Top Selling Authors: Get To Know Them Better

Featured Interview With P.G. Sundling

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in L.A. and I’ll probably die in L.A. I lived in Colorado for 4 years, but I get antsy when I leave Los Angeles longer than 10 days. I’m a cat person, but I don’t have pets because I don’t want to mourn their loss. One of the worst was when my black cat got killed by a pumpkin on Halloween Day.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My parents thought the creature cantina scene in Star Wars would be too scary for me. I had to settle for reading Star Wars. I had the movie memorized before I ever saw it. I’d made up stories since I was about 5, but Star Wars was when I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wrote poetry since I was a teenager. It was a poem and a misdirect that I used to trick my wife into proposing to me. When she asked me to marry her, I said, “yes”, and proposed myself.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I like J.R.R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, and David Brin. I’m big on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Ideas flow to me constantly. It’s not a single person who inspires me, but the Internet and the collective unconscious. When we sleep, our minds road free. I wonder if I’m tapping into shared dreamscapes when I write late into the night. I dread the Sun and the return to the mundane world. It’s much harder for me to write in daylight.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I started writing the novel version of The Internet President: None of the Above back in 2014. About halfway through, during the 2016 presidential campaign, there were all these events in real life that were similar to existing plot points in my novel. There were so many coincidences that I included a “Fact Versus Fiction” section after the ending. The similarities extended into events that happened in my own life, like the plane, the dead girl, and the fistful of cash. Don’t skip to the end. That section is full of spoilers.

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P.G. Sundling Facebook Page

P.G. Sundling Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Allen Filson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Pennsylvania, but have lived in 9 different states, and also three different countries. I have been around the world several times and have visited over 30 different countries. I currently reside in Florida. I have served in the U.S. Marines as a sergeant leading men in combat, I have been a director of technology in the printing industry, the president of a manufacturing company, and am currently the Director of Professional Services for Canon Solutions America.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I actually started writing about ten years ago or more, but my first book came out late last year. It was not the first book I had written or even worked on, it was just the first one I published. I have second book pending release and am very excited to see it come out. All of the people who have read my first book and offered their encouragement, and kind reviews of it, have really inspired me to continue writing. I cannot express how much all of your support has meant to me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read almost exclusively non-fiction. Lots of history, lots of leadership style books. I really like John Maxwell, Simon Sinek, Craig Groeschel, and Adam Grant. I am inspired by people trying to change the world for the better by their books.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called, “Belief-In-Self” and is a book about how anyone can overcome any obstacles they face in life. I try and write in a way as to not just tell a story, but to have a conversation with the reader. I want them to become part of the journey, and feel that they are right there standing next to me as we overcome the events that unfold. All profit of my books go to charity, I am writing them to try and help others, not for profit. If only one person gets something out of what I have written and shared, then every single word I have written has been worth it.

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Allen Filson Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Darren Dash

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in London but am Irish (despite the strong Cockney accent that I have never lost) and have spent most of my life in Limerick in Ireland, where I live with my wife and son. I’m a big film buff, with a collection of nearly five thousand movies on DVD. I also read lots of books and comics, and like to study and collect original artwork, especially comic art, modern art, and sculptures. Other interests include long walks, going to soccer matches (I’m a Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland fan), listening to pop and rock music, theatre, worldwide travel, sampling the delights of both gourmet cuisine and finger-licking junk food, and dreaming up new ways to disturb and entertain my readers!

I’ve been an incredibly prolific author — my next book, Midsummer’s Bottom, goes on sale on June 21st and will be the 50th book that I have published in just over 19 years. Most of those books have been for a YA audience and released under a different alias which might be more familiar to a lot of people reading this — Darren Shan.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was five or six years old. I loved telling stories even back then, and although I day-dreamed about being lots of different things, being a writer was my number one choice. I began to seriously chase the dream in my early teens, when I started writing lots of short stories, experimenting with genres and styles, and I’ve never looked back.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Horror is my first love, and Stephen King is my favourite author, but I like to read widely, all different types of genres, mostly newish work, but also old classics. I can go from a dark contemporary horror to a book for children to something by Dickens or Tolstoy to the latest Jack Reacher. I pick up inspiration everywhere — a writer needs to be like a jackdaw, swooping fast on anything that glitters, then decorating their nests with the fruit of their plunderings.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Midsummer’s Bottom comes out on June 21st (Midsummer’s day). I actually wrote the first draft twenty-one years ago, then set it aside for a long time before returning to it to fine-tune it and knock it into shape. It started when I saw a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by a group of local (Limerick) actors called the Island Theatre Company. They were very good, and the play was a delight to watch in their capable hands, but afterwards I started to think what it might be like if a group of very BAD actors got their hands on it, and insisted on performing it outdoors every year on Midsummer’s Eve. I was interested in writing something along the lines of the Ingmar Bergman movie, Smiles of a Summer Night, which was later turned into the musical, A Little Night Music. A story that would focus on how foolish we mortals can be, but that would also warmly celebrate our foolishness. And, of course, there had to be fairies! In my story, the fairies mentioned in the Shakespeare play are compelled to attend every performance of it that is ever staged. They tire of the determined but dreadful actors in Limerick and decide to hire a human agent of chaos to infiltrate their ranks and break them up, but things don’t go quite the way the fey folk expected…

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Darren Dash’s Website

Darren Dash Facebook Page

Darren Dash Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Dan Davidson

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a seventy-five-year-old self-published author. Butterfly Wish is my first novel. I co-authored it with a life long friend, Rich Marcano. During my pre-teen years I grew up in Sunnyside, Queens. I lived in the same neighborhood as my wife and I went to Public School 150 with her sister. I moved out to Farmingville, Long Isand during my teen years and after graduation from high school I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. My wife Kathy and I now live in Nevada. We have been married for fifty two years and raised three sons. We have eiight grandchildren and our first great grandchild is due sometime in August 2018. We have own dogs all I life but sadly as time passed so did they. We now have two rescue dogs who have been a wonderful experience for us. One is a chihuahua and one is half chihuahua and half mini-pincher. We give them lots of love and they return that love ten times over.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed writing. It has been an escape for me since I was in high school. I started writing stories as a freshman and my ninth grade English teacher, Mr. John Reddy, encuraged me to continue writing. I think I lacked the courage to try to get something published until now. When you get old you don’t seem to worry so much about what other people might think or say.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
James Michener and Larry McMurtry are two of my favorite authors. I like Harold Robbins, Robert Louis Stevenson and Edgar Allan Poe, too. As far as inspiration, I guess I would have to say Michener and McMurtry. I love historical fiction. As far as my biggest supporter I would have to say my family, especially my wife.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Butterfly Wish is a Historical Romance novel. Although it is a work of fiction, it was inspired by the events that my co-author Rich Marcano and I … saw, heard about, or in some cases experienced, while serving in the U.S. Air Force in South Korea in 1963. It’s about the clash of two cultures and a love affair between an American airman and a South Korean bar (B) girl. It is brutally honest and pulls no punches. It’s the only way the story could be told.

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Dan Davidson Facebook Page

Dan Davidson Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Jasper Trey

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised on a farm in western Oklahoma. I still live on a farm in western Oklahoma. I’ve also live in Arizona, and I went to the University of Oklahoma before moving back home to marry the love of my life. I have many cats and a dog.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading at about the age of ten when my sister in law moved into my parent’s house. Her parent’s kicked her out and mine took her in. I grew up with two older brothers and was starved for a sister. I started reading simply because she read and I wanted to be like her. It served me well in Jr High as bullies couldn’t penetrate the world inside the book.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Nora Roberts, Dan Simmons, JK Rowling. I mainly read romance but I’ve gone deep into science fiction and fantasy genres with a few detours into military and spy novels.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book to be published is a continuation of the story in my first book but you don’t have to read Olivia to read Maeve. This book concentrates on the daughter of the female lead in my first book. It’s her story starting a few years after the end of the Olivia’s story and takes us through the next eight years and her finding her own happiness.

My first book took over six months to complete, but after my mother died my husband and I were able to take a weekend and go drive around Colorado. We didn’t talk we just drove, I used the time to plan the whole book. I was able to come home and churn out this story in a mere seven week span.

This book is about your first crush turning into the love of your life. Even when there is an age gap that for some would be inappropriate. BUT don’t worry nothing underage happens.

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Jasper Trey Facebook Page

Jasper Trey Twitter Account

Featured Interview With L. Lee Arrowood

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Wayne, West Virginia. I attended college in WVU in Montgomery, WV where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I later moved to Melbourne, Florida where I currently reside with my wife and our two dogs. I also attended Florida Institute of Technology where I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and I attended Webster University where I graduated with an MBA degree. I have managed and ran businesses throughout most of my career.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was always an avid reader. I enjoyed biographies of historical people and enjoy works of fiction and science fiction. I started writing in high school as the yearbook editor for 2 years; then college as sports editor for the school newspaper; and then I was contributing editor for a national technical trade magazine where I wrote monthly article for 6 years.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I enjoy reading Clive Cussler, Stuart Woods, Jack DuBrul, J.K. Rowling, Jim Butcher, Dan Brown, Morgan Rice, Rick Riordan, And Roger Stelljes, just to name a few of my favorites. My favorite genres would be fiction and science fiction, although I also enjoy reading fantasy (elves, dwarves, dragons, magic). I very much enjoy reading a good story.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is based on some local headlines. A company came to town with great fanfare and lots of press. They claimed they were going to add thousands of high paying technical jobs. They struggled for three years and made the news on several occasions for failure to pay their employees. After talking with many of those employees, I had an idea for this book. My brother-in-law told me that I needed to write a book about the company and gave me the title one evening as our families were out to dinner. Once he gave me the title, it all just clicked and Book 1 is now in print.

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L. Lee Arrowood Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Kenneth Britton Jr.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Tyler, Texas, where I still reside. I have a Chihuahua-miniature pinscher mix named Tinkia and a tabby cat named Max(no, I didn’t get to choose either of their names). I attend House of Prayer Praise and Worship Center, where I’ve been since I was 11(I am currently 22, with a birthday coming up in September).

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I realized my fascination with books when I was in the second grade. My teacher would read us the Bailey School Kids books and I remember thinking, “Well I can write one of those.” So I wrote the Dixie School Kids(Dixie was the elementary I attended) with the main characters being my friends and I. Then my teacher the following year read us Hank the Cowdog books, and I became obsessed with those. Before I even knew the word fanfiction, I was writing Hank the Cowdog fanfiction on my papers, also creating my own series called Casey the Guard Cat and Bubba the Bluffdog. I wasn’t original at that age, but I thank the Lord that those derivative writings at least got me started on the path of being an author, so that when I hit middle school and actually had something to say, I was still writing and able to finally come up with original works. As you can probably tell from my upcoming novel, “A Light to the Ruined”, I’m a long way from writing the Bailey School Kids and Hank the Cowdog.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I still love John R. Erickson, author of Hank the Cowdog, though I don’t really read any of the newer Hank books. I like Victoria Aveyard’s work; the Red Queen series has been fun to read. I love the Shadow Club duology by Neal Shusterman. Frank Beddor was amazing with his Looking Glass Wars trilogy. I’ve enjoyed many works by Bill Wallace and Betsy Byars. Despite being a Christian author, I don’t read a lot of Christian fiction or nonfiction; I either read fantasy and science fiction, or I read my Bible(I read my Bible more than anything). Knowing that, it shouldn’t be hard to guess that the Lord inspires me to write, to the believers and nonbelievers alike, because a lot of the messages in my books can apply to anyone.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“A Light to the Ruined” takes place on a fantasy continent called the Ruined. Supposedly long ago, there was a big war against dragons that left the entire land, well, ruined, to where there’s barely any vegetation or water. The land is populated by roving nomad clans that toil under the harsh conditions. Except, there’s one location in the Ruined that was spared the desolation, a kingdom by a plentiful river on lush plains and hills called Vratigrand.
Our three narrators, Bellamy, Lyssa, and Chauncey are siblings and the children of Vratigrand’s king and queen. For varying reasons, each one desires to one day have the throne of their father and begin their own plots to attain it. Meanwhile, the clans out in the Ruined are fed up with Vratigrand hoarding all the resources for themselves and many of them begin their own plans to do something about it…
There are so many twists and turns, both in terms of plot and character development, that I can’t tell you more than that without spoilers, but if you go to my blog on Goodreads, you’ll find I’ve posted the first three chapters, one for each POV, which will really show you who these siblings are personality wise. If you go, I hope you enjoy the start and look forward to the rest as much as I did. Make sure to comment and or follow me for more updates as well.

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Kenneth Britton Jr.’s Website

Featured Interview With Adele Lim

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I moved to the UK in 2006. Currently, I am based in London and live in Hertfordshire with my daughter.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I fell in love with books at 7, with Enid Blyton. I grew up reading her books, alongside Nancy Drew, Christopher Pike, Sidney Sheldon and Stephen King. My first ever article, I wrote when I was at 8 years or so. My mum discovered an egg within an egg and I remember being so fascinated by it that I wished someone would feature this in the newspaper. I decided to take it to hand – I created my own newspaper, wrote a story about the egg, and pinned the newspaper on my wall! Then I surprised myself at the age of 10, when I received an award from the Commonwealth Essay Writing competition that I entered as part of my English class. When I entered secondary school, my English teacher Anne James, inspired me to expand my perspective on writing, to find my own voice in the sea of voices, and to have courage to put it out there. At 16, my first newspaper article was published, and I got accepted onto a young journalists boot camp. Despite that, I decided to further my studies in a different field and kept writing as an integral part of me.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
While I enjoy reading fiction growing up, in high school, I began to pick up non-fiction. I found reading self-help books very rewarding. I loved reading Dale Carnegie, Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy, Robert Kiyosaki, M. Scott Peck, Malcolm Gladwell, Elizabeth Gilbert, Brene Brown, Lynn McTaggart and Daniel Pink.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Central theme of the project series is enabling a loving space for families, particularly in an increasingly global community living international lifestyles.

When I decided to walk the path of divorce, a world I never knew opened up. Overnight, I found myself searching for answers that resonate with what was true to my heart at core, in an environment that seemed to communicate that divorce is a tragedy, when this did not ring true for me. I found that majority of children’s books with families or on families assume a Mother and Father living under the same roof, who are of the same race or nationality and who moved everywhere together, and if divorcing, believe that the family is breaking apart as well. I realised that the beliefs and wellness of the adults influences the quality of the experience for the children and the trajectory and speed with which all members of the family develop and grow.

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Adele Lim Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Omni Delano

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Omni, and yes, I love my name. I was born, raised, and still live in the Tulsa area of Oklahoma, even though I moved around a lot as a child. I have three teenagers who consistently make me proud to be their mom. We have two pit bulls, one a rescue and the other an 18yr old who thinks he’s still my lapdog puppy (which he is). We also have a cat and a rabbit, they can both be little assholes sometimes but we love them anyway. Since I am unable to work a traditional job, I became a caregiver for my grandfather and an author.

I love to spend as much spare time as I can at the lake or out camping and floating the river. I’m happiest near the water. I’ve had a lot of rough patches throughout my life just as anyone else, although, I believe that without hardships in our lives we can never grow and overcome things we would never consider possible otherwise.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading at a very young age and never stopped. I have always loved writing little stories or poems but growing up I more often had a new book in my hands (or inside my text books). It wasn’t until I got sick that I really began my writing journey, so it was one of those blessings in disguise.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
So many authors have a special talent for expressing their story. But I read such a wide variety of genre I couldn’t compare one to another. I read everything from urban fantasy, sci-fi and dramatic romances, to horror novels, true crimes, and classical dramas. There have only been a handful of books that were too dull or didn’t keep my interest enough to even finish it.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Lily is the first of six women of prophecy. She is destined to sacrifice her heart to save the Guardian Dragon, but first, she must survive long enough to discover her abilities and the truth of her past. After losing her mother in a violent attack, Lily is forced to flee her home into the hidden land of the Eavalds, a people born of magic. As her past threatens to take everything she cares for away, Lily must find a way to fight for a world she never knew existed, with a man she doesn’t trust, and a destiny she can’t run away from.

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Omni Delano Facebook Page

Omni Delano Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Maria Vermisoglou

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Greece and still live in Greece. I had some pets in the past but don’t have one now. I am a librarian. I love travels and books. In my spare time, I make handcrafted items and of course, I read books.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I always loved books. Even before I could read, I was fascinated with books. I started writing at the age of 18 but never finished them. Some years ago, I read “the Heavenly Fire” and that’s how everything started. That book made me think of my series and sparked the idea of Eva,witch-healer.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have many authors I love but I will just name two: J.K.Rowling who made me love books and Cassandra Clare who was the inspiration for my series. I get inspired by places, books, and people mostly but anything can spark a little story. I love reading fantasy and mysteries. Occasionally, I read non-fiction and crimes.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is my first. It’s called the cursed girl and it’s the first volume of my series. It’s about a witch, Eva who is a healer and lives on Earth in the year 1230. Eva lives a normal life but what she doesn’t know is that she is cursed. To find out the rest…read the book.

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Maria Vermisoglou Facebook Page

Featured Interview With J. Hale Turner

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Born in New York City and parents later moved us to beautiful Shokan, NY.

Now live in Charlotte, NC with family and two dogs who run the household, Ricco and Princess.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books were part of my family as long as I can remember. In fact, we learned to read and write before we started school. Over the years, I journeled which led to stories. Prompted by Author Jacquelin Thomas, I published my children’s books in 2003 and the first of my novels in 2006. Since then I published seven books.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I always struggled with that question. That is, until I realized my favorite author was whose works I was binging at the time. I’m presently indulging in the delightful books by Estelle Ryan and Marian L. Thomas.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
PARADISE DREAMS has been reissued to forerun my new releases this year. One of the new releases is EDEN’S GARDEN.

DESCRIPTION:

During a robbery two guarded strangers, Melanie Harris and Kendall Myers met briefly in New York City. Just as quickly as they were linked in each other’s arms, they were separated amidst a crowd, regretting the idea of never seeing each other again. Was their encounter proof there is a possibility to love again, or was their special moment just a dream?

Coming soon: EDEN’S GARDEN. Release Date: 2018

DESCRIPTION:

What would you do if your beloved town was taken over by a greedy contractor, who plans to evict its inhabitants and restructure it as his dominion?

The prosperous textile mill is suddenly down. The wealth of Wheatenton, NC is collapsing. Residents are in turmoil as they watch their once thriving Town of Future slowly plummeting into crime ridden despair. Developer, Dominick Serpentyne, offers potential hope to restore their beloved town—or is Future about to become bamboozled—again?

Meet Eden Trueblood, a descendant of the Future legacy. Seeing what’s transpiring, it’s up to Eden keep her beloved family and town in check with a far better hope than what their manipulative adversary can offer.

Will Eden, with the help of dear friends and family, be able to save their town from plummeting into the clutches of the wealthy undermining developer, Dominick Serpentyne?

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J. Hale Turner’s Website

J. Hale Turner Twitter Account

Featured Interview With Jack Messenger

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in West Germany (as it then was) and have lived in Canada and France. I now live in Nottingham, UK. Our greyhound Loulou is a beloved member of the family.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always written ever since childhood and of course I have always read books. I was quite a solitary child, so for that reason I was thrown back onto my own resources. Books – and later on, films – became my natural home and my window on the world. Eventually, I started writing my own stories. English was my best subject at school by far. As an adult I have always worked in publishing, so you might say I have lived among books and writing all my life. I have a handful of Berlitz travel guides to my name (now all out of date), but for the last few years I have been writing fiction. Four American Tales was published a couple of years ago, and my novel Farewell Olympus is out now. Today, I write because I feel I have to, it is part of me and it is something I can do reasonably well. And I see it as a personal contribution towards helping explain ourselves to ourselves, of widening our sympathies and understanding.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Every book I’ve ever read has influenced me in some way. I think books are like experiences: we can’t recall everything that’s ever happened to us, but all of it made us what we are today. Authors I admire include Dickens, Vidal, Capote – there are hundreds. If you forced me to choose, my selection would vary from day to day. Today, it’s The Wine of Solitude by Irene Nemirovsky; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy; Lincoln by Gore Vidal; O Pioneers by Willa Cather.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’ve just published my novel Farewell Olympus. It’s set in Paris and tells the story of a young man named Howard, whose ambitions for the sweet life are thrown into chaos by the unexpected arrival of his half-brother Eugene, whom he finds waiting for him on his doorstep. Here’s the blurb:

‘When a patron of the arts named Serge loans him a luxurious penthouse apartment in central Paris, Howard can’t believe his luck. Now he can live cheaply while he translates articles for shortlived websites and doomed art journals nobody reads. And he’ll have more time to devote to his inscrutable French girlfriend, Delphine, a trainee lawyer.

Then, disaster strikes, in the shape of Eugene, Howard’s half-brother and personal nemesis, who sows chaos and discord wherever he goes. Abruptly, Howard’s uneventful life is plunged into mystery and farce. People are suddenly not what they seemed, and danger lurks in every restaurant. Serge himself is implicated in wrongdoing, while Giles, an Englishman abroad and seldom sober, knows more than he’s prepared to tell.

Can Howard and Eugene overcome their mutual antagonism long enough to survive? Should Howard forgive Eugene for being better looking? Will Eugene ever help him with the housework? Above all, will they ever agree about anything, particularly women?

Farewell Olympus is about love and rivalry, ambition and morality, Armageddon and the quest for the perfect croissant. Witty, intelligent and entertaining, it will make you feel you are too, even if you have no experience of volleyball.’

I’ve always like the idea of twins and opposites and how conflict can contain affection, even love, so that must have been some of my inspiration. Generally, however, like most writers, inspiration comes via hard work and unfolds day by day. I had the idea of someone turning up and ruining everything, and I quickly thought of Paris for some reason, so I wrote a few pages and that led me onwards and upwards to Olympus. There are elements of mystery and danger in the story that I had a lot of fun making ridiculous or farcical. It’s a book very close to my heart and, I believe, the best thing I have written so far, despite (or because) taking a six-month break part-way through due to ill-health. So, all in all, it must have taken me at least a year to write. It’s available now as a paperback and ebook.

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Jack Messenger Facebook Page

Featured Interview With Anne Armistead

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
When I’m not wearing my story-telling hat as Anne Armistead, historical romance author, I’m Sandra Havriluk—English teacher, wife, and mom of two grown daughters and a rescue mutt named Jackpot. I am a native Georgian, born in Rome, Georgia and raised in Decatur, Georgia. My husband and I live in a northern suburb of Atlanta called Peachtree Corners. I earned my English literature degree from the University of Georgia and my MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. I am a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the Georgia Writers of Romance (GRW), and the National and Georgia Sisters in Crime (SinC) organization. My love of storytelling came naturally from my daddy, who spun tales of his growing up in the Depression-era South. I cherish a collection of his hats, which I believe brings me a touch of his storytelling magic. Dangerous Conjurings is my debut historical paranormal romance published by Soul Mate Publishing and available on Amazon. Under the title Treacherous Hearts, it was the winner of the 2014 YA Fab 5 Wisconsin Romance Contest.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At age five, I marveled at the first book I held in my hands that had words on both sides of the page with NO pictures. It was one of my mother’s original Bobbsey Twins from her childhood. I couldn’t wait to be able to read it all by myself, and soon I was doing just that.

From that point forward, I was an official bookworm, plowing through every book I could get my hands on and choosing English as my college major and teaching English as my profession. I knew one day I wanted one of my books in the hands of readers! Growing up, I wrote little stories to act out, wrote (terrible) poetry as a teen, and outlined many stories that I got half-way through but never finished.

I started writing again with more determination and dedication after my daughters launched into adulthood. I finished my MFA in Creative Writing, and I have written multiple manuscripts that
have never found a home other than in my desk drawer.

I am so proud that I have reached my dream of being a published writer with Dangerous Conjurings being released April 2018 with Soul Mate Publishing!

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read in so many genres, including contemporary romance suspense, historical romance, anything Gothic-y. I gravitate toward stories with worn-weary introspective protagonists facing twists and turns of conflict.

Growing up, I adored Victoria Holt and classics such as Little Women, all Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, Anne of Green Gables.

Some of my favorite authors right now to read for sheer entertainment include Hank Phillippi Ryan, Karen White, Heather Graham, Nora Roberts, Beverly Jenkins, Charles Todd, Kevin O’Brien, and James Lee Burke.

For sheer scope of story-telling and unforgettable characters, I love Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds, Belva Plain’s Evergreen Trilogy, Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth, Phillippa Gregory novels, (I could keep going!)

I find my writing leans toward the Southern Gothic voice, and of course, that means I love Flannery O’Connor and anything Faulkner!

Tell us a little about your latest book?
Dangerous Conjurings is a Gothic-y historical paranormal romance. (That’s a mouthful!) I wrote the first scene for it as an assignment for an MFA workshop scene that included supernatural elements. One bit of advice beginning writers receive frequently is “write what you know,” so I set this scene in the South against the backdrop of post-Civil War. All that came to me was my protagonist Leah running toward a river, grief-stricken over the loss of her infant brother. I had a snatch of an idea about having a hoodoo conjurer, a fertility spell, a caulbearer birth, and a ghost with mis-matched eyes all playing a part in this story that began forming as part of this scene.

Ten years later, my story is now published as Dangerous Conjurings! It went through two other title names, The Secret of Elijah and Treacherous Hearts, before Soul Mate accepted it to be published under Dangerous Conjurings. The story went through multiple rewrites, as well, with the ghost being eliminated (Faulkner is quoted as advising writers they must “kill your darlings”). The ghost was too much in an already hoodoo-voodoo laden storyline, but I’m hoping he’ll make an appearance in another story of mine.

While writing this story, I disappeared into the research rabbit hold for periods of time, while digging into the New Orleans voodoo underground of post-Civil war times and the life of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau along with tarot card readings, hoodoo hexes and spells, and the suspicions surrounding caulbearers (babies born with the birth sac covering them). I ordered so many interesting reference books about such topics that my lovely Barnes and Noble sales clerk finally asked me “just what are you working on?” I did worry about something happening to me, and CSI studying my google history to try to solve the mystery!

My story was finally honed into a suspenseful historical romance with the tagline: Desire, Betrayal. Fate. Can love conjure all?

Set in the South against the backdrop of post-Civil War, the story begins with HAJILE BE…the fertility spell chanted by the hoodoo conjurer Kali Despierre. Hers is a dangerous conjuring that brings murder, kidnapping, and evil spirits into the life of 18-year-old Leah Sullivan. Leah finds herself in a race against time to rescue her kidnapped infant brother Elijah, stolen by the conjurer who believes her spell created him and who plans to sell the babe into the New Orleans’ Voodoo underworld of Queen Marie Laveau. Accompanying Leah on her desperate quest is war veteran Marcus Quinn, a mysterious stranger who has captured Leah’s heart. The couple’s passion heats up while sleeping under the stars only inches apart and surrounded by peril. However, through a cruel twist of fate, Leah discovers the devastating secret about Marcus’s past that breaks her heart and jeopardizes her brother’s rescue. Will Leah’s love for Marcus be powerful enough to overcome his betrayal? Or will dangerous conjurings doom their future together?

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Featured Interview With Richard Dietrich Maddox

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in the Midwest and graduated with honors from Princeton University. After graduation, I spent five years in Europe studying literature and preparing to teach meditation. I taught meditation fulltime for two years before serving as the Vice President of Sales for seven successful high-tech startup companies. In 2005, I retired from the business world to concentrate on writing. I am the author of the number-one Amazon-bestselling Enlightenment novels, “Remembering Eternity,” “The Whisper of a Saint,” “Enlightened Relations: The Life in a Day,” and “The Enlightenment of Joshua Inly,” all of which have been highly acclaimed by readers. I now live in Los Gatos, California.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved to read fairy tales and folklore as a child. After college, I attempted to read literature “from the top down,” reading all the best authors and all their works. My book collection is quite large.

I began preparing to write after graduating from college, studying various fields of knowledge that would be helpful to my work. I wrote here and there before retiring early to write full-time in 2005.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have, as I mentioned, read literature extensively over decades. At present, I am spending my time reading spiritual texts, largely Indian Vedanta works such as “Yoga Vasishtha.”

My writing has the goal of inspiring readers to look inward, discover Pure Consciousness, and begin to focus on their Enlightenment. Although the work is fiction, it brings the teaching of Enlightened Masters to the stories.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
“The Enlightenment of Joshua Inly” is the story of a very special boy, who is born in a high state of consciousness, and who has profound effects on everyone with whom he interacts. He discovers his musical genius at an early age, and begins to compose works that have the power to spiritually uplift their listeners. Joshua meets a retired monk, with whom he feels an immediate bond, and the book is largely the tale of their adventures together.

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Featured Interview With L.B. Sisk

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Hawaii, but my parents moved my brother and me up to the “sunny” Pacific NW when we were just old enough to miss the sun. We acclimated well enough, though, and I still call this area my home.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My first story was about my friends and I flying SR-71s… I, being the hero of the story, had engine troubles and was about to crash. However, the master pilot that I was, I was able to bring the engines back on line and we all flew into the sunset. I was in 1st grade. I no longer name a character after myself in books–well, if I did, he would probably die horribly…

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The first book series I really got into as a kid was the Incarnations of Immortality by Anthony. Then I moved on to the likes of Herbert, Steakley, Anderson, etc. Currently, I like the works of Scalzi, Zahn; however, I do like some of the newer authors–many indie–like Bernheimer, Hayes, Anspach/Cole, Phillips, Harmon, etc.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I’ve always enjoyed stories about Greek/Roman and Scandinavian mythology. I think most kids of the 80s loved the “Clash of the Titans.” Who didn’t? It was just cheesy goodness with cool as F**k monsters–Heroes and Monsters just the playthings of the Gods. Later, there was Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and, of course, Xena … Still, I was always curious what the Gods–if they were still around–were doing once modern times came along… American Gods, I think, was a great way of bridging the days of old with our timeline. Then, of course, there is a lot of good Urban Fantasy and whatnot out there that tackle this issue. However, I wanted a different take and backstory on the Gods, Monsters and Heroes for Ixion.

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Featured Interview With Ray Fauteux

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba Canada, but for the most part was raised on the West coast in Naniamo on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver. I currently live in Calgary, Alberta and have resided here for about 35 years. Also live in Toronto for five years before that.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I used to get in trouble because I read library books in class before I was even a teen. I was mesmerized by books early on in my life. I read Moby Dick and Tom Sawyer when I was in grade five.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve always been a fan of Steven King and enjoy his stories because of their originality. Growing up I was especially drawn to autobiographies of sports heroes. It didn’t matter what country they were from or what their sport was. I think it was because I had an unhappy childhood and thought I would never amount to anything. They lived the life I thought I never could and I would imagine myself being them. I imagined hitting the big home run, winning the race, or scoring the big goal. That all changed years later when I became an accomplished athlete in my own right. I have read books like The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway and Catcher In the Rye by Salinger over and over again. They were brilliant books in their honest simplicity. Both these authors are true inspirations to me, and I try and write with their honestly. I try and write like I’m sitting with the reader talking and having a coffee.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I suppose you could call my latest book “It’s Kona Calling” a fiction book based on fact. Of the seven books I’ve written, this is the first book that’s not a non-fiction. The story takes place in the early 1980’s. Sam, the main character in the book is leading a life of mediocrity. He’s middle-aged, out of shape, over-weight, divorced, and drinks and smokes way too much. Sam lives his live vicariously through the sports stars he watches on T.V. His favorite show is ABC’s Wide World of Sports. One day in 1982 while watching the show, he’s captivated as they televise a race called The Ironman Triathlon taking place in Kona, Hawaii. He’s never even heard of a triathlon. Sam is mesmerized as he watches seemingly ordinary people cross the finish line after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running a 26.2 mile marathon all in one day. For days after he can’t get the race off his mind. Something or someone is calling to him…challenging him. Even though he can’t swim a stroke, hasn’t run or biked since he was a kid, Sam makes up his mind that he’s going to Kona. He just has to find a way to cross that finish line. Against overwhelming odds, Sam spends two years learning how to swim, starts running, and buys himself a road bike, determined to change his life, get in shape and make it to the start line. Two years later in 1984 Sam finds himself arriving at Kona Airport on the Big Island. It’s at the airport where he crosses paths with Morgan. He hears her call out and ask if anyone will share a taxi into town. Sam looks her way. She’s not much older than his own 16-year-old daughter. She has nothing but her bike, a beat up helmet, and a backpack. Yet here she was, getting ready to take on this impossibly difficult race. Sam is in awe of her. ” She is so courageous”, he thinks to himself. She held herself with such confidence and she had the dark, piercing eyes of an assassin. Sam knew right away that he wanted to help her and gives her a ride into Kona. “It’s Kona Calling” is the story of their unlikely alliance. Sam is there just to try and survive, and Morgan wants to beat as many people as she can across the finish line. This is the story of the day they take on what was at the time, the most challenging endurance race in the world. It’s a story of hope and courage, and the indomitable spirit that resides within all of us just waiting to be awakened.

Like all my books, the words were in my head and I just had to let them out. I was in that race in Kona in 1984. I did see it on T.V. in 1982, and indeed, could not swim a stroke and had never heard of a triathlon. Indeed, I too heard the challenge of the Iron Gods. The characters in the book are fictitious, but the conditions the day of the race, and the description of the actual race course itself are 100% factual. So, as I said. It’s a fiction book based on fact.

You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy this book. After all, Sam wasn’t always an athlete. You don’t even have to know what a triathlon is. Sam didn’t either.

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Featured Interview With Lewis Crow

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born, raised, and still live in Texas. Since I was a child, I’ve had a fascination with ships and the sea–unusual, since I grew up hundreds of miles from the nearest seashore. I’ve built dozens of ship model kits in my time, too.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I had a mother who loved to read and taught me to do so. Sometime in my early teen years, I started cranking out two-paragraph ghost stories on an electric typewriter.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a lot of Clive Cussler in my teens and 20s. I guess adventure fiction is my favorite–stuff like Cussler, Clancy, Alasdair MacLean. And of course, Jules Verne.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Nautilus Legacy is sequel of sorts to Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mysterious Island. I chose to set it in the same universe Verne used, rather than “borrowing” the character to create a new story or universe for. And it was a challenge. I had to find a loophole in Verne’s text in order for my story to be possible. Fortunately, I did, and I created one of my own. That was all I needed. I like to sum up the book as “the autobiography of Captain Nemo’s son.”

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Featured Interview With Lauren Lola

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a bit of a multi-hyphenate writer. I’m an author, playwright, journalist, blogger, and a budding screenwriter. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I still reside to this day. I have numerous interests and I’m a geek in my own right. I’m also a mystery to some people.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I honestly couldn’t give you a precise answer. Books – as well as storytelling just in general- have been my love from a very young age. I’ve been creating my own little stories even before I knew how to write, and once I learned how, the possibilities became endless.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ll try to answer these questions as best I can. My interest in the literary world is just all over the place.
Celeste Ng, Witi Ihimaera, Haruki Murakami, and Peter Tieryas are just a handful of some of the authors whose works I immensely enjoy.
I can’t say there is any particular genre that I favor over others. For me, as long as the story moves me, that’s all that matters.
While I draw inspiration from some people, really I’m inspired by people whom I personally would like to see more of in this crazy world of ours.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is called “An Absolute Mind,” and I released it in November 2016 (exactly a week after the U.S. presidential election). It’s the story of a college student who discovers she has a unique mental ability for seeing the memories of significant objects. After almost being killed for it, she is taken to a secret island for her safety. It is there that she decides to take matters into her own hands and take action against inaction, on behalf of all people who have the same ability as her.

This book took two and a half years from start to finish, and it makes for unique timing. Despite being written in a much different time period than we are in now, it addresses a lot of subject matter that is part of the public conscious nowadays. That’s why I really push for people to read this book, for I believe it can contribute a lot to the conversations that are going on.

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Featured Interview With Sébastien Acacia

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m 44 years old and I grew up in the south of France, in the Pyrenees at the Spanish border in the medieval town of Foix, where I learned the taste and respect for nature. I live in the millennial city of Besançon, whose first foundations date back to the second century BC. I have a 6-year-old boy with a rare genetic disorder and autism. I have been leading technology and media production companies for more than 20 years before deciding to dedicate my life to my son who needs a lot of attention, but also to writing. I studied at the School of Fine Arts in Besançon with a specialization in history of ancient civilizations, as well as cultural anthropology at the PUC, Faculty of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil where I lived 12 years. I am passionate about the religious phenomenon as a whole, although I am a secularist. As far back as I can remember, I began to wonder about these issues at the age of seven. Since then, I have never stopped studying the major religious currents, sectarian phenomena and existing belief structures in the world. I am a great traveler, I lived in 3 countries, visited about thirty others and worked in a dozen. I firmly believe that traveling is the best way to marvel and understand humanity in all that is good and bad.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I remember creating my first comic story at the age of four. A story of cowboys and indians. I still remember the coarse brown adhesive I used to bind pages that were themselves slightly yellowed. Since then, I have never stopped imagining characters, situations, stories. at the age of 8, my parents had the great idea to buy a 30-volume encyclopedia from Larousse. I dived in without moderation. I read a lot to satisfy my curiosity about the world. I was a great comic book reader, and children’s science fiction novels. Later, I embarked on a career as a creator of educational CD-Roms and video games as a writer and designer. I then created my own production company and wrote and directed several series for children and for education. When Anthony was diagnosed with a genetic disease and I realized that my life as an entrepreneur would not be sustainable, I decided to make my old dream of writing sci-fi novels. I had written many synopsys since my teenage years. But, writing is a full-time job and I did not have that time. That’s when I got involved in the Ninth Planet trilogy.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I am a fan of science fiction since always. However, I read a lot of geopolitical, sociological, historical, theological or philosophical essays.
My favorite authors are:
Isaac Asimov, Kim Stanley Robinson, Poul Anderson, or Michael Crichton.
Asimov is my main source of inspiration in my writing.

Tell us a little about your latest book?
In fact, one day while listening to the radio in my car, I heard information about the discovery, at least mathematically, of a ninth planet in our solar system. When I got home, it made me feel like chocolate, I opened Word on my computer and wrote a synopsis based on this surprising information. And then, I had taken a course on novel writing a few years ago. This one said: do not ask yourself a question, if you want to write, start, improvise! That’s exactly what I did a few days later. I have engaged body and soul in this story. It took me a year and a half to write the 1200 pages of the Ninth Planet trilogy. Speaking in terms of page is also rather unclear on the work that this represents. The trilogy is about 300,000 words. It was a real challenge. On the one hand, I had to go back to the study of religions, and mainly in the theory of ancient astronauts, Islam, sectarian phenomena, on the other hand, I had to study the basics of the astrophysics. To do this, I enrolled in a MOOC astrophysics online. In total, Volume 1 of the trilogy took me about 400 hours of writing for 500 hours of documentary research. I validated the scientific information with an astrophysicist (who also made me change the end of volume 1) and a radio astronomer, because I wanted the data to be consistent with reality, especially since the story begins in 2020 and ends in 2043 in volume 3. Volume 2 and volume 3 were hardly faster to write. I called a very talented illustrator friend for the covers and we designed them together to make you want to dive into the story.
About the characters in the story, I wanted them to be complex and above all not Manichean. They evolve over the course of history, ask questions. I did not want to develop caricature characters, good ones and bad guys. This is reflected in the story. The characters evolve over the events. They are imperfect, and all do good and bad things. All defend their interests to a lesser extent. By the way, I wanted the story to unfold in more places of the world. In France, Germany, Japan, but in large part in the United States and Egypt. It was important that the characters come from different cultures and that this partly conditions their behavior and their respective visions of the world.
This feeds the narrative and it gives body and credibility to the story. Critics of some 2000 French readers also report this aspect very positively. The average of the notes of the 3 volumes on Amazon is close to the 4.8 stars. It’s very encouraging and, although the novel I’m working on at the moment is not science fiction, I’m starting in June in a post-cyberpunk dystopia based on a totalitarian religious order.

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Featured Interview With Anthony Stewart

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Biloxi Mississippi on february 11th 1999. I was raised in Gulfport, MS in the small town of Lyman, Mississippi for 14 years of my life. I moved to Melbourne Florida in the small town of Palm Shores Florida in July 2014. My writing began in 8th grade when I wrote fan fiction on WattPad. My passion grew into writing my own works upon starting high school. I just had a dog pass away and now have 2 cats by the name of buttercup and clover. Our passed dog is named Baby Girl Jennings and passed at 12 1/2 years old due to kidney failure.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books was in 1st grade reading Dr. Seuss. I became really fascinated after reading my first line of chapter books titled Warriors by Erin Hunter. I started writing in 8th grade with fan fiction and grew into writing my own works upon entering high school in fall 2015. I plan to continue my novels into 3 separate series.
Angel Dragon High School
Angel Dragon Novels
The Angel Dragon Diaries

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Rick Riordan, Kyell Gold, J.K. Rowling, Christopher Martin, Carrie Stuart Parks, Susan Collins, Stephen Meyer, Christopher Poalini, Erin Hunter, Kazu Kibushi

Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote One Way Forward as the start of Angel Dragon High School. It is a novel series based on true events that can occur in High School. It contains 4 novels and holds diaries to a few of the students. Falcoln James Skymere is the first character to arrive in the series as he shares his expulsion story as well as his entire eleventh grade year.

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