at the beginning mostly poems in Hebrew. Shortly after I wrote articles and short stories. A Day of Pride is my first chidlren’s book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Ever since I became a father I really enjoy children’s book. Dr. Seuss, J.K Rowling, Eric Carle. However, I still enjoy fiction for adults and prefer the Classics such as Vladimir Nabokov, Orwell and more.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Day of Pride was written from my personal experience. Growing up gay in the closet for many years, I was looking for approval that I was ok; For a sign that I should not be ashamed of who I was. Shortly after I fulfilled the biggest dream of my life and became a father, I started writing A Day of Pride. I wrote it for my girls and for all kids, in order to encourage them to be who they are, and be proud of who they were, be proud of their family and their heritage. I believe educating kids at a young age to accept themselves and others – as they are, is very important in creating a plural and tolerant society.

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Featured Interview With Shawna Hunter

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario Canada with a brief period in Guelph Ontario completing my B.A. in Sociology. I now live, work and write in Hamilton with my dog Duke and black cat Bernie.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From a young age I would entertain myself by jotting down short stories and presenting them to my mom. These were mostly horror and not very good. As I grew I fell out of writing, for a time, but after University I got into fetlife and started writing short stories on the site. One of those intended shorts grew and grew. Before I knew it I had the manuscript for Their Wild Little Girl and other authors on the site directed me to where I could submit it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I loves the Darth Bane series by Drew Karpashyn and The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice. Above all, however, I have to shout out the famed philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In reading his biography I learned about how he was advised to avoid mental strain but would still write for hours on end, often collapsing into seizures and being bed ridden for days…then getting back to work. Every time I hear myself say “I’ve no time to write” I think of that crazy Prussian and get back to it.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My lates published work is called Love Taps. Its ab anthology of naughty short stories that touch on sci-fi and horror themes. My latest WIP is the tale of an actress/public speaker who becomes disillusioned with her public image as she sinks into a submissive sexual relationship with her bodyguards. I hope to publish this, The Kinky Destruction of Chantelle Sinclaire, by the end of the year.

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Featured Interview With Glynnis Campbell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Chico, California, a town that stood in for Sherwood Forest in the original “Robin Hood” film, and raised in Paradise, California, which was famously destroyed by fire in 2018. I moved from my quiet home town to bustling Los Angeles after college. My household is patrolled by a fierce 7-pound Maltese, and my yard is critter-friendly, so we get visits from doves, squirrels, feral cats, a hawk, possums, and raccoons.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been reading since I could hold a book, and I started writing not long after. Books were always a great and safe adventure for a shy little girl. I still have some books of poetry from 1st grade.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I grew up on Howard Pyle’s King Arthur and Robin Hood stories, and I loved Ray Bradbury’s science fantasy stories as a child. My first romances were by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Now I read an eclectic variety of authors, ranging from Malcolm Gladwell to Dean Koontz, from Joseph Campbell to Tess Gerritsen. I like to get lost in edge-of-the-seat thrillers, but I also appreciate thoughtful reflections. As far as inspirations for my own historical romances, I reveled in Jude Deveraux and Julie Garwood books, which combined drama with humor, and nothing delights me more than the screenwriting of Joss Whedon.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
BRIDE OF ICE is Book 2 of The Warrior Daughters of Rivenloch. So many readers enjoyed my original series, The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch, and I didn’t want to abandon their favorite clan. So I decided to write about the adventures of their daughters, who are just as intrepid and courageous as the originals.

In BRIDE OF ICE, Hallidis Cameliard is a cool and commanding warrior lass with a clear destiny—a husband appointed by the king and eventual reign over Rivenloch. When her cousins are imprisoned by a Highland laird, she naturally takes charge, seizing the laird’s right hand man as a counter hostage. Captive Colban an Curaidh knows his clan cannot win a battle against the legendary Rivenloch army, so he must rely on his honor to keep the peace, charming Hallie’s clan and eventually melting her heart. But when he offers her a more permanent arrangement, fate snatches away her last chance for love. Only the desperate act of a champion with nothing to lose can give them the happiness they deserve.

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Featured Interview With E Jean Simpson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
E Jean Simpson, BEd, BA, MA, Indie Author of A & J PEI Treasures. We are a husband and wife team. I was born and mostly raised in Bathurst, NB. My Husband, myself and our Dog (Sam the Wonder Dog) and cat (Ramses the Great) all live on Prince Edward Island, Canada. There are a number of things that drew us to the Island…one of which was the natural beauty of the area. Somewhat retiring and reclusive, we enjoy constructing things and renovating our home, upcycling, fashion upcycling, photography, writing, and a simpler lifestyle.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mother was a teacher and even when we (myself and my brother) were babies, she used to read to us. Books were considered a reward. Writing, I’ve played with over the years, but never seemed to have the time. Then the pandemic struck. I have lots of time, but no budget. Because of the lots of time, I was determined that I would do books and I was attracted to the new format of e-books. I’ve done a lot of learning and exploration along the way and really enjoy a wide variety of books that I write. My husband is my co-photographer and proof reads my work and challenges things that might not make sense.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite books are historical fiction. I also read some DIY and business.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I had been noticing that most children’s books are either stylized pictures or drawings and I know how children love to be more grown up. So, it was a wonderful way to bring Prince Edward Island and it’s beauty to children and families by using photographs of flowers, birds, scenes and insects from the Prince Edward Island area and bring them to counting. It is revolutionary as it uses more realism than most children’s books.

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Featured Interview With Michael Jack Webb

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Grew up in South Florida. My wife and I live in North Carolina with our Sun Conure parrot. We love travel and watching movies, especially the old classics. My one weakness is soft chocolate chip cookies. Favorite time of year is early fall when the leaves are changing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Started reading at a young age, in junior high. Read The Source by James Michener and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien and never looked back. Started writing short stories and poetry in high school and college. Got serious about writing novels in my early 30’s. Have written one non-fiction with two more in the works, and just released my 7th Supernatural Mystery/Suspense Thriller. Hope to have numbers 8 and 9 out next year. All pare of two series: The War of Men and Angels and The Justice Chronicles.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read ecclecticly. Daniel Silva is a favorite, along with James Byron Huggins, James Rubart, Robert Whitlow. Favorite genres are Political Thrillers set in the Middle East and fast-paced, well-written Supernatural Thrillers with interesting characters. I also read extensively about archeology, paleontology, astrophysics, ancient history, mythology, physics, forbidden history, and Egyptology. My main inspirations are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, and James Byron Huggins. Favorite quote from J.R.R. Tolkien, “A story must be told or there’ll be no story, yet it is the untold stories that are most moving.” Kate’s story was begging to be told and I hope I was faithful to her in Ghost (The Justice Chronicles Book 1)

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Best-selling, award-winning author and master storyteller Michael Jack Webb weaves a Supernatural Serial Killer tale like none you’ve ever read.

Enter a world where nothing is what it appears to be, and every clue leads an extraordinary young woman deep into the heart of darkness and beyond.

Kate Justice, FBI’s youngest Profiler, is assigned to find a serial killer with supernatural abilities.
The killer is elusive, cunning, and seemingly invincible.

Kate races against time to discover who or what is behind the gruesome murders and prevent another brutal killing.

She soon fears she’s in over her head as stunning revelations about her mysterious ancestry surface.
Hunter becomes the prey as the Ghost in the Darkness killer plays a vicious cat and mouse game, drawing Kate into a deadly confrontation.

Uncovering the truth will challenge her beliefs about the world around her and her understanding of what is real, what is a myth, and what is something in between.

Book 1 of The Justice Chronicles will leave you breathless, wanting more…

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Featured Interview With Jason Hein

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Jason Hein, and I am a self published author of medieval fantasy books. I have a 4 book series as well as a prequel to the series, two short companion books to the series with poetry and short stories, a stand alone novel set in the same world, and an unrelated poetry book.

I live in the central US out in the country and have a couple dogs, a cat, and raise goats and sheep. I enjoy the country and would love to travel more, specifically to Ireland as a large part of my ancestry came from Ireland.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing around 10 or 11 years old. I remember watching a movie where a girl, at the end of the movie, decided she was going to write a story about her experience that summer. It was as if it suddenly clicked in my head that, “Anyone can write a story.”

I got up from that movie and went to grab a paper and pencil. I’ve been writing ever since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Tolkien and C.S Lewis are definitely some of my favorite authors and big inspirations. Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga is an amazing literary work as well.

As far as genre goes, I definitely enjoy Fantasy the most, but science fiction is a close second.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, The Axion, A Varsian Kingdom Adventure, is a medieval fantasy about a human Phoenix, a dwarf, and a wyvern that go off in search of an ancient artifact of great power. Legends from the after life tell of the Axion Orb, and a staff that houses it, being capable of transporting people not only across realms, but from one planet to the next.

On their journey of exploration the trio discovers the Realm of Duality, but the land is dying. Setting their own exploration aside they are quickly swept up in a race against time to try and save the kingdom. As it turns out, the Axion itself, is the only hope for the doomed kingdom.

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Featured Interview With Bill Felker

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Marshfield, Wisconsin, a small town in the middle of the state. I pretty much wandered free as a child. My parents let me follow my inclinations to hunt with a slingshot, fish in the river, explore the adjacent park. I think that if I hadn’t been convinced to enter a Catholic seminary at the age of 14, I would have continued in that vein. But I did become a seminarian and learned Latin and entered an academic world in which I remained for decades. Although I didn’t become a priest, I stayed disconnected from my childhood pursuits until my 50s – when I stopped smoking and began, once more, to wander in the woods.

These days, I live in Yellow Springs, Ohio, am retired from almost 50 years of teaching, and am slowly returning to childhood. It’s a long road; I follow it with one old cat and one old dog, and we are trying to figure out where the road is leading.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing on April 14, 1956. I was just beginning to emerge from seminary piety and said to myself, “I think I’ll write, maybe be a writer.” I started with a poem in a school notebook and have kept writing ever since. Most of my early writing was journaling, graduating to a really bad novel, then to a regular bad novel, then to a novel that I haven’t finished. By the time I got to writing for newspapers, both as a feature writer and columnist, I had put aside most of my fictional fantasies and settled in to contemplate the real world of plants and people.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author right now is David Hinton, a scholar/translator of Chinese poetry. His latest book, Awakened Cosmos, is an exploration of life and work of the 8th-century Chinese poet, Tu Fu, and, at the same time, a rich commentary on Taoism.

Non-fiction is my favorite genre: I am always in search of ideas for my weekly radio and newspaper essays. Well, then I also read poetry. Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry are my favorites in that genre. I feel lucky to be/have been alive during their writing careers.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
One of the problems with being able to self-publish is that there is always another book to write and publish. I have just completed my annual almanac, Poor Will’s Almanack for 2021, which contains, among other things, essays on the 48 seasons of the year, a S.A.D. Stress Index (which provides a numerical value for the likelihood of stress on each day of the year), as well as farm and garden notes, weather forecasts and Americana stories from the readers of my weekly newspaper almanacs.

My latest collection of essays, Deep Time Is in the Garden: Almanac Essays in Search of Time and Place and Spirit, came out this past spring and anthologizes 40 of my favorite nature reflections that were originally written for radio and my newspaper columns, I continue to update my Daybook for the Year in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a memoir-type collection of all my nature and almanac notes from the past 40 years, published in twelve volumes (700,000 words about), and in which I write almost daily, describing what I see and feel about nature in my yard and neighborhood. As a self-publisher, I update my published Daybook annually, editing and adding at will.

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Featured Interview With Whitney Metz

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Whitney Metz, and I am currently writing a magic realism series called Black Magick. I am a vegan, living outside the town of Mannington, West Virginia with Riley and Petunia, two pigs I adopted after my first internship with Farm Sanctuary. I have tried many different career paths in my life, but writing has always been a constant for me. It’s my outlet, my escape. I care deeply about animal rights and environmental protection, and like to reflect those things in my writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved books. My mother has told me that when I was a child, before I could read for myself, I would memorize the books that she read to me, so that it was like I was reading along with her. I’ve been writing almost as long as I’ve been reading. I wrote stories and poetry as a kid, and I’ve started multiple blogs over the years. I even published a book of poetry many years ago. It was only in the last few years though that I started thinking about writing as a career, and started writing novels.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The authors who have influenced me most are Neil Gaiman and Stephen King (especially his Dark Tower Series). I also get a lot of inspiration from comics and graphic novels. Gaiman’s Sandman really changed the way I think about writing, and Hellblazer is probably my favorite thing to read. I love reading anything that has to do with magic or the supernatural, even non-fiction. I’m always trying to learn as much as I can about different belief systems and mythologies, both for my own enjoyment and to make my writing as accurate as possible.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called Myths &Music. It is the second volume in my Black Magick Series, a story about the world behind the one we see everyday, the importance of the connection we all share with each other and with the Earth, and about finding our true paths. At the time that I started the series, I was actually trying to write short stories. I had this image in my head, of a guy chain-smoking outside an apartment building, in the middle of the night. The story grew from trying to figure out why he was there. It turns out that I’m not great at writing short stories; I always need to know what happens next.

In the first book, Sigils & Secrets, we meet Ben Harrison. He was well on his way to having the life he always wanted. He had a high-paying job, a great apartment and, most importantly, he had Carrie. She was fun, exciting, creative, beautiful, and a bit eccentric. Carrie had a fascination with the occult, which Ben found irrational, but not particularly troubling.

Then one night, during what Ben assumed was just another of Carrie’s standard ghost-hunting expeditions, something went terribly wrong. Now Ben must find a way to navigate a world that he never believed existed, in order to save the woman he loves. Soon, he begins to realize that he didn’t know Carrie nearly as well as he thought.

To make matters worse, Ben’s encounter with the supernatural has left him with a mysterious infection ravaging his body and mind, further blurring the line between what is real and what isn’t. He is forced to leave everything he knew behind and seek out a healer to cure him of his illness. In the process, he learns the truth about Carrie, about magick, and about himself.

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Featured Interview With John Smale

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the West of England and went to University in Newcastle upon Tyne, where I studied business and marketing. I worked for large multi-national companies until I realised my life was about convincing people to buy things that they did not really need.
I realised I needed a change in my life. I trained as a therapist and helped many, many people to overcome their problems.
I now live in the South West of France among the vineyards where I have continued my writing and enjoying a peaceful and satisfying life.
I also run a small publishing company that enables authors to get their books set up and printed at an affordable cost. I do not like companies that do the same work as I do, but for huge amounts of money, and profit.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
A major part of being a therapist was constructing metaphors to give my clients a ‘different view of life’. And from those I wrote a series of short stories and metaphors which were published in three books, and have sold well. The aim is to both entertain and help the readers.
I like to look at life in a different way, hence THE BOOK THAT READS THE READER, my idea of writing short stories as if they were the stories about people who were read by the book they are reading. This surreal style changes the perspective of the teller of stories away from the first and third person to that of an inanimate and emotion-free entity. This makes the stories ‘outside-the-box and enables humour, sadness and entertainment.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My early influences were French authors who used different approaches to writing.
Now, I enjoy reading the books that are submitted to me for publishing. I avoid certain types of books but the range I have is very wide including fiction to biographies, sort and music.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
A great summary of the THE BOOK THT READS THE READER was given in a review by the editor of Mensa magazine.
REVIEW IN MENSA MAGAZINE

What if your book could read you…
Imagine, if you will, that you pick up a book and start reading…and the book starts reading you…
It knows instantly your story, all your secrets, your thoughts and deeds, right down to your very soul.
“You think you are reading me. You are, but I am also reading you. I am inside your head. It’s a strange place to be, to be honest.”
That is the surreal and engaging scenario created in this quite wonderful work, penned by Mensa member John Smale.
It is a vehicle that allows the book (writer) to tell a collection of what could be seen as short stories but definitely with a twist.
There is the battered wife and a happy ending…the innocent man in jail, framed by his wife and her gangster lover…who get their just desserts…the old man with dementia in a care home who knows more than most people think…and the priest who dies in a very surprising confessional moment…
This is a brilliant book. The stories would very much have stood up as a collection of work in their own right but the extra and imaginative addition of the idea that there is a book that reads people adds to the brilliance.
If you like stories with a twist, ones that reveal the vagaries of life in all it many forms then this is definitely for you.
Very highly recommended.
Brian Page editor

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Featured Interview With Robert R Randall

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
As the title of my memoir attests, I was born and raised in the deep South. After a stint in the Air Force (ours), I got just enough education to be dangerous (an MS in Mass Communications from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette) and took my show on the road–literally. For ten years I was an itinerant disc jockey and sometimes TV sports anchor. When I came to my senses, I became an advertising copywriter (okay, scratch coming to my senses).

I live with my lovely wife, two cats (Nicky and Zeus), and a Sheba Inu dog named Lucki in an Antonio.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I discovered reading for pleasure in high school and became a daily reader in my 20s. But I did not begin to write seriously until I was in my 40s.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Mostly, I read novels. I still love Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Robert Penn Warren. More recently, I’ve been reading Richard Russo, Kate Atkinson, Donna Tartt, Richard Ford, Annie Proulx and many others.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Lost in the 50s: In Meridian, Mississippi is a memoir about growing up in The Fabulous 50s: It was the era that gave us Brando and Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Fats Domino, Grace Kelly and James Dean. Not to mention the Cold War and hula hoops, the exciting new medium of television, and a new kind of music called ‘rock ‘n roll.’ As if that weren’t enough, the 1950s also brought us fallout shelters, the Korean War, sack dresses and ducktail haircuts.

For a kid like ‘BobbyRandall,’ (in the South, they liked to tie your first and last name together) coming of age in the deep South of the mid-twentieth-century meant colorful characters, charming venues, and an unforgettable way of life. From the legendary black bottom pie at Weidmann’s Restaurant to ‘making out’ at the Royal Drive-In–from a pool shark named Lenard to the mad dentist, ‘Doctor Death,’ Lost in the 50s is a fun book to read.

It was also a fun book to write–my first memoir, and it practically wrote itself in about a year.

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Featured Interview With Michele Scott

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the foothills of San Diego county where we always had horses and I started riding as a little girl. I was also a competitive gymnast for seven years as a kid and give credit to the sport in providing me with the skill of tenacity and determination. I think it’s one of the reasons why I can write under the gun!
I went to college at The University of Southern California and studied journalism. But, I always wanted to write fiction. Soon after I graduated I had my first son and wrote my first novel! That was 1991 and I have been writing books ever since. I love it!!
I’m a mom to three amazing, grown children. I love to cook! I’ve written 36 books….7 of them were co-authored projects. I just recently moved from my hometown of San Diego to San Francisco where I am brewing a new mystery series or two in my head!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Let’s see…I’ve been writing since I can remember! I always loved to read and write and wrote my first “book” when I was 12..of course it was about horses. Horses are my other passion and outside of writing I am the Vice President of our family business where we manufacture sports medicine products for horses. If you read my books you’ll find a few have an equestrian theme or background to them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
James Patterson, Stephen King, PD James, Dean Koontz, Sandra Brown are all authors who have influenced me in some way or another. I love the scary stuff, anything mystery, thriller…a little romance is always good, too.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is DEADLY AFFAIRS and it’s the fourth book in my Holly Jennings Thriller series. DADDY’S HOME is the first book in this series! Holly is a San Diego Homicide Detective who has been through quite a bit, which you know if you’ve read the series and if you haven’t.. I won’t spoil it. This particular book was inspired by The Ashley Madison scandal that broke a few years ago where cheaters were basically called out due to hackers. So, there’s a lot of that in the book. I started writing it right after the third book (THE PREFERENCE) but life got messy and I went through a divorce, which threw a curve ball in my writing process. When life settled down again I knew I had to get back in the saddle so to speak and start writing again. It’s out now and I’m doing the work to get the series back in front of my readers and the word out to new readers.

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