Step into a vast universe teeming with life, romance, heroism, and treachery as experienced and seen through the eyes of Gayle Zimmon. ‘Zim’, a young woman successful in war but naive to the machinations of the greater universe, returns from combat to confront genetically engineered humans and discover that she was sent to war not to win but to die.
While fighting the Aldrakin, Zim learns of a prophecy foretelling that the “Starflower,” her military call sign, will bloom “in the dark of the darkest night” but never know peace. Not one to accept ancient prophecy, after securing victory, she hopes to rekindle her romance with Mac and return to the peaceful life they left on the frontier.
But she is a major player in a galaxy-spanning intrigue she barely understands. Forces alien and cybernetic hold the stakes and align on both sides. Between dodging assassins, hostile planets, deadly robots, mystical aliens, and ancient relics, she must decide whether to continue running from her prophesied destiny-or try to live up to it.
Science Fiction has unlimited possibilities for imagination and metaphor. It taps imagination well beyond other genres. It also challenges the writer to create realistic, unknown worlds.
There are many sci fi books out there. What makes yours different?
To my mind, SF is about dreaming the impossible dream. If we do that, nothing is beyond us. Much SF today is simplistic, pessimistic, and dystopian, i.e., unworthy of creative minds seeking to fly.
Which authors inspired you to write?
The old SF masters from H.G. Well to Arthur C. Clarke to Larry Niven, Phillip K. Dick, and Frank Herbert
How did you do research for your book?
I feel I’ve been researching my book all my life: wide experiences, meeting characters, reading everything, making contacts to touch base with, e.g., scientists and engineers, SF&F writers, medical techs, officers and enlisted from all the military services.
Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
My main character Zim was the hardest. I know and love her very much, so testing and hurting her brought me to tears a few times.
The easiest was probably Abramyan, the character I love to hate.
How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
My lead character manifests many of my daughter’s confrontational traits, my wife too, which may be why I instantly loved her. We are all in sync.
If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?
Probably Roland ‘Mac’ Mackenzie—loyal, intelligent, fearless, humble, Zim’s love from childhood.
In your book you make a reference to The Prophecy. How did you come up with this idea?
The Prophecy is central to the plot, as it was in DUNE, but here it is a much more personal and threatening experience. I have a feeling we all live prophetic lives and, like Zim, may wish to escape them.
If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
A lot of Irish instrumentals match the mood. I listen to them when I write. Think the movie Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day-Lewis.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
Agents want something completely original just like what they last read and with a well-established market, i.e., no risks. Originality may be a hard sell.
Where do you write?
I have a writing loft and a wide-screen station beside a picture window overlooking the Rockfish Valley. Away from my station, I may take notes but do no serious writing.
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
I understand that pen-and-paper writing draws differently on the mind than typing on a computer. That seems to be the case with me. If I’m having a problem with a scene or character, switching to my paper tablet takes care of the problem. Usually in seconds.
What is your next project?
I promised my readers a trilogy and am almost finished with the second book, Agent of Blue Star. Beyond that, I have two first-draft novels on hold: The Looalee and Facing Nabua.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
I read a lot of nonfiction to help understand human and inhuman societies as well as technology. In SF, Edward Lerner’s book InterstellarNet Enigma had a fascinating premise about human development. A very creative, SF thriller.
I am a husband, father, storyteller, and a Christian. I’m also a writer, an intelligence analyst, and a contrarian. My wife and I live with two large dogs in a mountain chalet in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
I hold a BA and an MA in History from George Mason and George Washington University, respectively. In 40+ years with the CIA, I worked at every level from watch office and tactical operations to sensor development and informing national policy. Re-missioned from intelligence, I’m inclined to write science fiction.
I began storytelling at scout and church camp in my youth, recounting ghost stories or local lore around the campfire. These days, my restive characters want to tell their own stories. We often quarrel. When my wife sides with them, you know who wins.
Frank and Naomi Wolff were happily married in 1908. She was a Kansas farmgirl; he was a railroad engineer. She was excited to embark upon her role as wife and mother with a hardworking man, and in their early years together they made a life in thriving Ogden, Utah. Despite Frank’s almost-constant absence for his job riding the rails, which left pretty Naomi to raise their children virtually alone, their romantic relationship begat fourteen offspring in eighteen years. Like other lower-middle-class women, Naomi’s life was consumed with caring for her brood, who became helpers as soon as they could fold a diaper—and who, by and by, were required to attend the school of hard knocks as much as public schools. Affection and struggle endured within the family, crowded into a humble house. Despite the respite of occasional family train trips across the plains, the marriage ultimately faced exceptional challenges, just before the Depression era began.
Based on a true story, A Wolff in the Family is a riveting saga of prejudice, passion, and revenge, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds. What mysterious scandals led a father to abandon the youngest of his children—and for the elder siblings to keep their shame secret for eighty years?
“A Wolff in the Family is immediately immersive, and readers will be drawn into the hardships and small joys of the Wolff family. Falk-Allen’s vivid prose and realistic characters tell an intriguing story about social norms, gender roles, and ultimately, love. Fast and absorbing, it will keep you up long into the night.”—Michelle Cox, author of The Fallen Woman’s Daughter and the Inspector Howard series
You have only a few moments to tell someone what your book is about, in two sentences tell them what your book is about and make them want to read it?
This is a historical novel of passion, prejudice, revenge and forgiveness, based on actual scandals in my mother’s family of origin, taking place in western states in the early 1900’s.
Why did you need to write this story?
When I heard the few basic facts of the story from an aunt, my jaw dropped. I thought later in that week, this is a story that has to be told, and over several years I researched the story and the time in which it happened, and eventually began fleshing it out with conjectured scenes and conversations.
With A Wolff in the Family being so personal, were there ever moments of hesitation in what to and what not to share?
To some extent, yes, I had to pause and think how I wanted to portray some of my aunts and uncles, and how my cousins might view my interpretation of their parents. I left out some things that are controversial, partly because one aunt told me they happened to my grandmother and a cousin told me they actually happened to one of my aunts! I knew that this was a hot button issue, with some relatives insisting it couldn’t even be true, and it wasn’t germane to the essence of the story I wanted to tell. I also decided not to use the family’s real surname, but I did use many actual first names and some that were similar, so that I wouldn’t confuse myself. This was a huge family so there are a lot of names to keep straight (never fear; there’s a list of characters and what family position they have in the front of the book). There is also another family that was involved, and I changed their last name so that if any of that family reads the book, they will not feel threatened by what they might consider slander. It’s not, of course, partly because I know some of what I’ve said is factual, but also because I made up so much of it—nearly all the scenarios and conversations—so that it truly is fiction.
What will connect the reader to the story and make them want to keep reading the story?
I hope that they will sympathize with the difficulties women faced in their domestic and married lives in the early twentieth century; that they will be fond of some of the characters and want to know what transpires with them, and that they will not be expecting some of what happens and even be shocked at some people’s actions, and read on to find out how it all resolves! Additionally, I think knowing the novel is based on a true story will have readers want to follow the characters throughout the saga of about thirty years of experiences and challenges.
I’ve done and still do research into my own family ancestry and I know such research brings with it some surprises. What good surprises have you come across? (One example from my own research is that my 7th great-grandfather donated the land that Princeton and its first buildings were built on.)
Related to A Wolff in the Family, I learned that one of my aunts was somewhat of a hero to her siblings; I spoke with her about circumstances in her family of origin when she was in her 90’s and near the end of her life, and she didn’t mention the very defiant and heroic thing she did. On my dad’s side, one of my great-great-great grandfathers started a military academy in Kentucky. Although this wasn’t something I necessarily felt “puffed up” about, the fact that he had done something so prominent made it easy to find information about his/my family and what happened in their lives before and after this event. I also learned that although he was in the Confederacy in the Civil War, his sister’s husband financed the Union side! And the family still kept in touch although were on two sides of the Mason-Dixon line, both geographically and philosophically. Then, the southerners moved back to the north after the War, and they aided the slaves they formerly had held by assisting them in procuring and owning their own homes. That salved the wound of knowing my dad’s ancestors held slaves a little bit, that my ancestors did get the deeds to property set up for the former slaves, so that there could not be disputed titles. So that was good news amidst regrettable and shameful knowledge.
How long did it take to complete A Wolff in the Family?(I ask because I know when writing and researching for historical fiction and you want it to be as period accurate as possible you can fall into rabbit holes for hours learning about things that will never end up in the book.)
Ha ha! Oh yes, that is so true about researching. Gosh, I started doing the family research in the early 2000’s, but I had two other books I wanted to write, so I put off the historical research and things like census records and the details of what life was like in Utah, Wyoming, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma from 1918 through the 1940’s until about 2022. Then I delved into it full force and finished the very last final, copy edited, proofread (both of those processes several times over!) in July of 2024. So I suppose you could say it took me two and a half years to actually write it, including the detailed research. I do not write every single day, however. I have a life, and I’m a polio survivor, so I have to take care of myself and avoid fatigue as much as I can.
Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish?
Interesting question. I think most authors would work on each book until they die and have never published it if they could be supported while doing so. I’m kind of kidding, but there are always things you wish you’d added or taken out.
I found an old letter yesterday that an aunt wrote to me in 2007 which had some details in it I could have used, and I had an “oh darn” moment. But those things would have led the story in a different direction… and I’m not sure her memory was accurate any longer when she was ninety. I was also motivated by my age: I’m seventy-six, and I wanted this book to be out in the world well before I was eighty. Deadlines, promotion and marketing are not the easy part of writing a book, and can sometimes be stressful (even though much of that can also be fun), and I didn’t want to be worrying about deadlines at eighty!
By the time I got through perhaps the tenth or twelfth read-through and proofread, I accepted that it was as good as it was gonna get, and I am 99% satisfied with it! I’m sure when I am reading through it again, I’ll have those “shoulda” thoughts. It’s like a child, it will never be perfect, but it’s your best effort at guiding, and you love her for what she is. Art is allowed to have a flaw here and there; it’s created by humans. All that said, I think it’s a very good story and that it reads well. Some people have been blown away by it and I find that people who’ve read it sometimes come back to me with questions about the characters in real life. That’s one of the signs of a good book!
What has the family reaction been to your book?(Whenever I write something and I use elements of the family in it, which we all kind of do if we want to make our characters authentic, I do wonder what will happen when/if they read it.)
I can’t answer that yet! None of them have read it! And you can bet I’m a little nervous about that.
My husband has read it and he thinks it’s terrific, but it’s not about his family, of course. One of my cousins’ wives has ordered it and I know she’s anticipating getting the skinny on his father’s family, except that she does know it is just based on a true story and full of my conjecture.
My cousin had told me that he didn’t know much at all about this story when I told him the basics. He said he’d only been told that his dad didn’t like to talk about it and felt critical of his mother.
Some of the siblings sided with their father, and some with their mother. They both made controversial choices which affected the whole family! My mother kept all of it a secret and hadn’t told either myself or my sister about any of the scandals before she died. I always say she should have worked for the CIA.
So we’ll see. I may get some praise, and I may get some blowback.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to convert family history to fiction?
I found it to be easier to have a structure and set up a chronological outline based on what I knew were facts, and then fill in what I thought could have happened to substantiate the outcomes. Some people like to just start writing and see where their imagination takes them. It depends upon whether you have a lot of facts, as I did (and whether you choose to use them, since you’re writing fiction, after all) or whether you just have a snippet of a story that inspires you to create something bigger out of it.
When I was working on this book, I would ask myself, “Why would she have done this? What would she have been likely to say when he did that? What would it look like to others when this character made this choice?” As a woman, I know how I’d feel if my husband behaved the way I know my grandfather did. So I drew on my own emotional experience to some degree. I may have idealized “Naomi,” but I felt that if she had lived fifty years later, her choices would have been more acceptable to society, and conversely, my grandfather’s choices would have been considered terrible if not even illegal two generations later.
There is one vignette where my mother tied a flannel around her head to try to flatten a bump on her nose. That really happened. She had told me that a friend came by to walk to school with her, which was serendipitous, because she couldn’t get the flannel off her head! I imagined all that would have happened, including her siblings making fun of her; it was a clear image in my mind, like a movie. So if a writer can imagine how something could possibly have happened and see it as if it were happening on a screen in front of them, I think they can write up a family history piece in a creative way which turns it into fiction.
I feel that in my case, the facts were so stunning that I didn’t have to over-dramatize to make it a riveting story.
Oh, I think it’s also very important that you set things up in a way that the reader will be as surprised, inspired or motivated as you were when you heard the story. That can mean starting slow and developing the characters as I did, or using a teaser early on to make people wonder what’s going to happen. I started in the middle of the story with the first chapter, when my grandfather had just taken his youngest children to an orphanage. Then in the next chapter I tell the reader we’re going back eleven years to explain why this happened, with subsequent chapters following a straight chronology. There are lots of ways to set up a story so that you’re leading the reader toward the surprise, the humor, the inspiring point you want to make or whatever is the bundle of juiciness at the center of your story.
What is your next project idea?
After the dust settles with launching this book and I get through the whirlwind of the holidays, I want to write a series of short stories about my father’s ancestors, starting with when the four Allen brothers left Ireland in 1793 to sail to the US and start a new life here, up in Maryland. I’ve been to the home they owned, in southeastern Ireland, for two hundred years (some of the family stayed there until the early 1900’s) so I have some visual background for this story, plus I know they grew flax and that people came from around the countryside to use their mill. So that’s enough to get started. I know that this sounds suspiciously like a book, but I’m telling myself that writing a series of short stories will be less ambitious than a book! It will also be challenging to make a complete story in a shorter length, so I look forward to learning to do that.
FRANCINE FALK-ALLEN: was born in Los Angeles and has lived nearly all of her life in northern California. She had polio in 1951, and has lived her life as a disabled person making an effort to be a “normie.”
Falk-Allen was originally an art major and later completed her BA in Managerial Accounting, running her own business for over thirty years. She has always sought creative outlets, such as painting, singing, and writing. She began doing extensive family genealogy research in 1999, and has traced both her maternal and paternal ancestors back to the 1600s.
Her first book, “Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability,” won gold and silver awards and was on several best books lists in 2018 and 2019, including Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, PopSugar and BuzzFeed, and was nominated to 25 Women Making a Difference in 2019 by Conversations Magazine.
Her second book, “No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from a Wild Handicapper,” received a Kirkus star, given to “books of exceptional merit” by Kirkus Reviews, and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of August 2021. “No Spring Chicken” was also a finalist in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards in 2021.
Her third book, “A Wolff in the Family” is a riveting early twentieth century saga set in the western United States and based on scandalous family history.
Francine spends a significant amount of time managing the effects of post-polio. She facilitates a polio survivors’ group as well as a writing group, and volunteers on her town’s Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Committee. She loves the outdoors, swimming, gardening, movies, well-written literature, being with friends and sharing British tea and a little champagne now and then. She resides in San Rafael, California, with her husband. Learn more at: https://francinefalk-allen.com
Rachel Jackson’s idyllic life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers a woman’s scarf in her politician husband’s computer bag. But in an election year, seeking answers to questions of infidelity is not an option. When her mother gives her a family heirloom, a travel trunk owned by an ancestor, she finds a distraction. As she immerses herself in its contents, she discovers a woman whose life is vastly different from her own. Or is it? Determined to dispel the notion that her ancestor Marit was insane, Rachel sets out to unveil her unknown story. In the interwoven narratives of these two women, who are bound by blood and a shared struggle, The Blue Trunk is a poignant exploration of identity, love, and unwavering strength.
Imagine you have only a brief minute to tell someone what your book is about. Can you tell us, in two sentences, what your book is about and make us want to read it?
“The Blue Trunk” follows the lives of two resilient women, separated by a century but connected by blood, as they each navigate abandonment and betrayal. This novel takes readers on a poignant exploration of identity, family drama, and love as a privileged politician’s wife uncovers what happened to her supposedly insane great-great aunt.
Why did you need to write this story?
My mother was in possession of a blue travel trunk that had been used by my great-great aunt when she immigrated from Norway to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Marit’s name was written in perfect calligraphy on the trunk. I always loved the name so when my daughter was born, I mentioned to my mother that I planned to name her “Marit.” My mother responded with horror: “No, you can’t do that. She was insane.” While I should have been dissuaded, the insanity label only increased my interest in this woman. Years later, I joined a genealogy website to research her, but couldn’t find any information (but for her birth in Norway). It was odd because I found quite a bit of information on my great-great grandmother who had immigrated with her. I also had an autograph book Marit signed in 1889 in Blair, WI, so I knew she did indeed arrive in Wisconsin.
I then decided to research insane asylums to see if I could find any records of her. Again, I hit a dead end. I discovered while asylum populations were counted in the census, individual patients weren’t necessarily identified. In fact, I couldn’t find any archival records of the asylum I expect she would have been in residence. I also was unable to find a death certificate for her.
Then I discovered the asylum cemetery in my hometown. I spent my first 18 years living in that town and never knew of the existence of the Old Orchard Cemetery, aka the Cemetery of the unknown. The cemetery is now nestled in the middle of a subdivision, a plaque greets anyone who visits: “This cemetery is the final place for residents of the former Eau Claire County Asylum, County Home and County Poor Farm. . . As you walk among these unassuming gravestones, you will see that some only have names, no birth or death dates, and some are unknown. Many of the older gravestones memorialize persons who spent their entire adult lives in the county asylum.”
Unable to find my great-great aunt’s name, I sadly concluded that she likely spent her entire life in the asylum and is probably buried in an unknown grave.
It was then that I knew I had to write a book to reclaim Marit’s life.
With “The Blue Trunk” being so personal, were there ever moments of hesitation in what to and what not to share?
Interestingly, I didn’t hesitate when I was writing it. I guess that was because only a few trusted people in my writing group were reading my work. But as I finished and realized I was going to actually put this out into the world, I did face moments of fear (translate–terror).
I’m not certain, since this is only my first novel, but it seems to me that all writing, fiction and otherwise, is personal. Writers have a personal slant on what they are writing just as readers have a personal spin on what they read. A lot of Rachel’s story is personal to me and writing that was both healing and hard.
In some ways, I threw my ancestors under the bus for what they did to their sister, but that is what was done in those times (unfortunately). I was too young, obviously, to know Marit’s siblings, but I knew her nieces and nephews and they were a pretentious lot, filled with a desire to impress others. I expect the existence of a troubled family member (whatever her trouble might have been) was simply not acceptable. I’ve read a bit about generational trauma and I hope that writing a book about some of the things that might have been done to Marit will help stop that cycle.
What will connect the reader to the story and make them want to keep reading it?
My goal was to have some kind of tension/suspense in each chapter. I hope that the reader becomes engaged in the story as it unfolds dramatically.
I also hope they connect with the characters. Marit and Rachel are, I think, interesting in their own right and face challenges many women (and perhaps men) can relate to. Marit’s struggles keep us hanging in there cheering for her to finally find some peace. Rachel’s dilemma is one many current day women can understand–being torn between personal identity and commitments to partner and family.
There are other characters in the book I grew to love: Blake, James, Rose, and a minor character Aiden. All of them are human and each one has some quirks that make them even more human and relatable.
I’ve read that Blake became a different character than you intended. How was it letting the character dictate where he wanted to go and what he wanted to be?
I just loved what happened to Blake. I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but at some point I knew I didn’t want him to be a stereotypic toxic male. His life situation was complicated as well and he was, to a certain extent, a victim of that. I was joyful (can’t think of a better word) when I realized how I could approach him and write about his coming to terms with his identity. I loved writing the sometimes sweet interactions between him and Rachel and how she later begins to open up to a different Blake than she had previously known.
With gender identity being at the forefront of many societal issues, what steps did you take to represent the characters in the book in authentic ways?
I play a bit with gender identity throughout the book, but I identify as she/her which has been consistent my entire life. However, I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and I have known some of the struggles.
I thought long and hard about whether or not writing a trans character was wise. I didn’t want to appropriate someone else’s story. I ultimately decided to err on the side of taking the risk because I believe strongly that misunderstandings are prevalent when it comes to gender identity. Without spoiling anything, I’ll say that I wanted people to like, perhaps love, my character before they find that they are trans. I wanted to create some cognitive dissonance in readers so that they might be more open to revisiting preconceived notions.
In terms of research, I did some interviews to ensure that my details were accurate. I also spoke with an expert on the marginalization of less represented groups. I interviewed a trans couple who remained married after one partner transitioned. I am hopeful that I handled the issue sensitively and accurately.
Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish?
Yes, is it done yet? I’m actually a bit terrified to pick it up again because I know I’ll start re-writing it as I read.
Ultimately, the editor told me it was done. It’s good to have an outsider impose boundaries on a project.
What was your go-to escape when you needed to be reenergized during the writing process for “The Blue Trunk”?
Walk my dog. Swim laps. Bake cookies. Be in nature. All clear the clutter so I can tap into my creative self again.
What has writing “The Blue Trunk” done for you on a personal level?
I still have a bit of imposter syndrome hanging in the background. When people are impressed that I wrote a novel, I’m like “ya, well,” even though I do know it is an accomplishment.
As I mentioned before, writing Rachel’s story was healing for me. I lost my sister when I was six and never had a chance to completely resolve the issue with my mother as Rachel is able to do with Rose. The scene on the hike in Sedona was very healing for me as I wished I could have had that conversation with my mother.
I now know I can write a novel and that is exciting. I was not a good creative writer when I started, but I’ve improved (thanks to a lot of help from my writing colleagues and my teacher at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis).
I also discovered I love, love, love writing fiction. Crafting the story, creating characters, putting words on paper. I love all of it. I’m even starting to love editing!
Most of all, I am happy to have reclaimed Marit’s life. It is mostly fiction, of course, but those who read my book will now know that a century ago there was a woman named Marit Sletmo. What is your next project idea?
I have two ideas.
I plan to write about my aunt who was in the Women’s Air Corp during WWII. The WACs were amazing women and their story needs to be told.
I also want to write about Molly Brown, socialite, philanthropist, feminist, politician. She spent her adult life in Colorado, where I live, and so I am close to the many adventures she had here. She frequented the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (The Shining), so I may have to read more Steven King and experiment with some psychological suspense.
I’ll write both. I’m just not sure which one will be first.
Ann E. Lowry’s journey into the realm of storytelling was foretold by a Sedona psychic in 2001. That prophecy became a reality two decades later when Ann discovered a family heirloom, a travel trunk from Norway, which sparked the genesis of her debut novel, “The Blue Trunk.”
A writer her entire life, Ann holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Minnesota. Her career has been dedicated to teaching and helping others navigate communication and resolve conflicts. Ann is fascinated by the dynamics of relationships, discord, and the intricacies of the human condition. Ann successfully completed the Loft Literary Center’s Novel Writing Intensive course in 2022.
Alongside her passion for fiction, she has contributed to academic journals, penned thought-provoking opinion pieces, crafted engaging content for online platforms, and provided insights on the federal management of disasters.
When Ann isn’t immersed in the world of writing, she finds solace in the pool or the lake. She cherishes playful moments with her rescue-turned-therapy dog, Loki, and also enjoys reading, golfing, and indulging in the art of cookie and bread baking. Fly fishing is her newest hobby. Most of all, she savors precious time with her family.
Ann and her spouse, Karen, and fur child, Loki, live in Timnath, Colorado, where they enjoy the beauty of nature daily. Learn more about Ann at: www.annlowry.com
He took her innocence…She took his honor. But when danger unhinges their world, someone will have to fall on their sword.
The lust. The betrayal. The love. Sometimes the hardest battle…is seducing your enemy.
Alexandra wants one thing: to train with her sword, never mind the outraged public. But when the achingly handsome Monsieur Philippe kisses her, she finds herself willing to give up her heart and even her blade to be with him. That is, until she learns Philippe took another woman to bed after giving Alexandra her first kiss. Shattered and humiliated, Alexandra is done with etiquette. She’s done with skirts and ruffles. And men. Now, five years later, she’s a mercenary, known for her quick wits, expert blade, and dedication to protecting the people she guides through the uncharted forests of Provence. And if, by chance, she ever sees Philippe again, she’ll have no problem knocking that seductive smile right off his goddamned face.
Philippe never forgot the tender kiss he and Alexandra shared, and he never forgave himself for acting so badly. Years later, when he finds himself tracking a mysterious band of foes, the mercenary hired to lead him is none other than the enticing girl he unwittingly destroyed. But Alexandra is a woman now, a breathtaking and dangerous woman. Though he must balance his mounting desire for her with his duty to tame the venomous nest of criminals, Philippe soon realizes that winning Alexandra’s affection will mean he must strip his pride, lay his title on the line, and fight harder than ever before. And if dodging a few of her punches means he can maybe get another taste of her, then this adventure might be more explosive than he ever expected.
Taken by His Sword
Get Taken by His Sword (Swords of Chevalerie Book 1) at Amazon.
I have a soft spot for historical romance because those were my first romance books. I like the added social constraints of historicals, but I have some ideas for contemporary and sci-fi romances as well.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
I’ll be walking along and suddenly BOOM–story idea. Sometimes it will come from an interaction I see between two people. An exchange I hear, a portrait, a dream. For Taken by His Sword, I had a very vivid dream of a girl holding a sword while everyone around her was wearing fancy, historical clothes. I’m an introverted people watcher so I’m constantly imagining stories involving the strangers I see. Be careful about catching my eye–I might write about you one day…
How did you do research for your book?
Since my book is historical I spent a lot of time reading about French culture, history, and sword fighting in the 1600s. The nice thing about doing a historical is that there isn’t anyone alive that can confirm or deny what I say. If I have some obscure question (did they eat at parties? What type of feather did they use for quills?) and I don’t find the answer in one or two searches, then I just invoke creative license and make it up!
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing for over 20 years! I had a few little literary stories published years ago, but other than that I was struggling to find something to write about that really resonated for me. That’s when I started with romance because I loved romance novels so much growing up.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
Yes! I am a middle school English teacher! But don’t tell my students I wrote a romance novel because they will use it against me.
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
The first step for me is handwriting the plot in a stream of consciousness style flood in a spiral, college-ruled notebook. This gives me the basic story structure to go off of. When I get stuck on a scene, I go back to the notebook and free write until I spark an idea.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
Oh my goodness I cut about 40 thousand words from that sucker. In the director’s cut, I explored much more of how young Alex came to live with the Duchess and then fall in love with swordfighting and Philippe. I actually think the version that got published is much tighter, but those were really hard cuts at the time!
Do you snack while writing? Favorite snack?
Just coffee. So much coffee.
Get Taken by His Sword (Swords of Chevalerie Book 1) at Amazon.
Florence A. Bliss
Author Bio:
Florence A. Bliss is an author from Las Vegas, NV who has a keen eye for writing love stories full of drama, heartache, humor, and enough seduction to light the pages on fire. With an MFA in creative writing from UNLV, Florence loves to write across genres but has found her home in romance. She lives with her fancy Italian husband and two children. Together they love to travel, explore the ghost towns around Las Vegas, road trip up and down the Pacific coast, and of course drink coffee out of tiny cups (milk for the kids). Florence is an avid people watcher and strives to understand why people do what they do, and she never tires of imagining the stories of what couples have had to overcome in order to come together.
In an era defined by neon lights, cassette tapes, and the birth of grunge, the music scene of the 80’s was more than just a trend-it was a revolution. This book whisks readers away to a time when music pulsed through the streets, clubs echoed with electric rhythms, and every song told a story. Journey across the State of Texas under the spell of groundbreaking artists and their iconic hits.
Meet passionate fans, ambitious musicians, and unforgettable groupies, all brought together by a shared love for rock ‘n’ roll. Experience the highs of sold-out concerts, the lows of band breakups, and the exhilaration of that first chord. As you delve deeper, discover how music was not only a form of entertainment but a way of life, a rebellion, a movement that shaped a generation.
Blending vivid storytelling with nostalgic anecdotes, this book is more than a mere recollection-it’s a tribute to a time when melodies held memories, lyrics voiced dreams, and every beat was a heartbeat of an era. Whether you’re a seasoned rocker or a new-age music enthusiast, embark on a journey that will reignite your passion for music and remind you of its timeless power to connect and inspire.
On The Road
Get On The Road: A Texas Groupie’s Memoir at Amazon.
What was your inspiration for writing On the Road?
The book is basically a memoir about my adventurous life as a young woman. I knew eventually I would write a book about being a groupie because I knew so many people would be interested in reading about people they looked up too and admired.
There are many books out there about rock music. What makes yours different?
Yes, there is. I feel my book is different simply because of the time frame it was in. The 80’s were a very exciting and vibrant time for Rock and Roll and Metal.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I’ve been many things in my life. Antique dealer, Paranormal Investigator, Booking/Management for musicians. But by far the thing I am most proud of is being a wife to my wonderful husband and a mother to my two beautiful kids.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
Writer’s block for me would be the cobwebs in my brain. I am 60 years old, and sometimes recalling all those memories from so long ago can be perplexing at times. But thank goodness I was good at keeping so many notes.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
I had it in my library for awhile, but Patti Smith’s memoir about her life with Robert M. She has always been an interesting person to me, and the book is very moving.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
I actually am the one that made the cut. I think I might have sold a lot more copies if I had kept in the smut, the sex. I made the decision to leave the story dangling and let the readers’ minds fill in what they think probably happened simply to be respectful not only to my husband but the musicians in which I had relations with. We are all older, married and have different lives.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
Oh man, I am perfectly happy right where I am. I got it all right the first time around.
Favorite travel spot?
I’m living there baby!!! Costa Rica!!! Pura Vida!!!
What is something that made you laugh recently?
My husband always makes me laugh, but recently he waters the yard (jungle) with a water hose and we live in the rainforest. DUH!
What is the strangest way you’ve become friends with someone?
Our first taxi driver in Costa Rica, named Carlos. Nicest person you could ever meet. We’ve become fast friends.
Get On The Road: A Texas Groupie’s Memoir at Amazon.
Linda Chadwick
Author Bio:
Linda Chadwick is a lifelong resident of Texas, married thirty plus years, has two grown children, and is a mom to her dog and cat fur babies. She has always had an intense love of writing and has dreamed of being a published author since she was six years old. She has always loved every facet of music. She is an avid collector of antiques and once owned her own antique shop. Her husband Doug is recently retired and they are embarking on their next adventure, moving to Costa Rica. Don’t worry, she states she has many ideas lined up for more books.
John Viera left his CIA fieldwork hoping for a “normal” occupation and a long-awaited family, but when a Pakistani engineer is kidnapped from a top-secret US project and diplomatic entanglements tie the government’s hands, the Intelligence Community turns to John and his team of ex-operatives to investigate — strictly off the books. They uncover a plot of unprecedented magnitude that will precipitate the slaughter of millions.
From the corporate skyscrapers of Montreal to the treacherous alleys of Baluchistan, these formidable enemies strike, determined to create a regional apocalypse and permanently alter the balance of world power. Isolated in their knowledge of the impending devastation, John and his network stand alone between total destruction and the Leopard of Cairo.
This is the first book in the Apex Predator series.
The majority of our research for The Leopard of Cairo and our other fiction comes from Jay Holmes’s fifty years of experience in military and intelligence operations. Piper will call him up and say something like, “We need to blow something up,” or “What will John Viera do if he’s being followed?” Jay either tells her off the top of his head or he gets back to her in a day or so, and she fills in the rest from her own knowledge and with Google.
Which was the easiest character to write?
Jay finds it easiest to write the male operatives on the team. For Piper, the female characters are easiest to write, particularly the middle-aged female assassin, Mrs. Beasley. Piper isn’t sure what that says about her own personal character.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Usually, our inspiration starts with some tawdry joke we make while eating a fresh chocolate cake in Holmes’s kitchen sometime after midnight. If we’ve had a sip of guinda, a Spanish cherry liqueur, the work goes faster.
Your book is set in Quetta, Pakistan, Cairo, Egypt, Montreal, Canada, Northern Vermont, and Flagstaff, Arizona. Have you ever been there?
Piper has only been to Flagstaff, but Jay has been to all of these places. Piper would love to visit Montreal and Vermont, but Jay has warned her away from Quetta and Cairo.
If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?
Piper would love to be as tough as Angelina. Jay is already one or two of the male characters, including our protagonist John Viera.
How long have you been writing?
Piper has been writing off and on since she flunked Calculus in college and switched her major from Biophysics to technical writing. She began writing novels in 2004.
Jay has been writing professional papers for over four decades, and he has occasionally been forced to turn in government paperwork that resembles writing during that same time span. Piper roped him into writing fiction, spycraft, and history books in 2010.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
Piper just finished Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence, a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia. It’s an absolute masterpiece detailing his work with the Arab tribes to overthrow the Ottoman Empire and build the nations of the Arabian Peninsula.
Jay just re-read Admiral Arleigh Burke, a biography by E.B. Potter, and he highly recommends it.
Which authors inspired you to write?
Piper is inspired by authors of great characters and stories from all eras, such as Alexandre Dumas and J.K. Rowling. Jay was inspired by Piper asking him to write.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
Piper: Not with The Leopard of Cairo.
Jay: Piper constantly edits out my X-rated content.
Who was your childhood celebrity crush?
Piper: Roger Moore. At fifteen I was in London and was thrilled to get a picture of the trash in front of the building where he lived.
Jay: Raquel Welch. I wanted things to happen with me and her. By the time I was ten, I figured out that was a nonstarter, and I started focusing more on local girls.
Piper Bayard is an author and a recovering attorney with a college degree or two. She is also a belly dancer and a former hospice volunteer. She has been working daily with her good friend Jay Holmes for the past decade, learning about foreign affairs, espionage history, and field techniques for the purpose of writing fiction and nonfiction. She currently pens espionage nonfiction and international spy thrillers with Jay Holmes, as well as post-apocalyptic fiction of her own.
Jay Holmes is a forty-five-year veteran of field espionage operations with experience spanning from the Cold War fight against the Soviets, the East Germans, and the various terrorist organizations they sponsored to the present Global War on Terror. He is unwilling to admit to much more than that. Piper is the public face of their partnership.Together, Bayard & Holmes author non-fiction articles and books on espionage and foreign affairs, as well as fictional international spy thrillers. They are also the bestselling authors of The Spy Bride from the Risky Brides Bestsellers Collection and were featured contributors for Social In Worldwide, Inc.
When they aren’t writing or, in Jay’s case, busy with “other work,” Piper and Jay are enjoying time with their families, hiking, exploring back roads of America, talking foreign affairs, laughing at their own rude jokes until the wee hours, and questing for the perfect chocolate cake recipe.
“I want to present Cleopatra to the World,” Lady Stanhope sighed and reached for her purse. Two very young and inexperienced detectives, Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew, were unexpectedly presented with the case of a lifetime. Flinders and Pettigrew, recent graduates of Oxford and rivals of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, suddenly find themselves confronted with the task of finding Cleopatra’s tomb. The tomb’s location, as they quickly discovered, was protected by the adherents of an ancient cult. Their quest leads them to Cairo and Alexandria. They meet a mysterious woman, who is possibly the descendant of Cleopatra. Their story weaves between the ‘City of the Dead’ in Cairo and the ‘Mound of Shards’ in Alexandria. They discover that becoming a detective is more difficult than they imagined as students. Set against the background of the River War in the Sudan and written by an expert in archeology and Middle East history, readers will find this story a worthy successor to the Conan Doyle legacy. “Find me Cleopatra, and I will pay for all this….”
What would be your one sentence elevator pitch of what your book is about to get someone to want to read it?
Two quirky young detectives are hired to find Cleopatra’s tomb, they grow up quick, but almost get killed during the chase.
Why choose the detective fiction genre for your book?
I read the Adventure of the Speckled Band as a kid. It scared the wits out of me. Ever since, I’ve wanted to write a detective story.
What research did you do to ensure you were historically accurate in setting, language and the like?
For the Middle East, no problem, I taught Middle Eastern politics for 25 years, and lived in Cairo for a year studying at the American University. (I also wrote a couple of books on Middle East politics). For everything else: Wikipedia, online publications, academic theses, and Bing AI (AI is really neat, if you know what to ask).
I know for my own book it was a real process to get things just right. Coming up with character names is more difficult than people might think, how did you go about picking yours?
They are from historical characters: Flinders Petrie is the nephew of Sir Flinders Petrie, the great archeologist. Thomas Pettigrew is the grandson of Thomas Pettigrew, the British anatomist and mummy exhibitor. E A Walis Budge is himself. Lady Hestor is herself. Lord Cromer is himself. Inji was second in command of ‘Social Affairs’ in Cairo, and a very scary lady, indeed. (The first description of Inji is exactly the person I met in Cairo). Other names are from lists of Greek and Egyptian baby names.
How has your world traveling impressed itself on your writing?
Traveling supplied the background ambience. Owen Lattimore, the China expert, once wrote something to this effect: “If you haven’t been there and don’t know that there are tapeworm segments in the bottom of outhouses, you’re not an expert.” He was right. I lived on the economy in Cairo for a year and had to learn Arabic. I saw a lot of stuff a tourist would not see. My daughter is an amateur archeologist who worked on the digs at Pompeii, so I had an bona fide archeological source.
What will connect the reader to the story and make them keep reading to the end?
There are multiple levels, I think. Obviously, there is the Sherlock Holmes nostalgia. But beyond that, the story of a couple of self-entitled kids being forced to grow up in a hostile world is the same theme that you have in the US today: A lot of readers are experiencing the same trauma. And, of course, there is the lost love theme which is a pretty universal experience.
Probably everybody can relate to Flinders and Petrie, they are a very likeable and funny pair: reviewers seem to like them.
Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish?
I hadn’t a clue. I ran the manuscript by several literary agents who weren’t interested and then shipped it off to the same hybrid I used for the Student. A mistake. I have revised it to take out the clinkers and add material since I now have the advantage of hindsight.
What age(s) of reader do you think would enjoy The Cleopatra Caper?
I wrote another book and the developmental editor said that I write for eleven year olds. Maybe so. I like to think that I write for anyone who has the imagination to be scared by the Speckled Band.
What’s your next project idea?
The Stolen Goddess will be out in April. Flinders and Petrie meet TE Lawrence and Gertrude Bell. It’s set in Istanbul at the end of the Ottoman Empire. I have tried to portray the old empire in all its complexity. It has some truly villainous villains: the Veiled One is the Phantom of the Opera on steroids, and the Bulbul (the bulbul, “nightingale,” was the official executioner in the Ottoman Empire) is modeled after Charles Mansion (I represented one of the Manson family in a parole hearing). The theme is that of the arc of life, unlike Holmes and other fictional detectives, Flinders and Petrie age.
The Bones of the Apostle will probably be out later this year. This is a darker work set in 1915, the time of the Armenian genocide. (My late wife’s grandmother survived the death march). I’m still revising; I’m not sure I can do it justice. I have invented a new character, Gazelda Jones, who is as quirky as the detectives and adds a love theme. She will be around to the end of the series.
There are other detective fiction novels set in times past, why should a reader choose The Cleopatra Caper?
It’s a detective story with all the fast action of the genre, but it’s also a story about growing up, about lost innocence, and about lost love. In a way it’s a ghost story, because the heroes are haunted by their experiences. Their character development is central: These guys are driven by wanderlust, by guilt, and by the loneliness of their newly chosen profession. I suppose you could say that it’s part Conan Doyle, part Lawrence Durrell, part Henry James, and a smidgen of the “Thin Man.”
John Amos holds a PhD and a JD. He has taught at university level for 25 years. His academic publications include several books and multiple articles. His fiction works include The Student (2022), The Cleopatra Caper (2023), and The Case of the Stolen Goddess (2024). He has lived in the Middle East, most notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, and Turkey. He currently practices Law.
Maggie has always accepted life’s constraints: that is, until she witnesses a breathtaking moment of liberation as a butterfly breaks free from a spider’s web. And this small, defiant act sparks a fire within her soul.
That’s a dangerous thing for a field slave in 1850 Missouri.
As her daughter ascends to the coveted position of personal maid to the Mistress, Maggie’s family is thrust into the intricate dynamics of power and privilege within the House.
But in the shadows, a chance encounter between Maggie’s sons and Preacher, a burly, escaped slave, sets the stage for a risky alliance.
Meanwhile, Lucy, the Master’s lonely daughter, hungers for the warmth and kindness that Maggie effortlessly exudes. The boundaries that separate them are as rigid as the times they live in, but the desire for connection and understanding defies the odds.
Maggie, recognizing an opportunity for freedom, finds herself entwined in a perilous dance between liberation and the relentless pull of her current station.
Will she follow in the path of the butterfly?
The Honey Tree
What would be your one sentence elevator pitch of what your book is about to get someone to want to read it?
This is the story of Maggie, a slave who excels at picking cotton, and Lucy, a nine year old whose mother believes she can’t excel at anything.
Why do you think Maggie was so persistent in wanting you to tell her story?
Honestly, I still don’t know.
She haunted me for years – years. I’d jot a few things down, toss them away. I kept telling myself it wasn’t a story for me to tell. The ideas would fade – only to come back stronger.
One full moon I dreamt – vividly – of that wild night on the Mississippi River. The next morning I wrote in earnest.
The Honey Tree is different from your ventures into fiction. What is your background to be able to write Maggie’s story? What research did you need to do?
There was a bit of a familiar echo from a few characters to some elders I remember as a child. And if you read Wake of the Sadico, you might see a connection. But I had a ton of research to do.
I disliked research before the internet. Spending hours in libraries trying to learn what 15th century seafaring was truly like is incredibly time consuming – and when you get home you always realize you missed some key details.
Now at least you can Google online, or use it to seek knowledgeable folk. Even then, as I’m doing my early morning writing, I’ll suddenly realize I have no idea if they drank tea or coffee in Missouri. What will connect the reader to the story and make them keep reading to the end? I see stories as carnival rides. The events are the track laid down and the characters are the vehicles you ride in. You have to believe in the characters – like them. You need to feel their drive, their desires, their goals.
You must want to take that journey beside them.
Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish? I always have trouble letting go. There’s another tweak here, a bit more polishing there.
These stories grow into friends, and it’s hard releasing them. Once they venture out into the world, they take on their own life. You can only watch from the side-line.
What age(s) of reader do you think would enjoy The Honey Tree?
I’ve had friends give it to twelve year olds, who loved it. I suppose it depends on the parent’s perspective.
What’s your next project idea?
I seem to have stumbled across a dead girl in the Arizona desert who wants to talk to her mother.
What led you to leave the sunshine of Arizona to the not-so-much sunshine of Plymouth, England?
My darling spouse is British, and had lived with me in the U.S. for thirty-six years. It was simply my turn to live abroad.
It’s a wonderful adventure.
What do you miss about the U.S.?
Mexican food, large parking lots, and central air. When we bought our place in the UK, I discovered that “A.C.” on this side of the Atlantic stands for an “Airing Cupboard.”
Finally, there are other historical fiction novels with similar subject matter, why should a reader choose The Honey Tree?
To me, this is not another story about slavery. It’s about people who wanted something better for themselves, their families. A man who fought and lost and gave up, then fell in love and fought all the more. About a woman struck by the idea that freedom might be possible after a lifetime of believing otherwise. A woman risking more and more for her children, and then someone else’s child.
In a nutshell, it is about that spiritual leap of faith – and Lucy’s literal leap of faith.
Find The Honey Tree at several outlets includingAmazon.
Visit Jo’sbooks2read.com/HoneyTree site for all of the vendors (12 in all) you can purchase The Honey Tree from.
Jo Sparkes
Jo Sparkes
From television shows to football articles, Jo Sparkes can’t put the pen down. She’s interviewed Emmit Smith and Anquan Boldin (as Arizona Cardinals), taught screenwriting at the Film School at SCC, and went on camera to make “Stepping Above Criticism”.
An award winning writer, she’s recently moved to Plymouth, England – and learning to speak the language.
The world as we know it is built upon choices. If different choices had been made in the past, we might be living in an entirely different world. What if the so-called Lost Colony of settlers in North Carolina were in fact not lost at all but instead merged happily with the Native American tribes to create a new people and unique society?
Sixteen-year-old Charli is living in a pandemic-ravaged 2020 America when she stumbles upon the parallel world of the Q’ehazi. Drawn to these peaceful people, whose constant joy and optimism provides a stark contrast to the suffering and violence in her own life, Charli wants nothing more than to stay with them forever-but first, she must learn to attain a state of grace.
Can she forgive her mother’s abusive boyfriend? Can she learn empathy for her mother? In The World Beyond the Redbud Tree, Charli’s inward and outward struggles will lead her to a discovery she wasn’t even looking for: the beauty of her own world.
The World Beyond the Redbud Tree
You have only a few seconds to tell someone what your book is about, in two sentences tell them what your book is about? In other words, what would you say to interest them about The World Beyond the Redbud Tree?
OK, my elevator pitch: The novel is a utopian fantasy about a parallel universe in which different and more positive choices have been made.
“The World Beyond the Redbud Tree” is a gripping, coming-of-age narrative set in a pandemic-ravaged America, in which Charli, the sixteen-year-old protagonist, stumbles upon a parallel world where people co-exist peacefully, providing a stark contrast to her own troubled existence. The Q’ehazi society, with its emphasis on joy and optimism, serves as an uplifting contrast to the struggles faced by Charli in her own reality. Charli’s journey is not only an external exploration of this parallel world but also an internal quest for forgiveness and empathy. The narrative skillfully weaves together Charli’s personal struggles with larger societal issues, making the story both intimate and universal. The themes of forgiveness, empathy, and the pursuit of grace are handled with nuance and depth.
There are sensitive, but widely occurring, subjects you approach in the story. What led you to doing a book about those subjects?
I am a therapist and I help clients all the time who are dealing with these issues. These sensitive topics are based on the truth of my experiences and those of my clients, and they help to point up the contrast between our world and the mythical Q’ehazi world.
Forgiveness is a big part of The World Beyond the Redbud Tree. That’s a difficult thing to do in many situations, especially for a teen. For Charli, facing the prospect of forgiving Sean is something that would seem impossible. Failure is so easy to achieve in such a situation. Why choose this aspect of one’s character as a key theme of the story?
It’s not something that’s very often written about. In our culture, “revenge” is much more often the norm, and yet we discover that violence just leads to more violence. I wanted to show that a different choice was possible. Charli is young but she has an emotional maturity way beyond her years, and she is open to learning a different way of being. She doesn’t necessarily attain it in this book, but her journey towards wisdom and grace takes place over the course of the three books that make up the trilogy.
Where is the setting or settings for The World Beyond the Redbud Tree and is there a specific reason for its selection?
The setting is where I live, which is Weaverville, NC. I chose that area because it inspired me. We have a redbud tree on our property and I love the way it changes colors four times during the season (pink, red, green, yellow). I discovered later that it is one of the seven “sacred woods” of the Cherokee people. (See also below)
Early American history and the Cherokee people influenced your book, what research did you do to help with your book?
Ironically, I didn’t do much research before writing the book, as it’s a fantasy, other than reading books about the Lost Colony and finding out about the real history from that era. However, I visited the Cherokee Oconoluftee village in Cherokee NC a few months after writing my book, and was amazed and delighted to discover that many of the themes and ideas I had written about as being part of the Q’ehazi culture were in fact mirrored in the Cherokee culture.
The name you chose for the parallel world of Q’ehazi, I’ve found a similar word and the definition fits the world you’ve created, but how did you come up with it?
I literally made it up. I didn’t want it to be a real word in another language. So I flung together a few letters and my friend suggested the apostrophe.
If you had to be one character in The World Beyond the Redbud Tree, who would you choose and why?
I actually wrote the character of Maudina (Sovereign Aurora’s sister) for me to play, should there ever be a movie made! I resonate with her youthful spirit and her creativity.
What will connect the reader to the story and make them want to keep reading?
A variety of things. I would hope they would be intrigued by the unique and imaginative parallel world; some people have called the book a “page turner” because they want to find out what happens to Charli, as she’s a very sympathetic and multi-faceted protagonist; many people have described the book as “thought-provoking” because it’s not just a story but also a message about our world and how to make it better.
What’s the biggest difference between living in California and now in North Carolina?
Interesting question. I’m originally from England and I loved all the trees in NC, it’s like being in England before all the trees were cut down, many hundreds of years ago now. I enjoy both states, and they are very different. It’s also important to mention that I moved from Los Angeles to the tiny little rural town of Weaverville, and that experience contributes to the difference also. The people here are gentler and the pace is a lot slower. There isn’t so much diversity here, either in people or activities. I feel more connected to nature here, because we live on an acre of land. However, in LA I lived near the beach and I enjoyed that too. So there’s good things about both places.
What’s your next project idea?
Book Two in the series, called “The World of the Q’ehazi” (working title). I have just finished the first draft, will be refining it and hope to publish it later this year.
Find The World Beyond the Redbud Tree at several outlets includingAmazon.
Madison C. Brightwell
Author Bio:
Madison C. Brightwell is an author and a licensed MFT with a doctorate in psychology. She has been working as a therapist for fifteen years, before which she worked as a professional actress and in film and TV development. She has written four other novels and three self-help books in the field of psychology. Since moving to Asheville, North Carolina, from her native Britain, Madison has become inspired by the history of this land, originally inhabited by the Cherokee. She draws on many of her experiences helping clients with trauma, addiction, and chronic pain.
Having the ability to foretell events and connect with people in the afterlife is a unique gift. But can it also be a horrible curse!
Anna Mavrides has been burdened her whole life by the violent visions she had as a young girl. When she decides decades later to write a book about those visions and her family’s connection to the spirit world, it becomes an instant bestseller, but it ultimately triggers a chain of events that would have her charged with the brutal murder of her childhood friend.
As Anna wrestles with the fractured memories and tangled relationships of her youth from her prison cell, her determined supporters dig to expose the motives of the leader of a Spiritualist community featured in the book and the District Attorney who charged her with murder.
Their efforts could exonerate her and provide some answers about Anna’s distant past, but her reward will be a penultimate showdown at a seaside Maine amusement park, where the past and present fuse in a fiery conclusion.
All her life, people have asked Anna Mavrides, “How do you know?” Can she finally answer that question?
How Does She Know
If you only had two sentences to tell someone what your book is about, what would you say to excite them about the story?
Anna Mavries decides to tell the world her story about the extraordinary supernatural gifts and Greek legacy she possesses, but little did she know the ripple effect on the present day and the past it would conjure up. As she sits in jail, both friends, foes, and paranormal play tug of war with Anna’s life and as the rope unravels, Anna sees the truth.
How did you and DIane meet and decide to collaborate on a book?
We met at work and developed a deep friendship. Diane began to tell me about her gifts and the manuscript in which she detailed these events. And of course with my insatiable hunger to know more about paranormal, I could not resist the opportunity to bring it to life.
Why a murder mystery?
The pivotal vision is Christine so it felt right to develop a more profound story around it
Where is the setting for How Does She Know and is there a specific reason for its selection?
Portland Maine is Diane’s home and she is considered a Mainer. Since the majority is based on true events, it seemed fitting to keep it in her birth place plus it adds so much color to the story.
How have your own experiences influenced your characters in their personalities, characteristics, and little details? For example; do one of you have someone in your life that you put a little bit into Marjorie?
The story revolves around true events that Diane has and continues to experience as a medium- thus all those details built the main character Anna.
If you had to be one character in How Does She Know, who would you choose and why?
I really bond with Lori as I like her moxy and she has the traits of a Gemini which I am part of that club.
What will connect the reader to the story and make them want to keep reading the story?
I find that the layers of the past and present swirling around Anna’s paranormal experiences, the readers want to know how it all intersects at the end.
What was it like collaborating in creating How Does She Know?
Moving from Diane’s detail manuscript to a compelling story had its journey with stops, starts, tears and joy but in the end it is a passion project that came into reality at the right time!
Many first time authors have a problem with letting their work enter into the world for others to read. Did you have difficulty deciding your book was ready to publish?
I truly believe the universe decided when this passion project was ready and it came through with implacable timing. I am a believer of signs and throughout 2023 I was seeing multiple numerals in a row repeating – my sign was the number 1 and it was loud and clear!
What are the daytime secret identities of the authors of How Does She Know that help pay for the electricity to power your computers?
Diane and I both work I work in hospital reimbursement again being a Gemini I have 2 sides for sure!
What is your next project?
A sequel is currently in the works for Anna to continue to bring forth the intrigue of her gifts as they expand and grow – again based on true events!
Andrea Rubinowitz was born and raised in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and from the age of 6 years old fascinated with the paranormal world. From chasing ghosts before impending thunderstorms, racing home after school to watch Dark Shadows, seeing every horror movie with Vincent Price, and finally as an adult, the urge of knowing more never ceased in fact it grew. Upon meeting Diane M. Sylvester, born into a generation of fortune tellers not by choice certainly cannot guarantee a life time of happiness.
Diane M Sylvester
Diane M. Sylvester was raised in Portland, Maine and continues to reside in this beautiful state known as Vacationland. Born into a generation of fortune tellers not by choice; this pedigree cannot guarantee a life time of happiness. She longed to tell her story of her lineage, physic abilities and paranormal experiences that she cannot ignore. How Does She Know is Diane’s first book regarding her amazing gifts.
Marco did okay in math. He could follow the complex blueprints provided to him, navigate the steps, and arrive at the answers that earned him a shiny grade near the front of the alphabet. That is, until middle school. As new and confusing letters started creeping into every question, Marco developed a problem. When a new figure ‘pops’ into his life, he is introduced to a fantastical world where numbers rule, where they live together in villages, engage in duels, build stadiums and cheer for their favorite team as players are flung through the air. Marco’s imagination runs wild as he develops new powers and hungers for more.
But everything is not as it seems. Join Marco, his annoying little sister Maggie, and his best friends Oliver and Liam (a math whiz and a conspiracy nut), as they discover this magical world is more real than they ever could have dreamt. And find out… Will Marco master the Numberfolk before the Numberfolk, very literally, master him?
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is the first installment in a fantastical adventure series that will have readers learning math and enjoying every minute of it. In addition, the text includes over 300 practice problems and solutions as well as access to an entire digital world allowing students to dive directly into Marco’s world with 40+ games to level-up their learning.
Marco the Great
See the tour–wide giveaway at the end.
How did you come up with the idea for Marco the Great?
I have always been an avid reader and a lover of stories. When my daughters were young, we would read The Magic Treehouse series and I was so impressed with how well my kids could pick up on facts from fiction much better than they could with standard textbooks. The idea to create a similar mathematical fantasy world rattled around in my brain for years. It wasn’t until my daughter hit 6th grade and was really struggling that gave me the push I needed to help her. I was substituting a class and the way I happened to explain solving equations had a fun and creepy vibe to it. At that moment I finally knew what the story would be. I started writing and honestly haven’t stopped since! As a bonus, my daughter no longer ‘hates’ math, she has this wonderful excitement when she talks about it, she is so proud and confident, and she went from being behind to being a leader in her honors course. This alone was well worth it, and I so hope that Marco the Great can have a similar impact on students across the world.
How did you do research for Marco the Great?
The math was the easy part. I feel like I have been researching not only the content but the best way to present it to students for my entire personal life and professional career. Every one of the 100+ math textbooks I own, every experience as an educator, and every ‘aha’ moment contributed to the scope, sequence, and presentation of the topics.
I, in some way, researched everything else that went into Marco the Great. Sometimes this was a deep dive into Google or the books I have at home, but often it was just throwing myself into the experience. In one scene, Marco and Mr. Pikake do math in the snow. My kids and I physically did this. I wanted everything to be just right and believable. For instance, I needed to know how it sounds when you are shivering and trying to speak the character’s words. So we played it out! We even wrote out all the equations with a stick and took pictures of them to aid me as I wrote the scene.
Marco the Great has unique page numbers, how did you come up with this idea?
One goal of the book was to help students see that numbers are everywhere. There are numbers we see and don’t ever really think about, and there are others we don’t see that are governing the natural world like friction or gravity. The page numbers were a great place to highlight this. By making them different mathematical equations and expressions, my goal was to show that no matter how difficult the math might look, it’s just a number.
Every book has page numbers that serve as a way to reference and communicate information. They are something we often ignore. In Marco the Great you can’t miss the strange mix of letters and numbers taking over the bottom of each page and they differ depending on the chapter and the concept we are talking about. This provided both a fun and novel way for students to check their understanding and an opportunity to normalize complicated notation and make it more approachable. It had the added benefit of highlighting the unseen numbers we take for granted.
What makes your book different from what’s out there?
One of the reasons I finally took the terrifying leap to publish was because there wasn’t anything on the market. I am certainly a bibliophile and I searched and searched and came up empty. There are books that are math adjacent, but I found these never dug deep enough into the actual concepts. Books that did dig deep were textbooks or technical writing that were hard to read and felt like I had to first translate them into English and then try to understand what they were attempting to explain. Marco the Great presents rigorous mathematics in a way that is fun to read and much easier to comprehend. It uses the power of storytelling to provide a fresh perspective that I believe is so needed in today’s classrooms.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
My technical profession is educator and instructional designer. I have spent years designing and developing courses and curricular material which made the transition to writing a bit easier. A huge part of my educational philosophy is that learning should be fun. Most of my days are spent coding math games. I think that learning through play is the absolute best way to master new concepts.
The norm is for instructional designers to stay out of the classroom. I always felt this was a huge mistake. How can I design a strong and engaging curriculum if I am so removed from the students using it? So, throughout the years I have always kept one foot in the classroom. Not only does this bring me so much joy, energy, and purpose, it helps me to continue to understand the demographics I am designing for and what is important to them.
What is your next project?
I am very excited for the next book in the Marco the Great series: Marco the Great and the Mystery of Phaseville. It focuses on Algebra concepts such as functions and graphing. I am in love with the story and can’t wait to get everything just right.
What are the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Marco the Great?
The biggest reward is helping students to not fear numbers; to see their importance, and to feel more confident in learning and doing mathematics. There is so much talk about how math is useless, we don’t use what we learn in our daily lives. But I see it differently, I see math everywhere I look. Learning math is the process of making sense of the world around us, optimization, logic, engineering, it’s everything. If I can help a student to see, understand, and appreciate math, it is all worth it.
As a mom, how do you balance your time?
My kids inspire me. I watch how my teenagers respond to situations, funny things they say, and all of that goes into the story in some way. They help me a lot. I’ll read a passage and watch their reaction. When they smile or can’t help but let out a chuckle it tells me ‘that’s a good line’.
My husband is also a huge help. We both work from home and homeschool. We split things up. The kids rotate coming out into my office (my son is here with me now working on his own math homework) and then back inside. Everything is a balancing act, and I am sure I fail at it. But that’s okay. I try to do better every day and am so thankful for all the time I get with my kids.
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is a MathBait publication. The first installment in the series covers standards from 6th & 7th grade Prealgebra. The exact topics can be found at www.mathbait.com/marco-the-great.
Marco the Great has a 4th-6th grade reading level and was written for a middle school audience. However, it is a great option for younger students as well, either independently or read aloud. Throughout his journey, Marco encounters bullying which may be uncomfortable for younger readers. Parents may skip the related passages (pages 22, 60, and 112), if desired, for the given audience
Find Marco the Great an the History of Numberville at Amazon.
We are doing a tour–wide giveaway of a signed copy of the book and a MathBait T-shirt. SK has THREE sets available for US and/or Canada winners.
SK Bennett is an award-winning educator, instructional designer, mathematician, and homeschool mom of five. She spent years designing courses for top companies and institutions before deciding it was time to embrace her belief that learning should be fun and math should never be all about memorization and rote procedures. Inspired by her favorite stories, she set out to create Marco’s world – where learning is an adventure and math is never ever boring.
Michelle Alger flees when her secretly recorded tryst winds up on the internet. She has no option but to hide. Her one-night stand—the son of a powerful US senator—was murdered. Learning she’s the prime suspect is traumatizing. Already a member of witness protection thanks to a Colombian drug lord kidnapping her in college, she now has to run from the senator and law enforcement. To make matters worse, the drug lord finally knows her location and is hot on her trail. There’s only one man she trusts. He saved her once, can he do it again six years later?
Captain Jeremy Malone no longer wears a Green Beret. He’s traded in his fatigues for a new life leading Delta Squad, a covert unit within SweetBriar Group. His latest orders from the senator: find the unknown woman and bring her to me. But Jeremy knows her identity. He once rescued her from a Colombian cartel, and has never forgotten her. He assigns his squad a new mission: find Michelle first and learn the real story.
Michelle and Jeremy can’t deny their explosive chemistry. But, with every new piece of evidence, Jeremy’s faith in Michelle’s innocence is questioned. Is her plea for help a ruse…or a trap set by a beautiful woman determined to expose Jeremy’s own secrets…
This is the second book in the SweetBriar Group (SBG) series and can be read as a standalone.
Shadow of Doubt
See the tour–wide giveaway at the end.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Inspirations for stories sometimes come from real-life situations in the world. I think in high concept when I see a news story or read an article (war, bioweapon, terrorist) and play the “what if” game. Example: What if a small terrorist cell gets their hands on a bioweapon, how would my black ops team stop them?
Other story ideas just hit me from nowhere. Characters start to introduce themselves and I try to “talk” to them to understand who they are.
How did you do research for your book?
For this book and series, I used a combination of hands-on, internet, and interviews. A few years ago, I attended The Writer’s Police Academy. It’s a hands-on, comprehensive conference given by police officers, first responders, and federal law enforcement. It was amazing and taught me so much. Especially when they let me shoot lasers from a real (but modified) gun. I also interviewed anybody and everybody that would talk to me about so many topics.
Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
Wraith was the hardest character to write. She’s complex. She’s a badass sniper who made a horrible mistake during a mission. I had to show her losing the ability to compartmentalize emotions to feeling everything. And make it so the readers still rooted for her.
Talon seems to be the easiest character to write because he hogs every scene and wants to be the center of attention. I’m constantly reining him in.
There are many books out there with black ops teams in romantic suspense. Why should you read mine?
The SBG series not only deals with life-and-death situations, but also with emotional complexities and dynamics within a team of people who’re closer than family. You’ll read both heavy-action and intricate emotional entanglements. These operators are badass, trained to save the day/world at all costs, but they’re also human with human emotions and responses.
Your book is set in a couple of US locations. Have you ever been there?
Most of my books have international settings. I like to hop around the world to keep the suspense engaging. That said, Shadow of Doubt has two main locations in the US: A fictional town in the North Carolina mountains, and Indianapolis. I’ll admit I chose these locations because I’ve been to both and could picture the places as I set the scenes.
How long have you been writing?
I started late in life. I’ve been an avid reader from the moment I sounded out “See Jane Run,” but it never occurred to me to write a book myself. That happened in 2009. Oy. Some days I wonder if the elevator got stuck on the bottom floor of my brain when I decided to “give it a shot.”
What advice would you give budding writers?
I have two pieces of advice. One is for those who’ve never attempted to write an entire book: Don’t angst and worry about story structure and trying to make it perfect. No matter if it becomes published or not, you will always have a story you want to read.
The second advice is for those who reached the end of their draft and are saying “now what?” Celebrate the victory. It’s tremendously hard to achieve this milestone. Revel in your success.
What is your next project?
I’m in the process of brainstorming an anti-hero. I’ve always written alpha characters and strong villains. Now, I want to see if I can write a villain worth rooting for.
We are doing a tour–wide giveaway of a signed print copy and some swag. P.A. has FIVE sets available for US winners. She also has FIVE ebooks to send to readers worldwide.
A. DePaul is a Publishers Weekly Bestselling and award-winning author.Her books are full of action, suspense, and romance.
As a hybrid author, she has books traditionally and independently published. Her traditional publishers include Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, and Harlequin Books.
When two murders strain the police force of a remote Alaskan fishing port, veterinarian Maureen McMurtry is tapped by Dutch Harbor’s police chief for forensic assistance. The doctor’s got a past she’d rather not discuss, a gun in her closet, and a retired police dog that hasn’t lost her chops. All come in handy as she deciphers the cause and time of death of a local drug addict washed ashore with dead sea lions and an environmentalist found in a crab pot hauled from the sea in the net of a fishing vessel.
When her romantic relationship with a boat captain is swamped by mounting evidence that he’s the prime suspect in one of the murders, McMurtry struggles with her own doubts to prove his innocence. But can she? McMurtry’s pals, a manager of the Bering Sea crab fishery and another who tends Alaska’s most dangerous bar assist in unraveling the sinister truth.
See the tour–wide giveaway at the end.
How did you research your book?
Research was not required. Write what you know, right? As a longtime participant in the Alaska fishing industry, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use my experience as the backdrop to this book. What could be more intriguing than creating a world where commercial fishing and murder meet? However, I knew nothing about police dogs and so made an inquiry with the Seattle Police K9 Unit. They invited me to their training site. I was so appreciative, I named the dog in the book after the K9 Unit shepherd, CoCo.
Which was the hardest character to write?
The arch villain. It was difficult for me to navigate how to leave clues without giving away the identity of the culprit. The protagonist was a bit of a struggle, a learning experience really. Because the book is written in third person, I wrote many revisions trying out ways to best express what was inside her head.
Which was the easiest?
The police chief was the easiest character to write. I have no idea why.
There are many crime mystery books out there. What makes yours different?
As a former fisherman married to a fishing boat captain, and with a career as a journalist, fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska and a seafood company executive, I’ve got the credentials to pull off authenticity. And along the way, the reader will learn a lot about Alaska and commercial fishing.
What’s your next project?
I’m currently writing the second book of the series. So if you like the characters that inhabit DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR, you can revisit them.
What is the last great book you read?
I could not put down the book, HORSE, by Geraldine Brooks. Its historical fiction, based on a real racehorse that was trained by a slave. The mystery unravels through the point of view of different characters, some in the present and some in the past. It tackles racism in a unique and poignant manner.
What authors inspired you to write?
There were many authors that inspired me to write like Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Craig Johnson, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Martin Cruz Smith, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie and Dashell Hammett but the book that lit a writing fire under me as a teenager was John Barth’s book, The Sot-Weed Factor. It’s a wild ride of historical fiction that showed me there was no limit to using your imagination when crafting a yarn.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
There was a scene between Dr. Mo and her pal, Patsy, in a restaurant that was painful to cut. Patsy, one of my favorite characters, used salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce and catsup bottles and a fork to make a point about the doc’s messed-up personal life. It was near the end of the book where the pace had escalated. The scene slowed things down and, gulp, had to go. I hope to find a place for it in the second book!
D. MacNeill Parker and her family are long time participants in the Alaska fishing industry. In addition to fishing for halibut, salmon, crab, and cod, she’s been a journalist, a fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska, and a seafood company executive. She’s traveled to most ports in Alaska, trekked mountains in the Chugach range, rafted the Chulitna River, worked in hunting camps, andsurvived a boat that went down off the coast of Kodiak. Parker’s been to Dutch Harbor many times experiencing her share of white knuckler airplane landings and beer at the Elbow Room, famed as Alaska’s most dangerous bar. While the characters in this book leapt from her imagination, they thrive in this authentic setting. She loves Alaska, the sea, a good yarn and her amazing family.
Penny Crenshaw’s divorce and her husband’s swift remarriage to a much younger woman have been hot topics around Atlanta’s social circles. After a year of enduring the cruel gossip, Penny leaps from the frying pan into the fire by heading back to Kentucky to settle her grandmother’s estate.Reluctantly, Penny travels to her hometown of Camden, knowing she will be stirring up all the ghosts from her turbulent childhood. But not all her problems stem from a dysfunctional family. One of Penny’s greatest sources of pain lives just down the street: Bradley Hitchens, her childhood best friend, the keeper of her darkest secrets, and the boy who shattered her heart.As Penny struggles with sorting through her grandmother’s house and her own memories, a colorful group of friends drifts back into her life, reminding her of the unique warmth, fellowship, and romance that only the Bluegrass state can provide. Now that fate has forced Penny back, she must either let go of the scars of her past or risk losing a second chance at love..
I want to bring the charm of the South to a wider community of readers. It’s my goal to immerse them in the culture, food, and characters, so I look around my surroundings or dig back to my upbringing to find inspiration
Your book is set in Kentucky. Have you ever been there?
I was born and raised in the Bluegrass State. I still consider it home, though I’ve been gone for decades.
How did you do research for your book?
Where the Grass Grows Blue is set in Kentucky, where I was born and raised, so I was comfortable with most topics—food, dialogue, and setting. But I did write in flashbacks and had to study pop culture during those decades so as tonot get the year wrong. I also had to do some serious research into genetic diseases, as they are a plot point for my protagonist.
What is your next project?
I’m almost finished with my second book, Ashes to Ashes. It’s an upmarket fiction book, set in the South, of course, that focuses on a tight-knit group of women whose world is rocked after the unexpected death of their dear friend, Ellen, under mysterious circumstances. But before they can even process their grief, they stumble across a web of secrets and lies, unraveling Ellen’s perfect life—the one she tried so hard to project to the outside world. Now they must rely on each other to find out who the real Ellen Foster was while grappling with the idea that they never really knew her at all.
What genre do you write in?
Women’s fiction and contemporary romance. But my third book will be historical fiction because it’s set in the early 1970s. I don’t want to be boxed into one genre.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster. I can’t tell you how much I loved that book.
Which authors inspired you to write?
Elin Hilderbrand. She’s the reason I started writing in the first place. I adore her. I even traveled to Nantucket last fall with a group of girlfriends to have the Elin “experience.” It was an absolute blast, plus I met her! On my website, you can find a blog post I wrote about that trip.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I was a stay-at-home mother of five for twenty-five years. A few years ago, I started re-evaluating my life. At that point, it hit me. My children would soon be leaving for college. So I started “journaling” on a laptop. That lasted about a week before I noticed I wasn’t writing aboutmyfeelings or goals—I was creating a character.Now that my children are grown, I’m writing full-time. But that’s only one part of my “writing life.” I’m also a tour guide for Bookish Road Trip, an upbeat community of book lovers, authors, and bibliophiles. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, andon their website. I’m in charge of the Author Take the Wheel program.
Hope Gibbs grew up in rural Scottsville, Kentucky. As the daughter of an English teacher, she was raised to value the importance of good storytelling from an early age. Today, she’s an avid reader of women’s fiction. Drawn to multi-generational family sagas, relationship issues, and the complexities of being a woman, she translates those themes into her own writing. Hope lives in Tennessee with her husband and her persnickety Shih Tzu, Harley. She is also the mother of five. In her downtime, she loves playing tennis, poring over old church cookbooks, singing karaoke, curling up on her favorite chair with a book, and playing board games. Hope has a B.A. from Western Kentucky University and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
The bridge at Sagamore was closed when we got there that summer of 1956. We had to cross the canal at Buzzards Bay over the only other roadway that tethered Cape Cod to the mainland.
Thus twelve-year-old Lily Grainger, while safe from ‘communists and the Pope,’ finds her family suddenly adrift. That was the summer the Andrea Doria sank, pilot whales stranded, and Lily’s father built a house he couldn’t afford. Target practice on a nearby decommissioned Liberty Ship echoed not only the rancor in her parents’ marriage, a rancor stoked by Lily’s competitive uncle, but also Lily’s troubles with her sister, her cousins, and especially with her mother. In her increasingly desperate efforts to salvage her parents’ marriage, Lily discovers betrayals beyond her understanding as well as the small ways in which people try to rescue each other. She draws on her music lessons and her love of Cape Cod—from Sagamore and Monomoy to Nauset Spit and the Wellfleet Dunes, seeking safe passage from the limited world of her salt marsh to the larger, open ocean.
Water Music by Marcia Peck 12 QUESTIONS WITH Marcia peck
There are many books out there about complicated family dynamics…What makes yours different?
The difficulties Lily’s family grapple with are not only grounded in their own history, but are very much echoed in the landscape they inhabit. They are nourished by the bounty of the sea and salt air, but also threatened by storms and a changeable, often indifferent landscape.
Your book is set in Cape Cod. Have you ever been there?
My family spent our summers on Cape Cod all through my childhood and adolescence, and I’ve felt spiritually bonded to that remarkable bit of land and sea all my life.
In your book you make a reference to the sinking of the Andrea Doria….how did you come up with this idea? What made you write a book about…?
The sinking of that brand new, sleek ocean liner has always fascinated me. And when I learned that the Ile de France turned around, 40 miles out to sea to come to the princess ship’s aid and saved countless lives, I saw a parallel between the young ocean liner (Lily) and the older, reliable Ile de France (the steady mother Lily longed to have.)
Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
Hardest character to write was Lily’s mother. To understand her, I had to place myself in the shoes of a talented, smart, isolated mother of two daughters in the 1950’s who longed to find meaning in her role.
Easiest was Uncle George, the blow-hard.
How long have you been writing?
Forty-ish years. I loved reading to my daughter when she was little. In fact I began reading to her almost from the day she was born. (And kept it up until she cut me off!) I began to journal when she was born, and before I knew it, I was trying to write short stories.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
Fraught with signs of hope, rejection, learning new skills, a huge time drain, and
finally…euphoria.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I’m a cellist with a symphony orchestra. For me, that has been a perfect combination. In WATER MUSIC I kept thinking about the little motifs that recur in Wagner or Rachmaninoff, those little echoes that invisibly tie a work together.
Is there a specific ritualistic thing you do during your writing time?
I try to empty my head. I meditate (with an app) for ten or twenty minutes before I begin to write.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?
Hmmm… The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, and Archie and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
What TV series are you currently binge watching?
Paris Murders, Modern Love
Any hobbies? or Name a quirky thing you like to do.
I consider myself a mycophile (mushroom hunter). But have gotten awfully rusty, so these days I confine myself to a couple of the choicest (and easiest to identify).
What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
Two things: Climb the Grand Teton and perform an unaccompanied Bach Suite
Marcia Peck’s writing has received a variety of awards, including New Millenium Writings (First prize for “Memento Mori”) and Lake Superior Writers’ Conference (First Prize for “Pride and Humility”). Her articles have appeared in Musical America, Strad Magazine, Strings Magazine, Senza Sordino, and the op-ed pages of the Minneapolis StarTribune. Marcia’s fiction has appeared in Chautauqua Journal, New Millenium Writings, Gemini Magazine, and Glimmer Train, among others.
Growing up in New Jersey with parents who were both musicians, Marcia set out to be the best cellist she could be. She spent two years studying in Germany in the Master Class of the renowned Italian cellist, Antonio Janigro. Since then she has spent her musical career with the Minnesota Orchestra, where she met and married the handsome fourth horn player.
Marcia has always been a cat person. But she has learned to love dogs—even the naughty ones, maybe especially the naughty ones.
Clarissa Martinez, a biracial young woman, has lived in seven different countries by the time she turns twenty. She thinks it’s time to settle in a place she could call home. But where?
She joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts, a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth century invention of the printing press. For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.
Though immersed in art, she’s naïve about life. She’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?
And she wonders—will this quest reward her with a sense of belonging, a sense of home?
8 QUESTIONS WITH Evy Journey
What makes your book different from other fiction on art, artists, and art heists?
Few novels focus on illuminated manuscripts, especially stolen ones. This story is inspired by real events and goes deeper into motives other than financial gain for art thievery. It gives a glimpse into an esoteric art world, and of medieval manuscripts as precursors to today’s picture books.
Your book is set mainly in the Bay Area, but also includes scenes in Paris. Have you ever been to these places?
I’ve lived in different cities in California including the SF Bay Area and stayed for two to six months in Paris across several years. I presume to know these places fairly well.
How did you do research for your book?
I wrote a paper on illuminated manuscripts decades ago. But recent research usually uncovers previously unknown facts, and the scope of this book goes beyond manuscripts, so I read more books and articles and watched relevant documentaries. I also surveyed my email list to learn what and how many readers know or have read about illuminated manuscripts.
What is your next project?
How about a novel on Edouard Manet (“father” of modern art, Le Dejeuner SurL’herbe) and Berthe Morisot, one of very few female Impressionist painters? Were they more than friends, or was he just a mentor/painter to her student/muse? She eventually married his brother. If I find enough intrigue in what’s been written about them, I’ll be sorely tempted.
What genre do you write and why?
The freedom self-publishing gives me is that I can mix genres—a little mystery, a little romance, women’s issues, family life—all in one novel. So I say I write literary because it can accommodate all those, and it lets you probe into the inner lives of characters. Lately, I’ve woven well-researched real events into my fiction that I hope would raise a question or two in readers’ minds.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
It’s still Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, which I read in 2015. I’ve read a number of good books since, including Doerr’s latest, but this to me is still tops.
Which authors inspired you to write?
Austen and Dostoevsky—writers from my youth whose books I’ve read several times. Ms. Austen might be an obvious inspiration. Dostoevsky nurtures my characters’ existential angst, as well as mine.
Any encounters with celebrities?
I talked (kind of) to Francis Ford Coppola, dapper in a light brown linen suit, sitting by himself outside a café next to the short-stay apartment we were renting in Paris. I wrote about the encounter on my author website.
Teensy excerpts: “Polite in that guarded celebrity way, he doesn’t encourage much interaction, but doesn’t shrink from it, either.
Hero-worship shining in my eyes, I say, “I think you’re the best director America has seen in a while. I love your movies, especially Apocalypse Now.”
He smiles patiently, mumbles something nice and inconsequential. After a few more inane remarks, we realize we must leave him in peace so he can enjoy pretending he’s like everyone else who visits Paris.”
Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse.
Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.
Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.
What if crying out for help made you a target? Within hours of arriving in Montego Bay, Eddie Barrow and his friend Corey Stephenson witness a gruesome murder outside a bar. When the victim’s sister reaches out for help, they learn of machinations to conceal foreign corporate corruption and a series of horrific sex crimes. However, Barrow and Stephenson’s commitment to solving the case is put to the test once they find themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal network—one that extends beyond the shores of Jamaica.
Jam Run by Russell Brooks.
11 Questions with Russell Brooks.
How did you do research for your book? I read several news articles to research the subject matter of Jam Run—especially the character and situation that were inspired by the murder of Dwayne Jones. He was a trans teenager who attended a dance party outside Montego Bay dressed as a woman. I read about other events that also inspired the story’s plot.
Further research involved consulting with experts, including locals in Jamaica, gun and martial arts experts, a Jamaican lawyer, a psychologist, and even an inventor who appeared on the TV show Shark Tank.
Your book is set in Montego Bay and its surrounding areas. Have you ever been there? Yes. I visited Montego Bay in January 2023 and spent two weeks visiting the locations in Jam Run.
Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest? Chevelle was the most challenging character to write. She’s a high-functioning autistic person who was raped when she was twelve and had a son. My knowledge of autism was limited before I created the character, so it was essential to consult with Nordia Sweeney—a Jamaican specializing in teaching intellectually disabled students—to make Chevelle realistic. Since Chevelle was also a rape victim, I had to approach that content very carefully to avoid offending readers who are either rape survivors or who know or work with them.
The protagonists, Eddie Barrow and Corey Stephenson were the easiest characters to write because I already wrote about them in Chill Run, the first book in the series. As an author, I learn more about the characters I write about as I progress with a manuscript.
How are you similar to or different from your lead character? The only similarities between Eddie Barrow and myself are that we’re both authors born and raised in Montreal and whose parents are from Barbados.
In your book you make a reference to the murder of Dwayne Jones…how did you come up with this idea? What made you write a book about…Dwayne? I read about Dwayne Jones’s murder while working on The Demeter Code. I was disturbed to read he was killed for dressing up as a woman while attending a straight party. What was worst was the way he was killed. The poor guy was stabbed, shot, and run over by a vehicle. That’s beyond hatred. It’s pure evil. And it says a lot about the killer(s). What also bothered me was the fact there were over 300 people at the party, yet nobody claimed to have seen anything—even though the incident began in the parking lot. The details of the murder were so disturbing I couldn’t ignore or forget. Full disclosure, Chill Run was initially written as a standalone. However, Dwayne Jones’s murder inspired me to write a sequel that deals with hatred, crimes, and injustices against the LGBTQ+ community because, in my opinion, these issues aren’t addressed in the Caribbean community often enough. Fortunately, some countries in the Caribbean have abolished laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. Others still keep these laws active, which I believe is unfortunate.
There are many crime thriller books out there about rape and hate crimes. What makes yours different? What makes Jam Run different from other novels in the genre is that 98% of the characters are Afro-Caribbean and inspired by events that mostly took place in Jamaica. What’s also unique is that Eddie Barrow is a young Black man of Barbadian descent born in Montreal, Quebec. We usually see crime-solving characters who are white and who are either detectives or former military. Sometimes we see Black characters who are tough and intimidating. Luther—played by Idris Elba—comes to mind.
Eddie is the opposite. He’s not a detective. He’s an author with no fighting skills, nor does he fit the tough guy image we’re used to. He’s the guy next door and one of the least intimidating people you can imagine.
But most importantly, we often read about stories of the genre with Caribbean settings. Still, the Caribbean culture is absent because they aren’t written by authors who are either West Indian or of West Indian descent. I wrote and researched Jam Run in a way that would not stereotype Jamaica or the Caribbean. This is why having the Jamaican characters speak as the average Jamaican living in Jamaica would speak—whether in Patois, broken English or English with local expressions was important. For instance, there’s a scene where Eddie, Corey, and a secondary character are trying to escape a burning house. Their acquaintance tells them they can exit through the washroom. Eddie’s puzzled until Corey yells that their acquaintance was referring to the laundry room.
What is your next project? My next project will be the fourth Ridley Fox/Nita Parris thriller.
What is the last great book you’ve read? Die Trying by Lee Child.
What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book? One of the challenges for me was raising funds to publish and market Jam Run. The story and subject required weeks of research due to the sensitivity of the content. While working on my first book, I read that the average person won’t be my only audience. There will be industry professionals such as police officers, martial artists, lawyers, and doctors who’ll read my books. But in this instance, I knew that I had to be extra careful so as not to offend rape survivors or those who know or have worked with these victims to be sure that the wrong message is not interpreted by either a sentence of dialogue or the way I describe a scene. The biggest reward as of today was that for the first time, I visited Jamaica and went to the locations that took place in the story. I also had a chance to experience Jamaica, meet the locals, and have one of the best times of my life.
Which authors inspired you to write? John Grisham, Vince Flynn, and Joseph Finder.
If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be? I want them to remember me as the author that kept them up late at night that they woke up late for work.
Russell Brooks is an Amazon bestselling author of several thrillers—Pandora’s Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, Chill Run, and The Demeter Code. If you enjoy heart-pounding thrillers with conspiracies, martial arts, sex, betrayal, and revenge, then you don’t need to look any further and
see why these are among the best mystery thriller books of all time..
Leaning into his experience as a preeminent international lawyer, Born weaves an exciting tale that spans Africa, the Middle East and Europe in a relentless pursuit of WWII Nazi intel that will enthrall the reader from the first page.
The File
Enter Sara West, a tenacious botany graduate student on a scientific expedition in the heart of the African jungle. During her research, she stumbles upon a cache of WWII Nazi files in the wreck of a German bomber hidden deep within the jungle. Those hidden files reveal the location of a multibillion-dollar war chest, secretly deposited by the Nazis in numbered Swiss bank accounts at the end of WWII.
But Sara isn’t the only one interested in the war chest. Former KGB agent Ivan Petronov and Franklin Kerrington III, deputy director of the CIA, both have deeply personal reasons for acquiring the files Sara has found.
With two dangerous men — and their teams of hit men — on her trail, will Sara be able to escape the jungle alive?
The File by Gary Born Release date March 28, 2323
6 QUESTIONS WITH GARY BORN
How did having a background in international law shape the planning and execution of this novel?
One of the central themes of the novel involves secret Swiss bank accounts, holding Nazi deposits from World War II. My practice in international law has involved both Swiss bank accounts and WWII assets, which provided vital background for this aspect of the thriller.
You tackle a lot of settings throughout the book, how do you do research to write about different settings and countries? Do you pull from your own personal travel experiences?
I have traveled almost everywhere in the world, for both work and pleasure. I drew on hikes in Uganda and Congo, on road trips in the Sahara, travels in Italy and many weeks in Zurich for the settings in the book. It is never easy to capture the heart and soul of a place in a few sentences, but these travels helped me along the way.
“A thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing thriller with a captivating young, beautiful American botanist at the center of the fast paced action. Rooting for Sara West as she evades a Russian assassination team through the dense jungles of central Africa – her expedition experience and wits her only weapons in a race to safety - will keep you up past your bedtime. Can Sara trust CIA operative Jeb Fisher or will the likable, attractive American also betray her trust? This well written adventure will take Sara from the rainforests of central Africa to the shores of north Africa and on to the cobbled streets of Europe as she struggles to identify friend from foe. Is it all a trap? The suspense will keep you guessing and eagerly awaiting a sequel…..”– Gina Haspel, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Sara is a 28 year old graduate student, why did you decide to write a main character with significantly different life experiences then your own?
Sara’s experience isn’t that different from mine, in some important ways. I spent time in the Ruwenzori mountains — without killers on my trail, to be sure — when I was Sara’s age. And I have a daughter who is also from Sara’s generation. I think the character has some of both my daughter and myself in her.
Did you conduct any kind of research to help write the book?
I spent time researching Nazi warplanes and Tempelhof; walked the streets of Zurich, imagining chase scenes; spent a few days in Lucca and the surrounding area, developing Jeb and Sara’s time there. I also researched what FSS and FSB operatives would and wouldn’t have been good at — thoughts that I passed along to Sara for her use.
What do you hope the readers take away from your book?
Many things, but especially Sara’s determination and resilience, even when nothing seemed possible. Her objectivity and resourcefulness. The complexity of Sara and Jeb’s relationship, as it unfolds. Sara’s reactions to her father’s death and fiance’s betrayal. The different forms of malice and evil that Petronov and Kerrington personified, and Sara’s responses to that.
“A taut globe-trotting thriller, as American and Russian intelligence operatives race to hunt down the discoverer of a long-buried secret, told with eloquence and ruthless efficiency.” – George Nolfi, screenwriter, “The Bourne Ultimatum”
What projects are you working on next?
Another thriller — “The Priest” — a former Mafia enforcer is posted abroad after giving up his life of mayhem and becoming a priest; by chance, he befriends a former high-ranking general, whose deathbed confession and will sends the priest in search of documents that would reshape the map of Asia, while chased by intelligence services intent on stopping the priest in his tracks.
The File by Gary Born will be available March 28, 2323.
Author Bio:
About the Author
Gary Born is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He has been ranked for more than 20 years as one of the world’s leading international arbitration advocates and authors. “The File” is his debut novel.
In the twilight of his NFL career as a middle linebacker for the Chicago Storm, Mike “the Steelman” Stalowski masks his physical pain and mental anguish with alcohol and painkillers. The fan favorite has a rebel image and a notorious reputation, and he plays a violent gridiron game fueled by inner rage. While estranged from his wife and living in the fishbowl environment of professional sports, he unexpectedly meets the fresh-out-of-college Kim Richardson. She sees through Mike’s star persona to who he really is—a kind guy from the Southeast Side of Chicago who has never forgotten his humble blue-collar roots. The lives of the star-crossed, seemingly mismatched couple collide during a whirlwind romance that culminates in a tragic series of events. The Walk-On is a timeless tale of love and loss that explores the consequences of personal decisions and the rewards of faith, redemption, and hope.
The Walk-On by Richard Podkowski
7 Questions with Richard Podkowski
What advice would you give budding writers?
I learned from experience that just because you have a story swirling in your head, you shouldn’t jump in and start writing. First and foremost, plan out your story and research your genre. In my case, writing a fiction novel was way more complicated than I expected. The process may have been less stressful if I’d had a basic understanding of elements like protagonist, plot, foreshadowing, conflict, and which, if any, fiction sub-genre the story in my head would ultimately be — before I started typing. Writing until I was “done” wasn’t a sound strategy either. Secondly, since word count is critical…refer to number one….plan out your story. An outline would have been helpful, especially to plot out important reveals from my protagonist’s past. I would have avoided problematic repetition by doing so. Especially since I wrote the first draft in fits and starts over eleven years!
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I am a retired career US Secret Service special agent. My assignments, both criminal investigations and protection, and duty stations took me not only around the country, but around the world. My experiences, the people I met and places I visited have inspired my writing. After retiring, I continued to do strategic security and risk management consulting for clients in the private sector. However, after forty years of protecting people and property, I’m eager to pursue my creative interests more. In addition to writing, I began taking acting lessons about ten years ago and have been lucky to book minor roles in TV, film, commercials, along with print work. I keep auditioning because I never know when I might get a big break, as evidenced by finally getting published after many years of querying literary agents resulted in dead ends and disappointment.
Where do you write?
I have a home office with a desk and computer. I rarely use a legal pad and pen to make notes anymore, instead organizing my thoughts with computer note-taking options. I try to eliminate potential distractions and have made it a point to not keep my cell phone nearby. Although I am inspired by everyday life and social interaction, I need solitude to sort and synthesize my ideas. Sometimes to stay focused, I work in a library where the atmosphere of concentration and quiet enhances my productivity.
Do you snack while writing?
Not usually. I do keep a beverage nearby. Usually hot tea which I drink pretty much year-round. If I need a snack or break for a meal, I get up and walk away to the kitchen or another room to eat and recharge. Plus, I hate getting crumbs or something sloppy on the keyboard or desk.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I’m a baby boomer, born in the late 50s. I have this vision of a post-WWII idyllic life when America was getting back to living again after the atrocities of war. Large-scale projects such as the building of the US interstate system allowed for easier travel between states and the connection of big cities and the new suburban communities springing up as weary soldiers returned and started families. Cultural changes were afoot in music with the advent of rock n’ roll, automobile and clothing styles, movies, TV, and architecture. Good things were happening and I think it would be exciting to experience them as a young adult!
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
As a Secret Service agent protecting US Presidents around the world, often under challenging circumstances, I carried a lot of responsibility. It’s a unique law enforcement mission. You never want anything to happen on your watch!
What is your theme song?
I’ve often been told I don’t take instruction well. It’s cliché, but I identify with Frank Sinatra’s popular song, “My Way!” I usually follow my instincts and my heart even though the path may be unconventional. At least until my wife changes my mind.
Richard Podkowski, a native of Chicago’s South Side, began writing fiction while studying criminal justice at Loyola University Chicago.
As a United States Secret Service special agent, Richard protected U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries and investigated major domestic and international financial crimes until he retired in 2003.
Richard’s projects include a Christmas romantic comedy screenplay and a crime story, both
currently in the works. In his free time, Richard enjoys riding his road bike, working out, and
making Christmas ornaments. He currently resides with his wife in Los Angeles.
In The Walk-On, Mike “the Steelman” Stalowski is a blue-collar kid who grew up in the shadows of the Chicago steel mills, where hard-working immigrants poured molten steel 24/7 while smokestacks belched black smoke until they were shuttered in the mid-70s. The word steel in Polish is “stal” which is the root of the Steelman’s surname. Technically, my interpretation means he’s made of steel.
Chicago, one of the most diverse cities in the world, has many nicknames including Chi-town, City of Big Shoulders, Windy City, Second City, and oddly for most, the Third Coast. Although if you’ve ever been on the lakefront, you understand.
Many people have heard of the South, North and West Sides. No East Side as you’d be in Lake Michigan. The city has over 200 distinct neighborhoods. You’ll find the Steelman in Hegewisch, Lincoln Park, Little Italy, Wrigleyville and the Gold Coast. The long-standing North Side / South Side rivalry is real. One of my characters from the South Side mocks a friend from the North Side for not venturing farther south than Roosevelt Road. Technically, the dividing line is Madison Street. Ironically, both live in the western suburbs, which is another rivalry.
The South Side is known for being more blue-collar, and it definitely has some of the city’s most poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Conversely, the white-collar North Side includes the bustling downtown area, with its well-known skyscrapers, lakefront recreation and residential high-rises, mansions, upscale eateries and shopping options, and numerous cultural destinations.
I am proud to have grown up on the South Side. We were certainly blue-collar, poor actually, and I lived in a tiny cottage bungalow. Like Stalowski, my parents were Polish immigrants who came to Chicago seeking a better life. My dad toiled in the South Side stockyards until he became a printer. My mother worked on a Westinghouse Corporation factory assembly line, alongside other Polish and Hispanic women. She didn’t speak good English, and she didn’t speak bad Spanish. They got along just fine.
I didn’t visit downtown until I was in 1st or 2nd grade and never dreamed I would one day attend Loyola University on the North Side lakefront. In all fairness, I confess that after becoming empty-nesters, my wife and I lived in East Lakeview and loved it. We walked everywhere: grocery store, gym, church, Wrigley Field, live theater, restaurants, Lincoln Park and even to the glitzy Magnificent Mile on North Michigan Avenue. Can’t do that in the towns of area codes 708, 630, or 847.
The baseball rivalry is real too. The Cubs are the North Side heroes. The White Sox are their South Side rivals. Fortunately, the whole city roots for the Bulls, Blackhawks and Chicago Bears. In The Walk-On, the city cheers for the fictional NFL Chicago Storm. As the book begins, Mike “the Steelman” Stalowski, notorious hometown hero hailing from the South Side, has been a fan favorite for years.
I hope you’ll enjoy Mike’s escapades around Chicago — my beloved hometown.
Richard Podkowski, a native of Chicago’s South Side, began writing fiction while studying criminal justice at Loyola University Chicago.
As a United States Secret Service special agent, Richard protected U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries and investigated major domestic and international financial crimes until he retired in 2003.
Richard’s projects include a Christmas romantic comedy screenplay and a crime story, both
currently in the works. In his free time, Richard enjoys riding his road bike, working out, and
making Christmas ornaments. He currently resides with his wife in Los Angeles.
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