Today’s interview is with author J.D. Gordon (who writes under JDG). JDG blends science fiction and humor to fabulous results, and it was a pleasure getting to know more about his writing and interests. We hope you consider checking out his work!

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

JDG: My goal in writing is always to say only things that need to be said, and to do it without pulling punches. Typically each of my stories has one element of the impossible in the premise, but otherwise stays grounded in reality. I also have a strong humorous streak, so don’t be surprised if I make you laugh in the process.

HG: Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind your stories or where you get your ideas. 

JDG: My inspiration for Surviving the Bomb was the 2017 North Korea nuclear missile crisis. Living in the general vicinity of Washington D.C., I heard from many people at the time who wrongly assumed they would simply die if a nuclear missile hit. In reality, anyone who is outside the immediate blast radius will survive a nuclear event if they take reasonable steps, like taking shelter indoors, staying away from windows, changing out of exposed clothing, etc. I decided to write the story to teach this lesson through narrative influence.

HG: Very interesting. Your debut novella that you just mentioned, Surviving the Bomb: That One Time I Broke into a House, Killed the Homeowner, and Took His Family Hostage, released in 2020. What more can you tell us about it?

JDG: While driving in the countryside, James narrowly avoids being caught in the explosion of an off-target nuclear missile. He tries to take refuge from the coming radioactive fallout in the nearest house, but finds the family inside unwilling to give him shelter or even believe his story. Can James defuse this violent confrontation and convince the family of the peril of their situation? The answer to both is no.

Surviving the Bomb is pretty much what you’d get if the creators of South Park and Deadpool teamed up for a story about the mid-apocalypse. Wrongly funny in all the right ways, you’ll be mad at yourself for laughing, but you’ll still be laughing. It also won 2nd place in a nationwide contest, for those who care about pedigree.

HG: Fantastic. Tell us, do you have any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

JDG: I typically write a numbered list of every single action that occurs in a story, or chapter, before writing the actual prose. The characters usually stick to the script about 90% of the time. Whether this qualifies as interesting is up for debate. Perhaps more quirky is the fact that I write on a tiny laptop older than most dogs. It has never once been connected to the internet because staying focused on writing while connected to the internet is nigh impossible for me. I’m sure anyone who saw me working on this relic would laugh, but I will never give it up for as long as it lives.

HG: Oh, I love that! What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

JDG: Authors are at a severe disadvantage compared to other types of entertainers, as you can’t simply expose people to your work the way a singer or dancer can. You have to convince them to try your work, and I’ve learned that people don’t have much interest in trying new authors. It’s extremely difficult to convince them to read a single word written by someone they don’t already know. That’s why all my future books will be co-written by James Patterson and Stephen King.

HG: Ha! Great point though. What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

JDG: Submit your work everywhere you can. The odds are heavily against you so you have to take the shotgun approach to stand a chance. And don’t put too much credit or blame on yourself for the outcome; people’s decisions in life usually have more to do with random things like how recently they ate lunch than anything that you did. (That’s true, look up the hungry judge effect to learn more.)

HG: What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

JDG: I’ve been working on an audiobook version of Surviving the Bomb, but it’s a lot tougher than I originally imagined. It turns out things like pitch, speed, and speaking intensity are all extremely important. And my microphone keeps inserting clicks that ruin half of the recordings! I suppose I could hire a professional, but I feel like I understand the characters and how they should sound better than anyone else.

HG: Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

JDG: One of my favorite things to do these days is perform comedy. I’ve been doing both standup and improv for a while, without putting any expectations on where it has to go. I also enjoy singing, dancing, and other forms of creative expression. On the flip side, I lead monthly personal finance seminars and do one-on-one coaching to help people improve their financial situations. I’ve learned from several years of being a coach that basically everybody can benefit from a financial coach, no matter how good or bad they feel about their current situation.

HG: Fantastic. What was your last 5-star read?

JDG: My last 5 star read would be Sophie’s Choice (I haven’t seen the movie). I loved the extremely honest first-person perspective that portrayed a young man as he truly is. I would say it made me feel freer to write Surviving the Bomb in a raw first-person voice that doesn’t pull punches or play nice.

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

JDG: I’m a sucker for a fresh oatmeal raisin cookie, or the ones with macadamia nuts in them.

HG: Movie or book?

JDG: Unpopular opinion, but cinema is a terrible medium for telling a story. It leaves you out of the character’s heads and has to rush headlong to a conclusion in 2 hours. But it does it with lots of bright, flashing lights and explosions! If you want to have an experience, see a movie. If you want a story, read a book.

HG: Pool or ocean?

JDG: I’ve definitely never thought about this, but I feel like a pool is much more convenient, and usually cleaner. I would choose a Caribbean beach over a pool, though. I visited a few of the islands as a child and still remember how crystal-clear the waters were.

HG: Introvert or extrovert?

JDG:  I’ve never been a big fan of putting labels on myself. Labels make life more convenient, but don’t always improve our ability to accept and relate to one another.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook?

JDG: I’ve always been a print book reader, but I have to admit I’ve become a big fan of audiobooks since I installed the Libby app on my phone. I’m just not sure if I get to take credit for “reading” the book that way.

HG: You totally get credit for reading that way. For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

JDG: Thanks for inviting me to speak with you. Anyone who wants to try a taste of my work or follow me on social media can use the following links: Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Website.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like JDG for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with the hilarious and clever space opera author R.M. Kozan. Kozan writes stories packed with action and wonder. It was a pleasure getting to know more about their writing and interests.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

RMK: Weird, yet essential.

HG: Intriguing! When did you know you were ready to take on the role of author?

RMK: I felt I was a shoo-in after I hid the body of the real R.M. Kozan.

HG: LOL! Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind your books or where you get your ideas.

RMK: It is mostly ChatGPT, although I also deploy a regime of Shakespeare-familiar monkeys on standard analog keyboards. (But seriously, I use alleged intelligence, not artificial intelligence.)

HG: What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your stories?

RMK: Fingers and toes, principally. Try to shift your posture at the end of each section, or don’t hold the book or reading device quite so high. Once the tingling starts, you might need to read another author until feeling returns.

HG: Great sense of humor! Any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

RMK: None at all. I am a perfectly regular maniac, as my answers clearly demonstrate.

(Like all normal people, I keep a little book of ideas that I add to, sometimes in the middle of lunch with slightly-irritated friends, as I guffaw, chortle, and scribble at my book, preserving a few words of precious idiocy before they flee my mind.)

HG: Fantastic. What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

RMK: Getting people to read my books. Anyone know where I can get those eyelid-opening gadgets like they had in A Clockwork Orange?

HG: If only! What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

RMK: Answer #1: Watching someone read something I wrote and crack up. “Which one? Which one?” I beg, determined to discover the exact passage behind their outburst.

Answer #2: I have had some very good copy-editor/friends who have provided essential oversight and powerful feedback. Among these, most notable was my partner Lois Crowe who read the 2010 draft of Ralf and complained “You need to start with a bang!”, inspiring me to write the action-packed first chapter. I miss her every day.

Answer #3: Stephen King’s On Writing.

Answer #4: “Keep your day job.”

HG: Wonderful responses. Thank you. Switching gears back to your books, tell us more about Breakaway: 1977 and what readers will love about it.

RMK: If you are a fan of Space: 1999, Breakaway: 1977 will feel familiar to you. As a youth, I was obsessed with that classic SF TV series and sought to use the idea of that teenage fanaticism as a foundation to build upon, or a lens to focus the feelings of wonder and mystery coming-of-age engenders.

Likewise, if you are keen to be immersed in a tale with accurate historical detailing of restless 1970s small-town youth who dream of escape to the big city, this might be your jam.

HG: Great! Could you tell us more about The Voyages of Ralf, Vol. 1: The Arc of Purchaser?

RMK: I could tell a lot more! However, I might get in trouble with my blurb writer and, believe me, you don’t want to be scratched by a monkey who never washes their paws.

My simian team wants you to know there exist extensive reviews around the web, and even a sample on that well-known retail site.

Not mentioned before, or anywhere, and unusual, is the fact that Ralf contains faux review quotes on its covers. These ‘accolades’ are all fake, and hilariously so (I assert) if you compare the front and back cover versions. Enough said. I hate to explain the joke, but it seems few have picked up on it. Can you?

HG: I think you’ve piqued our interest! What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

RMK: There are a few.

Top of mind (and an open project in Scrivener) is the sequel to The Voyages of Ralf. I have a lot of notes, a few ideas, some incomplete outlines, and a few finished pages. The format will mirror Volume One and I have discussed the direction and likely way stations of the new voyages in an interview available on a different website.

Another work-in-progress is Cometh the Behemoth, a serious SF novel involving alien abduction for which exists a complete, but unsatisfying, draft. I suspect that just as The Voyages of Ralf had lain fallow as an early, even juvenile, attempt for a long period before I polished it into the partially-obscured gem it is today, so Behemoth must gently mellow in my unconscious while its main character slowly assumes a fuller life.

Also, I have been offering short story publication to new authors at Fresh Blue Ink via my Space Lizards of Canada! short story collection project. To date, I have received only one submission, and it was not relevant to the requested content. This project is only potentially active, and may eventually morph into something else. Control of the project may shift off-planet.

HG: Great! Lots to keep an eye out for. Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

RMK: Other than the requisite oxygen, food, water, and sleep-based activities, I enjoy fronting my rock power trio playing guitar and singing badly, all the while thinking someone might enjoy this spectacle. Here, finally, is the proof I have a good imagination.

HG: What was your last 5-star read?

RMK: Tau Zero by Poul Anderson. Spoiler alert! This tale of the cyclic universe kept me fascinated until the end.

I must say I also enjoyed Geezer Butler’s autobiography Into The Void recently. Autobiography is a sub-type of fiction, right?

HG: Surely! For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

RMK: This is where specifics are important. How big is the cake? How many cookies are included in that plural formulation? What type of cake/cookie? Let me assume the question is: do you prefer five 20-gram oatmeal raisin cookies, or one 100-gram double-layer icing-smeared dark chocolate cake? After careful consideration, intense introspection, dense deliberation, and credible consultation to various bodily organs, the answer is clearly 42.

HG: LOL. Movie or book?  

RMK: Both have their attraction. A book can be savoured over a series of days, letting the ideas roll around your brain, like a llama on slip n’ slide, while a movie is an instant hit of sugary goodness, with the best tidbits sticking between your teeth for some time. I generally prefer a movie based upon a book over a book based upon a movie.

And thinking back to the prior question, I guess I would prefer a cookie based on a cake versus a cake based upon a cookie.

HG: Pool or ocean?

RMK: Just a glass with ice cubes please.

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

RMK: Too shy to say.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

RMK: Audiobooks are not for me. I am too impatient to listen. The big plus of eBooks is the choice of font size. My aging eyes find relief in gargantuan font. Some books beg to be printed; for example, The Art of Rosaleen Norton.

HG: Wonderful. Thank you! For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

RMK: The Fresh Blue Ink website is home to my writing; it provides contact information and a link to the associated blog. A Fresh Blue Inc Facebook page also exists, although I am rarely there.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like R.M. Kozan for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with romance author Holly Bargo. Holly is also a ghost writer and editor and we enjoyed hearing more about her writing process, how she switches gears and her life outside of writing.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

HB: My stories go where my imagination takes them. I try to produce stories that engage the readers with realistic characters who have realistic reactions to extraordinary circumstances. I also do research to inject verisimilitude or realism into my stories, so the details ring true.

HG: Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind your books or where you get your ideas.

HB: A lot of my ideas come as “what if” questions. Others arise from secondary characters in other stories wanting their stories told. That’s how I end up producing series. I don’t write stories in response to story prompts either from AI or other people’s suggestions. If the concept doesn’t come to me naturally, it won’t get written.

HG: That’s great. Thank you. What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your stories?

HB: I hope readers are left both satisfied and wanting more. Satisfied in the sense that the protagonist is happy and will meet the challenges life brings her. Wanting more in that the reader wants more from the story’s fictional world, from characters in the story, or simply more stories from me, because I loathe cliffhangers I won’t inflict them upon my readers.

HG: Wonderful. Do you have any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

HB: Because I’m a freelancer working from home, I treat my desktop computer in my office as my “at work” space. I seldom write my stories at my desk; that’s where I write my clients’ stories. For my own story writing, I usually retreat to the living room, plop down on the sofa with one of our many house pets (seven cats and two dogs), and write on my laptop computer. It’s not as convenient as my desk and the full-sized keyboard, but the laptop makes writing seem more like fun and less like work. I’m more relaxed.

HG: I like the distinction! What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

HB: My publishing career is a challenge in itself. I’m an independent author who self-publishes, so I’m cognizant that everything depends on me. To that end, I have to earn enough—whether as a freelancer or from royalties—to cover expenses from outsourcing editing, cover design, and marketing. I learned the hard way that I cannot effectively edit my own manuscripts. (Actually, no author should.) I’ve designed my own covers, but I don’t have quite the skill to do a really good job with cover art. And I’m a marketing dunce. I have not the time, the interest, or the skill to be effective in marketing my books. Hiring those services gets expensive.

Another big challenge I face is burnout. I’m not a disciplined writer in that I don’t have an established schedule for writing. I write when inspired. Therefore, I tend to go gangbusters then sputter to a stop when I run out of steam. Sometimes, the lapse between books is a few months; once, it was two decades because life—the job, children, etc.—took priority. And in 2021, a family tragedy completely annihilated the creative spark. I had a lot of healing and grieving to do before I could resume writing again. The first book I produced after that tragedy was Knight of the Twin Moons.

HG: So many hats to wear. Thank you for sharing your experience. What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

HB: Focus on active voice. I hadn’t realized how much I and other writers relied on passive voice until I came across that golden nugget. Now when I write, even when writing nonfiction content for clients or my own blogs, I focus on writing in active voice to keep the writing strong so it draws the reader through the pages.

If you’ve heard the saying “you can’t push a rope,” then you know what I mean by this. If you have a boat, you can draw or pull it through the water with a rope, but you can’t push it forward with a rope. Active voice works like a tow rope. Too often, authors use active voice like a rope pushing readers through the content. It just doesn’t work well.

HG: That’s great advice. Speaking of writing, your official bio mentions you also ghost write for other authors. Can you tell us more about what that process is like?

HB: I call my ghostwriting process “simple but messy.” I tend to plunge into a project and the research on the fly. (I never claimed to be organized.) This lets my freewheeling brain get the “story” out (even when it’s not a story) and ensure that what I’ve written is factually correct. Once I get the draft down and have reviewed (and revised) it by myself, I send it to the client for review. The client’s feedback guides the revision process.

My ghostwriting work is eclectic. I’ve done blogs on myriad topics, white papers, email campaigns, etc., but my very favorite ghostwriting projects are the fiction books. These include screenplay-to-novel adaptations—great fun! I’ve done mystery, historical drama, YA fantasy, science fiction, and romance. I’m currently finishing up a western.

My contract for ghostwriting services specifies a maximum of three rounds of revision. This clause ensures I won’t be trapped in a never-ending and upaid cycle of revising this or fixing that.

I also freelance as an editor and book designer. That, plus ghostwriting, keeps me busy.

HG: Keeps you busy and gives you variety, I imagine! Switching gears back to your books, your most recent release is Champion of the Twin Moons, Book 5 in the Twins Moon Saga. Tell us more about this book and what readers will love about it.

HB: Champion of the Twin Moons returns to the imaginary world of the fae. This book departs from the common theme of the other books in that the hero, Chastian, finds his fated mate and loses her. The book challenges assumptions with regard to a one true love and journeys with a hero who give into despair, succumbs to addiction, and turns morally gray if not outright villainous. The other books mostly focused on the heroines, but this one is strongly centered upon the hero. Like many of my books, this one carries a strong redemption arc. I’m a great believer in second (and third and fourth) chances.

Like each book in any series I write, it is a complete novel in and of itself. I detest cliffhangers. Each standalone book in a series is loosely connected with some crossover, but you can pick up any book and not be lost wondering what happened in a previous book.

HG: For fun, if Champion of the Twin Moons was turned into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

HB: Henry Cavill is so great as the Witcher that I’d love to have him cast as Chastian. Kristen Ritter would make a good young Rosalia with Anne Hathaway as Rosalia in maturity. Emilia Clarke or Mia Wasikowska has the look I envision for Coral.

HG: Great actors! What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

HB: Shortly after finishing Double Cut, the second book in my Triune Alliance Brides series of science fiction/alien romances, one of the characters began demanding his own book: General Superior Yas’kihn mek Kuresh’Zha. I felt bad about leaving a quickly mentioned and abandoned character in the clutches of a terrible enemy and presumed dead, so I put her and Yas’kihn together. Thus far, she’s taking him down a peg—trust me, he deserves it—and he’s giving her the support and care she needs. After this book, I’ll work on another alien-human union focused on the third planet in the Triune Alliance, Kaan.

Another character, Iselde, daughter of the mysterious and powerful oracle of the fae world of the Twin Moons Saga, is knocking at my skull to get her own story. In a reversal of previous themes in the series, I’ll have her find her one true mate—probably not fae or human. We’ll see how the story unrolls and how the characters reveal themselves to me.

I also have an idea simmering on the back burner for a sixth and final book in the Russian Love series. The first three books dealt with three members of the Cleveland, Ohio branch of the Russian Bratva. The fourth, fifth, and upcoming sixth focus more on the Italian mafia. Yes, there’s still a Russian connection.

HG: Exciting! Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

HB: I enjoy reading—no surprise there! I’ll read almost anything, but find myself generally reading romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. Not horror. Ugh. Dick Francis, Robert Crais, and Robert B. Parker are three of my favorite authors. C. L. Wilson and Nora Roberts would be blamed for hooking me on fantasy romance if a lifelong love affair with fairy tales hadn’t already done that. I never met a fairy tale I didn’t like. I like mythology (Greek, Norse, Egyptian), too.

I also enjoy horseback riding. I’ve been an equine aficionado since I was a little girl and more than fifty years later still am. I currently have two ponies: a Morgan-Arabian gelding and a Halflinger mare that I use for trail riding. I try to get together with my best friend to ride at least once a week.

And I paint. My best friend got me into painting through those paint-and-sip classes about five years ago. I really enjoyed it and have continued to paint on my own. Now I produce enough inventory to sell. I’m lucky there are people who think well enough of my work to buy it.

HG: That’s awesome! What was your last 5-star read?

HB: My last 5-star read was The Matchmaker’s Rogue by Regina Scott. I enjoy historical romances—blame my mother for introducing me to those—and this one ticked all the boxes without devolving into melodrama and an overload of angst. I dislike angst; it’s too close to whining. The heroine was strong and graceful under fire, but without being obnoxious or terminally stubborn. The hero has issues which make him more human, but he’s not an overbearing, womanizing jerk. The icing on the cake was flawless editing.

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

HB: That depends on who makes it. If I have to do the baking, it’s cake. Without frosting, please. If someone else does the baking, cookies! Nothing with nuts. I really like ginger and molasses cookies.

HG: Movie or book?  

HB: Again, it depends. For instance, I absolutely love The Last of the Mohicans in movie format. The 1992 movie with Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe was marvelous; however, I could not manage to slog through the book. It’s terrible. I loved The Black Stallion in both print and film versions and can appreciate them separately, because there’s a lot in the movie that doesn’t follow the book. The same goes for The Phantom of the Opera and Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series. I like watching those sappy Hallmark romance movies, but I don’t particularly like reading books like that. I tend to prefer content on the grittier side.

For the most part, though, I prefer books.

HG: Pool or ocean?

HB: Ocean. I can watch and listen to the waves roll in and out for hours and be perfectly content. I like the immensity of it. I have little to no desire to go swimming in the ocean; I’ll just wade in up to my ankles.

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

HB: I’m a diehard introvert, but I can and do force myself out of my comfort zone. I learned to do that when I was a kid going door to door selling candy for Campfire Girls club fundraisers, as a teenager working in food service, and elsewhere having to meet and greet and interact with people when I would rather have curled in a corner with a book. These days, I smile and put on my friendly face at various festivals and author events to greet potential customers and try to sell books and paintings.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

HB: I prefer to read print books, but mostly read e-books for convenience. I started reading e-books because of how often I traveled in my old job; it was too much of a hassle to bring printed books with me. My Kindle has thousands of books downloaded to it, and I keep adding to the electronic pile. I borrowed the Chief Inspector Gamache series (printed books) by Louise Penny from my best friend a year ago and have yet to read that. I need to get cracking and read them.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

HB: Readers who want to know more can go to my blog on my author website, www.hollybargobooks.com. They can also subscribe to my newsletter from the website. I post once a month, so no one is overwhelmed or feels pestered. I also maintain another blog focused on freelancing at www.henhousepublishing.com.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Holly Bargo for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with author Amey Zeigler. Amey writes across multiple genres but all of her books include comedy. And, according to her official bio, because she grew up moving all around the United States, Amey loves writing about different places. In her books, she explores the whole world. It was an pleasure getting to know more about her writing process and publishing journey.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

AZ: My books are action-adventure-romantic-comedies. They aren’t boring. They aren’t your typical romance novels which is a double edged sword–they’re hard to classify, but they also go beyond tropes and one, simple storyline. They are packed with interesting situations, characters, questions, hard topics, and fun. I didn’t know about tropes when I first started writing and just wrote from the heart. Most of my books are from personal experiences and are deeply meaningful to me. For example, I lived in Switzerland for nine months and wrote the The Swiss Mishap as a love letter to the country. And The Casserole Dish is based almost entirely on personal experience, except for the divorce.

HG: Fantastic! When did you know you were ready to take on the title of author?

AZ: I had written three whole novels before I felt like I was an author. I’d always wanted to be an author since I was in fourth grade and devouring Nancy Drew and anything else at my school and local libraries. I wanted to help people to feel the same way I did–swept away into another world. But it took three books under my belt for me to feel that yes I could make this work. I didn’t just write one book as a fluke. I want to be a full-time writer.

HG: Love that you wanted to make others feel swept away. You write in multiple genres. Is there something all of your writing has in common? Maybe a certain feel or theme?

AZ: Hahah! I do write in a lot of different genres–women’s fiction, historical, rom-com, mystery suspense. But they all have one thing in common: comedy. Most of them are very funny, some of them are mildly funny, and a few have a couple of chuckles. But they’re all funny–not crude or crass language, just situationally funny. I like to put my characters in situations where they are caught off guard and have to think on their feet. All my heroines are strong, independent women who still recognize that life is better when we have full spectrum of relationships including romantic relationships with men who are truly worthy of them. I have strong female leads with complementary strong male leads. I think that’s definitely a theme. All my books are at PG-13 or PG. I like to write things that your grandma or your 14-year old can read. All my books have messages of hope–hope to love again, hope to survive, hope to accomplish something bigger than themselves. Most of my female protagonists are young, about 26, which is technically a New Adult genre, but I hate listing it as that as a category on retailers because NA has a reputation for on-screen intimacy. I prefer to have either closed door, or implied intimacy so my books don’t fit the New Adult genre stereo-type, but they still have the same themes: young women, going off on an adventure whether that’s going to a new country to start in an internship or start her own resale shop or travel across the country to meet the man of her dreams she’s only met in letters. All my books are also pretty easy reads. They’re inspiring.

HG: How wonderful! What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

AZ: My work is still escapism–meaningful escapism, but I want people to feel refreshed, like they’ve gone on an adventure, met with the enemy, conquered a fear, pressed through a challenge. I love themes of hope, transformation, endurance, patience, hard work, being kind etc. I want people to think better about humankind, to have learned a little insight about themselves or others. Fiction is truth-telling. I hope my readers feel enlightened.

HG: Love that. Any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

AZ: I discuss a lot of my stories with my husband. He’s brilliant and very good at helping me solve my writing problems. He’s a big reader, too. And he doesn’t let me get away with BS. There are always a few scenes where I’m hoping I can skate by and he always catches that and makes me rewrite them. I also think of a theme or what the character needs to learn. I have a notes section in my phone of just funny things I hear, a title, a character attribute and then I build ideas off of that. And yes, it’s just one looooong note that’s disorganized and all over the place.

HG: What a wonderful partnership! What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

AZ: Ahahah! Yes, there have been quite a few. One, I think I have ADHD. I have a hard time sitting still and finishing a project. And two, I jump genres (that may be a function of the ADHD). I found out after I published a few desperate genres, stand-alones, of course, that the way to make money was to publish a series–in fact the longer the series the better. And I was like, oopsie! I was writing where my heart took me, which makes amazing fiction because I write what is near and dear to my heart. But it doesn’t make for a great sales/marketing plan hahaha! Which brings me to my third challenge, all of my books have a part of my heart, which means it takes longer for me to write (I published four books this year, hoping to get out a fifth by the end of 2023.) Because every book has meaning, I feel they resonate more with readers. The Casserole Dish, my best-seller, award-winning novel was so personal to me. I wrote about a time in my life when I battled Postpartum Depression–although it was never mentioned in the book–and all the vicissitudes I had in my life at that time. It was a love letter to my neighborhood and to a friend who reminded me to be the bigger person, to take the higher road and to offer the olive branch. Readers really resonated with the theme and message of that book, but to duplicate it might take another catastrophic event, which I hope I don’t have to go through I feel like saying to newbie writers: don’t be like me! Write in a series! Write a long series! Stay in a genre. But I also enjoyed the creative exploration I’ve had. It’s helped me to find my voice and my message as a writer. Also, I’ve discovered I’m not really a romance writer. I didn’t know much about romance tropes as I didn’t really read romance until after I started writing in romance. I really want to try writing YA, which is what I love reading…so, maybe watch out for Amy LeDuc–a pen name for my YA fantasy

HG: Thank you for sharing. What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

AZ: Hard work > than talent. Skills=talent. Talent can be learned. Talent+ hard work= success. When I first started writing, I read a book that basically said if you can have the bum glue to sit and write 1 million words or 10k hours of writing, you’ll have something worthy to be published. That was immensely encouraging to me. All growing up, I wanted to be a writer, but I struggled with so many things: organization of ideas/time, grammar, even spelling. I had ideas, but I thought I wasn’t talented. A teacher even complimented me on my voice. I held on to that compliment for years! But here was a writer (back to the book) telling me that hard work trumped talent. I was like, Hey! I don’t have to be wildly talented to get published! I just have to work hard to gain the skills to be a writer. I spent 8 years writing every day, reading books on craft, and getting feedback (some of it was not kind) before I got traditionally published. For others, getting to the point of publication probably won’t take as long (see the aforementioned struggle with grammar, spelling, and organization). If you have those things pretty well in hand, you’ll be able to get there much faster. Now I just need to learn how to market myself better… 10k hours later…:)

HG: That’s inspiring. Thank you! Your most recent release is a rom com, titled The Autumn Fallout. Tell us about this book and what readers will love about it.

AZ: Since I learned tropes, I decided to write them my way. Yes, I have a one bed trope, but I do it with a twist. For example, the one bed is the bed of a pickup truck. And a bear comes. So yeah, hopefully funny, surprising, and fun! But what I love about TAF is that there are lots of surprises and delights. Charlotte discovers her house is haunted and then strikes up a relationship with her ghost. Charlotte and Eric have a prank war since they’re on opposite sides of a town issue. Then they go on a treasure hunt. What’s super fun about this book, it’s actually part of a series! It’s a book two to my first book, A White Christmas Lie in a Seasons of Sugar Creek Series–a multi-author series some author friends created. Although both can be read as stand-alones. But it’s also the first book where one of my readers requested to be IN the book. So I wrote a character of one of my readers in my book for a fun twist. She plays a big part in getting my secondary couple together–it’s a later-in-life couple–mostly inspired by my mom who was widowed in the last year, and I wanted to give her hope that she could find love again.

HG: For fun, if The Autumn Fallout were turned into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

AZ: This is such a fun question because we all have images in our mind of what these characters look like. And all writers have the secret hope that someday their vision would come into the big or small screen. I don’t watch a whole lot of TV so I’m not as familiar with some actors as I should be. I’d probably cast Florence Pugh as Charlotte and someone like Richard Madden for Eric.

HG: Awesome. What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

AZ: The biggest thing I’m doing is turning my stand-alones into series. So next book, The Christmas Mug, hopefully will be out before Christmas. I’ve got a fourth book in my billionaires rom-com “series”–really just a collection of billionaire rom-coms. I thought I’d try writing a fake fiancée. Then I’ve got another rom-com that I started years ago as a therapy baby The Late Bloomer, and I’m going to turn that into a series with The Wing Girl and The Third Wheel. I am starting my own Shopify store and trying to get book bundles together and make my work more cohesive for readers to understand what they’re getting. After that, I’ll try my hand at YA. I’ve already written two books, but again, I need them to be series.

HG: Sounds like you’ll be busy! We will be on the lookout for your future releases. Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

AZ: Enjoy is a strong word. But I have a few outside-of-writing hobbies–I make charity quilt tops for the local Linus Connection. They give those quilts to kids in crisis–like homeless shelters, abuse cases, hospitals etc. I volunteer at my local food bank. I volunteer at church as a youth minister. I have three kids, so growing them up right takes time, mental energy, and insane amounts of patience.

HG: You’re doing good work! What was your last 5-star read?

AZ: I bowed to TikTok pressure and read the The Inheritance Games. They were fun. Devoured them in like a few days. The fourth book is out. One of these days I’ll read it. Looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie.

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

AZ: Cookies probably. Macarons. Yummmm.

HG: Movie or book?  

AZ: Good book.

HG: Pool or ocean?

AZ: Ocean any day as long as it’s 85* or so

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

AZ: Extrovert. We do exist in the writing community.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

AZ: Audio so I have an excuse to do laundry and housework

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

My website, on Instagram @ameyzeigler, on Twitter (X) @ameyzeigler, TikTok @ameyzeiglerauthor, Facebook @azauthor, or email: az@ameyzeigler.com. Just spell my name right and you’ll find me! Ahah!

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Amey Zeigler for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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The post Author Spotlight Interview: Amey Zeigler appeared first on HiddenGemsBooks.

Today’s interview is with Nicholas J. Nawroth also known as author Papa Paws. Papa Paws along with his wife Mama Paws have created an entire heartwarming collection of children’s books about Molly Paws and her family. It was a pleasure getting to know more about their writing process and life outside of writing.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

PP: My wife and I don’t have human children, and my purpose in creating The Everyday Adventures of Papa & Paws® is to tell heartwarming tales that the entire family can enjoy together. Parents taking those precious minutes out of the day to read a story to their kids. Older siblings reading to their younger brothers and sisters. Grandparents having some quality time with their grandchildren. Making books that can make story time memorable and fun.

That’s what it’s all about for me. Every time I read a review like when the four-year-old and his mom giggle together each time they read one of my books or the picky grandson that gives it two thumbs up just fills us with joy. I’m so honored that folks are inviting the Paws Family into their homes and their hearts.

HG: That’s terrific. Thank you. I understand you’re a graphic designer and digital artist. When did you know you were ready to add the author title to your list?

PP: Yes, that’s right. I went to school for visual communication and currently my day job is as a graphic designer. It’s hard to say when I added author to my list of titles. You see, I started making my own comic books about the age 9. My first comic book was called Goalyo (I have no idea where I came up with that name!) and it starred my dog at the time, Woody. And Mister T also made an appearance. What can I say, it was the 80s!

So I’ve been writing and drawing stories all my life really. I even wanted to be a comic book artist at one point but ended up going into graphic design instead. I had never known the joys of owning a smaller dog until I met my wife and she had 3 little Yorkies, Miss Mia, Molly Paws, and Gracie. The impetus for Papa & Paws® was when we said goodbye to our beloved Gracie. She was a special needs doggie – she had small dog encephalitis and was blind. Yet, you’d never know it. She ran and played with her sisters and was the sweetest little doggie. After Gracie went to the Rainbow Bridge, I kept thinking that I wanted to tell her story somehow.

My original thought was something along the lines of the Bravest Little Yorkie done kinda like The Little Engine That Could. I didn’t really do anything with that idea, it just kind of marinated in the back of my mind. In 2018, I was doodling while on the phone and I thought to myself that it looked quite a lot like our Molly Paws. That’s when I started taking the idea more seriously. I did some test sketches and looked at textures and colors and such and finally landed on one that my wife and I felt really captured the essence of her personality. After that, the story ideas just flowed free. I started simple with Molly Waits Her Turn. It’s the story of Molly Paws and our nightly ritual: after dinner, she stares at me and talks to me to remind me it’s time for her chippie (what we call her special treat). It’s a bit more artsy than the rest of the series as it’s a bit slower paced, but it really captures the theme.

Book 2 focuses on two of our puppies that we raised in 2018 and 2020. Sadly our little Zoe (Zozo) passed away at 9 months of age so she never got to meet Marley (Momo) but in the books Zozo can still play with her sisters and that warms my heart. My wife and I finally felt we were ready to take on Brave Little Gracie. There were lots of tears during editing but the finished book, in our purely biased opinion, was worth it. We chose to celebrate her life and bravery and lots of families have fallen in love with her and her story.

HG: Do you write the stories first and then begin the illustrations? Or what is that process like for you?

PP: It’s usually a fun or interesting thing that has happened with or to our doggies that sparks an idea for me or my wife. I usually capture them and add them to the list. When I go back and review the ideas, I pick the ones that feel suitable for our audience or that really just resonate with me and my wife right away. Then I’ll storyboard the idea with very rough thumbnails and a snippet of text such as, “Waiting is hard.” that will convey the idea for the page or spread. I work up a rough draft proof based on the storyboard where I add in more text to convey the gist of the page and move the plot forward. My wife will review the proof and we work together to shape the idea and text into something fun. My wife did write the prose for Book 7, Santa’s Fuzzy Little Visit, so for that one, we started with a few drafts of her text and then I worked up the storyboards from there. It’s funny, there is always a point where I feel like the book is not fun and we’re not going to figure it out, but we always do.

HG: That’s great. Thank you for sharing. Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind your children’s picture books.

PP: Having three doggies in the house is an endless source of inspiration. As I mentioned earlier, the story of our little Gracie really sparked the idea for the series. Each book has the basis in a real event in our lives: Book 1 is the story of Molly Paws having to wait for her treat (a nightly routine in our house), Book 2 is based on us raising two puppies in two years, Book 3 is the story of our Gracie, Book 4 started when I couldn’t find Macy and it turns out there was a hole in our fence and she had gone through to the neighbor’s yard. If you’ve ever had dogs (or kids), Book 5 celebrates bath time. Book 6 is a bit more about how my job as a pooch papa doesn’t end when all the doggies are tucked in. We celebrate Christmas in our house, so we felt we had to do a Christmas themed book for Book 7, but with a twist. Book 8 was inspired by Marley’s friendship with one of the squirrels in our yard. And Book 9 was inspired by our fondness for dressing up our dogs back in the day. There’s an image of Mia in her spider costume that cracks me up to this day.

HG: So much love. That’s great! What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your stories?

PP: We hope that the families that read our books enjoy the experience of the story, share a giggle, and maybe make a memory that lasts a lifetime.  

HG: Wonderful. Any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

PP: I don’t know about quirks, I would say that having my smartphone is a boon in that I can capture a photo or take a note of my idea and file it for later. Being trained as an artist and designer I feel that I am open to seeing how ideas could manifest into stories or art. Ideas are easy for me, really. And my training has given me the tools so that I have a skillset to turn that idea into something tangible. I also am a trained improviser, which I feel took my art and creativity to a new level as it helped to be okay with experimenting and accepting imperfections in the finished work as beautiful.

HG: How fantastic! What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

PP: For me, it’s sometimes frustrating how stuck in the old ways that book publishing still is in some ways. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of fantastic leaps forward but some issues still persist that are a bit baffling in this day and age. The other challenge is the marketing of our books. We are writing the books for children, but the adults are doing the purchasing. So it’s a weird dynamic. I know that I’m biased, but I feel like if we can just figure out how to get marketing right, we would have more folks that could discover our books.

HG: Understandable. What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

PP: I once heard or read a version of write what you know that really resonated with me. I tend to say it as “Be open to create what you know.” I know it’s a cliche, but it is true. Yeah, it sounds pretty obvious coming from the dog dad writing about his family of dogs, right? But here’s the thing. You have a knowledge and interest in one or more topics. It’s just a matter of connecting the dots. If you know about relationships (and what person doesn’t?) and have an interest in Victorian Era you can write a romance novel set in the 1800s England. If you know about robots, you could write a guide to building your own or a canasta novel where the robots save the world. Love to cook? Then do a recipe book or even a children’s book where grandma shares her recipe with the granddaughter. I’m sure there’s something that you know that you could turn into a story. I was able to channel my wife and I’s interest in mystery stories into a book about Doggie Detectives. I think it’s just a matter of perspective to find the right angle so that the creativity flows.

HG: That’s inspiring advice. Thank you. Your most recent release is Howl-O-Ween Hijinks. Just in time for Halloween! Tell us about this book and what readers will love about it.

PP: Cute doggies + adorable Halloween costumes + puns. Plus a fun callback to our Christmas book! Seriously, it’s a not-scary Halloween story that kids and parents are falling in love with. My wife went to town on the puns and they are pawistively purr-fect for this book.

HG: Sounds fun! What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

PP: Right now, awe are focused on getting the production done on Books 11 and 12 while we still have our Editor-In-Chief Emeritus, Molly Paws with us. She is almost 16 and I would love for her approval on them. I have notions of doing a “Making Of/Behind the Scenes” type book for the Papa & Paws® fifth anniversary in 2025.

I’m also wrapping up my draft on a fantasy novella that is decidedly not a children’s book. That one has been interesting as it’s my first “words” book. It’s been a huge challenge since I’m a visual thinker and I’m curious to get people’s reaction to the story. It has elements of mythology, magic, and dreams. I’ve always loved dreams and mythology in particular, so combining them into this book has been very fulfilling.

And for visual art, I have an idea for a series of art deco inspired illustrations that are murder mysteries (my wife and I love a good murder mystery!).

HG: Staying busy! Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

PP: Spending time with the family curled up on the couch watching TV or movies. Walking, naps, making art. I also enjoy eating the sweets that my wife bakes.

HG: What was your last 5-star read?

PP: I’m still haunted by Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. And while doing research for book 11, I picked up Peep and Ducky Rainy Day and it was just a delight – the art and words were just super cute.

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

PP: Yes. My wife makes awesome chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate cake with cherries that is fantastic.

HG: Movie or book?  

PP: I’m a movie addict. I think it has something to do with my dad taking me to see Star Wars at a young age. That and I remember being at the Drive-In watching The Black Hole and trying to stay awake for the second feature, which I don’t think I ever saw in its entirety.

HG: Pool or ocean?

PP: I am not a swimmer so as long as I don’t have to actually go into the water, I’m good. I do prefer the ocean. There’s something about sunrise/sunset over a beach by the ocean that is magical to me.

HG: Introvert or extrovert?

PP: Introvert for sure.  

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

PP: Yes. I love each for different reasons. I love the feel of a print book, the ease of the eBook, and it’s always great to have someone read to me.

HG: Thanks, that was fun! For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

PP: Folks who are interested in The Everyday Adventures of Papa & Paws®, can visit PapaAndPaws.com to meet our family, learn more, and buy our books. There are also free downloadable coloring pages.

For my artwork and forthcoming fantasy novella, folks are welcome to visit NicholasJNawroth.com.

Thank you so much for this opportunity, my wife and I along with our doggies really appreciate it.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Papa Paws for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with author Max Watson. Watson write new adult romances with notably strong women. It was an honor getting to know more about her writing process and life outside of writing.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

MW: I write new adult romances and I specialize in deep first person POV. I love to develop my characters and really focus on the aspects of the human struggles we each face and handle differently. Cinnamon roll type men and strong women are my personal character type favorites to write!

HG: Love it! When did you know you were ready to take on the title of author?

MW: I have always been an avid reader. In fact, my first ever job I was paid in books because books are more valuable than money to me. But even though I devoured a book a day in my youth, I almost always felt dissatisfied, and at times angry, because of how certain situations were handled in romance books of the time. The troupe of men needing the female love interest so badly they can’t control themselves really bothered me. Or how women were portrayed as innocent even into their mid-twenties while the men were shown as players who would then “teach” the female love interest all about love and romance felt so far from reality. To me, it painted women as a thing worthy of true love only if they remained “pure” until true love found them but men were allowed, and expected under the guise of becoming great lovers, to play the field. When it got to a point that every book I read would end in me going on a long-winded rant about all the things I couldn’t stand, my husband got fed up, pushed me into our spare bedroom, and said “Don’t come out till you can write it better.” And the idea of writing a romance novel suddenly became something I could do, something until that moment I’d never even considered.

My first book was a mess, unfocused, too dark and outside of genre conventions. But it was a good experience that managed to win a super fan. I ended up unpublishing that book and trying again with The Drunken Promise, based on some true events. Three people in my life had illnesses or accidents that led to their lives being upended where they needed to relearn how to walk. One person never recovered, gave up, and we had to watch them wither away. I was distraught and rewrote their story with a much happier ending. And to this day, I get readers who reach out saying how the book deeply affected them. A quick browse through the reviews will tell you all you need to know, a box of tissues is required for this reading!

After deciding to write what I’d like to read, and turning life experiences into happier endings, I knew being an author was the path for me.

HG: What a fantastic response. I’ll certainly be adding The Drunken Promise to my TBR for when I need a good cry. You write in multiple genres. Is there something all of your writing has in common? Maybe a certain feel or theme?

MW: All of my stories focus on depth of character and coming into who they’re meant to be, realizing the path in life they want to strive for. Their struggles and heartaches, their hardships and difficult decisions. Nobody in my stories does anything conventionally. My characters live in converted school buses, quit their miserable jobs to restore a childhood hangout in Victorian ruins, put their life savings into a small café in a rural town, live nomadically and travel the country, or turn away from familial wealth to try running a construction business.

HG: Wonderful. What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

MW: I hope when readers follow my characters’ lives that they feel they’ve made friends in real life, people they grieve and root for, and think about and wonder how they’re doing. I want my characters to feel so real that readers have to remember they’re fictional.

HG: Any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

MW: I do what I call percolating. When I’m working through a big plot hole or story idea, I have to lay down, have some soothing music like Nina Simone in the background, close my eyes and just lay still. I call it percolating because it takes a long time but the result, like that slow brewed cup of coffee, is so much smoother.

HG: Oooh, sounds great. What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

MW: I think the biggest challenge is connecting with readers. The book market is so saturated that needle in a haystack isn’t even comparable anymore, it’s more like expecting readers to find your grain of sand in the desert. And with constant changes in algorithms, what worked five years ago, one year ago, last month is no longer effective. Today’s authors, especially those still building or just starting out will have to put their main focus on staying on top of the constant changes effecting visibility. Facebook used to be a great way to connect with readers and now that focus has moved to TikTok. By the time an emerging author establishes a following there, something new will pop up and take center stage. This has been my biggest hurdle. I’ve been publishing since 2019 and I still struggle regularly keeping up with these frequent changes. The moment I’ve found a groove that works, some term or policy or algorithms changes and what I’ve been doing is no longer working so I have to start all over again.

HG: Very frustrating indeed. What was the best advice you ever received related to writing and/or publishing?

MW: You only fail as an author if you give up.

HG: Great advice. Your most recent release is part of your Bubble Bath Romance collection. Tell us about these books and who they are perfect for.

MW: The Bubble Bath Romance Collection is for readers who have very little free time. It’s for those of us who used to devour a book every day, binge a series a weekend when we were younger and had so much more free time. My collection of one-hour romances is just that, books that can be read in about one hour, about the time it takes to enjoy a relaxing bubble bath. There are plenty of options to chose from, holiday themes like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, taboo relationships, one night stand with a crush that leads to more, sapphic heartthrobs that get together on a naughty dare, and most recently, a food critic with more than just foodie tips to give the hot new café owner! Avid readers can once again enjoy reading a book a day, but in the small window of free time they might have in these busy times.

HG: Love that! Sounds perfect. Your next book titled Raw releases in early 2024. It is a collection of short stories and poems. What can you tell us about Raw? What can readers look forward to?

MW: When I was little, I had a collection of horror books that were illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Scary Stories To Tell in The Dark always had such silly stories that were never very frightening. But the images, I loved flipping through and looking at those drawings all the time. As I got older, became an author, and started accruing a nice collection of short stories and poems, I decided it was time to make a horror collection of my own. That’s when I found Dave Dick, an illustrator who has a similar style that I fell in love with. I reached out to see if he’d be interested in illustrating my collection and never thought I’d hear back. But I’m happy to say it’s been about a year now that we’ve been working together and he’s now working on the book cover for the collection. Late 2024, Raw will be out and filled with creepy, terrifying, and spooky illustrations paired with my short stories and poems. The collection’s theme is on the dark sides of motherhood, love, family, and loss. It’s a little outside my norm of romance-focused stories, but each of my characters has a darker side to their stories, a quieter struggle. And this collection of stories and poems reflect those sides of our everyday lives society deems not positive enough to talk about.

HG: That sounds fantastic! Can’t wait to see it. What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

MW: In 2018 I quit my corporate job and put everything into restoring a historical home that the city was going to demolish if no one bought it. My husband and I completely restored it in only four months but we had to work 116 hours every week and by the end, we were burnt out. The transformation was incredible and the result beautiful. I know because of us, that historical home got another 100 years of life. But when we had our son, renovating houses just wasn’t in the cards for the foreseeable future. Not ready to leave that life behind and craving a huge project, I turned our house renovation experience into a new trilogy I have coming out in 2024, The Craving Home Trilogy. In it Leonard, Ulther, and Blake are three foster siblings who find themselves desperate for a place to live when their foster parents are moved to assisted living. The old Victorian ruins they used as a hideout as kids is up for sale for cheap and the eldest brother decides to buy it for his family. But with an open roof, no solid windows, and rotten plumbing, the restoration is a huge undertaking for a man who’s hardly ever swung a hammer. Then he meets Eddie, a spitfire of a contractor determined to make a name for herself and not let Leonard modernize the historic beauty of the home. The books follow the three siblings as they build their forever home and find love along the way.

HG: What an awesome concept! We’ll keep a lookout for book 1 later this year. Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

MW: When not writing, I can be found in the forest looking for bones to add to my collection or trudging up streams and trying to catch crawdads. Or planning my dream homestead. Or baking, cooking, canning. Crocheting. Working to be a full stack web developer. Planning my next house renovation project. Planning my next cross country move since we move on average once a year across the country, just looking for a change of scenery. I have a lot of hobbies which you’ll find in many of my stories.

HG: You stay busy! What was your last 5-star read?

MW: I’ve been reading a manga lately that I love, The Summer You Were There by Yuama. In it, Shizuku takes a novel she’d secretly written to school to thrown it away in hopes no one sees it but her classmate Kaori finds it and takes it home to read. She falls in love with the writing and asks Shizuku to be her girlfriend so that she can be inspired to write their love story. There’s a depth of the characters’ individual struggles and secret pain that makes this such a heart-wrenching and page turning romance!

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

MW: Cookies. Specifically, my grandmother’s sour cream sugar cookies.

HG: Movie or book?  

MW: I love to watch the movie first and then read the book in the movie narrator’s voice! This made reading Fight Club absolutely epic!

HG: Pool or ocean?

MW: Oh, this is a tough one. I’d actually have to say neither and go with lake. I love the idea of the ocean but have only been once when I was a kid. Despite it being rare, the one time I went to the ocean there was a shark attack and it was quite a terrifying experience to be around, see the chaos, the human chain formed, the searching helicopter…needless to say, I’m a bit scared of the ocean. But a big lake, I’ll take that any day!

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

MW: Severely, extremely, all-caps, underscored, and highlighted: introvert.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

MW: I try to offer all three but am only just getting started with audiobooks, so outside of Apple books, it’ll still be awhile before they’re available everywhere.

As for personal preference, print books all the way. It doesn’t feel like reading unless I can smell the pages, read someone’s notes in the margins, slice my finger turning the page…

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

MW: www.maxwatsonbooks.com

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Max Watson for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with author Bethany Maines. According to her official bio, Bethany is the author of romantic action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. It was an pleasure getting to know more about her writing process and life outside of writing.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

BM: I generally say that I write Women’s Action-Adventure. It’s feminist, funny, romantic and action-packed. I’ve gotten a few eye rolls from industry “insiders” because that’s not a BISAC genre category. On the other hand, readers all know exactly what I mean and since readers are who I care about…

I’ve tried out a fairly wide variety of genres – mystery, crime, paranormal romance, sci-fi, romantic suspense – but the through-line is that my heroines are women who will fight to get the guy (or girl) of their dreams, and they will do it while saving the world and kicking the villains ass at the same time.

HG: Fantastic! Tell us, when did you know you were ready to take on the title of author?

BM: I’m a graphic designer in my “real” life and I always intended to be an artist. I also always wrote stories, but I didn’t describe myself as a writer. So the first time someone else described me as an “author” I laughed because it sounded funny. Which was socially awkward. But it made me really think about the labels that we apply to ourselves. I guess I started “owning” the label when I got my first publishing contract, but really… I’m an author because I write.

HG: Great answer. Tell us a little bit about your actual writing process. You’ve been publishing for many years, how has your process changed? Does it change based on the genre you are writing?

BM: Oh good lordy has it changed. I’ve always been fairly good about sticking to a schedule, but I used to sit down and write whatever came into my head. Then someone (my agent) suggested that maybe I should l learn how to plot more. Um… thanks for that very genteel insult? But OK, I guess I’ll work on that. So I read books, watched movies and basically put myself through plotting school. I feel like, as humans, we’re all inherently aware of when a story deviates from the correct structure, but learning how to pull stuff apart and build it “correctly” takes a lot more thinking about. So my plotting improved, but I was still fairly devil-may-care about what order I would write in. And then I had my daughter and my time got compressed like I put it in a corset. I didn’t have time for farting around and deciding what to write today. I became a lot more strict about plotting in advance and writing in a linear fashion. Now that my daughter is less dependent on me I’ve loosened back up again, but I’m still pretty spreadsheet and organization obsessed. (Yes, there are spreadsheets.)

HG: Any interesting writing or brainstorming quirks?

BM: I like to hold “plotting parties” where I invite other writers to hang out in my backyard and work on our WIPs (work in progress). The beauty is that we can then brainstorm together and the questions other writers ask always spark ideas that I would never have had otherwise.

HG: Oh, I love that! You’ve released three books in the Rejects Pack series this year. What can you tell us about those books and will there be more?

BM: Oh, I sooooo want there to be more. The Rejects Pack is part of my Supernatural paranormal romance world. My 3 Colors Trilogy and Maverick are in the same world and some characters do cross over. The Rejects series focuses on a pack of shifter wolves who have been kicked out by their original families, but have now come together to form a new pack. The series is my homage to The Mummy and Indiana Jones and other stories that have smart people going to exotic locales, punching Nazis, and having adventures. Although I wrapped up the over-arching storyline for the first 3 books, there are at least 2 more pack members that could have their own book. Sebastian and Pellos still need to find their true loves. And for Sebastian that is definitely lovessssss plural. Long story short, yes, I hope there are more, but they would be a 2025 project.

HG: Wonderful. So, your next book releases in October 2023, and is the fourth in the San Juan Islands Murder Mysteries series. What can you tell us about this series and who would you recommend these books to?

BM: The San Juan series are clean(ish) mysteries, which I define as no sex and only moderate swearing (Sorry, I can’t not swear. That’s just not how I’m #^*@ing built.) The series revolves around ex-actress Tish Yearly and her ex-CIA agent grandfather Tobias Yearly, solving mysteries in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. It’s like if Matlock and Psych had a baby, with a dash of Death in Paradise for flavor. Being on an island gives the series a lot of unique quirks and I love visiting to pick up new ideas. Although, one time, while doing research, the lady at the tourist desk asked why I was visiting Orcas and I blurted out that it was a good place to kill people. I don’t think I’ve ever more accidentally shocked someone in my life.

HG: That’s funny! Okay, because I lived in Seattle for many years, I’m going to follow up more on the San Juan Islands Murder Mysteries series. If those books were turned into a series or movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

BM: That would be so much fun!!! I would love someone like Joe Mantegna for Tobias. He needs that rumpled Columbo style. Tish would be harder to cast. She’s an ex-actress with an all-American vibe that people frequently underestimate because of that same look. I’d probably pick someone like Chloë Grace Moretz, but taller.

HG: Nice! What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

BM: Once in high-school, my brother read a movie review that said a movie wasn’t very realistic and he said, “If I wanted real life and ugly people I’d go to the mall.” Possibly not a quote ready for being cross-stitched on a sampler, but I understand the sentiment. I want true-loves to be true and adventures to be awesome. I want my readers to laugh, swoon, and cheer all the way through my stories.

HG: Oh, I like that! What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

BM: I have a standalone Seattle mystery called Eye Contact coming out early next year and I’m working with a small press on a vampire heist story that I’m hopeful will come out late next year (think Ocean’s 11 meets What We Do in the Shadows).

HG: Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

BM: I am an instructor and student of karate. I teach a class once a week and always get a kick out of my students (#karatejoke #sorrynotsorry).  Hanging out with kids from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages is a really fun way to see the world from a different perspective. I love them and they have inspired my writing on several occasions.

HG: That’s awesome. Okay,  for fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

BM: Cookies

HG: Movie or book? 

BM: Uh… book. Of course.

HG: Pool or ocean?

BM: Love the ocean, but it can be scary. So, I guess pool if I’m swimming. Ocean for peace of soul.

HG: Introvert or extrovert?

BM: Introverts unite! Separately. In our own homes.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook?

BM: ebook. I used to be print, print, print. But having a kid switched me over to ebooks permanently. I read on my phone.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

BM: Check me out at bethanymaines.com – it has all the social links and if you look for the dropdown called “Free Ebook” you can get a… (you guessed it) free ebook.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Bethany Maines for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with women’s fiction author Deborah L. King. Deborah shares with us her journey to publication and details about her writing process. We are thrilled that we got to learn more about her, and her life outside of writing.

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

DK: Hi, I’m Deborah and I write women’s literary fiction. It’s also been called historical, but I refuse to believe that the 1980s are historical. I’ve been a writer and storyteller my whole life, and I published my first short story when I was seven years old. It was a melodrama about a church closing (spoiler: it didn’t close). For years, I wrote poetry, songs, and nonsensical adult stories for my own entertainment. It was only after attending a women’s writing class and reading my stories out loud that I started calling myself a writer.

HG: I refuse to believe the 1980s are historical, either! LOL. Tell us a bit about your publishing journey. When did you know you were ready to take on the “author” role?

DK: In 2016, I attended a writer’s retreat master class that included a full manuscript review. The instructor read Glory Bishop and told me “It’s time to start querying to find an agent. This book is ready.” I was floored and flattered and more than a little bit terrified. I’d already had it edited and beta read a few times, so I started querying. It took 99 tries before I was accepted, but I got some really nice rejection letters. See… most of the problem was that Glory Bishop was 130k words which is considered way too much for a debut women’s fiction novel. A few said to come back when I condensed it… but then I found Red Adept Publishing and they wanted the full manuscript as-is.

I got an email, a voice message, and another phone call. I was floored. See… in the beginning, I didn’t set out to publish a novel. I just wanted to get the story out of my head. The fact that somebody had read the whole thing and wanted to publish it was amazing to me. It took eighteen months from acceptance to publication, but in June 2019, I became a published author.

HG: Amazing! Tell us a little bit about your actual writing process. Do you have a routine for where and when you write? Any interesting quirks?

DK: Let’s see…depending on where I am and what time it is, I will sit down at a desk or my dining room table. I use Google Docs, so I can really write anywhere, even on my phone.  I’ll spend some time agonizing over what the character is doing and how long they’ve been doing it…I once had a character stuck in a phonebooth for 6 months. I’ll get up and prepare myself a drink and a snack (unsweetened lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, or a box of Riesling with a straw, and hopefully some Doritos). Maybe I’ll tweak the thermostat a bit. I’ll sit back down and agonize some more, start to post about my agony on social media, but reconsider because that’s silly and attention-seeking. THEN I’ll decide to move on to a different scene and eventually get to writing.

Quirks… hmm… well, each of my characters has a theme song that I play non-stop when I’m writing their scenes. While writing Glory Bishop, I listened to “A Case of You” as sung by Prince and “Holdin’ On” by Citizen Cope twenty-four hours a day for three days straight—even when I slept. For Glory Unbound, it was “Try” by P!nk; and for Mary Not Broken, it was “To Be Loved” by Jackie Wilson.

HG: Love the process and the quirks! Thank you for sharing that with us. What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

DK: The first challenge I faced was querying. I had to tweak my query letters a few times before I got to something that effectively condensed 130k words down to 150 words. Then came the rejections and a hasty decision that I regret. After several rejections of Glory Bishop due to word count, I chose to cut the novel at what I thought was an acceptable point and make it 80k words. That failed miserably as the main character no longer had a complete character arc. I only sent that manuscript out twice, but I think I might have gotten a better result if I had not cut it.

Did I mention I got 99 rejections? I couldn’t take them personally because they were rejections of my query letter, not my actual novel. Out of the 99 agents I queried, 92 of them rejected because of the word count, genre, timing, etc. Only seven agents requested the full manuscript and even they were put off by the word count.

And here’s the funny part… After the full manuscript of Glory Bishop was accepted by Red Adept Publishing, they found the ending so troublesome (the heroine married the bad guy), that we cut the last quarter of the book and wrote a new ending. The manuscript is now 100k words.

Of course, I had other challenges, writer’s block (it’s real), editing, etc. I won’t say they were easily overcome, but after pounding my head on the desk, quite a few tears, and a lot of wine, I made it.

HG: So glad you stuck with it, and in that is great advice for other writers. Tell us a bit about your books.  What can readers expect? What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

DK: My books are Women’s Fiction. That means that the target audience and main characters are women and that the themes are women’s concerns. It doesn’t mean that men won’t enjoy the stories (quite a few men have given me great reviews). It just means that my stories depict a world from a woman’s perspective.

Readers have said my books should come with trigger warnings. In Glory Bishop, there is a tiny bit of teenagers behaving badly. There’s also a couple of F words, and some domestic abuse. In Glory Unbound, there’s everything from the previous book, but more intense. Mary Not Broken has domestic abuse and really sad things. But the biggest trigger warning is for religion. The books are not considered Christian Fiction, but the characters’ faith plays a very important part in each story.

Honestly, I just want my readers to be entertained for a few hours. I want them to root for Glory, hiss at Malcolm, and understand Mary. I want them to love Herschel, JT, and the Parnells. I want them to feel they have read a good story.

HG: Fantastic. Your third book, Mary Not Broken, is available through Kindle Vella. Could you tell readers a little bit more about Kindle Vella?

DK: Kindle Vella is a serial publishing/reading platform. Stories are published in episodes. The first three episodes are free to read, and the remaining episodes are purchased with tokens (subscribers get 200 free tokens to get them started). The tokens cost about a penny each, and the episodes cost 1 token per hundred words.

Writing in episodes is the hardest project I’ve ever tried. When I started out, I was fifteen weeks ahead, meaning that I had fifteen episodes already written and ready to publish. After a while, writer’s block set in and I watched my fifteen-week lead slowly dwindle away. By the end of the series (80 episodes) I was barely keeping up with the weekly publishing schedule. Trying to write and publish at the same time meant no chance to go back and make changes, so I sometimes had to write myself out of terrible plot holes and continuity problems… while I was publishing.

Yeah… not trying that again.

HG: Thank you for shedding light on that! If your most recent book, Mary Not Broken, was turned into a movie or TV series, who would you cast as the main characters?

DK: I had to ask around about this question because I don’t watch TV or movies often enough to know any actors. I am told that Regina King would be perfect as adult Mary, and Danielle Detweiller as young Mary. John Batiste could play Mason Carter. Quinta Bronson might be great as Ruthie, and Delroy Lindo as Will Bevers. For Paul, how about Brian Tyree Henry? And though he’s not a main character, I would insist that Winston Duke play Slim.

HG: Awesome. What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

DK: The story I’m working on now is sort of a secret. I can say that it’s absolutely not related to the Glory series. I can also say that it’s women’s fiction that will also appeal to men and will make a lot of people uncomfortable. It’s a dystopian tale set twenty years in a future where a lot of people haven’t lived happily ever after… but there is hope.

HG: Oooh. I’m intrigued. Keep us posted when you can. Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

DK: When I’m not writing, I enjoy my day job (I play with pictures of guts all day), cartoons, baking, photography, and classic Star Trek… but… I’m writing for like ten hours a day, so I don’t have much time for anything else.

HG: What was your last 5-star read?

DK: Voyage of the Pleiades by Amie Marie Turner. It’s a Victorian adventure murder mystery, with a woman defying societal norms, leading an expedition, and searching for a killer…all while slowly developing a relationship with a colleague. Linnea Wren is a very busy lady.

HG: For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

DK: Cake!! Every year for Christmas I spend two days baking cakes. I usually end up with about thirty… caramel, lemon, carrot, butter rum, chocolate Irish cream, pineapple coconut, and German chocolate. Oh… you meant for eating? Well, I’m quite partial to butter cookies.

HG: 30 cakes! That’s incredible. Movie or book? 

DK: Always books. Nothing against movies, but I’ve seen very few movies that have equaled the source books.

HG: Pool or ocean?

DK: Definitely pool. The ocean isn’t bad or anything, but I feel like a trespasser in natural bodies of water. Fish and other beings actually live there. I’d be quite upset if some giant creature came wading through my home.

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

DK: Total introvert. I’m kind of afraid of people in real life, and I’m even shy in Zoom meetings too.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

DK: This is a tough one. Each one has its merits, but if I had to choose, I’d say eBook, if only for portability.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

DK: I think I’m on almost every mainstream social media platform…but I check Facebook the most, and I’m trying to do better at checking for messages. If you look for Deborahloi on most social media, it’ll probably be me.

Readers can visit:

• My website: https://deborahlking.com/
• Substack: https://deborahlking.substack.com/
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deborahloiwriter/
• Twitter https://twitter.com/deborahloi
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahloi/
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deborahlkingwriter/
• Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3610436-deborahloi
• Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/4289089942

And of course, there’s email dloisvision@gmail.com, which I check all day every day.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Deborah L. King for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with author Densie Webb. According to her official bio, Densie (not Denise) Webb has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition and has published several books and tons of articles on the topic over the years. She transitioned into fiction several years ago and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. It was an honor getting to know more about her writing process and life outside of writing.

HG: You’ve long had a career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor. Tell us a bit about your fiction publishing journey. When did you know you were ready to take on the “fiction author” role?

DW: I would venture a guess that no writer feels “ready” to take on fiction. I know I wasn’t, but a long-time friend encouraged me to “go for it.” For me, it was a slow gathering of courage, motivation, information, and developing a skill set. I wasn’t a publishing virgin—I had a couple of New York agents years ago for nonfiction nutrition books (my background is in health and nutrition), and I got one “nice deal” and one “good deal” to use the publishing industry’s vernacular. But those days are long gone. I did query agents with “When Robins Appear,” but there were no takers. My luck changed when I queried Red Adept Publishing. Red Adept is a small publisher, but my book has done well. As of this writing, I have 1,682 ratings on Amazon, with an average of 4.5 stars.

HG: Tell us a little bit about your actual writing process. Do you have a routine for where and when you write? Any interesting quirks?

DW: My writing process is not pretty. I don’t have a set writing schedule or writing nook, I don’t outline, and I edit as I go, which is often frowned upon by book coaches. However, when I get to about the halfway mark on a draft, I do create a bulleted list of events to make sure the timeline works, but I don’t have index cards or use Scrivener. I’ve tried both and they just don’t work for me. I actually bought a corkboard and index cards once, but I ended up with 2 cards on the board before I abandoned it. And I found the learning curve for Scrivener was too steep, or maybe I just lacked the patience to learn it. When I write a story, I know how I want it to start and to end and I tend to just sit down and write, until I get to that midway point. My process is slooow of course, but it seems to work for me. It’s taken me a while to accept that my process is what it is, but I’ve come to terms with it. I’m not sure I would consider this a quirk, but songs inspire me, not just the lyrics but the music. I’ve gotten tons of ideas for how to express emotions from listening to songs on Spotify. And I listen while I’m writing. I guess you could say Spotify is my muse.

HG: Thank you for sharing that. It’s release day for your novel, Breathing in Reverse. Congrats! What can you tell us about this book? How long have you been working on the story?

DW: This story began maybe 8 years ago and it’s undergone several iterations in that time. It all began when I watched an interview with a young actor who was all the rage at the time, screaming girls and all. An interviewer asked him something to the effect of where he thought things would go from there. His answer stuck with me. He said, and I’m paraphrasing from memory: “Maybe someone will jump out from the crowd and stab me, and it’ll all be over.” He laughed when he said it, but it was clear that he felt incredibly vulnerable. My story about an obsessed fan sprung from there. At one point, I had chapters from the stalker’s POV, but on the advice of my developmental editor, I deleted all 26,000 of the stalker’s words and came up with new ones from the protagonist’s POV. It was painful but, in the end, I think it was a good move. I’ve thought about making those words into a companion piece. Who knows. We’ll see.

HG: Can’t wait to read it! When Robins Appear was an International Book Awards Finalist 2021. If it was turned into a movie or TV series, who would you cast as the main characters?

DW: I think every author fantasizes about their story being made into a movie or a series. I know I do. I recently watched Wildflower with Kiernan Shipka (from Mad Men) and Charlie Plummer (Looking for Alaska). The movie is about a teenage girl (Shipka), whose parents are mentally disabled, and her boyfriend (Plummer). While I was watching the movie, it struck me that they would make the perfect Graham and Amanda from When Robins Appear.

HG: Awesome. What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

DW: I want it to strike an emotional chord—the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter, the fear of coping with dangerous circumstances and, with my WIP, the ache of lost love. Based on reviewers’ comments, I think “Robins” does that. The overriding theme from the reviewers is to keep tissues at the ready while reading. I had one reviewer who said they wanted to throw my book across the room when they got to the end. I don’t write Happily Ever After Stories. They tend to be bittersweet with a dash of hope. I often tear up while writing, an inconvenience when writing in a coffee shop.

HG: Keep tissues handy, noted. What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

DW: My WIP is about lost love, secrets, and second chances. Here’s a short description: “When Zezelia Owens learns that Cillian Byrne, the Irish singer whom she fell in love with 22 years before, has died, she must accept that her fantasy of them one day reuniting is over. While dealing with what she feels is unearned grief, Zezelia makes a rash decision to travel to Ireland to attend Cillian’s wake and funeral, where she meets his family, whom she had once hope to claim as her own, and she becomes reacquainted with Damian, Cillian’s best friend and bandmate.”

It’s told in alternating chapters of Past and Present—what her life is like now and what it was like when they met and fell in love. I’m at that halfway mark, so it’s time for bullet points!

HG: That sounds interesting! So, what was your last 5-star read?

DW:  It’s really hard to say, but I think it was Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult.

HG: I enjoyed that one as well. For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

DW: Oooh, cake! Cheesecake, please!

HG: Movie or book?  

DW: This is probably considered blasphemous, but I’d have to say movie, especially when my brain is tired, which is a lot. But it does relate to writing. I get a lot of story and character ideas from shows and movies.

HG: Totally fair! Pool or ocean?

DW: Ocean—love the smell, the sounds, the energy.

HG: Introvert or extrovert?

DW: Introvert—a lot of writers say they are introverted, but I’m the poster child for introversion.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

DW: Print—I love the way a book feels and smells. You just don’t get that with eBooks (though I do have a Kindle) or audiobooks (not a big fan—I’m very particular about narrators). But, I must confess that I buy more Kindle ebooks than print books simply because they are less expensive.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

DW: I love to hear from readers and other writers. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram @densiwebbbooks, or BookBub, check out my website or my essays on Women Writers, Women’s Books, or look for my monthly column all about books and publishing on WriterUnboxed the first Saturday of each month.

If you love to read and leave reviews on Amazon, and would like to get books from authors like Densie Webb for free every day, then sign up for the Hidden Gems ARC program. Each day we send out emails with offers of free books in over 15 different genres, and you’ll only be sent the genres you’re interested in and the books you want to read. Sign up for as many or as few as you have time and interest for, we’ll keep the eBooks flowing as long as you want to keep on reading and reviewing!

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Today’s interview is with author and medieval historian, Ellis L. Knox. According to his official bio, he is the creator of the fantasy world called Altearth, a place where magic is real, monsters roam the land, and the Roman Empire never fell. We were honored to learn more about Knox’s journey to publication, writing style and life outside of writing!

HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

ELK: I’m obsessed with stories. Whether it’s television, games, or text, it’s the story that I like best. When it comes to telling stories myself, I try hard to make them as interesting as I expect to hear from others.

I’m a medieval historian by training. I’ve always enjoyed SF and fantasy. After many years of fooling about with SF ideas and some fantasy, I decided there was potential in taking what I knew about the Middle Ages, and reworking it in a fantasy context, using generous amounts of medieval lore. And that’s where I’ve been playing ever since.

HG: How cool! Tell us a bit about your publishing journey. When did you know you were ready to take on the “author” role?

ELK: I have always written, but back in the 1970s I submitted a short story to Galaxy Magazine. It was rejected, but I got a handwritten note from the editor encouraging me to keep writing. I filed it away, never submitted—never even finished—another story, and that was that. Some time in the 2000s my wife found that note and put it on my desk. At that moment, something clicked, and decided I would write a novel. After I finished the first one, I’ve been calling myself an author.

HG: I love that story about your wife putting the note on your desk. Thank you for sharing. Now, tell us more about how you created the fantasy world, Altearth. Was it years of thought in the making? How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t read the books yet?

ELK: Years, yes. I got the idea of Altearth in the 1990s and started my usual making notes, writing fragments, never finishing anything. By the time I started my first novel (almost twenty years later), I had a pretty clear idea of how I would work. I knew every story I told would be set in Altearth.

Most of Altearth is real. Places, people, events; I try to keep as much unchanged as I can. Sometimes I make big changes, like having the Roman Empire persist. Mostly, I add stuff like dwarves or dragons or elves or trolls, then see what has to change in order to accommodate those. It’s been fun!

HG: Sounds fun! Tell us a little bit about your actual writing process. Are you a plotter? Do you have a routine for where and when you write? Any interesting quirks?

ELK: I’m an everything-er. I plot, but I also just write along. I usually know where I’m headed, though I rarely know how I’m going to get there. I make a good outline, then I promptly wander away from it. My writing process is well-intentioned, badly executed, but ultimately successful.

I write five days a week (I’m retired, so I have that luxury), anywhere from two to four hours each day.

HG: Fantastic! So, what have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

ELK: The biggest challenge has been figuring out what a publishing career meant for me. I didn’t get serious about writing to publish until I was in my late 50s. I never had a need or desire to publish for profit, but I did and do aim to have many people read my stories. I’m after readers, not money.

The first and biggest challenge was to get serious about writing, to decide I would write and actually finish a story. Everything after was work, could be frustrating, but getting that first novel all the way to done, that was the hard one.

Next came choosing between traditional and self-publishing. I quickly realized that I could spend months to years just trying to get an agent, months to years more finding a publisher, and months to years after that before the accepted work was actually in print. I don’t have that long, so I turned to self-publishing. That was in 2014. I’ve been self-published ever since.

The challenges since then have been learning the details of publishing, such as formatting and layout, finding a cover artist, and so on. It turns out there’s a fair distance between finishing the story and the story actually being published.

Probably the most frustrating challenge has been learning about marketing and then sticking with it. That term “marketing” for a self-published author ranges everywhere from writing blurbs (*shudder*) to figuring out the mysteries of advertising, to writing and producing a newsletter. I do enjoy the newsletter, but most of the rest of it I wish I could do without.

HG: Thank you for that thoughtful response. Tell us a bit about your books.  What can readers expect? What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels?

ELK: My books range widely. One is a fantasy re-working of Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Another follows the tribulations of a young woman who grew up believing she was half-human and half-elf, then finds out she is neither. I’m currently writing a series set in the later Middle Ages that involves a performing troupe who keep getting caught up in mysteries/adventures. There will be six of those. My first novel covered an invasion of the Roman Empire by a goblin horde. So yeah, all over the place. With a whole continent and a thousand years to play with, how could I not?

What can readers expect? Anything and everything, I hope. Above all, though, they can expect interesting characters in unusual circumstances; my stories are not the usual fantasy fare.

What feeling? I hope every reader remembers my story.

That’s what every author hopes for, isn’t it? That their book is remembered.

HG: Surely. What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

ELK: All my fiction is Altearth, but I do sometimes make historical presentations at the local university. I’ve done sessions on the construction of the dome of cathedral in Florence, one on pilgrimages to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, one on the Pazzi Conspiracy, and have a full series in 2024 covering the Crusades.

As for Altearth itself, I am working on this series with the Trouvères. After that comes a novel (one, but maybe two, volumes) that is a re-working of the career of Emperor Frederick II. I know. Sounds dull. But there’s trolls and orcs, not to mention wizards. The story is called The Falconer.

HG: Great! Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

ELK: When not writing, I enjoy reading, playing video games, and traveling with my wife and our two dogs. I also used to do a fair amount of electronic music composition, making CDs back in the halcyon days of mp3.com.

My wife and I love to travel. We’ve been to Turkey, Italy (three times), Germany, Scotland, France (well, Paris), England (London), and have at least visited many other European countries.

HG: That’s awesome. What was your last 5-star read?

ELK: This would have to be a history book; a re-read, actually. Peasants Into Frenchmen by Eugen Weber. Well written, incredibly well researched, it describes life in French rural society before industrialization, then how that changed over the 19^th century. From peasants into Frenchmen. The earlier chapters are a gold mine of anecdotes useful for anyone doing historical fiction.

HG: Sounds fascinating. For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

ELK: Cookies. Specifically, wafer cookies with tea.

HG: Movie or book?

ELK: In general, whichever was the original medium. For example, The Expanse = the book (though the series was well done); Indiana Jones or Star Wars, the movie.

HG: Pool or ocean?

ELK: Ocean, but not to go in, not any more. Lovely to look at, but the sea is dangerous. I nearly died … twice! … the last time I was in Hawaii.

HG: Introvert or extrovert?

ELK: I used to think introvert, but I found I can initiate conversations in group settings. But I’m not demonstrative.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

ELK: For fiction reading, nearly always eBook. But print when it’s non-fiction, especially history. It’s too difficult to scan and reference with an eBook. Audiobooks, never. I don’t have the patience to just sit there and listen at the narrator’s pace, and if I’m doing other things, I don’t want those other things distracting from the story.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

ELK: First stop should be altearth.net where they can not only find out what books I’ve written and what’s in progress, they can also read a fair amount of background lore. Oh, and there are a couple of free short stories there.

For those interested in the historical side, there is europeanmiddleages.info/toc.shtml which contains about twenty essays on various medieval subjects. They come from when I taught courses online for Boise State University, starting in 1993. I was the university’s webmaster back then, so I was able to get in on the ground floor.

Thank you to Hidden Gems for offering me this interview, and thanks to you, reader, for taking the time to read it!

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