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Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

This is a list of our featured author interviews. These authors take a few minutes out of their busy schedule to sit down and answer a few questions. Get to know what they are working on next and what types of books they like to read.

Featured Author Mike Rickett

Featured Interview With Mike Rickett

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was brought up in a village in mid-Wales in the west of the UK. I am divorced and live in Liverpool in the UK. I have a daughter who lives in Toronto, Canada and a son who lives in Tallinn, Estonia. I am a a career journalist having worked for the London Daily Mail, Reuters, the international news agency and latterly the Liverpool Daily Post on Merseyside in the UK. In a long and varied career, I have worked as a crime reporter, feature writer, business editor and latterly, a senior sub-editor. I have also worked as a PR executive for a major bank and a multi- national electronics company.
My qualifications include a BA (Hons) English, from the University of Liverpool; a BA (Hons) Fine Art and an MA in Creative Practice both from Liverpool Hope University.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been writing all my life really. English has always been my strongest subject which my school recognised and encouraged and entered me for a national essay writing competition when I was eight. I w3on it outright and won a major award both for myself and my school.
I have been a journalist all my life but it was not until fairly recently that I began my first novel. I never really had the time before!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I loved Ruth Ware’s ‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ and the Cormoran Strike detective stories by Robert Galbraith (aka J K Rowling). Other recent fiction I have enjoyed was ‘Day of the Dead’ by Nikki French and ‘The Stone Circle’ by Elly Griffiths. Classically, Dracula is a story everyone has heard of but few have read. It’s a great story and puts the films to shame.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Poseidon Files follows on from my my first work of fiction, ‘Naomi’ a 5,000 word ghost story which introduced the central character of Naomi Richards to readers. She is the key in ‘The Poseidon Files’ which was inspired by a conspiracy theory I heard about focusing on an installation called HAARP in Alaska. Many scientists suspected that the US military were experimenting with weaponising the weather. I decided to create two fictional whistle-blowing scientists who escape Alaska, travel to Toronto and then on to the UK where they plan to pass on secret files to the British media.

Two women become involved when the memory stick containing the files that show how the weather is being weaponised is accidentally passed to Naomi who is an artist and psychic. She was inspired by my grandmother who was something of a psychic and mystic. Naomi’s abilities introduce a supernatural element to the story.

The second central character is a Canadian private eye who has been hired by the FBI to find the files. She becomes a close friend of Naomi’s and together they become targets for criminal gangs intent on finding the files and selling them to the highest bidder.

But it all backfires and two women find themselves in the centre of intrigue and menace. The Streets of Liverpool and the picturesque village of Llanberis in Snowdonia, as well as the mountain itself, also play an atmospheric part in a tale of murder and deceit.

Are people who they seem? Who can you trust in a world of shadows?

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Mike Rickett’s Website

Mike Rickett Facebook Page

Mike Rickett Twitter Account

Featured Author Monique de Koning

Featured Interview With Monique de Koning

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a resident in the coastal area of a quaintly shaped country called The Netherlands for about 15 years now. I was born and raised in the east but moved west to the vicinity of Amsterdam where I’ve always (strangely enough) felt more at home. I love cats and have had the pleasure to share a good number of years with three wonderful and very different personalities of them, but after the last one died I have not been in a position to invite another one in my home and life.
I have a large range of interests, but I am most passionate about all things creative. Like designing, writing, photography, drawing & painting and thinking up & creating (not the most standard) miniatures & more. They often come togèther, which only adds to the joy. Among many other things I like, I also have a huge soft spot for animals & people and I love food, reading, music, series and movies, quite diverse genres.
As a result of long lasting, serious and quite extreme medical issues & conditions, my life has been very unusual for way too many years already and I’ve never been able to do much of anything. What I have done was mostly in very small or even the tiniest steps once in a while and only possible at áll because of not very common solutions and kind of impossible choices. Simply because my passion for life & creativity is too enormous, no matter hów impossible it seemed and in essence was. It only makes me more proud of and excited about what I have created and managed to do in my life so far.
I am not easily impressed by a challenge or things going differently than I expected or hoped, with also the ability to look at something from a new angle again and again, coming up with creative solutions. Always seeing and believing in possibilities. I am also known to be very positive, determined and crazy passionate.
When it comes to writing, I haven’t really chosen to become a writer. Writing chose mé, but I absolutely love it and it feels like we are a great fit.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been crazy about books from a young age, as long as I can remember. I really enjoyed reading fantasy type adventures in voluminous books that were actually for ages a number of years beyond my own. And even though the library didn’t allow to check out more than six books at a time, I sometimes was. I think because of the types of books I read. As a teenager I even started to dive into two, and occasionally even three, books simultaneously because I couldn’t wait to finish one before starting another. I could even keep the stories apart. I was just too eager to read while also aware of the massive and ever growing amount of books I wanted to read and the fraction of it I realistically would be able to in a lifetime.
I haven’t read much for quite some years now because of the nature of my health-issues, although I have listened to some great audio-books whenever this was feasible. Quite some time later I even had to learn how to read again in a sense, after a stroke-like episode seven years ago. For a long time it took forever to finish just one page of a simple story line.
The writer in me was never as obvious as my attraction to books has always been. I’ve always loved to write, playing with words, but I never really did it much or in any way that writers tend to have done, like writing short stories. My focus and passion had always been drawing that at some point evolved into painting. When it became too painful and heavy to do that anymore due to a continued and progressive decline in my health and muscle strength, once I was able to do at least something at all again, within my still extremely limited possibilities, I had already discovered a new passion: miniatures. With this different creative area’s I had always enjoyed as well came together. Like designing, something I am very passionate about as well. I have had so much fun designing my book cover and the logo for the publishing company I came up with to be able to publish my book with my own ISBN.
Writing became apparent only three years ago, after the umpteenth and by now very clear sign from the universe about me writing a book about my story. Something several people had urged me to do over the years already because they found my story very inspirational. I finally got the message and when I did a title, subtitle and first chapter for my first (still unfinished) book suddenly popped in my head and I just started writing. Inspiration for another book came along that I find to be more realistic to finish first and with the unexpected inspiration to write poems in those years, I suddenly came up with the idea to publish those: Emerald Heart, my first published book.

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 Discovery of Heaven’ by Harry Mulisch, a Dutch writer who, based on that, might be my favorite author. I just haven’t had the chance to read much more of him, only part of a short story during my medical rehabilitation I wasn’t able to, and eventually forgot to, finish. Other writers I’ve really enjoyed are Harlan Coben, Roald Dahl (Uncle Oswald) and Nicci French, but because of my brain malfunctions I’ve unfortunately forgotten most of what I read or what I thought of the ones or the authors I do remember. Like those I had or have read by for example Umberto Eco and Paolo Coelho.
I don’t really have one favorite genre, although I really like to read action & adventure, magical realism/fantasy and mysteries. But I have equally devoured realistic fiction, thrillers and historical fiction. I am interested, enjoy and have (had) books in many very different genres from James Bowen’s ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ to the work of Gabriel García Márquez. It’s hard for me to choose because a book in a for me uncommon genre or author can make the kind of impact that really stays with me and even surpasses some of the books in my favorite genres. One of the unexpected books that made such an impression was The Five Gates of Hell by Rupert Thomson. Quite a heavy and dark book that I wouldn’t normally go for or think I could like. Luckily I’ve always been open to all kinds of books as long as the description speaks to me in some way that makes me curious enough to try it. I have even been reading a romance novel recently (The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand), which is also quite unusual for me. But that has everything to do with the inspiration for my first published book that has awoken that side of me.
Because writing is such a relatively new endeavor for me and it all started and continued in not the most common way, I can’t say I have a writer who inspires me in my own work. I also write very intuitively as I do everything really. Which has worked very well for other things I’ve done and created. Additionally the first book I have actually (and just) published is poetry, a genre I never really read, or actually liked that much. So I don’t even have a frame of reference for that. There is someone who hás been a huge inspiration for itthough. The entire reason for that book even, just not a writer.
If I have to name one of those, I’d say I would love to be able to write the way Harlan Coben does in what I have read from him. A fresh, no nonsense but very alluring way that keeps me sucked in. It truly fascinates me how he is able to create a captivating story with very little.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest, also my first and only book so far is called Emerald Heart. It’s poetry, but not in the traditional sense to me and I think ‘poetic love story’ describes it better. Like someone said to me ‘I’ve never been a huge fan of poetry, but yours are beautiful’. My poems are chapters that together tell a not very common love story. Mostly very different from each other and combined with a certain lay-out and font-types I think give it a bit of a unique look. It’s how I had made them for myself and wanted for the book as well. All the result of an attempt to put on paper what my heart & mind have never been able to comprehend. In doing so surprising myself with this for me new way of playing with words, how joyful it was for me to write them and what I’ve been able to create.
I’ve actually never had the intention to publish them. I had written them through the years as a way of dealing with an amazing, unusual connection. Then one day I felt they should be able to be enjoyed by others.
Although I’ve always loved to write I had never written poems before. More importantly I was never even interested in most things romantic at all, just too down-to-earth I guess ;). Not that I wasn’t into love or didn’t know it, I had actually been in a wonderful, very loving 21-year relationship with a great man. He was the love of my life who I had to let go because of extreme circumstances, after having shared more than two decades together, breaking my heart.
The man Emerald Heart is about changed all that. He not only turned my world and what I thought I knew complétely upside down, but unknowingly awakened my real feminine side I guess. He is the inspiration and reason for this book. I am not the same woman I was before he unexpectedly landed in the center of my heart to never leave, which was only the beginning of all kinds of new and magical experiences.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Monique de Koning’s Website

Featured Author Mark Brickwedde

Featured Interview With Mark Brickwedde

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a military brat and was raised on both coasts. I currently live in Mississippi.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing in Junior High School

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
John Grisham, Rob Cerio, Ernest Russell, Jen Mulvihill, Derek Dykes, J.B. Garner, and Kimberly Richardson

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Heart of a Preacher.
I really enjoyed writing this book. It was the most I’ve ever studied the Bible to complete it.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Mark Brickwedde’s Website

Mark Brickwedde Twitter Account

Featured Author Aman Tiwari

Featured Interview With Aman Tiwari

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an Indian and my hometown is Lucknow (the City of Nawabs). I am a final-year graduate of National Law University Odisha. I am currently planning to pursue MSc. Psychology (Conversion) after graduation. As a dog-lover, I recognize them as a great companion to ourselves. I still remember, when I was born, my father had a German Shepherd. His sudden demise was my first conscious encounter with death as a concept. My entire childhood until I reached college was with Scooby, a Daschund. He died in 2019 at 13 years of age. Now, Mr. Chase, a Beagle is making our busy lives cheerful and happy.
I have been a self-engrossed person since childhood. I have little to no interest in communicating with people in masses. I was inclined towards law, but practicing it as a profession seems a bit unlike of me. A massive transformation of lifestyle from home to college has reshaped me in manners which cannot be articulated. I have developed a huge inclination towards psychology, especially Freudian psychoanalysis. A part of me was always into philosophy, but it was existentialism that caught my attention. My first interaction with existentialism was through Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus. I still remembered I laughed with each para I read as it was the only reaction that came out witnessing the congruency of its conceptuality with our existence. As if now I am studying the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche along with Greek Mythology, which is another field that interests me. I find Dionysus as the fallen God of the Greeks, a very fascinating character. The Twice Born One, is the source of duality conceptualizing contradiction within itself. All who were attracted to him were fated to a tragic end just like him. This makes me wonder how one aspect which creates is also responsible for its destruction.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Book as a concept has always intrigued me. I liked how it provides a compilation of ideas, thoughts and find it a perfect way of articulating ‘self’. I have a habit of reading and collecting books since childhood. My first interaction with writing was through blogs. I wrote about a cartoon serial Naruto which I was fond of as a child.
When I entered college, the passion towards book started fading away as I was driven towards other things which I haven’t explored during my younger years. Now during the outbreak of a worldwide pandemic, I am reinvigorating my zealousness towards books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Amongst all great legends out there, this book was mostly inspired by the classic Novella, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The writing style of Kafka is magnificent. How he creates a world of realism with its inception of something connected to mysticism is beyond comprehension.
While the conceptuality of the book is based upon my contemplation primarily over The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Existentialism as a philosophical movement has a huge impact on me. There are some great writers with their classic piece of literature such as Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard, Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre and Being & Time by Martin Heidegger which have been a constant source of inspiration for me. Writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud has been a constant companion of myself which helped me to related to my true ‘self’.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I have written a fictional piece of work as Novella titled, “Memoir: The Cathartic Night (Contemplating Temporality to Inevitability)”. It is an existentialist read which aims to embark its readers onto a contemplative journey of self-discovering. I was influenced by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis to write a Novella conceptualizing my thinking in consonance with existentialism. It upfront deals with the absurdity that is aligned with our existence as meaninglessness in the world of nothingness.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Aman Tiwari’s Website

Aman Tiwari Twitter Account

Featured Author A.K & K.A Ashton

Featured Interview With A.K & K.A Ashton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
K.K. Ashton was born and raised in New York. City girl to the core but Island girl to heart. She is a Travel Enthusiast and Fitness Fanatic. When not traveling she loves picnics and long walks outdoors. K.K Ashton and A. K Ashton reside in New York with family, dog and two turtles.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have been fascinated with books since I was a kid myself. This is my first book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I was Inspired to write this book for my daughter. She too, was bullied in school. I felt it was my duty to not only encourage her but to help her find inspiration in other situations in life to help her cope.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Have you ever been teased or bullied by your peers? Sugar had to learn how to deal with those tough things too. Check out how she discovers what it means to believe in herself!

I would like readers of this book to believe. As the reader reads this book we can also affirm belief for ourselves and inspire the listener.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

A.K & K.A Ashton’s Website

 

Featured Author Thaddeus Yeiser

Featured Interview With Thaddeus Yeiser

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve grown up all over Pennsylvania as an outdoorsman and avid lover of nature. I lived in Pittsburgh, Erie, York, Harrisburg and then finally Delaware. No pets just a nice collection of plants.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I read children’s books, but it wasn’t until I read Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (8 years old) that I realized how deep a book can take someone. I started writing at nine when I, embarrassingly, started creating Star Wars fan fiction. I quickly transitioned to building my own narratives and grew from there.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love Agatha Christie. Her ability to craft a puzzle within her plots was astounding. And then there were none has to be one of the five greatest books written in the 20th century. It’s a nearly unsolvable mystery were it not for the epilogue. Her style influenced generations of writers. Stephen King is another favorite of mine. His world building is so rich, and he sucks you into every page. That said he is not a one trick pony. He can weave the dramatic and heartwarming just as easily as the terrifying. I would also recommend Robert Jordan. He is one of the titans of modern fantasy, and if you ever get the chance to check out Wheel of Time it is well worth the journey.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The project actually started as a screenplay in 2013 and I realized the world was compelling but the story was boring. I switched my approach and slowly built a better story around a distant post apocalypse (Roughly 700 years from now), and explored an unrecognizable medieval America that is in the throes of a civil war. The project took about five years from its earliest screenplay draft to its completion in 2018. Along the way I threw out about a thousand pages of material that just did not capture the world properly.

 

Featured Author The Alleged Professor

Featured Interview With The Alleged Professor

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
What can I tell you about me? Well, in addition to being a proud nerd, geek and educator, I am also a proud and unapologetic Yankee and artist who zigzags between the here and now and my own little groovy world (i.e., I’m a dreamer).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been in love with the written word most of my life.

I started making up my own spoken word stories as a young lass. And shortly afterwards, I began to write them.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t really have a favorite genre. What I end up reading is totally based on my mood. That said, some of my favorite authors are Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Charlaine Harris, Robert Frost, E.B. White and Richard Kinky Big D**k Friedman.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I like to think of Easily Memorize the Periodic Table of Elements, as the chemistry class supplement/how-to/memory booster I wish I had when I was younger.

Chemistry scared the hell outta me back then. But I eventually got over my fear and began to really dig chemistry once I realized there was nothing to fear.

And that’s what I wanna do for you groovy people who have decided to buy my book for yourselves and/or loved ones. I wanna show you that chemistry is, like, way cool. It’s not scary at all.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

The Alleged Professor Twitter Account

Featured Author Gerald Hogg

Featured Interview With Gerald Hogg

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am originally from Bedford in England but I grew up in Middlesbrough. When I was four years old, in the mid-1950s, my parents took me to Jamaica to live which must have planted in me the seed to travel, as I have been travelling ever since. I have lived in ten different countries and worked in five-star hotels and restaurants around the world as a chef. I have also worked on cruise ships, Antarctic supply ships, a gold mine in Papua New Guinea and the Falkland Islands after the war with Argentina.
I have written seven books in total, five of them are travel books aimed at retirees and baby boomers and I have also written a biography, “You will never amount to anything”.
I have now retired to Thailand where I live on the beautiful island of Koh Samui and travel extensively throughout South East Asia researching my travel books.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The first books I remember reading were the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. As I matured I read everything Charles Dickens wrote and all of The Hobbit series of books by J. R. R. Tolkien, I also loved Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. My daughter was born in 1974, and as she grew older I would read Watership Down by Richard Adams to her at bedtime. Looking back now it was probably a little scary for a little girl, but she loved the book as much as I did. Being at sea for much of my life, books were an important source of entertainment in the few leisure hours that you get working on a ship. I would read everything that I could get my hands on, from Agatha Christie to Ernest Hemingway, from Nevil Shute to Leslie Thomas.
I started writing at the age of 65 when I retired in Thailand. With 60 being the new 40 that would be 41 in new years. I wrote my first book The Retire in Thailand Handbook for retirees and baby boomers who may be looking for an alternative retirement plan, to retire to a country where their pension dollars will stretch much further. I found that I loved writing so much that I made the book into a book series, “The Retirees Guide Travel Book Series”. I also wrote a biography “You Will Never Amount to Anything and have just finished my first novel; The Deptford Mask Murders.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors of today are James Lee Burke, Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane, Kate Atkinson, and Khaled Hosseini. I also like to read any travel-related books especially anything by Michael Palin and Bill Bryson. I don’t think any author actually influenced me, I just loved losing myself in a good book, but many authors have inspired me, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee and Charles Dickens.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The book is called; “The Deptford Mask Murders; the First Capital Murder Trial in 1905 Using Fingerprint Forensics.”
The inspiration for the book came from my brother John. It was his project but he sadly died while the book was still in its planning stage. I decided to research the story myself and when I started to read about this fascinating period of criminal history I could see how the story of the Stratton Brothers trial had impressed my brother so much, so I chose to write and publish the book as a tribute to him.

In 1905 a crime took place in London that would change the way that police forces around the world would identify criminal suspects, the Deptford Mask Murders.
On the 27th of March 1905, Thomas Farrow was found beaten to death in an oil and paint shop he managed in Deptford. Ann Farrow, Thomas’s wife was also badly beaten and succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital one week later. This was the crime that the Scotland Yard Fingerprint Bureau had been waiting for since the bureau was formed in 1901, a high profile crime that would put the spotlight on the science of fingerprinting as a reliable, efficient and infallible system of identifying criminals.
A week after the crime was committed; Brothers Alfred and Albert Stratton were arrested and were later put on trial at the Old Bailey accused of wilful murder. The prosecution had very little evidence to convict the brothers and what they did have was mainly circumstantial, except for a thumbprint which was found on a cash box in the Farrows bedroom above the paint shop. Fingerprinting had never been used to solve a serious crime before in Britain and was often seen as being untrustworthy and untested, with one magistrate Fingerprinting had never been used to solve a serious crime before in Britain and was often seen as being untrustworthy and untested, with one magistrate writing to The Times; “Scotland Yard, once known as the world’s finest police organisation, will be the laughing stock of Europe it if insists on trying to trace criminals by odd ridges on their skins.”
The book is based on those true events and is my interpretation of what I believe could have happened 115 years ago when fingerprints were used for the very first time in Great Britain to convict the Stratton brothers of wilful murder.
All of the main characters in this book who played their part in having the brothers convicted were real people in this extraordinary historical event.

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Gerald Hogg Facebook Page


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Featured Author “The Whisperer” & Donna Earl “The Urban Soap Opera Diva”

Featured Interview With “The Whisperer” & Donna Earl “The Urban Soap Opera Diva”

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
“The Whisperer” (To Remain Anonymous)

Donna Earl, aka The Urban Soap Opera Diva is originally from Chester, Pennsylvania, now residing in Washington, D.C. She received her education from Morgan State University as Kaplan University. She is also the author of When I Close My Eyes and Eyes Wide Open.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
“The Whisperer”

My age of recognition of my fascination with books was since the first time someone (at teacher) asked me to write a sentence. It was at that point that I realized “someone” had to write this, it didn’t just appear out of thin air. I wasn’t just reading pages, I was getting between someone’s ears, that was very powerful to me. I have always written things since I can remember. I used to keep a diary when it wasn’t “fashionable” for men (or boys) to do so, keeping my thoughts since I was about 11 years old.

Writing poetry, songs and sharing my thoughts happened depending on whether or not I was in love or in a relationship. If I wasn’t I didn’t write, I always wrote when I was in a relationship. I didn’t actually pin a book until about 10 years ago.

Donna Earl “The Urban Soap Opera Diva”

I came late with my fascination with books. I was about 26 yrs old. I relocated to Washington DC and roomed with my friend Teeann Hawkins. She was an avid reader and she shared her love of books with me giving me my first book to read entitled “The Home.” It was a great read so she shared “Son of the Endless Night. Wow!!! Then I was off and running. I started reading Stephen King, VC Andrews, Terry McMillian, Walter Mosely…even Zane. I just read…

I started writing in 2004. My friend had shared her life story with me (it was a story and a half) and I felt she should share it with others; to be used as a service to those who suffered the same beginnings. She declined for personal reasons, so after her passing, I took on the task to bring it to life. That’s how “When I Close My Eyes” came about. Then Eyes Wide Open and now The Chameleon Judge.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
“The Whisperer”

I have always been fascinated by James Baldwin, Alex Haley and believe it or not Dear Abby. All of them brought something to the mental table of a young person with a drifting imagination. I don’t really have a favorite genre, it really depends on my personal what, when, why and how at that particular time. My musing inspiration changes all of the time. As I mentioned earlier, my relationships (various types), someone new I may meet, something I may see or possibly read. It’s why I never “plan” to write, when the feeling hits, I literally go with the flow.

Donna Earl “The Urban Soap Opera Diva”

Favorite authors are Stephen King, Walter Mosely and Terry McMillian. Those are my top three but I have a library of all types of books. My favorite genre to read, I can’t say but I have to admit I enjoyed books written by Ashley & Jaquavis and a brother by the name Kwan ( I like a little danger). I also like the Coldest Winter by Sister Souljah. I believe family and friends have been my inspiration to continue storytelling, if you call it that. I have a new story on the burner, entitled “BaLink” that is inspired by a friend of mine that use to be a DJ in Washington D.C. Was working on it the same time as “The Chameleon Judge” and I have another idea whirling around about another story that will be next.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I was inspired to write this book to defend the victim. Sexual Abuse/Molestation is a violation that was swept under the rug until recent years. The violation, however defined, leaves scars the victims have been left to deal with. One needs to understand the sexual violation is a sore that never heals. The scab comes and goes. We want this book to show for one victim, Jake Turner, how his sore remained open all his adult life and how it oozed, damnation, shame and how even after therapy, the sore could not be healed. Another inspiration is telling the story that despite having negative, dominating experiences one can still persevere and be a successful professional. Ultimately, getting the story told, using musing as therapy to deal with one’s past.

I Would like the readers to understand sexual abuse leaves a stain of shame that is not easily erased. The scar of this violation cannot be eliminated with the word sorry or with financial payoff. It’s an everlasting noose that pulls tighter and tighter around the neck of the victim nearly cutting off the victim’s well-being. Additionally, we don’t want readers to feel or believe that all members of the LGTBQ Community are predators, this book is loosely based on the experiences of a real-life person who lived with them.

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“The Whisperer” & Donna Earl “The Urban Soap Opera Diva” Facebook Page

 

Featured Author Tonya M Logan

Featured Interview With Tonya M Logan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a native Washingtonian. After my divorce and parenting two children, my book was finalized published after taking 16 years to complete. I have nearly 30 years of professional clinical experience working with those managing conflict and trauma. A native Washingtonian, I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and my master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. I spent the bulk of my career, in D.C. and Maryland, working with biological parents and foster parents by securing permanency whether via reunification, adoption, or independent living. I was the clinical director of a program which provided in-home services to families at-risk of abuse and/or neglect in an attempt to strengthen and stabilize families so they would be diverted from the child welfare system. I was a contractor with an organization in which I facilitated 10-week grief groups for those impacted by homicide following my certification as a grief recovery specialist. I transitioned to being the supervisory social worker in a non-public school for students diagnosed with emotional disturbance and/or autism and then to a D.C., Title I, public school.
Currently, I am the Founder & CEO of Kayla’s Village, www.kaylasvillage.org, begun in July 2007, which strives to be the premier provider of innovative seminars and supportive resources for individuals, families, professionals, and communities. I am a full-time clinician providing counseling to individuals, couples, and families and on the Advisory Board of the Center for Infant and Child Loss. I am an active church member of Trinity AME Zion Church and the parent of two children, one by adoption and one by birth, and have hosted two exchange students. Obviously, I try to tailor my life to help others in need.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been fascinated with books as I have always enjoyed reading for pleasure. I did not consider publishing a book until my daughter died. What began as a journal so that I would recall all details morphed into my self-published book, “Mommie’s Bright Sunshine.”

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy many Christian authors as well as those who share testimonies of overcoming their challenges. I feel the latter give me hope to encourage myself as well as others as I can then use examples with those who are hurting.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My first book is “Mommie’s Bright Sunshine.” I would like my readers to understand that death is an expected part of the completion of life. We know that everything born has a designated time to die and sometimes death arrives much earlier than we could have ever anticipated. Those who have a child diagnosed with an illness often have to watch their child suffer and then die if a cure is not found. For those of us who awake one morning with promises and plans for the future and then have our life suddenly to take another unanticipated, unknown course when our child is unexpectedly taken from us, is an unthinkable tragedy that only those who have experienced it can describe the lack of preparation. To lose a child – any child, by any means – is horrific. This book is a humble attempt to share my story and prayerfully to help heal others without judgment as we have endured enough. My sincere prayer is that all who touch this book will be moved to greater blessings and comfort as we overcome each day knowing that it is one day closer to being reunified with our child.

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Tonya M Logan Facebook Page

Featured Author Arthur van den Elzen

Arthur van den ElzenFeatured Interview With Arthur van den Elzen

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the south of Holland, better said in the Netherlands (in 1964). The 4th of five children my parents set on this planet, 4 boys and 1 girl. Through my studies I did my thesis in Riobamba, Ecuador, working at an educational radiostation. After finishing college (or University, as they say in Europe) I worked in that field for almost 7 years in Ecuador, followed by 3 years in Guatemala.

In 2003 I returned to Ecuador, with my wife Wendy and our daughter Lisa. Nowadays we run a hotel and restaurant in the Andean market town of Otavalo. Besides that, I do a lot of reading and writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated by books from a very young age, although I have to admit that when still young I preferred to go out and play soccer with my brothers and friends. That said, I felt one day I would meet up with my book fascination and that happened when I went for 6 months to do my thesis in Riobamba, Ecuador. Of a sudden, at night, I had all the time in the world to read and write.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I prefer History & Biographies. Non fiction books about the old civilizations like the Maya-civilization. As well as books about the Second World War, the Vietnam War, Europe, the USA, Latin America (especially Mexico), Exploration, Travel (James Cook, Von Humboldt).

The best book I ever read is Jose Luis Martinez’ “Hernán Cortés” (only in Spanish), followed by Robert A. Caro’s biography (4 volumes..so far) about Lyndon B. Johnson and Janet Browne’s 2 volume set about Charles Darwin. Amazing books, inspiring authors.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book I wrote in honor of my father. On his death bed in 2011 he literally asked me to put his remarkable life story on paper. He knew I was interested in the past, his past. Even as a young boy I was always asking question. And besides that, he was the proudest costumer and seller of my books I had written so far (in Dutch). Of all the stories written, I’m the proudest of this book. An honor really.

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Arthur van den Elzen Facebook Page

Arthur van den Elzen Twitter Account


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Featured Author Charyse Allan

Featured Interview With Charyse Allan

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I published my first novel in 2014 and have published five others since. I completed my BA in Professional Writing through GCU. Now married to my best friend/high school sweetheart, we live in the sweltering heat of Arizona raising our four kiddos and two Goldens. I’m a bookaholic and chocoholic; my vices keep me sane, but Father keeps me patient.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was around ten when I became fascinated with books. I still have memories of one of my favorite books of that time was Promises to Keep. It was a sweet book about young girls adapting to being ladies and interacting with girls that made life more difficult. This was important to my passion with writing. I have always worked to write pieces that stick with people. I want them to be able to recall my books years later. I loved creating stories from a young age, but I didn’t become passionate about writing until I was twenty.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Some of my favorite authors include Justina Chen, Karen Marie Morning, Aprilynne Pike, Sally Thorne, Tijan, and Penny Reid

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest release was “Kate,” released June 20th. It’s a fast-paced contemporary romance with an intelligent, headstrong heroine who fights against a dark past by clinging to her woven control and a sexy air force hero who insists on pushing her to relent that control. Surprising twists, secrets revealed, and the test of true love, “Kate” will have readers hungry for every word.

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Charyse Allan’s Website

Charyse Allan Facebook Page

Charyse Allan Twitter Account

Featured Author Lucia Matuonto

Featured Interview With Lucia Matuonto

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a writer and painter. I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and now I am living between the US, Spain and Italy. I have been living in many countries where I had the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to open my mind to the world. As a Physiotherapist, I used to treat disabled children and learned to enjoy entering their fantastic and emotional world. I love animals and I have a cat called Atila.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Since I was little I preferred reading books over playing with dolls. Reading fascinates me and I cannot spend a day without reading or writing. I started writing blogs and short stories about 20 years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite writers are John Grisham, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Mario Vargas Llosa and Isabel Allende.I also enjoy reading children’s chapter books .
My favorite genres are suspense and adventure. I am inspired by Kate DiCamillo’s books for children.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Zoe the crab tells the story of a clever little crab, who is very curious about the exciting world around her. However, she is also afraid to face the many challenges that wait for her on the crowded beach, outside her safe and cozy hole. To accomplish her desire of getting out, discovering new places and making many new friends, she has to deal with predators, humans, snakes, and all kind of unplanned surprises. Zoe is puzzled and bothered by the fact that she walks sideways. She thinks it is silly and very inefficient. She keeps trying to walk forward. She is always questioning her brothers why only crabs walk like this, while her brothers keep making fun of her. She has no friends and sometimes she is so tired that she just wants to stay at home with her mom.
She is the youngest of three siblings and she is sometimes more mature than her teenager brothers, who are always getting into trouble.
One day she gets also dragged into it, suffers an accident and ends up lost on the beach. Zoe needs for once and for all to face her fears and have the courage to search for her way back to her family. In fact, this turns out to be the best day of her life yet, because she finally meets friends and proves to herself and to her family how much she can accomplish and how strong she can be.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Lucia Matuonto’s Website

Lucia Matuonto Facebook Page

Lucia Matuonto Twitter Account

Featured Author Lucia Matuonto

Featured Interview With Lucia Matuonto

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a writer and painter. I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and now I am living between the US, Spain and Italy. I have been living in many countries where I had the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to open my mind to the world. As a Physiotherapist, I used to treat disabled children and learned to enjoy entering their fantastic and emotional world. I love animals and I have a cat called Atila.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Since I was little I preferred reading books over playing with dolls. Reading fascinates me and I cannot spend a day without reading or writing. I started writing blogs and short stories about 20 years ago.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite writers are John Grisham, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Mario Vargas Llosa and Isabel Allende.I also enjoy reading children’s chapter books .
My favorite genres are suspense and adventure. I am inspired by Kate DiCamillo’s books for children.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Zoe the crab tells the story of a clever little crab, who is very curious about the exciting world around her. However, she is also afraid to face the many challenges that wait for her on the crowded beach, outside her safe and cozy hole. To accomplish her desire of getting out, discovering new places and making many new friends, she has to deal with predators, humans, snakes, and all kind of unplanned surprises. Zoe is puzzled and bothered by the fact that she walks sideways. She thinks it is silly and very inefficient. She keeps trying to walk forward. She is always questioning her brothers why only crabs walk like this, while her brothers keep making fun of her. She has no friends and sometimes she is so tired that she just wants to stay at home with her mom.
She is the youngest of three siblings and she is sometimes more mature than her teenager brothers, who are always getting into trouble.
One day she gets also dragged into it, suffers an accident and ends up lost on the beach. Zoe needs for once and for all to face her fears and have the courage to search for her way back to her family. In fact, this turns out to be the best day of her life yet, because she finally meets friends and proves to herself and to her family how much she can accomplish and how strong she can be.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Lucia Matuonto’s Website

Lucia Matuonto Facebook Page

Lucia Matuonto Twitter Account

Featured Author Michelle Parmigiani

Featured Interview With Michelle Parmigiani

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Michelle Parmigiani and I’m the premier author of New Jersey-based children’s book publisher, Fifth & Zilai. I’ve lived in northern New Jersey all my life and while I’ve always had big city dreams, I choose to chase them from the small town where I grew up and continue to reside. I’ve always loved to write and have written in many forms for varying outlets but I must say, writing children’s books is among my favorite tasks to date. Aside from writing, I love fashion, I love to bake and I love my English bulldog puppy, Prada Penelope.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
For as long as I can remember, I have always been an admirer of the written word. Reading and writing allow us to feel connected, to feel heard and to feel like we have a voice. Writing has long been my creative outlet of choice and I’ve decided to put pen to paper to empower others.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Like so many others in this world, I have been judged by my appearance and often underestimated. Lucky for me, I always had the confidence to overcome other’s doubts but that isn’t the case for many. The stories I tell show girls and boys alike that they are more capable, more powerful, more intelligent and more incredible than they know. They explore the values of individuality and inclusivity and what it means to be yourself. The greatest lesson I share is the power we each behold by simply being ourselves.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is a children’s book called “Carrie’s Cupcake Success.” Carrie’s story is truly inspirational and empowering for young girls in particular. Carrie overcomes self doubt by exploring one of her passions which happens to be baking. While making cupcakes with her mom, Carrie realizes that she is relying on the math skills she didn’t know she had. Regardless of what her classmates may have told her, Carrie puts her math skills to the test and comes up with a cupcake success. At the end of Carrie’s story, I’ve created an extra special surprise that will show readers they can be as successful as Carrie when it comes to both math and baking!

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Michelle Parmigiani Facebook Page


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Featured Author Margaret Buapim

Featured Interview With Margaret Buapim

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello Book Readers! I’m the author of Ring Envy, a short Christian Fiction romance novel. I am also a freelance non fiction writer. I claim the West Coast as my home but I’m still an East Coast girl at heart. My hobbies include reading both fiction and non fiction work, DIY crafts and film making. In fact, you can visit my website to connect with me and others around these interests! https://www.thatpioneerdream.wixsite.com/mysite.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been reading from a very early age and decided to use my interest to tell my own stories while still in elementary school. The first writing format I attempted was focused on dialogue and story more so than setting and observational details. I developed a love for writing in series format and I also discovered later that my early writings were pretty spot on screenplays. So, screenwriting and the novel series will always be a love of mine.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love literature and am particularly interested in works by African American writers and those of the African Diaspora because I feel those are necessary voices that are sometimes marginalized and easily overlooked. I like romance fiction but am inspired by the breadth of subjects that tell stories about life. Its like a window into the soul of others! My favorites are Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Terri McMillan, Zora Neale Hurston and I’ve recently discovered the works of Mary Monroe which I am immensely enjoying! There’s actually a host of new writers that I am looking forward to delve into this summer.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Ring Envy was originally self published in 2006 because of the Christian principles on dating and marriage that are explored. It deals with relationship betrayal, self esteem in dating, loss of faith and learning self love. It has been a popular read and now its available in eReader format across the various platforms like Kindle.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Margaret Buapim Twitter Account


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Featured Author Deborah Poulos

Featured Interview With Deborah Poulos

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Berkeley, CA, on May 6, 1945, the day the German generals surrendered to Eisenhower in Europe. Two days later was Victory in Europe Day, officially announcing the end of WW II. The
running line in my family was, “When Debbie was born the Germans surrendered!”

I grew up mostly in San Diego, where my dad was a chemistry professor at San Diego State. Just before my junior year of high school, he was appointed founding president of Sonoma State College in Sonoma County, CA. I went on the UC Davis, in ‘63, where I earned a degree in
English and an elementary teaching credential.

I returned to Davis in 1973, where I taught mostly intermediate
grades, including 8 years in a fourth-grade self-contained gifted class, for
most of my 27 years.

I retired in 2000 due to a diagnosis of PLS, primary lateral sclerosis,
an impairment of the voluntary muscles. It had already reduced my
ability to walk, and I wanted to have time to travel with my husband
before it progressed. In 2006 I was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s’
disease. It usually progresses very fast to death, by suffocation when the
diaphragm muscle stops working on the lungs, but for me, it has been a
very slow progression. Even though I’ve been in a power wheelchair 24/7
since 2013, I am still enjoying living a full and rich life. I focus on what I
can do, not bemoaning what I can’t do.

I have two children with my first husband who I divorced when they
were 3 and 4. I met my husband, John Poulos, a law professor at UC
Davis law school, when I ran for a seat on the Davis City Council in 1984.
He saw my photo in the paper with the information about my views on
issues and said he fell in love with me then. We met in December of that
year and were married the following summer. I won that election with
the most votes.

I had always been a visual/spatial learner, designing houses as a
child. In 1981, during summer break from school, I was the designer and
general contractor to build my own house in Village Homes, a solar community in Davis. After John and I were married I designed and was the general contractor for another home in Davis.

In 2006, in order to make our small cabin at Alpine Meadows, in the
ski country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, accessible for me in my
power wheelchair, I designed and generally contracted, with my husband,
an expansion. I was very satisfied with these experiences designing and
building homes.

When I retired I took up making quilts. I had been a sewer since I’d
taken a Singer sewing class in the summer after sixth grade. I used to
sew most of my wardrobe. I’d always been interested in the designs and
colors of the fabrics I used.

I was using these interests to design and make quilts. In the last 20 years I’ve made well over 250 quilts from twin to king size. As my ability to use the sewing machine declined, I began to make a simple half-square triangle quilts arranged in a spiral or maze-like design. Now I have friends who make the blocks, following my directions. I choose all the fabrics, arrange all the pairings, and design them for the quilt top. I send them off to a quilter who sews all the blocks together and does the quilting. I’ve had many quilts shows where I sell the quilts to support residents of my senior living community who need help. We live at University Retirement Community in Davis.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I had struggled to learn to read all through elementary school. In first grade, just a few weeks after school started, we moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where my dad was going to work for a year at the National Labs there. They hadn’t started teaching reading in San Diego, but here they were already reading from The Big Red Storybook, propped on an easel in front of each little group sitting on the floor in a line, like birds on a wire.

When it was my turn I failed miserably. This experience happened over and over again. I didn’t learn to read in the 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd grade. For the rest of elementary school, we didn’t have to read aloud in a group. I could only read the words that I memorized, but there were so many other words that
I couldn’t memorize. I didn’t know what it meant to “sound out” words.

No one had ever really explained it in a way I could understand.
Eventually, after failing so much, I adopted an “avoidance strategy”
just to protect me from trying and failing all the time. I never tried to
read when I returned to my desk from the reading group.

My avoidance strategy was successful until the beginning of my 7th grade English class when the teacher brought in Time Magazine and gave everyone the same copy. He said, “Everybody is going to read a paragraph or two, and we’re going to talk about what it means.” I thought, “Oh my gosh I’m going to be found out as a failure in front of all these potential new friends.” Of course, I sat in the back of the class because I wanted to hide. So, I listened intently to every word I heard and
saw. And so, as they came closer to me, I had a chance to figure out which paragraphs were going to be mine, and I practiced over and over.

When it came to my time, I read the paragraphs as if it were no big deal. It sounds crazy, but it made me realize: I could learn to read. From there, I worked at it instead of avoiding it. I was never a fast reader; I was a plodding reader, but I worked hard and became an excellent student. So I wasn’t a reader on my own until after college. It is ironic that I’d been an English major in college. So I wasn’t your typical avid reader.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I don’t have any favorite authors right now. I read bong until after college. I read fiction and non-fiction. I like novels based on real life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
THE CONSCIOUS TEACHER is an up-close and personal
look at how a truly conscious teacher can help all students reach their
full potentials.

I describe how I get to know students by reading through each cumulative record file before the first day of school. I learn about any issues they have with learning, their family situations, and their report
cards from earlier years. I memorize their names with their photos so that I can welcome each one by name on the first day of school. They look up at me w/ eyes wide open and I imagine they’re thinking,
“Whoa. She already knows me.” This is a powerful tool that tells each student that I think they are important.

I organize a seating chart that puts students who need help next to students who can help them. I put students with behavior issues near the front of the class next to well-behaved students who
can buffer them. Students create a behavior management system with consequences if standards are not met, and they sign it.

I set up a silent signal so that when a student misbehaves they take a time-out outside the classroom, coming back in when they are in control of their behavior. In this way, I don’t reward bad behavior
with attention. The only way to extinguish bad behavior is to not give it
attention. I meet each student at his or her level so that I can nurture learning. Students who are working below grade level must be met at their level in order to be pulled up to grade level. Students who can do above grade level work must be pushed to achieve at their level so that they become comfortable with being challenged. I teach students the “five finger rule” so they can choose books at their reading level.

The whole class operates as a team. And I treat all students with dignity and respect no matter what.
All of these basic steps are so important to creating a classroom that works for every child.
The subtitle is, “What all teachers and engaged parents need to know to be more effective.”  Almost every chapter has notes directed to parents. In this time of Covid-19, The Conscious Teacher is a “must-have” for parents. With the importance of staying calm, putting the child in charge, behavior standards, meeting each child at her level, creating self-motivation, individualizing and differentiating, and ideas on subject area teaching, parents will be glad to have their help and support.

Truly effective teaching, and parenting, is an ongoing process of actively thinking about what is best for each child (and working with each one to bring out his/her full potential),. Continuously thinking about and improving upon your strategies is a constant work in progress that calls for consciously observing, and applying, what works best.

As I detailed above, I tell my personal story revealing how my early struggles learning to read and do math led to becoming the teacher I illustrate in the book. I offer everything to help both teachers and parents to do the same.

The detailed Table of Contents provides a roadmap to all the information in the book. I taught most of my career in Davis, California.  I’m excited to share my new book with teachers and parents.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Deborah Poulos’s Website

Featured Author Ashraf Shaikh

Featured Interview With Ashraf Shaikh

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Mumbai, and currently, I live in Mumbai. I spent a few years jumping to and from Mumbai To Saudi Arabia for my School, but Now I’ve settled in Mumbai. I have a bit of romance for writing, I started writing novels from age 17, and from then I haven’t stopped.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From age 17 I started writing, I read Paulo Coehlo, and other authors, Khaled Hoseini inspired me the most. From then on I started thinking, what if I could write my book, my novel, and how wonderful it’d be. Then, I wrote my first novel, “Friendship, Love & Sacrifice” and “In Search Of Happiness”

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Most of my writing is inspired by Haruki Murakami, and that too, all these novels. Paulo Coehlo’s work. I consider myself more of a character writing than a plotter writer. I like to get inside my character head as these writers do.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Zwischenzug, part five of my series, “Murder of my mysterious wife”.
In this book, I have talked about current literary scene in India while also, we lost a good actor, due to his suicide. I have written this part consider both things. Also, this book is heavily focused on Exposition and characterization and this is the part where most of the story changes and developed further in the upcoming parts.

 

Featured Author Debra Valentina

Featured Interview With Debra Valentina

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was trained as a healthcare executive and led managed care organizations for many years, For over 30 years now, I have been a holistic coach for female executives and entrepreneurs.

I was raised in western Massachusetts in a small city called Holyoke. Today, after moving many times as an adult, I have settled in Denver, Colorado. Prior to that I lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Scottsdale, Arizona, Mercer Island, Washington, La Jolla, California, and Kauai, Hawaii. I love pets; however, I travel frequently (except for the last 3 months) and thus do not have a pet.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated by books at a young age and started reading daily at the age of five. I started writing in my diary, also daily, in the second grade. Up until very recently, I had kept all my diaries and journals as I had the thought early on that I would be writing my memoir, which I did!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors are personal development authors such as Wayne Dyer, Brene Brown, and Mike Dooley. My favorite genre is self-improvement. Who inspires me to write my own personal evolvement books are my coaching clients.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is entitled “Beyond Chaos: Journey to Freedom and Joy.” It is my memoir about growing up in a challenging and dysfunctional family and expanding beyond that adversity to live a thriving, successful, and contributing life.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Debra Valentina Facebook Page


If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.

Featured Author Stephanie Thoma

Stephanie ThomaFeatured Interview With Stephanie Thoma

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in a town outside of San Francisco, and I live in the big little city now! I don’t have pets, but live near a bunny whom I love to visit with, as well as Ellie the neighborhood cat!

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I enjoyed reading magazines as a child, but what I loved, even more, was writing. Poetry, songs, stories… and books became more interesting to me in my college years when I began to read more for leisure and established book goals on Goodreads.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love nonfiction self-help, so it’s no surprise that’s what I often write. Authors I love include Erich Fromm, Marie Forleo, Vanessa Van Edwards, Ryan Holiday, Seth Godin, and countless others.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Confident Introvert is the first brain baby I’ve put out into the world in published book form. It’s a combination of gaining confidence to then be able to connect personally and professionally. I rarely make a concrete distinction between personal and professional development and expression.

Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles

Stephanie Thoma’s Website

Stephanie Thoma Twitter Account


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