1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I’ve always been creative. I have an over active imagination. And often times I’ll read a story and think the ending could have been better, or something else would have made more sense. So I eventually decided to write my own stories.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
Specifically with this book, I was sick of most vampire stories featuring vampires falling in love with a whiney neurotic teenager. Vampires see us as food, not lovers. I’ve never lusted after a big mac. So why would a vampire lust after his food. So I decided to write a dark vampire story with an actual monster who has a complete disregard for human life.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
That’s a tough on. The theme itself is about revenge. But at its heart…the story explores the vampires broken heart. He loved someone who turned on him. It drove him mad. And most of the book focuses on his madness. I guess that’s the take away…women drive men mad
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
Honestly…a facebook vote lol. I wanted to write several different genres. And I asked my followers which of several ideas they liked most based off 3 line pitches…and this one got most likes lol.
Advertisements
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
This is a hard one. I get into the head of all my characters as I write them. Good or bad, I try to write from his or her point of view. So in essence…I’m already a part of all of them.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Id say facebook has been most influential. I have a decent following from my days as a former youtuber. My old YouTube channel still has 25k subs…and I haven’t yet released a video on the channel to get sales for my book. But im debating advertising on my old channel. So if I do…YouTube will likely be most helpful lol but as of now…its facebook.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Just do it. Don’t do it for fame or money. Just write what you enjoy. Tell a story you would want to read. And get it done. If people like it great. If not…who cares. You did it. The most satisfying part so far…is being able to say I wrote a book. The fact so many people who’ve read it….like it…is just a bonus.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?
This book is a planned trilogy. So I’m really excited for people to find out what happens to Alaric after the cliffhanger ending. After that I want to do a autobiography. I’ve lived a crazy life and want to document it in case I die one day lol
1) Tell about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I am a person who loves people and helping others be their personal best. My husband and I enjoy art, music, traveling, and great food.
As a child in elementary school, I loved Show & Tell, and I often found myself making up stories to tell the class. I was also among a little group of classmates honored when our poems were published in the newspaper. I ended up writing a lot of poetry straight through college. As a marketing major, poetry took a backseat to business writing through most of my jobs. Eventually, I became a broadcast journalist, news anchor, and documentary host/producer at an ABC affiliate in New Hampshire. As I looked toward retirement, I embraced writing as my next career.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
This historical fiction trilogy tells the story of the Armenian side of my family. Initially, I was inspired to write it to capture the heritage for future generations. Once the first book “Destiny of Dreams: Time Is Dear” came out, I quickly learned that the story brought a great deal of information and inspiration to a far wider audience.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Themes in the trilogy focus on family, faith, love, and perseverance. With so much divisiveness and war and seemingly ceaseless examples of man’s inhumanity to man, bigotry, and intolerance continuing all around the world, I hope readers will appreciate the message that we can and must do better. We need to forgive our human weaknesses, but we also live far better lives, when we make calm decisions and learn to respond, rather than react to the bitter challenges that may be thrown in our paths.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’ve written several non-fiction works in a sort of “life lessons” genre, as well as 9 cookbooks, because I am a dedicated foodie. I have also written a couple of light comedy books, told from a dog’s perspective. Well, I guess I should say that the dogs wrote their stories. I merely held the pen because they don’t have thumbs. So, I should not classify them as fiction, as the dogs swore every word was true.
Writing facts… nothing but the facts… is what journalism taught me. On the other hand, living life and performing in musical theatre taught me the importance of celebrating creativity, drama, and comedy. Historical fiction shines as a happy combination for me. I love researching to be sure the facts, settings, and historic reflections are accurate. I learned that I truly enjoy fictionalizing, which lets me use characters to bring slices of history to life.
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Facebook is definitely my social media site of preference. While I write articles for my GoodLiving123.com website, I can repost them on sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. However, I found a particular hunger… a need… for positive thoughts and comments on Facebook. Friends and Followers… whether they hail from childhood or various stages in my career or from reading my books… have been most generous in their comments and support of my endeavors. I have also started reaching out on Facebook to encourage readership of my books and audiobooks, particularly when someone has expressed a specific need that I believe a particular publication can help meet.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
I am very enthusiastic about encouraging aspiring authors to follow their hearts, even when they must be their own cheerleaders. Naysayers often come in the form of those closest to us. It’s the old put-downs, like, “You’ll never make money as an author.” So, what?!!? I like to remind writers to keep on sharing… keep on writing. When people ask why I write, I love honestly saying that I write because the words and stories simply must come out!
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books / projects on the horizon?
While none of us truly knows what our futures hold, I continually add to my “To Do” lists as if I had a million tomorrows to get all the projects done. I have absolutely no idea how to be bored, as I am regularly working on 2-3 books at a time. The next book will be the Destiny trilogy’s conclusion, which will be released in 2023. I also have a few more food-oriented projects in the works as well as a couple of mysteries. I keep hoping for that elusive 48-hour day!
About the Author
Born in Goffstown, New Hampshire, Cathy Burnham Martin’s eclectic career path wove through recruiting, communications, television broadcasting, management, and bank organizing. An active board member and community volunteer, she received Easter Seals’ David P. Goodwin Lifetime Commitment Award. This professional voiceover artist, journalist, corporate communications geek, and dedicated foodie earned numerous broadcasting awards as a television news anchor. She wrote, produced, and hosted dozens of groundbreaking documentaries, TV specials, and news reports, ranging from the Moscow Superpower Summit and the opening of the Berlin Wall to extensive coverage of New Hampshire’s First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primaries.
Some of her most challenging work includes news stories behind the Iron Curtain under the scrutiny of foreign military personnel touting loaded AK-47s. While she met and interviewed Presidents and candidates, other interviews ranged from inventor Dean Kamen, best-selling authors Og Mandino and Richard Lederer, and Star Trek originator Gene Roddenberry to Popcorn icon Orville Redenbacher, Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, superstar New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme, and filmmaker Ken Burns.
Among little-known facts about Cathy? She once sang with The Beach Boys and with the marvelous Marvelettes, shared a dressing room with Ella Fitzgerald, and emceed for Tony Bennett. She also performed on stage with comedian Adam Sandler, actor Dan Lauria, and director Alek Keshishian.
Dubbed The Morale Booster, this 20-year professional member of the National Speakers Association remains a business speaker, media coach, and member of the Actors Equity Association. Proud of her Eurasian heritage, Cathy Burnham Martin narrates her own books and those of other authors. Audiobooks appear on such sites as Audible.com as well as Amazon and iTunes. Author of 20+ fiction, nonfiction, and cookbooks, Cathy writes articles for her http://www.GoodLiving123.com website. When not writing or in full production mode, Cathy and her husband enjoy traveling, boating, music and visual arts, and great food.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Before I start, I would like to thank you for the interview and your review of The Lone Leopard.
I was born and brought up in Kabul, Afghanistan, and claimed asylum alongside my parents in the UK in 1999. I finished all my higher education in the UK. I am married and live with my wife and three children in a quiet town in England.
How did I get into writing? I love writing, especially about my country Afghanistan. Therefore, I did my PhD on Afghanistan and subsequently published some two dozen articles and a book (more below) on my native land.
The idea for writing The Lone Leopard, however, was actually conceived in 1992 when the ‘pro-Communist’ Najibullah regime collapsed and the mujahideen took over Kabul. Turning Shia against Sunni and vice versa, setting Afghanistan’s main ethnic groups of Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek against each other, and accusing each other of uniting with the remnants of pro-Communist members and thus not being Islamic enough, the 15 or so mujahideen groups fought each other in the streets of Kabul, killing tens of thousands of innocent Kabulis, displacing hundreds of thousands, and turning half of Kabul into mudbrick rubble with bombs, rockets and cannon fire.
Taking refuge in the basements of our blocks while the gunfire, shelling and fighting continued, I decided (if I made it alive) to write about what we ordinary Afghans went through. Unlike thousands of Kabulis, I was fortunate enough to live, and 18 years later, in 2010, I started writing about the experience: after 12 years of writing/rewriting (and extensive research, including consulting nearly a thousand sources), The Lone Leopard is the result.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
I’ve partly answered this question above. I’d also like to add that my only inspiration is my people and country. I wanted to tell the contemporary Afghan and Afghanistan story from an Afghan perspective. Ahmad, the protagonist of my novel, therefore, gives a first-hand account of what I (and most Afghans) have experienced over the past four decades in Afghanistan (and in exile). My previous book, America in Afghanistan, published in 2019 by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, was praised by reviewers for its Afghan perspectives, and is found at, among other institutions, Oxford and Harvard.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
The reader will get to know a great deal about the principles of Afghan culture, particularly independence, courage, loyalty, justice, revenge, righteousness, pride, honour, chastity, hospitality, love, forgiveness, faith (Islam) and respect of elders (parents in particular), among others, and some of these themes, in addition to jealousy, prejudice, betrayal, guilt and atonement, the book explores.
The Lone Leopard is a historical war drama. Once the reader reads it, I hope they will see how things have been in Afghanistan; they will understand the history and politics of the past four decades in Afghanistan; and they will see the real Afghan and Afghanistan.
The Lone Leopard is a work of contemporary literary fiction, too, as it is solely based on human relations. The focus of the novel is primarily on the lives of Ahmad (15, a conservatively traditional Pashtun, dutiful child, gifted student, thoughtful but faint-hearted) and Frishta (16, progressive, Tajik, women’s rights activist, compassionate, outspoken and brave): will the faint-hearted Ahmad learn from Frishta to fight his cowardly side and stand up for himself and for what is right, even if his stance opposes traditions/his controlling mother; will the fearless Frishta journey from a middle-class girl to ‘the president of Afghanistan’; will Ahmad and Frishta with conflicting personalities/backgrounds fall in love; will the middle-class Wazir (15, Ahmad’s best friend/classmate: Pashtun, fearless, the school gangster, pro-mujahideen) ever fulfil his dreams of killing a Communist and joining jihad; and will the loveable Baktash (15, Ahmad’s best friend/classmate: Tajik/Hazara, timid but lovable, pro-Communism) live a normal life without getting bullied for being different. So, the reader will get drawn into a time (the 1980s-2010s) when historical events – several invasions of Afghanistan over the past four decades in particular – give rise to nationalistic and religious conflicts and impact the lives of the four characters and their families.
Moreover, The Lone Leopard is a mother-son relationship story, as familial aspects constitute a significant part of the narrative, especially (the importance of) parental respect, which you have highlighted (and liked) in your review.
Incidentally, in addition to the Western reader, when writing the novel, I had the future Afghan generations in mind, especially for them to see what mistakes their ancestors committed and how they should avoid repeating them. One of them is how discrimination, alienation and division can destroy a country; and how unity, inclusion and empowerment of people – regardless of their sex, tribe, ethnic origin, religion, etc. – can help build a better country and, by extension, a better world.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
The Lone Leopard can fit into several genres: literary fiction, women’s fiction, young adult fiction, coming-of-age, family drama, war drama, and romance. For me, however, it will always remain historical fiction drama, the story of contemporary Afghanistan. I chose the historical genre because I have a PhD in IR/history, have taught the history of Afghanistan and have lived through the historical periods The Lone Leopard covers. As a creative writing teacher may say, ‘write what you know’.
Advertisements
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I am not very good at social media and only use Twitter. I also have a LinkedIn account, but I have not made much use of it.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Read more, research a lot, and get a good command of creative writing techniques before starting your book. And keep it consistent: make sure you write/research/read every day, even if it is for half an hour. Oh, one more thing: start today; don’t wait for tomorrow.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
My next book will focus on why the Doha Peace Agreement between the Taliban and America failed and the possible consequences of the failure for Afghanistan, the region and the international community.
Advertisements
About the Author
SHARIFULLAH DORANI was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, and claimed asylum in the UK in 1999. He has undergraduate and master’s degrees in Law from The University of Northampton and UCL, respectively. He completed his PhD on the US War in Afghanistan at Durham University and authored the acclaimed America in Afghanistan. Sharifullah frequently returns to Afghanistan to carry out research. He is currently South Asia and the Middle Eastern Editor at The Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN International) and has written nearly two dozen articles on Afghanistan (and the broader region), international relations and law. He lives with his family in Bedford, England.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have spent nearly three decades in education, starting my career in a bilingual 1st and 2nd grade classroom in Los Angeles as part of Teach For America, and most recently running a private school in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I have managed to have a parallel career in entertainment – recording voiceovers in both English and Spanish for everything from commercials and corporate videos to network promos and video games.
I have kept a journal since college – I have found that helpful to clarify how I think and feel. My first major writing project was a unique way to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday. I spent that year writing down my favorite stories I’d shared over the years with friends and family, and most of that writing I did on my daily train commute into and out of New York City. It helped turn the worst part of my day into my favorite part of the day! The result was my first book: My Top 40 at 40: Making the First Half Count (A Modern Man’s Story Collection).
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
My dad and I biked across the country along the TransAmerica Bike Trail in 2015, something we’d dreamed about for several decades. He was 75-years-old at the time and had early-stage Alzheimer’s. Since I had done other shorter bike adventures in the past, I knew that the most interesting thing for me about bike travel was the people that came up to us along the route. With that in mind, I made a point of transcribing all the conversations we had with people along the way and asked if I could take their photo. I figured it would make a really cool coffee table book. It was only after the trip that I realized there was a much bigger story to tell – the father and son story, the story of facing Alzheimer’s, and the story of adventure – could we even pull this off?
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope readers reflect on their own relationship with their father and their children – and on what really matters to them.
I hope readers gain a better sense of the Alzheimer’s journey – more than six million Americans have Alzheimer’s – and develop helpful perspectives for navigating through the difficult terrain.
I hope readers appreciate the diversity and generosity of the American people, especially across Rural America. We have a lot more in common than social media and media would make us think.
Most importantly, I hope readers will feel inspired to seize the day with someone they love – whatever that means to them.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I wasn’t thinking about genre. I simply wanted to share what happened in the hopes that this might be helpful to others.
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
This is still to be determined. I haven’t historically been active on social media. To be blunt, I’d rather be outside exploring, creating, and connecting deeply with others than posting, swiping, and counting “Likes.” That said, I am beginning to use in a limited fashion LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. I’m treating them like my car. I love my car, especially for road trips. But in a perfect world, I’d probably walk and bike most places and rarely be in the car!
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Keep a journal regularly and write about anything that captures your fancy. I find the most interesting things to write about are often the extremes – whatever has you really excited, and whatever has you really pissed. At least that’s a great starting point! The let your curiosity guide you.
Advertisements
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
As part of a creative sabbatical, I have also undertaken a musical journey, systematically building my skills and releasing 40 songs since 2020. It’s a really fun way to synthesize life experiences, observations, and ideas in a three-minute story. As for genres, I’m all over the map – unabashedly eclectic – but most of my music falls into what you might hear if Keith Haring, Dr. Seuss, and Ricky Martin formed a band 😊
I am also building an executive coaching practice, helping people get from Point A to Point B, whatever that means to them. And if the right opportunity to lead another school or educational organization comes along, I’ll seize it – I love being part of learning communities.
About the Author
Kari Loya is an educational leader, storyteller, and adventurer. He has worked nearly three decades at a range of innovative educational institutions, beginning with Teach For America in 1993 and serving most recently as headmaster at the Good Hope Country Day School in the U.S. Virgin Islands, when he received a Klingenstein Fellowship from Columbia University. He is also an Emmy-winning bilingual voice talent, musical artist, and author. He spoke at TEDx UC Davis in April 2022 on the theme of “Metamorphosis.” He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Columbia University. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Sugar Land, Texas.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Well, when I say I’m a lifelong writer, I really am. I can’t remember a time I was not writing! My parents are both artists and writers so I grew up around art and literature. We all read aloud to one another long past the point most kids would read with their parents, and I still pick up that tradition again sometimes when I’m with one or the other. I have fond memories of my Mom making up fairy stories on the spot for me while we were running errands, and the excitement of seeing creators at the comic conventions I’d attend with my Dad whenever he was a guest. It was a very creative and inspiring upbringing so it’s really no surprise I wanted to tell my own stories quite early on.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
It’s kind of funny. As someone who has been writing for so long, I have quite a few projects that have been in the works for years and years… decades even. But, when it came to getting my first full indie novel out there, A Time When Demons was a very new idea. I came up with it during Preptober of 2020 as my first NaNoWriMo novel, completed the first draft in November 2020 then spent the next year editing it, querying for a bit, then self publishing.
Because of this, the “inspiration” process was a bit formulaic because I was working quickly, and experimentally and didn’t even expect to finish it. First, I picked witches. Then the big idea that pushed the story further was the concept of The Dreaming. I think I just thought that one up lying in bed one night fretting about mortality. Like with many of my stories, they’re inspired by classic teen horror and fantasy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a huge influence on me during my formative years so I think I’m always trying to attain some level of storytelling that can be on that level. The Dreaming is one of the things in this novel that I’d like to hold on to for future works and experiment with more.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
If you put the work in and stay true to yourself, you can find redemption. When I write, I rarely have a message I want to convey from the start, but rather let it come out as I write. A Time When Demons is very much a coming of age story, and redemption is a major theme of it.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
It’s all I know, really. Ever since I sat down in my Dad’s studio and he played through the entirety of Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to my Nightmare” when I was about twelve, my life has revolved around horror and theatrics. As I mentioned before, Buffy only added to this. I’ve always been a spooky weirdo. That’s what I know best, so that’s what I write. That being said, I do have goals to explore other genres and challenge myself more in the future!
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
Good question! As the author, I know all the inner workings of my characters. So, I’m going to pretend I’m in the novel myself, as a friend of my characters and take the chance to grab coffee with Kami. Dearest Kami, how on earth do you put up with having a best friend who’s a witch when you are a mere mortal? I think I’d lose my mind from jealousy! Or at least push a lot harder to find out more about the Wicca world and what other paranormal stuff might be out there. Vampires? Are they real? Can we find one to bite me?
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Twitter has been a really fun and welcoming community. I know, kind of the opposite of what most people say about it but I’ve never had a bad experience. The writing community is really supportive and friendly and the algorithm hasn’t been completely obliterated so it is still possible to get interactions and bring in new followers, readers, and friends. Aside from that, I have had a lot of fun building my Discord community. It’s a bit more of an intimate/concentrated space with deeper conversation as there are about 50 of us at the moment which is quite different from the large buzzing hive of Twitter.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
First of all – there is no such thing as an aspiring author. Aspiring *published* author? Sure. But if you’re a writer, you’re a writer. Establish that first. If you’re a writer, you aren’t going to have any other choice but to do it, and, if that’s you, that is exactly what you have to do.
Sit down every day and write something, even if it’s one sentence. Don’t wait around for inspiration to hit – creativity is very much driven by that magical feeling, but it is also a lot of work. Find your community. Watch interviews and educational videos on YouTube. There’s a massive amount of support out there for authors these days and we want to help you tell your story!
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Right now I am working on launching a small publishing company. I’m not going to say much on that yet, but definitely keep an eye on my social media and YouTube channel as there will be announcements coming out before the new year. In addition to that, I’m always writing! It’s NaNoWriMo season at the moment, and I’m a Municipal Liaison so there’s a lot going on there with prep, helping new writers, and getting my own novel finished. This year I’m doing “Rebel WriMo” so will be finishing an old project called “Eternity” which is very exciting.
As for my next published work… it’s likely going to be the first novel in my fantasy epic “Synterra”. Again – watch my social media for updates on that!
Advertisements
About the Author
Holly Rhiannon is a life-long writer who has previously self published one novella and two graphic novels. After becoming certified in photography, attending a few years of Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba and running a successful alternative art event in her hometown of Winnipeg, she moved to Montreal to pursue the field which has always been closest to her heart: literature. A Time When Demons is her debut full-length novel for young adults.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
– I got into writing because of my fascination with the stories woven by the many animes and fantasy stories I’ve seen throughout my life. That with the added bonus that people said I had a bit of a talent for writing kind of collimated into me trying to throw my hat into the ring. The only thing I will say about my life is that it can all be summed up in one word, and that word is persistence.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
– I sight two light novels and one anime that jump started this little story of mine. The two light novels were The Rising of the Shield Hero and Overlord and the anime that was a major help to me was Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. But the funny thing is that I had six chapters already written before I even watched Fullmetal Alchemist.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
– I have two themes that I want my readers to really take from my book, the first thing is that family is what you make it. The other one was that fate can never bind it, but I’ll put more emphasis on that theme in later books.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
– I have a unique love for both horror and isekai (trapped in another world) fantasy stories.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
– I would sit alongside Malcom and ask him how it felt getting his head cut off. I would ask because I always wanted the power to detach and reattach body parts at a whim.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
– I’m going to be honest, I’ve tried a good many writer sites and have found little to no success when it comes to readership.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
– Find the best editor your money can buy, trust me it goes a long way with helping your book.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
– I don’t know what the future may hold. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t look too hopeful but I won’t let that deter me. I will make sure that later in life that more books will be released. And hopefully an anime will come out as well.
Advertisements
About the Author
The Raven’s Doctor likens himself to a weaver; his computer is the loom, and the words are the threads. Every day, without exception, the Doctor weaves his tale throughout. Additionally, he will examine his work closely to make sure there are no visible nicks or crevices. He aims to make the reader feel as though they are a fly on the wall witnessing the action take place in real time. What more could The Raven’s Doctor want for? He will also weave his book such that it may continue beyond his death for future generations.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I think I’ve always been a storyteller, even before I learned how to write. My parents used to keep cassette tapes of the six-year-old me narrating stories I made up with imaginary characters and colorful worlds. During middle school, I started experimenting with writing, video creation, and drawing anime mainly because I had so many stories to tell. Though I didn’t create anything serious until much later in life, it all put me on the right track.
Growing up with social anxiety, I had a lot of trouble expressing myself. I have never really been an eloquent speaker, but writing gave me an opportunity to put my thoughts and feelings into words and helped me become more confident.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
Honestly, I wrote the first draft of Echo so long ago that I can’t remember how it all started. But I do know that I’ve always been passionate about magic and superheroes. At that time, most female superheroes I knew were “too cool,” if I may. I couldn’t relate to them, and I wanted to write about a hero that was just…ordinary. A clumsy, sometimes naive character who’s always trying to do her best despite her own insecurities. That was how Echo was born.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Everyone has a choice. In the battle against evil, the hardest part is to fight the demons inside. Whether it was Echo, Doyle, Ebba, or any of the characters, it was always up to them to choose redemption, even when it wasn’t the obvious choice and when it wasn’t easy.
There’s evil and good in all of us, and we get to choose which side will win.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’ve been a fan of witches and witchcraft since I was a child watching Sabrina The Teenage Witch on the Disney channel. So, my first serious book had to be a fantasy.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
If I could, I’d sit down with Vanna, drink tea, and ask her about life in general. What she has learned in her long life and what she has read in her books. Vanna has always been the one who didn’t say much, yet she thought a lot and had surprising opinions about everything.
Advertisements
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
It’s a bit too early to judge that since I’m still starting, and my book isn’t even out yet. Like many authors, social media is a great challenge for me; however, I’m more comfortable using Twitter than FB or Instagram, and many people know me from there.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Keep writing. It’s the only way to get better. Ask for professional feedback if you can (and as soon as you can). And stay strong. Writing is not for the faint of heart, and the path to authorship is full of rewrites, rejections, and redirections.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Yes, I’m very excited about moving on to my new books. I’ve already plotted the planned the first two. They’re going to be different from Echo, and I hope they’ll live up to my readers’ expectations.
Advertisements
About the Author
Yasmine Maher is the author of Echo: The Curse of the Blackwood Witches and Director of Fables and Facts Publishing. As a passionate wordsmith and an active member of the Twitter writing community, Yasmine loves to weave captivating tales that inspire her readers with whimsical adventures, magic, and larger-than-life characters.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
This is my first book and my initial intention was to publish in French, which is my first language. However, I stumbled upon a writing contest for micro fiction and French was not one of the languages in which you could submit your work. I ended up submitting 2 stories but I had almost fifty that I was not using. That’s when I decided I would publish them and that’s how my collection ended up being in English.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
Short stories have always been my favorite type of fiction. Two of my favorite authors, Françoise Sagan and Chimamanda Adichie, write with so much emotional intensity. I was inspired by their work and wondered, what triggers intense emotional reactions for me? This is what motivated me to write the stories in my book.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope they appreciate the deep inner workings of the human mind. Things are not always what they seem at the surface, and it is almost impossible to read other people’s minds. When you are not in someone else’s shoes, you just never know what is going on for them.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I enjoy novels in general and I think short stories simply give me the impression that I am getting even more out of an author. Great short stories leave you with a sense of awe and wonder because the length leaves you wanting more. I would love to create that feeling in my readers.
Advertisements
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I don’t use much social media. Maybe I should. I use the old fashion social networks, i.e. word of mouth!
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
The author Hala Alyan states that she allotted 30 minutes a day to her creative writing as she was working on her doctoral thesis. I decided to try it out and soon 30 minutes a day became 1 or 2 hours. That is how I got my book written and published in a year.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I would like to keep writing and publishing short stories for the moment. I feel I need the practice before I devote time to a full novel. My next collection of short stories will be in French!
Advertisements
About the Author
Philippa c. Jabouin has authored many articles and short stories under her name and as a ghostwriter. As a recovering ex-lawyer, she now spends her time writing as a freelance journalist, editor, and consultant. This is her first published collection of short stories. She lives in the Ottawa/Gatineau region of Canada.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I first fell in love with prose in a creative writing elective class in the 7th grade. The teacher (wish I could remember her name so I could give a proper shout-out) really helped me develop my literary voice and confidence. I’ve been writing fiction ever since. Earlier on I tended more toward short stories. This novel is my first attempt at long-format.
Advertisements
2) What inspired you to write your book?
I’ve always been fascinated by the mythologies of early cultures and the way in which these cultures personified their beliefs and spirituality. Angels of Death of caught my imagination for a while. For this particular story, I actually began with the imagery of a specific scene of an angel of death observing the passing of a mortal, which became Chapter 2 of the book. From that point, the rest of the story developed out.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I don’t have a specific message or theme I want readers to take away. It would mean more to me that they simply enjoyed the story. Sometimes that is enough, to just enjoy a book.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
Everyone has their own unique inner creative voice. Mine just happens to gravitate toward the imaginary. This is the case both with my prose and my art. I’ve always been “in the clouds”. There’s already enough reality in my life. I’d much rather dream.
Advertisements
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I really only have one main character in my story, Azrael. My other characters play more minor roles. I wouldn’t want to ask him anything so much as I would like to “see” or experience things from his perspective as an angel of death. Sometimes I feel that our physical frames are so limiting.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I haven’t found much help from social media. This doesn’t mean that I do not use social media platforms. It just means that I have not seen a direct correlation between social media, and why people are buying my books. Most of my witnessable success in getting books into people’s hands has come from hitting the pavement, or, in other words, getting out into the community with book signings. I’ve been busy at comicons, farmer’s markets, bookstores, comic books stores, and breweries doing signings. I also spent weeks contacting a couple of thousand indie bookstores worldwide directly by email. Now I’m in 17 bookstores. One thing I’ve picked up on social media is that it is saturated, so I chose to get old school.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Write for yourself first and foremost. You are the only person that needs to be satisfied by your story. That same perspective should, therefore, also guide you when working with an editor. Use a freelance work site such as Upwork or Fiverr to find an editor, graphic designer, and some to do your book layout. There are plenty of highly qualified people that can help you for a fraction of what the traditional companies will charge.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I am currently working on another fiction novel based on the ancient Greek mathematician and esoteric figure, Pythagoras. I’m still conceptually working out the plotline, so much too early to provide more, but what I can say is the premise will be connected with some of the mystery surrounding Pythagoras.
Advertisements
About the Author
Joseph A. Schiller is a high school social studies teacher in Houston, TX, where he lives with his wife and three sons. Upon the Arrival of Dawn is his debut novel.
