Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Sharon Krasny

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Sharon Krasny has worked as an educator for over sixteen years in Virginia and abroad teaching in both Hungary and the Czech Republic. She discovered a love of oral history, from the people’s enthusiasm in retelling their knowledge of old.
As an Advanced Placement English teacher and adjunct professor, she has spent years encouraging students to take risks, look closely at the smallest details, and determine hidden meaning found within the text. Her own writing reflects these values.
Sharon lives and writes in Northern Virginia with her husband Prokop and their rescue pets: Labrador Rupert and cat Bonnie Rose.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed comfort reading. Dr. Seuss Put Me In the Zoo was a true go to many times. It showed many possibilities with words and individuality of character. My language arts teachers starting in fifth grade with Mr. Baccus up through Mrs. Joan Fisher, my eleventh grade American literature teacher all reaffirmed and identified in me a writer’s spirit. It’s taken numerous years to finally find the courage to embrace my dream and put some time into crafting my writing.
I have spent the past thirteen years teaching literary analysis. I have fallen in love with the many layers and different approaches to the same stories. My students have taught me so much about the power of meaning two or more can build when bridging hearts of imagination.
To me reading and writing is the most powerful conversation two people can share. We enter a vulnerable spot and think about what in life perplexes, hurts, confounds, and challenges us to become better people. There’s a special magic when a reader or a writer begins to recognize themselves in a book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Currently I spend more time in international authors or American authors of ethnicity. Stepping outside of our own culture and understanding is a great way to get a better view of daily reality. I am currently reading Through The Waters And The Wild by Greg Fields due out in January. His look at the struggle of Irish immigrants once again brings many current conflicts into a more complete perspective. For not enjoying history too much in high school, I do enjoy historical fiction as my genre of choice. Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns did a lot to encourage the writing of my novel. Mr. Hosseini’s choice to embrace the voices of women and deliver a compelling and moving drama from within the characters of oppressed gave me a lot of freedom to explore my writing through the voice of Ötzi the Iceman, who lived 5300 ago in the Chalcolithic era and was found murdered in the Italian Alps thirty years. I can’t get further removed from myself than a frozen dead guy from five millennia ago. It was a fascinating experience and I am very thankful for the example successfully navigated by Khaled Hosseini.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Forgotten and frozen for 5000 years, the most studied corpse in the world known as Ötzi was found emerging from a glacier on the Italian Alps. Murdered, shot through the back, his story creates a haunting need to understand how he got there.
Young Gaspare tells his story as the Iceman, as he faces the rites of passage of an ancient tribe, the longing for love and deepening friendship, and the scars of cowardice. Gaspare’s four challenges will test his wit, strength, and the love of a mother for her son. If he is to find his place in the changing tribe, he must understand his greatest fear.

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Featured Interview With Anna Finch

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an Australian-Uruguayan, teacher of English and Humanities from Melbourne, Australia. I love writing in the fantasy, sci-fi and coming of age genres in both YA and Adult categories. ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ is my debut novel in the YA, urban fantasy and coming of age genres. Prior to my debut novel I worked mainly on poetry and short stories in both English and Spanish, which I plan on eventually publishing. I have two Jack Russells – Brooke and Crowley.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started in primary school when I began noticing that I was losing my language (Spanish) and started reading every book Spanish story book I could get my hands on (I had to teach myself how to read Spanish first). Eventually, I ran out of Spanish books and migrated towards the English novels/novellas in the library. Writing, on the other hand, I didn’t really start doing it for fun until about year 8 as an escape from the bullying and to deal with my emotions (I mainly wrote poetry).

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors are Neil Gaiman and Sarah Henning, I really love ‘Good Omens’ and ‘Sea Witch’. Some of my favourite genres are urban and historical fantasy, sci-fi, coming of age, crime, thriller/suspense and dystopia. The writing styles and themes of Suzann Collin’s ‘The Hunger Games’, Kalinda Ashton’s ‘The Danger Game’ and Louis Lowry’s ‘The Giver’ inspired the themes/style of my debut novel ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
What inspired me to write ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’?

‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ is my debut novel. The initial idea for the story came to me as I watched writing videos by my favourite authors on YouTube and listened to Poor Unfortunate Souls on repeat.

I always loved The Little Mermaid growing up. She was different, an outsider who sacrificed everything for love. She struggled with her identity and finding her place in a world that eventually silenced her. But there were things in both the original fairytale and the Disney version that made me uncomfortable as I grew older.

As I wrote Voiceless, I thought about the choices the little mermaid made in the original tale and knew that I wanted her to make different choices, to grow as a person rather than a damsel in distress. There were moments in both versions where the little mermaid stood up for herself and made choices of her own. I wanted my little mermaid to be more than a mermaid who fell in love with a human at first sight.

As a coming of age story, I explore and mention many serious issues that affect young people today through the eyes of Moriah as she discovers who she is and what she wants.

While that was what inspired me to write that story, not many people know the reason why I wrote my debut novel. ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ was actually my NANOWRIMO 2019 project but I decided to participate in NANOWRIMO, and actually write the novel, last year because my Year 9 English students were writing their own coming of age/dystopian stories for an assessment so I decided to plan, write and edit the my own story alongside them so they could have an example for when they wrote theirs. That, and I hoped it would get them interested in writing their stories. I actually promised my students that I’d publish my subverted little mermaid novel. Adding additional character development and editing in general was like pulling teeth but I got there eventually.

What is ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ about?

A heartless king sits on his throne, weaving his cruelty like a web that chains all within his reach. Under his reign freedom is a lie and love and compassion are forbidden.

A loving yet powerless father and prince must overcome his grief to protect his only daughter that is free from his father’s web of cruelty. But Moriah isn’t making it easy for him.

Soon, Princess Moriah’s desperate desire for power and freedom conflicts with the forbidden love she has for the human, Michael, putting her father and kingdom at risk.

The star-crossed lovers must defy the odds in order to keep their relationship hidden from the cruel king of Zoara-Bela. But this won’t be easy.

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Featured Interview With Erik Daniel Shein

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born in Northfield Ohio, and at eh young age of 7 my family moved to Arizona where I still reside.
I have always had and still have several pets. A lot of them are rescue pets that I came across neglected or abused and now have cats and birds, snakes and turtles and maybe even a crocodile

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At the age of 8 i would walk to the forest and stare at turtles and frogs for long periods of time. It was at that time where I started creating stories about them. To this day I can go to the zoo, watch animals such as elephants and in my mind turn the thoughts into “The Lion King”

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are Dr. Seuess and also Michael Crichton. I enjoy reading Children’s books and have been and still am inspired by Legends such as Walt Disney and Mickey Rooney

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Forgotten Ornament came from my grandmother. Every Chrismas she would tell me how the animal ornaments on the tree would come to life for a brief moment just to say that they were thinking of me.
All the characters in The Forgotten Ornament represent all the animals that I have rescued from abuse and neglect.

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Featured Interview With Argyro Graphy

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Argyro Graphy was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario Canada and since the age of 16 relocated a few times, has returned and settled in Mississauga. The family pets have always been birds, budgies, canaries, and lovebirds.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From a very young age Graphy wanted to write or illustrate children’s books. Bullying, discrimination and harassment scarred her as she questioned her self-worth. It was after 40 years and a recent life-changing trauma that she decided to write. She created an adorable hippo character, Bentley that children would be able to relate to and who is now inspiring children around the globe

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
A huge fan of Walt Disney from a young age, loved children’s books, middle grade as well as some young adult books. Walt Disney’s “magic” was a huge inspiration though recently she has been reading a lot of Erik Daniel Shein’s novels as they have underlying lessons and important values to better the world.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The most recent book The Forgotten Ornament was co-written with Erik Daniel Shein as well as the 3rd book in The Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children Series – The Adventures of Bentley Hippo: Inspiring Children to Never Give Up, in honor of her late friend who always inspired her to never give up.

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Featured Interview With Ari Reavis

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a wife and mom of six. I was born in New York, and moved to New Jersey when I was young, which is where I still live, hating the winters and all. I do not have any pets, and probably won’t, no matter how much my kids beg.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In the seventh grade, we were given The House on Mango Street to read. It’s the first time I can remember really connecting with a book, seeing a character who had a family like mine, a childhood like mine. It sparked me wanting to read more books, consume more stories, to escape through my connections with these amazing fictional characters.
I started writing almost three years ago, with the thought of there was a book I wanted to read but couldn’t find, so why not write it myself. That transformed into me feeling I wasn’t yet writing the story I truly needed to. So I put those stories aside and began writing my first book, Be My Light, a story straight from my heart. Much like The House on Mango Street (which I’m just now realizing how much that book influenced my writing) I wrote about a childhood, and stepping into adulthood, that I felt many could and were looking to relate to. But me being me, I also made it a romance because that was the light at the end of the tunnel for my main character.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My absolute favorite author is Bethany-Kris. I would read her grocery list. I love that her stories always take me through so many emotions and the couples in them build such realistic and strong bonds.
My favorite genre is fantasy, getting to escape to another world, another time.
For my contemporary romances, Bethany-Kris inspires my writing. To write about heros and heroines who overcome, who love even when it’s hard, and will take on the world for that love.
I wrote a fantasy romance that I plan to publish soon, and that was inspired by Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame. She wrote a world so different from anything else I’ve read, that was true to her, and I did the same with mine.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is It Was Always You. It’s a enemy to lover romance. It deals with the heroine not wanting love in any way, shape, or form because of her upbringing. And a hero who’s always secretly wanted more with the heroine than their banter and sarcastic comments.

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Featured Interview With Steven Capsuto

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in southern New Jersey, in the Philly suburbs. As a kid, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would live in a big city, but I moved to New York City eight years ago and it’s perfect for me. Among other things, it’s cool living in a place where new brick-and-mortar bookshops have opened in recent years. I love browsing in a well-curated indie bookstore. As for pets: I don’t have any now but I love cuddling or playing with friends’ cats, dogs or rabbits.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I fell in love with books before I even knew the alphabet. My parents would read storybooks to me, and by age four I would recite them back from memory, turning the pages, pointing to illustrations, and pretending to read them aloud.

I write and lecture about how the broadcast media have portrayed LGBTQ lives over the past century. I was always fascinated with the mass media and their power to reflect and influence social attitudes. Going through old file boxes from my parents’ house, I recently found some surprisingly good papers I wrote in high school and college about 1940s wartime propaganda on radio versus images of the Vietnam War on 1960s television, and about the role of newspapers in the Revolutionary War.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Good LGBTQ histories fascinate me because I came of age at a time when our history was buried and hidden. We’d been erased from the record, which made it easier for people to see us as dangerous “others.” The next LGBTQ history I’m going to read is Hugh Ryan’s When Brooklyn Was Queer, which I’ve heard great things about.

My most direct inspiration is Vito Russo’s landmark history of gay images in cinema, The Celluloid Closet. I read that when it came out in the 1980s and I attended one of Vito’s lectures, and I thought “Hey, I could do something like this about queer images on television.” Not only was my book, “Alternate Channels,” inspired by Vito’s work, but the lectures I give at colleges and community events are very similar to Vito’s old video-illustrated lectures about the movies.

For pleasure, I read all sorts of books. Last month I revisited Douglas Adams’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series (the first two of which are brilliantly entertaining). I also recently read Kate Chopin’s 1899 novel, “The Awakening,” which is a stunning, vivid, devastating piece of writing. Now I’m in the middle of “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life,” a collection of cranky, funny personal essays by blogger Samantha Irby.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s a 20th-anniversary revised edition of “Alternate Channels: Queer Images on 20th-Century TV.”

In 2018, when I started work as the lead historical consultant for the Apple TV+ docuseries Visible: Out on Television, I figured it was time for a corrected version of my book. I went through the 500-page original, fact-checked everything from scratch, rewrote a few sections, reinstated things the original publisher had cut, and added about 100 photos.

The first edition grew out of an experience I had as a grad student in the late 1980s, volunteering at Gay and Lesbian Peer Counseling of Philadelphia. A lot of the callers were gay teenagers who said they were considering suicide, and when we would ask them what they thought gay people’s lives were like, they always said the same thing: “I only know what I see on television.”

That got me thinking about the power of the media, and I started researching the history of those TV images, both in terms of what sexual-minority characters had appeared onscreen and what was happening behind the scenes in the television industry and in activist movements that helped to shape those images. Eleven years later, in 2000, it was a well-received book. And now there’s an even better edition of it.

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Featured Interview With Nisha Mohan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
35 in earth years & 21 in heart years. That’s me in a nutshell. I work as a Senior Business HR Manager for an ITES Firm at Bangalore, India. A few years ago, right after my child was born, I had a lot of time to myself while at home, and that’s when I began to think about what it is that I like and enjoy doing and what is, ‘my true calling. This led me to my passion, which is and has always been creativity and writing! Storytelling and I go way back in time.
It has always been my dream, MY PASSION, for writing a story-line that will blow readers/ viewers off their seats, and that’s how I embarked on the journey of writing my first novel, ‘An Unforgettable Holiday,’ and here I am today.
My book is available @ the below link

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I really can’t remember when I picked my first novel. But I know I started reading at a very young age and always had a library membership. Courtesy my mom and dad who used to always encourage us to read.

From comics like Tinkle to Archie’s and slowly graduating to Nancy Drew and then Erich Segal.. I guess I have sure come a long way.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Erich Segal, John Grisham amongst so many many good writers. I enjoy reading Romance and Suspense.

The characters in my book are based on a mix of my imagination plus traits I have observed or real life people around me. If you know me and are reading this, yes, you probably are in my book too. LOL. Now go get a copy and find out for yourself as to where you feature. :P.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
This is a Contemporary Romance and Suspense Fiction novel.
The story starts off with a female protagonist Tania who is looking for love. She is in love with a handsome young man by name Aarav, however as he is already committed to another, a heartbroken Tania moves on and ends up meeting a stranger, Dhruv. Just when things are getting better and Tania and Dhruv hit it off, Aarav comes back into Tania’s life and confesses his love for her. Tania is now in a dilemma. Around this time, Dhruv plans to go on a holiday to Goa with Tania and friends and Aarav too who happens to be around when the plans are discussed, is invited to the holiday too.
What happens during this holiday? Does Dhruv stand a chance with Tania? Or do Aarav and Tania come together?
Are Aarav and Dhruv the men Tania thinks they are? Or is there more to them than what meets the eye?
Only time will tell.

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Featured Interview With Joseph Binning

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Once an abandoned, homeless, substance abusive teen dropout, Joseph Binning rose to become a self-made visionary—the first graduating classman with a 3D Building Information Modeling degree, owner and founding president of MEPCor, nationally respected industry innovator, multiple marathon-triathlon competitor, humanitarian, mentor, San Diego Center For Children board member, world traveler, health enthusiast, and doting father. In discovering the truth of his limiting beliefs about himself, love, and success, Joseph not only reinvented himself, but joyfully made it to his self-proclaimed finish line. At a transformational workshop in 2016, as he whispered into the ears of the attendees the two words his heart had forever yearned to hear, he suddenly—and with clarifying certainty—knew his life purpose. “If I were to die in my sleep tonight, I would be at peace, knowing that I helped others to know how much they matter, because I discovered the truth…that I MATTER.” —Joseph Binning, July 2019.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I attended a workshop in 2019 and was blessed to hear Lisa Nichols speak. At the end of her session I knew I was supposed to write a book.
I haven’t stopped since.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My reading spectrum is very wide and deep. I believe we can learn from all forms of information so I try to read with an open mind.
Dr. Wayne Dyer changed my life when I read his book Change Your Thoughts, and Change Your Life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
As we enter the year 2020, in a world that seems to be moving exponentially faster with each decade, we struggle more than ever to be relevant, influential, valuable, respected, seen, loved—and stay alive long enough to make it through the finish line. We live in a vast, unlimited Universe, so why do we press ourselves into such small boxes?

Joseph Binning, author of YOU MATTER…Even If You Don’t Think So, knows from personal experience that too many don’t make it to the finish line. Too many are not given the words, the instruction, or the hand we need to make it through. Too many of us do not believe that we really matter. Understanding who we are and what to do with this life we’re living is the hardest thing we’ll ever do. We need more than words—more than knowledge. We need a way to quiet the voices in our heads that make us want to give in. We need a reason strong enough to get to the finish line without quitting. We need a truth powerful enough to lift us out of the darkness.

From a throw-away child to a successful, heart-felt, self-made man, Joseph Binning knows first-hand that our past is not who we are. In fact, who we think we are is rarely who we truly are. It is only through opening our eyes to a new way of seeing—by setting aside our limited thoughts—that we understand, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be.”

In his self-discovery guide, YOU MATTER, Joseph takes our hand and leads us through each page of a truth-telling map to find our path—the path within ourselves where we discover the answers. Who am I? Why am I here? Am I worthy of love? How do I create a lasting relationship, work, and meaning in my life? What do I do now, and how do I do it? Joseph teaches us how to discover who we really are—and who we’re not—and how to know, trust, and follow the path in front of us. Most importantly, Joseph leads us to find compassion—for ourselves first, and then for others—to support our renewal, step out of doubt, anxiety, and disbelief, and move toward the finish line in clarity, certainty, and creation.

Taking us beyond 2020 vision, Joseph teaches us to look back only for a moment, to see how far we’ve come, but doesn’t let us stay there or press ourselves back into the box. Revealing the truth that lies within us, YOU MATTER shines the light on our greatness, until we can shine our own light, loving us enough until the day we can love ourselves enough to make it through. Joseph Binning is the voice of 2020 who shouts to each and every one of us, “Don’t give up, because YOU MATTER!…Even If You Don’t Think So. Purposeful

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Featured Interview With M.O. LeClair

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a new author and a current freelance writer. I’m 38 and I have my first book coming out on September 4th, 2021. It’s called ‘Concrete Jungle’, and it’s available now for pre-order on Amazon.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was 8 when I started writing. I’ve always loved reading and writing. It was always an escape to a different world.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Stephen King and Susanna Kaysen. I love reading Crime/Thrillers, Romance, Drama and Suspense the most! The world around me is enough of an inspiration. Also, my experiences.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
When Nylah Diamond, a young psychiatry student, becomes aware of a new case study, she becomes obsessed with it; something about it intrigues her.

She wants to know about every detail, every statement, every piece of evidence and everyone involved.

…someone else wants it left in the past…

She becomes determined to help piece together everything that has seemingly been hidden and scattered everywhere for so long…

…things that were meant to stay scattered and hidden. Something doesn’t make sense.

Some things from childhood, they stick with you, forever. Small things, big things, what seem like such insignificant things; change things. Change people.

…and if “Dr” Diamond doesn’t let sleeping dogs lie, she may be the next to get bitten.

All of the things you think don’t matter, matter most. What you think matters most, may mean nothing at all. People are animals. Savages. It’s a concrete jungle out there, and even something as small as a snake in the grass, or a spider in a tree, can take down a lion; the king of the jungle.

© 2016-2020 Room with a View Productions.

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Featured Interview With James Allocca

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Brooklyn, and now I live in Valley Stream, New York, where I live with my wife and daughter. I have been an Art Director for the last 35 years, designing all sorts of magazines, and having fun doing it!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated with books at an early age. They took me to places that I had never been and opened my eyes to the world. I even wrote some books as a kid that my audience of two parents really enjoyed! But it wasn’t until later in life that I had a solid idea for a book. Something that I thought readers would enjoy.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love science fiction and science fact books. Always a big fan of Jules Verne, HG Wells, Clive Cussler, Kurt Vonnegut, James P Hogan and others. And I grew up reading comics, which influence me to this day. Science Fiction movies have also influenced me through the years.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is The Descendants Of Krag, which is the sequel to Black Saucer. Black Saucer is a standalone book, but my readers suggested that I write a sequel, and they were right! I think that it’s a solid, fun Sci Fi book that I hope everyone is enjoying.

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Featured Interview With Caroline Walken

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My husband and I live in the farm county of Southern Ohio; I love the peaceful countryside since, as a child, I had lived in the city. When I am not writing, I ride my horse; I was born horse crazy, and have ridden since I was twelve years old. Growing up, I liked creating imaginative stories but did not pursue my writing love until 2014.

Since then, I have published five books and several short stories. Writing has been an unexpected creative release. Having been raised in Northern Kentucky, I love the history surrounding Newport, Kentucky, often labeled the forerunner of Las Vegas. My family comes from the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky area, with many of my Grandfather’s stories based on this area’s events. In researching material for books, it is exhilarating to recognize names and supporting information.

I finish a book with the details of the next roaming through my mind! I love being a story-teller; I get a thrill when a reader reaches out to me to tell me how much they loved a book. That type of connection keeps me writing!

Connect with me to see what happens next. Do I have a story for you!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wrote short stories, but never considered writing until 2014. Since then, I have developed a passion for story-telling!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I do have a personal favorite; Patricia Cornwell was always a favorite of mine. I introduced her books to my Dad after we lost my Mom. He and I would read the same book and compare notes when we got together on the weekend. Her books will always remind me of those chats.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just published my fifth book, In Hiding. This tale began as a short story selected for an anthology. There had been so much interest in the characters; I became convinced there was more to the story. It begins with a heartbreaking murder during a jewelry store heist. This event set a series of events in motion that spiral a young woman out of control. This vortex draws in a seasoned bail enforcer for his unique skills. To chase her, he has to open his mind to her, drawing him deeper into an abyss.

The early reviews have been very positive!

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Featured Interview With Toula Mavridou-Messer

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I currently live in London, after spending many years living in LA. Way back when, I woke up one morning wondering what it would be like to live and work in the US and within 10 days I had a visa, a job and an apartment. Everything literally fell into place without me really doing anything to make it happen. In fact, I was working as a Celebrity Booker at the time and had booked the wonderful Miriam Margolyes for a documentary only a week earlier. Without her knowing my plans, she called me and asked whether I knew anyone in LA who might want to rent her apartment there! Very soon after, Miriam became my ‘landlady!’ The Universe was lining everything up for me and did a spectacular job!

Fast forward a number of years to 2014, when my husband (James) and I had started writing and publishing our own books, we got a call to let us know that Mum’s husband had died and literally packed up our lives instantly and headed home to be with her, as she has dementia/Alzheimer’s.

Life has been harder than we could have ever realised and it has taken us until now to get back on track with writing and publishing more new books, fitting it all in around our other responsibilities – with Mum’s safety and wellbeing at the very heart of our lives.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I grew up in foster care and had a foster brother who was 4 years older than me. English wasn’t his first language, so as our foster mother taught him his ABCs and how to read and write, I picked it all up too; being able to read and write at the age of 2.

I read everything then and still do now – books, backs of cereal boxes, blogs, newspapers – literally anything and everything!

I requested a typewriter for Christmas for my 3rd birthday and started writing my first novel there and then! No idea what the story would have been, but I know for certain it was excellent!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
As a child I was mesmerised by all of the classic children’s books – such as What Katy Did, Little Women, Lorna Doone, Black Beauty with a great many Enid Blyton books thrown in for good measure.

As I got older, I started to read James Herbert and Stephen King books, along with anything else I could get my hands on.

Mum had a collection of Harold Robbins books mixed in amongst some Bronte, Austen and Tolkein, all of which I sneaked off her bookshelf!

These days I continue to read anything that grabs my attention with authors such as John Updike, Tom Robbbins, Bill Bryson, Donna Tartt and Margaret Forster amongst my favourites.

I often re-read books, too – most of which stand the test of time – like Jitterbug Pefume by Tom Robbins – it’s crazy and absolutely wonderful – and Lady’s Maid by Margaret Forster, which I will never get tired of.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
After being unable to focus on writing and publishing books for a significant time, I am delighted to say that we have three new books, all set to be published in the run up to Christmas 2020.

1. Our latest book is, “Vocal Warm Ups & Exercises.’

The book is a feast of fun and super cool illustrated vocal warm ups and voice exercises with an array of awesome alliterations for actors/drama students/voice artists etc.

James is an award-winning graphic designer and illustrator. He is also an actor and took part in the 2011 Sundance Grand Jury prize-winning film, ‘Like Crazy.’ James trained at various places including RADA in London and also in Hollywood…and even auditioned for Spielberg!

James designed and illustrated this book so that it’s more than just a vocal warm ups book, it is also an amazing addition to your book collection.

I wrote the alliterative stories; such as “Annie and Adam’s Adventure at Arthur’s Animal Aid Association,” “Betty Bets Billy ‘Bout Blowing Bigger Bubbles Better,” and “Colin Couldn’t Comprehend Chafing Cream.” As you can see, each word of every story starts with the same letter – no and, ifs or buts.

We were inspired to combine our talents to create something alternative to the ‘dry’ textbook style books that are currently available for the most creative amongst us: actors – especially after havingthe idea planted in our heads by actors and acting teachers!

We wanted the book to be affordable, pocket-sized (it’s 6″ x 6″), hip and extremely entertaining – a book that you want to carry around with you all the time so that you can read or recite the alliterative stories to impress anyone within hearing distance – and it is all of the above and so much more!

2. We are just about to format our first self-improvement book – Attitude of Gratitude. It’s a 30-day workbook and is simply wonderful. It’s filled with real-life quotes from hundreds of people about gratitude and is totally uplifting. ‘Gratitude’ will be the next book we publish – around the end of October, 2020.

3. In the meantime, James is completing the illustrations for our very first children’s chapter book, “Itsa-Mouse’s Holiday Home – It’s good enough to eat!” It’s such a beautiful book to look at and you will fall in love with the characters instantly!
We are also updating and redesigning the covers for Mortal End and Pocketful of Poesies.

Mortal End is my first novel – one that had TV presenter Jonathan Ross and Halloween afficianado exclaiming that, “The spookiest treat for Halloween’s right here. 178 pages of dark, twisted & mysterious goings on.”

It’s the back story to Hansel & Gretel and explains why the wicked witch was so evil.

Pocketful of Poesies is a teen humour version of the alliterations that make up part of our brand new ‘Vocal Warm Ups’ book. As mentioned above, we were contacted by drama teachers and voice coaches who told us that they were using the Poesies alliterations as warm up exercises in class…so we decided to create a new book specifically for that purpose and audience.

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Featured Interview With Dan Vale

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Because my life experiences, I have become more interested in disaster preparation than are most people. I spent the first 16 years of my life living in Michigan, where I went through a tornado. I also have lived in nine other states where I experienced a blizzard and a hurricane in Maryland, and very cold winters in Minnesota. The winters were so cold that your breath would turn to frost on your beard. I also worked as a civilian for the Army in West Germany and South Korea where it was important to be prepared to evacuate quickly if ever invaded.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been an avid reader my whole life. In my mid thirties, I decided that I also wanted to write to help my fellow man. Since I had been involved in disaster preparation for so many years, I decided that I knew enough to write about it. Furthermore, from 2009 to 2017, I wrote 785 articles for the Examiner Online Newspaper. Most of these articles were written in my capacity as the Baltimore Prepper Writer for the Examiner.
Then, in 2016, I decided to write my first book about the importance of physical fitness as a critical component of disaster preparation. I felt qualified to do so because I have a Bachelor Degree in Physical Education. I also won the Mr. Delaware Bodybuilding Contest in 1968 and earned my karate Black Belt in 1973. In short, have had a lifelong interest in physical fitness.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite book is the Bible. I also often read articles and books about physical fitness and disaster preparation. I have spent decades reading, discussing, and thinking about these subjects. My book, “Proper Exercise Primes Preppers for Disasters,” is the result of these efforts.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
COVID-19, hurricanes, wildfires, and extended power blackouts are just a few of the many disasters that are becoming more and more common. Maintaining a strong immune system, controlling stress, and sleeping well all will help you and your family members to meet these potential challenges. Proper exercise is the way for your family members to maintain a strong immune system, control your stress, and sleep well during turbulent times.
Has your gym closed? Not to worry. This book will show you how to work out at home safely, cheaply, and effectively. When you work out at home, you will be a good role model for your family members. When they also work out, your family interactions will become calmer. That is always important, and it is especially important during a disaster.
Proper exercise is a win/win activity. During normal times, proper exercise lessens the chances of diseases such as heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes. During disasters, when medical help might not be immediately available, good health is even more important.

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Featured Interview With Marc Cavella

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised one town over from where they filmed MTV’s “The Jersey Shore”. (Don’t judge me by that, though.) I currently live in Pennsylvania, not too far away from where I grew up, in an area that’s supposedly one of the most haunted regions in America. I haven’t seen any ghosts yet, but I always keep an eye out for them.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been fascinated with books and reading for as long as I remember. I’d read anything I could get my hands on. It didn’t matter if it was age-appropriate or not–if it was there, I was going to read it.

I started writing at a pretty young age as well, probably around ten or so. I remember the first thing that I wrote was a very rudimentary comic strip series that was just a cheap knockoff of Garfield, with a dog as the main character instead of a cat. It also had some sexual elements to it for some reason, which I think is the result of the fact that I had insomnia as a kid and HBO played some risque movies at three in the morning.

I like to think my writing has progressed a little bit since then. My artistic skills are probably about the same, though.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are probably still Hemingway and Fitzgerald. But I’m inspired by a broad range of authors and filmmakers, like William Faulkner, Nick Pileggi, and the Coen Brothers. I also think that shows like The Sopranos, Seinfeld, and Frasier have inspired me as well. And obviously my love of pro wrestling really inspired my new novella, The Ballad of Ricky Risotto, which focuses on a small wrestling promotion in 1979.

It’s hard to pick just one favorite genre, but I do find myself drawn to true-crime books more than any other type of writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called The Ballad of Ricky Risotto. It tells the story of Waylon Pritchards, an aging wrestling manager who works for an independent regional promotion called Ozark Championship Wrestling.

The company is struggling to stay afloat, and their looking to turn their fortunes around by crowning a new, young champion. Unfortunately, Bruising Brady Lockhart, the current champ and Waylon’s best friend, refuses to drop the title. With the biggest show in OCW history a mere two days away, Waylon faces a personal crisis: Convince Brady to drop the title, or lose everything he’s worked so hard to build for himself over the past thirty years.

The story has a very cool 1970s vibe to it. It probably took me about three or four months to write, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I liked OCW and the wild characters so much that I decided to write a trilogy, which I’m currently working on as well.

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Featured Interview With Paul McMurrough

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a native of Belfast, N.Ireland. I have lived briefly in the US and have travelled extensively throughout Europe and America, mostly through my work as a business and management consultant. My educational background was more Maths and Science focused rather than the Arts or Literature.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been a bit of a daydreamer and for a few years now I have thought (more joked) about writing a book. So, when I started to think about some of the questions that the premise behind Reliance threw up, I thought “Okay just do it.” So, I did. English was never my thing, being partially dyslexic, Maths and Science had always been my field. But once I got into it, I found writing to be extremely therapeutic and relaxing. Now I find myself with more ideas than my poor little fingers can keep up with.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I discovered an independent author a few years ago called D.J Molles. I was doing a lot of travelling with work at the time and so listened to his post-apocalyptic audiobook series The Remaining, on my journeys.
My preferred genre would be dystopian/apocalyptic or thrillers.
When I first started out on my writing journey I came across a podcast by Andrew J Chamberlain called the Creative Writer’s Toolbelt. It was an excellent series with technical advice and interviews with people from across the industry.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut novel, Reliance, is a dystopian/apocalyptic tale exploring the fragile nature of society’s reliance on technology and the electricity that powers it. It tells the story of four main characters and their experience of the rapid collapse of society following a plausible, albeit exaggerated, space weather event, which causes a prolonged and global power cut. Rather than invading aliens or mindless hordes of zombies, as you would see in a lot of apocalyptic stories, Reliance looks at the effects that are closer to home and which many people wouldn’t even consider. If the power is off for a day or two it’s an inconvenience, but what if it’s off for longer, a week? A month? How long would it need to be off before things started to fall apart.
I started research for Reliance in mid-2019 and put pen to paper that September. The first draft was completed in April 2020 and the book and audiobook released at the end of July 2020. The book has since been translated into Spanish, with an Italian version expected to be released in Oct 2020.
Work on book two of the Powerless Earth series started in September 2020 and is expected to be released in the Spring of 2021.

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Featured Interview With Janeen G.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a mother of four, author, blogger, freelance writer, illustrator and poet. I love to write Short Stories of Science Fiction, Romance & Fantasy and Poems about Love, Life & Emotions. I was born and raised in Harlem, NYC. I live in Orlando, FL. I have a fur baby named Todo, and he is a Ferret!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
9,9,My fascination with books started at 8. This was when I learned how to read on my own and I could see the scenes of a story in my head. I started writing poetry and short stories when I was 9 but I fully got into it at 11 when I met with my mentor and middle school teacher Ms. Someone.

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 Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, R. L. Stine, Roald Dahl, L.A. Banks, Maya Angelou, William Shakespeare, Langstone & E. E. Cummings.

I love to read horror, poetry, sci-fi, erotica & fantasy romance.

I’m inspired in my writing by my husband, my kids, my closest friends and the endless movies I consume!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest book that I have published is ”The Escape: Collection of Passionate Poetry Writing” I was working on this poetry book for over two years (from 2016 to 2018). This book started off with just blog post writing from my Tumblr page and from my journaling notebooks. I wanted to write down my raw emotions on paper and share it with the world. I love writing about my deep emotions on topics like love, relationships, and sex.

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Featured Interview With Noel Silvia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m what happens to the kid who grows up asking “why?” to everything. They turn into an adult (sorta) who writes stories that are more fascinating (convoluted) than the answers to those questions.
I’ve lived so many lives, I don’t know which one to focus on. As a child, I lived in many different places as I was a military brat, but I call California my home-home. As I am currently active duty in the Navy, I call Georgia my home where I live with my two dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved storytelling before I even knew how to read or write. My parents used to read to me at bedtime, and that really fostered my love for books. In a weird way, the “Pick-a-Path” and “Choose Your Own Adventure” books really piqued my interest at a young age for the notion of non-linear storytelling, and how a writer can truly make the reader an active participant in the story.
I’ve been writing on and off since I was in college, but only got serious-serious about it last year when I decided to actually write a book through to completion.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Everything I’ve ever read has had an influence on me, but to name a few authors/books:
“World War Z” by Max Brooks proved that you can tell a story through seemingly unrelated short stories.
“The Neverending Story” by Michael Ende inspires me to want to capture the wonder of imagination.
Anything by Christopher Moore or Tim Dorsey reminds me to find the humor in the seemingly “normal” and run with it.

I love to read books that make me have a strong emotional reaction, whether that’s sadness (“The Kite Runner”) or wonder (“The Neverending Story”) or a hearty laugh (“Triggerfish Twist”).
Books with narratives that “zig” when you think they should “zag” also catch my interest.

Music is the biggest inspiration to me. It’s incredible how much story and world building songwriters can do in three to five minutes. THAT is effective storytelling.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is actually my first novel, “Where Light Enters: A Novel of Hope”. It is hard to describe, as it is not a traditional narrative. The elevator pitch would be “The Kite Runner” (narrative themes) meets “Cloud Atlas” (structurally) and loosely fits in the “character-focused historical fiction” genre, if that is such a thing.

The story starts with a mystery when a fisherman discovers a body on the beach. The book then takes place over the course of 40 years in a foreign but familiar country as we learn about the characters and events that led to this moment.
The book is broken up into 12 sections, each section focusing on a specific character. Over the course of these sections, you see how their lives intertwine and impact each other.

It is definitely NOT a book for everyone as it requires a somewhat active reader who isn’t bothered by non-linear storytelling in the interest of mysteries and reveals and contains some heavy themes.
The world right now can be a rather bleak place, and reading about bad things happening to good people is not always the most appealing sell, but those who have made it to the end have found the optimism and message of hope in the book’s themes.

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Featured Interview With Erasmo Acosta

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Cantura, Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue a software engineering career, sponsored by a small Silicon Valley company. I retired to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 after achieving 32 successful years in the industry. In 2015, I became interested in the implications of the Fermi Paradox as it relates to the prospects of finding another civilization in the universe. Further research into Futurism, upcoming technologies, and the works of American physicist Gerard O’Neill, led me to write K3+. The dystopian novel explores human migration, triggered by inequality and climate change, to rotating habitats in space, based on many currently available technologies. I wrote a story of how humanity moved past the unsettling times we live in to a post-scarcity and egalitarian society—absent of fear, uncertainty, inequality, and despair.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Writing wasn’t necessarily a long term aspiration. After I retired, I watched a YouTube video that discussed both the Fermi Paradox and Dyson Swarms. It had a profound personal impact, leading me to drop some of my most deeply held beliefs. Less than two years later, after plenty of research on these and many other subjects, I started writing the K3+ book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, and Arthur Clarke are my childhood heroes. I make references to them throughout the story. J. K. Rowling had a different kind of influence. Ever since reading the Philosopher’s Stone—I read all seven books many times—I was deeply impressed by her light and easy-to-digest style. The interactions between Fedrix & SueLing are an example.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
K3+ is the story of how humanity gets past these troubling times, to build a purely egalitarian post-scarcity civilization in space. It begins with climate change and economic inequality coa-lescing into a dystopia that triggers a massive exodus to space colonies (aka rotating habitats). Centuries later, people living in space establish a utopian society, while those left on Earth con-tinue to struggle. As migration to space continues, nations on Earth begin to collapse due to un-derpopulation, making the ultimate conflict inevitable.

After WWIII humanity unites. Everyone now lives inside continent-sized rotating habitats, while Earth becomes a tourist destination. Humans begin to send colonization waves, to build rotating habitats around nearby stars, eventually colonizing the Milky Way and hundreds of neighboring galaxies.

In the final chapter, humans encounter the first alien civilization, in the Virgo Cluster, after eons of space colonization. The non-humanoid aliens are savages, permanently at war with each other, stuck in the Middle Ages. After brief research, humans conclude that the current evolu-tionary course will lead the aliens to become a super-predator, becoming a threat to their sur-vival.

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Featured Interview With Zhana

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Zhana is a master manifestor, an African American author, indie publisher, blogger and radio host based in London, UK. She taught adult education courses for many years and is passionate about helping you to achieve your goals.

Zhana is a committed Buddhist and, as her work demonstrates, is also passionate about global prosperity. Her books and blogs describe and explain practical methods for achieving our goals and living a happy, successful and prosperous life. Much of her work is aimed at a wide audience from diverse cultural, national and racial backgrounds, although she also produces work specifically for a Black audience, i.e. readers of African heritage. For many years, she has remained committed to helping Black people to heal from the long history of racial violence and its ongoing effects, physical, mental, emotional and financial.

As an holistic healer, healing body, mind and spirit, Zhana produces audios including the Violet Flame Healing meditation, as well as individual healing audios which are tailored to the listener. In the face of ongoing violence towards Black people, including killings by police, other racist violence and young people killing each other in gang warfare, Zhana remains committed to global peace, which is why she hosts the annual Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Zhana started learning to read at the age of three and was always an avid reader. When she started elementary school, she tested at university reading level. By the age of nine, she was a writer. Although she writes fiction, the majority of her work is nonfiction in the areas of wellness, self-help and mind/body/spirit.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Zhana’s favourite authors include Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler. Her favourite genre, as a reader, is science fiction.

Zhana is inspired by great figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Nelson Mandela. She is also inspired by ordinary people overcoming difficulties and obstacles in order to achieve their goals and attain their rightful places in life and in the world.

Zhana is very inspired by the work of Marshall Rosenberg, author of Nonviolent Communication, a Language of Life. She has found this work life-changing, and it is because of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) that she now holds the annual Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Have you ever really, really wanted something but had no idea how to achieve it?

Have you ever had a goal that is important to you but keeps eluding you?

Have you ever wanted to make a positive change in your life?

In Secrets of Manifestation, Zhana explains some of the methods she has used to manifest many things, including money and a contract with a major publisher.

Secrets of Manifestation gives you a chance to learn from a master manifestor – Zhana.

How serious are you about changing your life? How serious are you about achieving your goals? What is stopping you? What is getting in your way?

At this time Secrets of Manifestation is still available for free.

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