Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With Shelley Mishra

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and I live in Shimla. I am currently studying in Loreto Convent, Shimla. My book ‘World of Imagination’ was published in 2017 and reviewed in ‘The Statesman’. I conducted a poetry workshop at ‘Schoolkutti’ in Thiruvananthapuram and the author reading of ‘World of Imagination’ was conducted in ‘The Reading Room’ in Thiruvananthapuram. I have a YouTube channel by the name ‘Shelley Mishra’ where I upload my poems and I express my thoughts and post my poems on Quora.com. My poems are also published in ‘My Corner’ section of ‘The Tribune’ I was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and I am attached to both Varanasi and Shimla. The atmosphere of Varanasi is like that of the writers, many Indian writers hail from Varansi. Shimla, with its peaceful atmosphere and exotic beauty inspires me to write.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was fascinated by books at the age of six. I initially read fairy tales and as I kept reading them, I too realized that I am capable of writing, since my imagination is vast. I always thought that someday, someone would be reading my book just as I was reading this book. I lived in the world of fantasy where I thought that everything was beautiful, just as the flowers, trees, animals, grass and rivers look beautiful in books. I wrote my first poem ‘Little Raindrops’ at the age of seven. Since, then I have continued writing. My book ‘World of Imagination’ was published in 2017.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My current favorite authors are Robin Sharma, Shiv Khera, Mitch Albom, Joseph Murphy and Deep Trivedi. ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ by Robin Sharma opened to me a new world and I started the process of self-improvement. I read self-help books, these books written by different authors define the meaning of life as interpreted by different authors. My writings are inspired by my favorite authors and my teachers. For me, words said by my teachers become like quotes that I can remember for life.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
‘The Fear That Freed Me’ was released in July 2019. It is a self-help book that is inspired from the principles of mathematics. Every problem has a solution. Getting through the audacious rides of fears sometimes feels exhausting but also portends victory at the same time. The book is dedicated to my mathematics teacher or ‘The Extraordinary Teacher’ who constantly motivated a student like me, who was inclined towards History and Languages into becoming a person who wants to know more about mathematics. This book aims at providing a motivational boost to the readers to get rid of their fears ad know that fears are nothing more than limitations we bind ourselves to. The book takes the reader to a world where their motivation is on the high and where they define the definition of life themselves. The Fear That Freed Me’ discusses about the common major and minor fears we have such as fear of failure, fear of losing a loved one, fear of negativity and fear of separation. The concluding chapters are meant to provide a motivational boost to the readers. They discuss about the significance of following one’s passion, these chapters focus on discovering one’s true self, understanding oneself, getting rid of self-doubt and interpreting the perception of beauty. Your greatest fear does not bind your senses, it binds the pages of your proficiencies into the best book. life is the outcome of your creative imagination and the best reality.
‘The Fear That Freed Me’ is available on amazon.in/amazon.com, WFP Store, Flipkart.com, Google Books and Kindle eBook

Featured Interview With A. Kidd

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Toledo, OH, which is often considered the heart of it all. I went to college in Michigan, earning a B.S. in Written Communication with a minor in Language, Literature, and Writing from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children’s librarianship from Wayne State University.
My poetry has been published in literary magazines. I am also an artist and a performance poet. In my free time, I enjoy finding and hiding painted rocks in my neighborhood and going on adventures with my family and friends.
I currently live with my husband and daughter in a suburb of Detroit, MI. We have many pet rocks. The Healing Star is my debut novel. I often wish on stars but haven’t caught one yet.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am the middle child in a family of three girls. I started making up my own stories at age four. Because I couldn’t yet write, my mom wrote the stories down for me while I painted the pictures. My first story was called Wagland and featured an island community with sea creatures that ate tuna fish sandwiches. I attended a young author’s conference several times in grade school and wrote my first picture book as an assignment for Spanish class in high school. I guess you could say I’ve always been writing.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
So many! In no particular order: Sharon Creech, Grace Lin, Kate DiCamillo, Avi, Polly Horvath, Katherine Rundell, Philip Reeve, Paul Stewart, J. K. Rowling, E. L. Konigsburg, Philip Pullman, Jandy Nelson

I especially like reading middle grade and young adult fantasy, including dystopian. I also like steampunk, magical realism, light sci-fi, and novels in verse.

I’m inspired by J. K. Rowling for writing such an epic story with a fully-developed world, for persevering despite obstacles, for being a great female role model, and for getting kids to read long stories.

Without a doubt my biggest inspiration is Toni Morrison. Her use of symbolism is really quite genius. Sharon Creech is also one of my favorites, particularly the book Heartbeat. That’s when I became a fan of novels in verse. I admire her use of poetic language. To that end, I’m also a fan of Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun and Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat series.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Stars with healing powers are falling from the sky.

My middle grade light fantasy for grades 3-6, The Healing Star, will appeal to readers of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and Savvy by Ingrid Law.

Feisty fourth-grader Julia’s best friend in the entire universe is her grandmother. Julia and Grammu share secrets while cooking soup together, stay up late eating junk food and watching scary movies, and go stargazing on Blackberry Hill. They even wish on the same star every night.

But everything changes when Grammu catches the disappearing disease: little by little, she’s turning invisible. If Julia can catch a falling star, then her wish to save Grammu will come true. All Julia needs to do now is find the legendary ladder to the stars…

This novel took me about a year to write, but several years after that were spent revising based on reader and writer feedback. The character, Grammu, is slightly based on my own grandmother, which makes the story near and dear to my heart.

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Featured Interview With A. Kidd

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Toledo, OH, which is often considered the heart of it all. I went to college in Michigan, earning a B.S. in Written Communication with a minor in Language, Literature, and Writing from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children’s librarianship from Wayne State University.
My poetry has been published in literary magazines. I am also an artist and a performance poet. In my free time, I enjoy finding and hiding painted rocks in my neighborhood and going on adventures with my family and friends.
I currently live with my husband and daughter in a suburb of Detroit, MI. We have many pet rocks. The Healing Star is my debut novel. I often wish on stars but haven’t caught one yet.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am the middle child in a family of three girls. I started making up my own stories at age four. Because I couldn’t yet write, my mom wrote the stories down for me while I painted the pictures. My first story was called Wagland and featured an island community with sea creatures that ate tuna fish sandwiches. I attended a young author’s conference several times in grade school and wrote my first picture book as an assignment for Spanish class in high school. I guess you could say I’ve always been writing.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
So many! In no particular order: Sharon Creech, Grace Lin, Kate DiCamillo, Avi, Polly Horvath, Katherine Rundell, Philip Reeve, Paul Stewart, J. K. Rowling, E. L. Konigsburg, Philip Pullman, Jandy Nelson

I especially like reading middle grade and young adult fantasy, including dystopian. I also like steampunk, magical realism, light sci-fi, and novels in verse.

I’m inspired by J. K. Rowling for writing such an epic story with a fully-developed world, for persevering despite obstacles, for being a great female role model, and for getting kids to read long stories.

Without a doubt my biggest inspiration is Toni Morrison. Her use of symbolism is really quite genius. Sharon Creech is also one of my favorites, particularly the book Heartbeat. That’s when I became a fan of novels in verse. I admire her use of poetic language. To that end, I’m also a fan of Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun and Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat series.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Stars with healing powers are falling from the sky.

My middle grade light fantasy for grades 3-6, The Healing Star, will appeal to readers of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and Savvy by Ingrid Law.

Feisty fourth-grader Julia’s best friend in the entire universe is her grandmother. Julia and Grammu share secrets while cooking soup together, stay up late eating junk food and watching scary movies, and go stargazing on Blackberry Hill. They even wish on the same star every night.

But everything changes when Grammu catches the disappearing disease: little by little, she’s turning invisible. If Julia can catch a falling star, then her wish to save Grammu will come true. All Julia needs to do now is find the legendary ladder to the stars…

This novel took me about a year to write, but several years after that were spent revising based on reader and writer feedback. The character, Grammu, is slightly based on my own grandmother, which makes the story near and dear to my heart.

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Featured Interview With Catherine S. Buck

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in New Castle County, Delaware and later (when I was 8 or 9) moved with my mother to North Carolina. I have two wonderful kids and 8 grandchildren. I was educated at a private college in North Carolina and have a degree in history.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Learned to read at a very young age and actually won first prize in my school’s (1-6 grades) poetry contest in the first grade. I cannot remember when I didn’t love books. I am an avid reader of all types of things and have been known to read as many as three books at a time.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It’s pretty eclectic: Shaun Tan, Tim Burton, Carl Segan, Alan Moore, Preston and Child, Suzanne Collins, Neil Gaiman and of course, Stephen King to name a few. I love everything from poetry to Science fiction, non-fiction, biographies and classics.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The manuscript took me three years to write. The book is called Granny Buck’s Dibs and Dabs: Appalachian Traditions and Magical Ways. The idea for this book occurred to me years ago when I lived in the Uwharrie Mountains. During that time, I started collecting interview notes and information while traveling through the Asheville area of North Carolina as well as the mountain towns and retreats of Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and the West Virginia border.
Loaded with information, it was an interesting book to write and I still enjoy reading over it. I have not found any book yet where this variety of material is been brought together.

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Catherine S. Buck’s Website

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Featured Interview With Grady P. Brown

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a science fiction, fantasy, and superhero author with high-functioning autism. I was raised in Southern California and I have lived there ever since. I have two pit bulls named Wally and Fitch and they are the light of my life. I also have a miniature poodle named Piper and she is the alpha of the pack. My two pit bulls are being dominated by a small, elderly poodle! I also have a desert tortoise named Speed, who I have had since I was five-years-old. He is definitely the oldest of my pets and he thinks he’s a dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always had a story in my head for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I started telling these stories through pictures I would draw on tablets my parents would give me. When I was in sixth grade, I not only started telling my stories through words, but I also developed the ambition to publish my stories. After I spent the past three years studying medieval history, my stories became more complex, especially my fantasy books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author would be Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle. Not only do I enjoy his work, but he also inspired and influenced the way I write today. Christopher Paolini was the one who inspired me to be an author myself. My favorite genres to read would be science fiction, superhero, and fantasy.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book “The War of the Gilded Beasts”, is about a feud between House Magnus and House Sylva. The main characters from House Magnus are Kemrin, Caelum, Daegar, Vaeron, and Ymir. Kemrin, Caelum, Daegar, and Vaeron are quadruplet brothers while Ymir is their little sister. All five are budding sorcerers and dragon riders. The Magnuses also possess the Imperial Sword of Power known as Gramfyre, which can only be wielded by the descendants of its creator. The main characters from House Sylva are Emperor Autem, his triplet sons, his witch wife, and his infant granddaughter. To counter the Magnuses and their dragons, the Sylvas engage in blood magic and dark alchemy, resulting in the creation of mindless, unholy monsters. The ultimate prize of their feud is the Imperial Throne. Whoever holds the Imperial Throne has absolute power over an empire that consists of nine ancient kingdoms.

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Featured Interview With Amy Metz

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Louisville Kentucky has been home for most of my life. My family moved to Louisville when I was starting the first grade. I’ve lived here ever since, except for my years in college and a few years after that. I live just a few miles from where I grew up. I have two grown sons, one daughter-in-law, two granddogs, and three grandcats.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing in 2009 after my mother was diagnosed with dementia and I became her caretaker. I wrote about the experiences I was going through for therapeutic reasons. While writing about it was helpful, living it and coming home and writing about it was like a double dose of stress. So to escape reality I started writing a humorous mystery (Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction) based on two murders that happened to family members in the 1930s—one of them was and is a cold case. I’d heard the stories about the murders as a kid and always thought someone should write a book about them. I finally did.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like mysteries the best. Robert B. Parker (Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall series), David Rosenfelt (Andy Carpenter series), Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch series), John Sandford (the Prey and Virgil Flowers series), Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar series), Rick Bragg, and Michael Lee West are some of my favorites. I think every book I read inspires my writing to some degree. I also take things from real life and put them into my books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Liars & Lunatics in Goose Pimple Junction is the fifth book in a mystery series. It’s one of those books that was inspired by real life. Let’s just say Caledonia and I have a lot in common. Her love interest, Virgil Pepper, has an uncanny resemblance to a liar and a lunatic I once dated. In the book, Virgil wants to become mayor of Goose Pimple Junction as a means to become rich. He also wants to date Caledonia and every other woman who will give him the time of day. His unscrupulousness in his business and personal dealings catches up with him. But who finally had enough of his dirty dealings? There are some other assorted liars and lunatics thrown in the mix, a ton of cupcakes, and of course, a lot of levity.

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Featured Interview With Megan Sechrest

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a transient. Being a preacher’s daughter, I went wherever my dad was needed. Now, I go wherever my husband takes me. His works moves us around a lot and I’ve lived in over 13 cities and 10 states. I currently reside in Ohio with my husband and four kids. I love animals and the elephant is my favorite, but American suburbia frowns on those. I make peace with my three cats and six chickens.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved reading since I knew how, I suppose. My love for writing has always been there too and I journaled and wrote poetry when I was younger and then they started growing into stories and longer ideas. The idea to write professionally was never actually there for me until I was an adult and nothing else fit. I couldn’t find a career that suited me, but writing did.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It’s funny because I don’t really read fantasy, but that’s what I write. I stick to reading anything with a hint of romance but not necessarily romance genre. I just want the story to captivate me. I’m looking for characters I can relate with and fall in love with. I have so many books that I love, but I have always appreciated the classics the most. The way the words flow so poetically and the language used back then really captivates me.
Jane Austen has always inspired me, ever since I was a young teenager. I’ve always felt like the way she introduced romance into fiction and helped popularize writing for women will always inspire me. She will always be one of the greats in my eyes. I can only ever aspire to be on her level.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
As I said before, I write mostly fantasy. I think what I love about fantasy is the fun of creating a new world and unique and unreal but interesting characters. That’s what I did with THE SLAYER: Hell Awakens. I loved writing this book and working on this series. The first book alone, in conjunction with the outline of the series and prequel, has taken me four years. Honestly, I know that sounds like a lot for one book and an outline. However, this series has a pretty in-depth plot; the farther we dive into the books, and the more you read, the more you’re going to love everything about each character. Although, I’ve been told by some readers that some characters you will have a love\hate relationship with.
I think my favorite character is Arlington, the main character’s (Abigail) quirky and eccentric but also very powerful, warlock father. What I like about Arlington is that in spite of his weirdness, he has a genuine care and love for his daughter, despite what others say and think. Abigail and Arlington start off the book being kind of an estranged pair, and Abbi doesn’t really appreciate her dad for who he is; in fact, she actually calls him by his name– Arlington! But as the story progresses and she finds out secrets to who she truly is, what he is, unlocks the keys to the mystery unfolding around her, she starts to not only appreciate Arlington but also rely on him.
A lot of people ask me how I came up with the name Arlington and think that it’s after Arlington Virginia. Actually, I have the tendency to name my characters after street names! Let’s just say that he’s named after Arlington the street not Arlington the city.

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Featured Interview With Christian Warren Freed

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
This question always feels wrong and too self serving for me, but here goes. I was born in the blizzard in Buffalo, New York a long time ago. We moved down along the PA border and I grew up in the middle of farm country. That wasn’t the life for me so I joined the Army- or circus as my mother called it- in the fall of 1990. I mean like 2 weeks before Iraq invaded Kuwait. How’s that for a welcome to the party special? The Army took me all over the world but I settled on Raleigh, NC. It gets a little hot from time to time but there’s not 6 feet of snow to worry about. Aside from running our fish tank, I spend most of my time with our two Bernese Mountain Dogs.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
4. We went to go see the original Star Wars at the drive in and I was hooked. After that came the animated Lord of the Rings and my mind was off and running. I devoured everything my tiny brain could handle- and more it couldn’t. I even pretended to read the Fellowship of the Ring in 1st grade. I say pretended because I had no idea what I was reading and would have been totally lost if I hadn’t seen the movie. Then came goofy comic books and I eventually won the student of the month award in 10th grade for writing a very, very bad horror novel. (And no- there is no evidence of this project aside from a handwritten manuscript my mother has squirreled away)

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am truly a man of few favorite anythings. For real, I didn’t realize I had a favorite color until I hit 45. But, my go to series is Steven Erickson. Not sure what it is about the Malazan Book of the Fallen but the intensity and complexity sucks me. Each book is over 1000 pages so it’s an investment, but damn do I like a good epic. David Weber’s Safehold series also provides me with great inspiration. As far as reading goes, I try to stick to military history, fantasy, and sci fi. I’ve gotten on a kick lately of reading war stories. I suppose that makes sense since I spent 20 yrs in an Army uniform and almost 5 of them deployed overseas: Korea (2), Afghanistan in 02, and Iraq in 03 and 05.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called Repercussions: A Lazarus Men Agenda. This is a fun book to write. The sequel to the Lazarus Men, it is about a shady organization that has existed for centuries with the goal of manipulating governments and now planetary governments to get what it wants. The story is a cross between James Bond, the Maltese Falcon, and Total Recall- in space. I wrote the first one a few years ago, got sidetracked by other projects, and then started writing this one. Funny thing is, I spent months trying to write it and only got 20k words in before realizing it was not the time. I set it aside, wrote two other books, and picked this one back up. Now the story flows better and, to quote Happy Gilmore, I am feeling the flow, doing the bull dance. Can’t wait for you to read it. And if you haven’t, you want to pick up a copy of the Lazarus Men now to get caught up.

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Featured Interview With Blair McDowell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My early childhood was spent on the Outer Banks Islands of North Carolina, where wild horses thrive among the sand dunes. I loved the sound of the surf and the wind whipping up the sand, and the scent of long needle pine trees. I wanted nothing more than to live there forever. But life happens. I had to go to school. And everything after that changed.
I had a long and interesting career as a university professor in Canada, during which time I wrote six widely used professional books. Then I retired. One of my first thoughts was “I can write anything I want to now”.
So I now run a B&B on Canada’s spectacular west coast, in a house surrounded by hundred-year old cedars, looking out to the Strait of Georgia. Deer consider our garden to be their salad bowl, and the occasional brown bear wanders by on his way to the surrounding woods. During the summer months, people come to stay with us and enjoy the beauty and serenity of our setting.
Then in the fall, we take off, usually for Europe. Italy is our favorite destination, although I fell in love with Scotland when I was there to do the research for my latest book, The McInnis Affair.
Wherever I am my laptop is with me and I spend a part of every day writing.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was able to read before I went to school and I’ve been writing since I could first hold a pencil. The first book I remember reading was Millions and Billions and Trillions of Cats. I read it so often I think I memorized it. The first story I wrote was called Twins in Double Trouble. My fourth grade teacher was not impressed, but that didn’t discourage me. I always loved to write, and as a teenager I wrote plays that were performed for both my school and my church.
Then came the academic writing. I enjoyed that too, but not with the same enthusiasm I felt for fiction.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read in every genre, but I must admit to a preference to historical novels. I particularly enjoy books set in the eighteen hundreds, the post Napoleonic Era.
Who inspires me? Dianna Gabaldon. Her descriptive prose is gorgeous and her thousand pages of the first Outlander book are amazing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The MacInnes Affair is set in Scotland in the past and in the present. Lara MacInnes, on holiday in Scotland discovers the diary of a woman who loved Lara’s own very-great grandfather. With the help of a handsome highlander, Iain Glendenning, Lara decides to trace the path of this long ago star-crossed romance. Their research unearths mystery and murder. Finding the truth a hundred and fifty years later proves to be a torturous and frustrating trail. To complicate matters, Lara and Iain fall in love. Can they discover the truth and put an end forever to the feud between the MacInnes and Glendenning Clans that has persisted since the Battle of Culloden?

I spent a month In Scotland researching the sites I used in this book. The National Portrait Gallery and the Hall of Records in Edinburgh were important to my story, as were the several “castle-hotels” we visited.

I fell in love with the highland cattle, with their shaggy red coats and their long curved horns. I made them central to my story.

I listen for dialect and tried to capture an authentic Scottish speech for my Scottish characters.
I do not believe I could have written this book without that on-site research.

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Featured Interview With Victoria M. Patton

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up traveling the world. After my father was murdered, my mother took me and my brothers to Europe. We traveled around visiting the likes of Rome, Greece, Spain, France and everywhere in between for roughly 4 years.

Then I spent most of my growing up time between Brooklyn New York and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Currently, I live in Piedmont OK. I am forced to share my home with a husband, two teenagers, three dogs, and a cat. If I’m not plotting my escape, I’m using my Search and Rescue/Law Enforcement skills from the Coast Guard and my BS in Forensic Chemistry to figure out the best way to hide all the bodies and write amazing stories about the murders.

If on the off chance I have free time, I drink copious amounts of whiskey and binge watch Netflix. Check out my blog Whiskey and Writing where I try to help new authors navigate the indie publishing world.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I never wanted to be a writer. I had knee surgery a few years ago. I couldn’t do anything but lay on the sofa and use this crazy machine to bend my knee for hours a day. I was also enjoying the pain medicine.

My family got really tired of me really fast and told me I needed a hobby. I had been reading about 10 books a day. Some of which were crappy. So I thought, heck I could write a book. And I did. That was the start of the Damien Kaine Series.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors,
Baldacci
Nora Roberts
Erik Larson
Heather Graham

I’m kind of all over the place. I love thrillers, suspense, crime fiction. I like romance, but I like crimes more. So if the book centers on the criminal and the crime more than the romance of the characters, I happy about that.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest book is Blind Vengeance – Final Justice. It is book 5 in the Damien Kaine Series.

This book is a great revenge book. For anyone who wanted to exact their revenge on someone for hurting someone they love, but doesn’t want to go to jail, they will love this book. It also pushes my main characters out of their comfort zones and makes them look hard at their own thoughts on justice.

I know that by the end of the this book, people will question what justice means to them, and how far they may be willing to go to get it.

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Featured Interview With Adam Nesbitt

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in Lancaster PA, where I’ve lived since I was three years old. I’ve visited twelve of our major national parks, and I’m hoping to visit all of them before I die. I’ve also taught myself to speak seven languages and play three instruments.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. I grew up obsessing over Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and quickly moved on to series like A Song of Ice and Fire. I started writing stories when I was in elementary school and never really stopped. Over time, my stories got longer and longer until I started writing full-length novels.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
By far, my favorite genre is fantasy, especially epic fantasy novels similar to Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire. My writing has been heavily inspired by George R. R. Martin with an emphasis on multiple points of view, complicated and realistic characters, as well as in-depth world building.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just published The Scourge of Alexandria and Dreamweavers: Genesis – two books from separate series. The Scourge of Alexandria is inspired by the conquest and demise of Alexander the Great as well as ancient Greek and Roman culture, religion, and warfare. It follows the trials and triumphs of Andreas, the prince of Alexandria, as he struggles to unite his people against the ruthless dwarves of Croton, a civilization based on a fusion of Spartan and Aztec culture.

Dreamweavers: Genesis is inspired by dream yoga, a religious practice that is observed by Buddhist monks in Tibet, where a special form of meditation leads monks to gain full control of their dreams. The novel follows five teenagers who discover extraordinary abilities in their dreams that give them a shot at overthrowing a ruthless tyrant who has enslaved their people.

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Featured Interview With Vanessa Kittle

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up very near Washington DC. If I stood on the fence in my back yard I could see the Washington monument. I’ve lived all over the east and south but now I’m on Colorado. My best friend is my cat friend.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wrote my first story in 4th grade about an otter. I became fascinated with reading in 2nd grade when I got my HM LOTR 2nd edition collection for Christmas. I read Fellowship of the Ring pretty much non-stop for the next 5 years. Usually when I got to the end I’d just start over rather than going on to Two Towers. Not every time of course.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Tolkien certainly – far more than all others put together times ten.
Lewis. Asimov. Salinger.

My favorite genres are literary, magical realism, fantasy, and science fiction.

Someday I would like to care about a character as much as Salinger.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The School for Humans begins in Bronze Age Ireland.
Ellene is a servant to one of the great Calean leaders.
The Caleans are opening a school for the young from Ellene’s village,
but not all of the Caleans want to teach the humans.
Some have much darker plans, and the school may be the last
chance for peace between the two peoples.

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Featured Interview With Melody Taylor

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the eighties in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I listened to Cyndi Lauper and Queen and the B-52s and Billy Idol, and we watched Who’s the Boss and Full House on TV.

I’ve always loved animals. I horseback ride when I can and used to own my own horse, and while I like dogs a whole lot, I love cats and always have owned at least one. I currently have two sassy boys, an orange-and-white named Orion and a fake Siamese named Tyr. (He’s fake because he was born in a barn, the only kitten in the litter with his coloration, but he looks and acts like he’s purebred Siamese.)

My husband and I own a house in rural Minnesota that needs a lot of work, and we like to spend our vacations camping in the woods. I don’t exactly enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy eating good food, and the one necessitates the other.

I like to tell people that I am a friendly, gregarious person who writes dark and creepy stories about gory vampire murders and fairies kidnapping people to torture. It’s accurate, anyway.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My mom got me reading the moment I was literate. My whole family reads. My grandma likes cozy mysteries, my grandpa goes for westerns and thrillers, Mom prefers epic fantasy, and my sisters and I like sci-fi and fantasy.

When I was 11, a friend of mine gave me a story she had written. It was really weird, about a group of misfit wanna-be hippie kids who find a VW bus that’s actually a time machine, so they go back in time to meet their rock idols from the sixties, but then the time machine malfunctions and Jimmy Page almost gets eaten by a T-rex.

I told her I liked it, but I didn’t think she’d get a good grade if she turned it in. She said, “Oh, that’s not for school. That’s just for fun.”

My head damn near exploded. I ran home and started writing, and 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 very favorites authors are Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I also greatly enjoy Emma Bull, Kelly Armstrong, Terry Windling, Joan D. Vinge, James Allen Gardener, Scott Lynch, and Charles De Lint.

My favorite genre is speculative fiction, with an emphasis on urban fantasy/contemporary fantasy, but I’ll read anything that sounds interesting. From the history of coffee to the founding and settling of Australia to an inside take on the Goth movement, I’m in.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest release is the third book in my vampire series, “Dead of Night.”

In the second book, my main character had to come face-to-face with the darkest part of her soul, so in the third book, I wanted her to go through some real dark shit trying to cope and come to terms with what she’d had to do.

While I was writing it, one of my dearest friends died from cancer.

The book got way darker than I intended really fast. All my emotions came through my main character. It took me a long time to write that one, almost two years, simply because of how hard it was to write every scene, every emotional twist my character was going through. And I kept trying to rein it back, keep her misery under control, without ever realizing it was my own misery I was trying to tame.

It actually wound up expressing real human darkness and misery pretty effectively. By the end, I was more proud of it than worried, and readers have told me it’s one of their favorite in the vampire series. So I guess I did okay.

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Featured Interview With Mary Elizabeth Fricke

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a farm girl who has lived withing five miles of the Missouri River all of my life. I grew up north of the river but moved south shortly after I married my husband. We have been married thirty-eight years and have lived in our home on our 5th generation family farm for thirty-five years. We have two grown sons married to wonderful women and two beautiful grandchildren. My first novel–my autobiography Dino, Godzilla, and the Pigs–was written about our life here on the farm while we were raising our sons. Well, actually, it was about me learning to be the proper farm partner back in 1993. That was a long time ago. These days, life is a lot different. We raise cattle instead of hogs. Our sons both have careers off the farm. However, despite numerous health issues this past year, I’m still writing my heart’s desire, romantic suspense fiction.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was making up stories before I knew how to write them down. I didn’t tell people about those long-ago ‘mind stories’. Maybe I should have. I’ve kept a diary /journal since I was a child and always excelled in any subject where I could write. I also used to write long letters to a number of family members or friends. Writing is as natural to me as breathing. Even when that proverbial writer’s block was trying to get hold of me (because of continuing health issues) I still clung to the need to write, even if it was only to organize my plans, grocery lists, or journal entries.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am an eclectic, voracious reader. I read just about anything and everything I get hold of and I have a favorite list of authors. Although, lately I’ve been reading more work from new indie authors on my kindle. I like series and tend to follow them. My mother was my reading inspiration. Before I could read, she read to me. I remember when I was young, on rare summer days when Mom was not working out of our home, she took time to rest every afternoon for an hour or two. Sometimes I laid with her and she read to me. As I grew up I began to read on my own. After my sons were born, when they ‘visited Grandma’, she would read to them. It is a delightful memory we all cherish because Mom would act out the characters in the books she read. She was one really funny ‘Huckleberry Finn’ or ‘Briar Rabbit’.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I just recently republished the first four books of my Birds in Peril Series under one cover (Birds in Peril Boxed Set Amazon B07XMHYHLN). I am currently working to complete stories five and six of the series and my intent was to regenerate interest into the whole series. Here are the official blurb/descriptions:
Five women met, fell in love with and married men who aided the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Sheldon Humsler. Even though the events that disrupted their lives, did not necessarily involve Humsler, they certainly invoked the conviction that one-day Humsler would find a way to enact his revenge. All of these women and the men they married are in some way closely connected to Humsler’s arch enemies, Benton Cromwell, T.J. Harvester and Thad Hunt. Because of Humsler, Benton Cromwell’s life and livelihood have become so precarious he now lives as an invalid on borrowed time. However, his friends, T.J. Harvester and Thad Hunt, continue to grow in family, and in deed. Both are well-loved by many. The time is near when a final confrontation with Humsler must occur. Humsler has an accomplice…someone closely connected to Hunt….but who could that possibly be?

Pigeon in a Snare: He was her knight in shining armor. She was his lost love—the one girl with whom life might have been worth sharing—if another had not told lies deliberately intended to separate them. Now her life is in serious danger. Can he save her? Is their lost love worth the blood and tears it will take to salvage not only themselves but their families and their businesses─ and rekindle the love they lost?

Roses for the Sparrow: It was bad enough that her best friend/employer took off on an extended honeymoon leaving Jani to oversee the building of their new business alone. But in strolls this tall, dark, handsome contractor who makes it clear he intends to become the center of Jani’s attention. But, is Rick too good to be true? Why is he the one who continually finds long-stemmed roses on her car or at her door? What kind of admirer leaves expensive roses to freeze on windshields or be trampled on the floor? Some girls have all the luck- or maybe that’s no luck at all. How often does a girl have two stalkers after her at the same time?

Plight of the Wren: Susie Wrener’s life became front-page news when her abusive husband put her in the hospital and sent himself to jail. Three years later, life has returned to mundane, while Susie struggles to maintain a peaceful loving home for her two children as a single mom. Then she meets Ted Harvester and wins the lottery in the same week…

Robin Unaware: Life is constant change, sometimes planned, sometimes instant and devastating. For Stephanie Harvester-Garrett, life takes an abrupt curve when her husband is killed in a car accident. Determined to secure a stable home for her three children, Stephanie returns to Missouri to be closer to family and to accept employment in her brother’s law office. However, the dream of living a peaceful country life is interrupted by unexpected ghosts of the past, and hatred spawned in the name of love.

Hopefully, these last two stories will be published in the near future:

#5 Wise, Bold Eagle: Sylvia Pentherst is the fifth woman to marry into the Hunt-Harvester-Cromwell group. A widow in her mid-fifties, she survived years of hardship caring for her invalid husband and raising her three sons. Her now-seemingly-settled life takes a turn toward unpredictable when she leaves the comfort of managing County Hospital Housekeeping for the chaos of opening and maintaining two novelty shops along with Lisa, Jani, Susie, and Stephanie. Is it really possible to find that second chance at love with Thad Hunt?

#6 BlueBird of Happiness: After her mother died, Anne was raised by a loving father. She’s always led a sheltered life, even after entering college. Now she’s grown up. An opportunity to spread her wings arises but…Will she soar? Or, will she land? Is home really where her heart is? Once the golden boy, Dan is the first to acknowledge the blessing in his remarkable recovery from a fiery automobile accident. But, the abrupt departure of the girl he hoped to be ‘the one’ left scars and uncertainties that haunted him during and after his recovery. Then he met Anne. Innocent, sweet Anne. Does he dare try love again?

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Featured Interview With Dr. LaRonda Starling

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello. My name is Dr. LaRonda Starling, and I have a private practice in Texas providing psychological services. I grew up in Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas. I still live and work in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas metroplex. No, I do not currently have any pets.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved to read and write. I remember writing a book in the first grade. It was probably thrown in the file where all of the other school assignments go (e.g., the trash), but I sure wish I could find it.

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 are those who wrote the classics such as Charlotte Bronte, and I love Maya Angelou’s poetry. My favorite genre when I am not reading counseling or psychology books is mystery novels. I like writers who are good story tellers like Janet Evanovich and Gregory David Roberts.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The book is titled Be Still: Spiritual Self-Care for Mental Health Professionals. Here is my description:

For counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, certified life coaches, and other mental health professionals, case managers, and caregivers burnout may seem inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be. Dr. LaRonda Starling offers respite for the weary with this Christ-centered, faith-focused guide to self-care for the soul. With real-life analogies and Bible verses as the basis, Be Still: Spiritual Self-Care for Mental Health Professionals covers topics such as knowing the characteristics of God, having alone time to pray, reflecting on the good in life, studying the Bible, learning to lovingly say no, and taking care of oneself. The end of each chapter includes questions designed to help the reader dig deeper and apply the concepts to their own life.

Whether you are a therapist experiencing exhaustion or burnout (or wanting to avoid it), a therapist in training, or a caregiver of any kind, Be Still is the essential guide to finding and maintaining spiritual health and peace.

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Featured Interview With Celinka Serre

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve always been very passionate about the things that inspire me and I love to enter worlds and create. I am from the greater Montreal area in Quebec, Canada. I live where I was raised, not the same house, but I’ve always been homey and sedentary.

Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, had imaginary people to whom he spoke to access his subconscious mind and to help develop his ideas and theories. I have plushies. I know, right. They are a part of me, alter egos, and it helps me to access my subconscious mind when I need to. Working the imagination, as strange as it can seem at times, is important to keep inspiration flowing and it helps prevent writer’s block. At least it does for me.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always enjoyed being in my head, daydreaming, lucid dreaming and fantasizing. When I was in high school, I would write silly and corny stories. A good friend of mine and I co-wrote a script-like story wherein we met our favourite singers and began dating them. It was the silliest thing ever, but good practice. I wrote a few short stories and just kept writing to practice as much as I could. In one of my English classes, I had to write a story and my presentation paper had as a pretend company name Binky Inc. Binky is one of my nick-names from childhood. Eventually, that became a real company name, Binky Ink.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve always had a love for fantasy. I have three favourite franchises that have inspired me a great deal throughout the years. Star Wars and its original expanded universe is the first one. I was four years old when I saw A New Hope for the first time, so it’s been a great inspiration. Lord of the Rings and other books by J.R.R. Tolkien is another inspiration for me. The way Tolkien includes songs and other languages inspired me to put in some songs and invented languages into my stories as well. And of cour, I can’t forget my favourite video game franchise, Dragon Age. All those franchises have rich characters of various types, with various arcs. Analysing certain character arcs and Carl Jung’s archetypes has helped me develop some of my own characters.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest published book is Stardust Destinies I: Variate Facing. It takes place in a realm known as the Great Ocean Valley, where magic is strong and prophecies are dictated by dragons.

The inspiration for the story, the characters and the world came to me in a dream. I actually dreamt of Chapter Nine, so I wrote that first, ad then developed my lore and characters. Then I wrote from the start up to that chapter, and then continued writing it, and then just kept writing. I had no idea Stardust Destinies would end up being a series at that time, let alone one that would contain ten books (at least).

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Featured Interview With Ian Vroon

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Italy. Italy! Whew, that was a long time ago…I live in Colorado now. Life is better here. For one thing, I’m married to the love of my life. So there’s that. For another thing, I love the clear skies and lack of smog—I mean, Italy was beautiful. (coughs) I just like being able to breathe.

I want a pet snake sometime. And a pet Venus Fly Trap. I want to feed the first one mice and the second one flies. That would be extremely entertaining.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing since as long as I can remember. Writing has always been huge for me. I love to invent stories—and people enjoy my creativity! Or so I’ve been told. I’m a bit ADD, so daydreaming about the worlds I’d invent often took priority over school.

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? Some Tolkein, Lewis, C.S. Friedman and Karen Hancock. A lot of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. My major inspiration is God and the awesome world he created. This planet is so cool!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
They woke up seven years ago with no memory. They found themselves in a land of glowing flowers, mushroom houses and psychedelic spores. They have only dreams, flashbacks—fragments of thoughts they can’t explain.

But now the land is withering. Mushrooms are crumbling to ash, trees turning to mush—and no one knows why.

Enter the aiethepa spore. This fungus grows fast and thick throughout Ayphae. No one knows what it does, and no one can open it. Some blame it for the withering—others think it will breathe life into the land.

Paths cross, and an alliance is born: the three with lost memories, a field scientist, a ranger-turned-speaker and a pragmatic politician. But can they find the problem—before it’s too late?

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Featured Interview With Elizabeth Mitchell

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m married with two furbutts, though I believe we are the ones being had. I’ve been lucky in love, finding my husband before I was twenty-five and adopting my two boy cats shortly after our magical North Carolinian castle wedding.
My family and I live in Vancouver, Washington. We love the Pacific Northwest. Though I was an Army brat, I spent most of the years I can remember in Louisiana and North Carolina. I do have some good memories from my time in Germany though.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Around age ten I was a voracious reader of Wishbone and writer in a color-your-own unicorn journal. Stories filled the half-colored-in book until I turned eleven. By twelve, I didn’t read or write for recreation.
It wasn’t until I was fourteen, on the edge of suicide, that I picked up the pen again. Poems poured out of me–bad poems. Stories came next–bad stories. I read all of the time–vampire romance novels. Life and boyfriends and a career change got in the way, and I lost it again around eighteen.
Years later, I was laid up from a major shoulder surgery with my right arm in a sling that I dove back in; I was twenty-three. In a month, I wrote a novel edited a novel. Needless to say, the pain medication made me think my rambles were Pulitzer-worthy.
But since then, I’ve been writing–sober, mostly.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genres are crime fiction and paranormal romance. I know using crime fiction is a cop-out. But I don’t know whether I like suspense, thriller, or mystery better. As for authors, there are so many I love. Carlos Ruis Zafon, Gillian Flynn, and Charlaine Harris have all made a great impact on me.
No author inspires me more than another, despite some leaving a larger impression. I feel like all authors have a line, paragraph, story arc, or character I can get inspired from. My dreams bring about more of my stories than anything, though.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
sweethearts–the lowercase is on purpose as the letters are meant to be written in candy conversation hearts–is a psychological suspense novel unlike anything I’ve ever written and exactly what I’ve wanted write since I decided to become an author. I had the idea when I was sixteen, long before I decided to write. In my teenage mind, I pictured it as a film. When it felt ready, I sat down and wrote. It took a year and a half from start to finish. Half-way through I added a character that turned part of the story upside down, so I had serious work to do. It was frustrating and rewarding; I put in the work, and I’m happy I did.
It’s from two main first-person perspectives with a few other key voices chiming in once in a while. Ada and Sam are the main characters. You hear from them in first person, sinking deep into the psyche of a fractured woman and a serial killer.

Twenty-nine years after finding Laura Hurst in a frozen lake, Ada Bailey decides it’s time to revisit Lynn Pond and confront the past. But Silynn holds more than memories.
Decades-old secrets tumble out as Ada explores the town she was sent away from. Her return dredges up more than sordid pieces of the townsfolk’s lives, though. Sam Pruette, a collector of innocents, worries Ada may remember details from that frigid day in November of 1988.
Laura was only the first sweetheart.

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Featured Interview With Jack Salva

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I have never liked the “Tell me a little about yourself?” question.

I was born in Pittsburgh where I lived until I graduated college with degrees in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I moved to Maryland and started working for the government. After a stint in Australia and Colorado, I quite the government and entered the private sector. That eventually brought me to where I am now: TEXAS!

I met a fellow gamer and animal lover and got married. We run an animal sanctuary (Needy Beasts Haven) taking care of special needs animals. We have a large number of cats, a couple of dogs and some toads at the moment.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I wasn’t much of a reader when I was younger. Somewhere in junior high I started and have never looked back. I love science fiction. Comic books really got me started in reading which may be why I have such a visual writing style.

I have always had an interest in writing. Telling stories. Making up tales and trying to get people to believe them. The more realistic they are, the more you can convince them. This may be why I have such a fascination with world building.

I have created a few worlds, but my favorite is my steampunk world. The aesthetic. The gadgets. The juxtaposition of elements.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favorite authors? Larry Niven, Simon R. Green, Isaac Asimov, Simon Hawke, Michael Moorcock, and there are others, but that is a nice sampling.

My favorite reading is science fiction. I also like fantasy. And I enjoy good steampunk.

My wife is my muse. She motivates me to get the stories in my head onto paper. My animals help as well. I’m not certain how they do it, but they do. Especially the cats. (Thanks Aidan for the frustration and inspiration you dole out in equal measure.)

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Guise was something of a surprise. I finished a steampunk book and was working on the sequel when I got bogged down. As I was working through that, I had these other ideas floating around. I jotted them down. Before you know it I was writing a book.

The characters in Guise had been around in one form or another in other things I had toyed with. One, the character of Bo, just showed up as I was writing and made herself an integral part of the story. The backstory of Darwin and Yoki came about as I was writing their meeting. I had planned on them not knowing each other, but they had different ideas. Patience was always pretty much as she appears – although perhaps a little more practical than I first envisioned.

And I had to keep a reign on Otaku or he would steal every scene he was in.

Normally, I have a general idea of the story before I start. I am mostly a pantser so that is okay. In the case of Guise, I had the opening and the ending, but no idea about the middle of the book.

I like action and there is a lot of that. There is also a lot of debate that provides background which was a new approach for me, but seemed very natural in this. And there are hints of things to come in the sequels. Again, that just grew during the writing.

At almost 100,000 words, this book was written pretty quickly. I think it only took me around seven or eight months. The chapters are short, but that is how they worked. Often I would finish a chapter with no idea what the next one would be. The same for how the characters would get out of some of the situations. However, they didn’t let me down.

The overall tone is pretty light-hearted with lots of comedy and action. I am really looking forward to exploring this universe and the ideas hinted at. There is a lot more background now and several stories worth to tell it properly.

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