AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
John V. Wylie MD is a seasoned psychiatrist.
John was a founding member of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society and has given multiple lectures on the topic.
He offers a unique perspective on the origins of our deepest motivations. You can read the interview here and check out his latest work.
I believe most of you know my enjoyment of green space and the benefits I obtained from it when I journey outside my home. I was excited to have the opportunity to interview Boris Kester. Boris has a passion for exploring the world and sharing his adventures with us in his captivating travel photos. You can find the interview here.
I spend a large portion of my life reading as I want to enhance my knowledge base and communicate better. Learning new skills gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as the confidence to try new challenges. However, I often feel fatigued and am aware of the need to improve my work-life balance.
I think some blog viewers may identify with a struggle to maintain a work-life balance. For this reason, I was thrilled that author Damon Lembi agreed to be in the author spotlight.
Damon recently released the book Learn-it-All Leader. In addition to being an author, Damon is the CEO of Learnit - a training company that helps organizations develop hard and soft skills. You can find the interview here.
I live in Amish Country and horses are often used for riding and transportation. Another common use around here is pleasure riding and sports like jumping, racing, and showing, and this drew me to ask Tiffany Noelle Chacon to be in the author spotlight. You can find the interview here
Aharona (Roni) Rosenthal is the Director of Judaic Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She was born in Haifa and tells me "The unique, diverse, and rich culture that can be found in Haifa accompanies me everywhere I go and influences the way I write."
You can find the interview here
I appreciate history both non-fiction and fiction. I'd been receiving and studying Neil Perry Gordon's newsletters for a while. I happened to see an image of him with a quote from Jack London. I'm a Jack London fan and well that's what drew me to ask Neil to be in the spotlight. He was kind enough to agree to this interview.
Jon Meyer graduated from the University of Vermont. He then pursued grad studies at Rutgers (MFA) and Pratt Institute (MID). You can find his writing in The Village Voice, ARTnews, ARTS, New Art Examiner, Visions Quarterly, CRITS, Q, Dialog, Art New England, and other publications. Jon is well known for leading a small team that produced a film about one of his students, Dan Keplinger. This film, King Gimp won the Oscar at the 2000 academy awards and appeared on HBO numerous times thereafter. Jon was kind enough to agree to my interview about his latest book Clouds: love poems from Above the Fray. The interview is here.
Allen Wolf has won multiple awards as an author, filmmaker, and game creator.
He is also the host of the popular Navigating Hollywood podcast where he interviews film and TV professionals about what it takes to thrive in entertainment.
Hannah Fielding tells us as a very young child, I loved stories. My governess used to tell me the most amazing fairy tales, and when I was seven we came to the agreement that for each story she told me I would tell her one of mine. That is how it all started.
My earliest memories of writing are penning romantic stories, which I would circulate among my classmates. This made me quite popular with the girls at my convent school, but far less so with the nuns!
I wrote my first 400-page book, in French, when I was twenty-eight, which I later translated myself into English. You can read more about her work here.
Barry Shore is a successful serial entrepreneur and has been dubbed the Ambassador of Joy. He has committed himself to help others learn that they can overcome challenges so they might have a positive impact on the world. You can learn more about him and his books here.
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and two cats and has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has published 21 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic comedy, dramatic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction, and poetry.
Darlene Green Highly sensitive, an empath, healer, teacher and scribe, Darlene has followed her heart's direction in discovery of the sacred. What started as a personal journey ignited by profound events Dec. 2017 has become the extensive work of In Service to Love.
Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead are writers of romantic suspense. You can find their interview here.
Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of brilliant, original fiction across a range of genres, including dark psychological thrillers, gripping mystery novels, captivating travel fiction, and hilarious dark satire. Isobel holds a Ph.D. in Western Esotericism for her groundbreaking study of the texts of Alice A. Bailey. She carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives near Melbourne, Australia, with her little white cat. She kindly agreed to this interview here.
Natalie Hart, is the debut author of the book *Pieces of Me* (Legend Press, October 1, 2019), which was shortlisted for the 2018 Costa First Novel Award.
Natalie Hart specializes in conflict and post-conflict environments and has worked extensively across the Middle East, including 3 years in Iraq. The interview is located here.
Sonia Faruqi is the author of, The Oyster Thief an underwater odyssey. She is also the author of critically acclaimed Project Animal Farm, about the world's food system
Charles S. Isaacs is known as a schoolteacher, college professor, social activist, community organizer, financial analyst, ghostwriter, Congressional aide, gambler, real estate consultant, storyteller, and occasional journalist.
His undergraduate studies were in Mathematics (LIU-Brooklyn), after which he attended the University of Chicago Law School. His later graduate work was in the Social Sciences, earning an M.A. (New School for Social Research) and a Ph.D. (The Union Institute & University). In recent decades, he has been a commercial real estate broker and adviser, exclusively representing New York non-profits.
His published works include fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Recent speaking engagements have been at the CUNY Graduate Center, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the American Educational Research Association and the Cornwall Public Library.
He currently resides with his wife Carole in Newburgh, New York and accommodated me with this interview here.
Anne Butler Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. Her first TV job came at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter. She finished her on‐camera broadcasting career with a two‐year stint as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery was a freelance and/or staff reporter for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces. Her novel, The Scent of Rain, was released in March 2017. A Light in the Desert was published in November 2018. Nothing But Echoes is set for publication in 2020. Montgomery teaches journalism at South Mountain High School in Phoenix, is a foster mom to three sons, and is an Arizona Interscholastic Association football referee and crew chief. When she can, she indulges in her passions: rock collecting, football officiating, scuba diving, and playing her guitar. You can find the interview here.
Faye Hall spent her early years listening to stories about the families – including her own – who settled townships in and around her hometown in North Queensland, Australia. The local townspeople, including her own parents, told her stories of corruption and slavery, along with family secrets and forbidden love.
Desperate to remember what she’d been told, along with her already growing love of writing, Faye began to write about the history of her local area. Never could she have imagined the history of her small home town in Australia would become a growing list of published books.
Faye’s passionate stories combine controversial subjects and provocative encounters as her characters struggle to survive the lifestyle in early rural townships throughout Australia. She explores slavery and abortion, drug addiction and murder, as well as forbidden love and passionate affairs of the heart.
When she’s not writing, Faye enjoys sharing a bottle of wine with her husband in their ever-growing garden and encouraging the varied interests of their combined family of nine children. You can find the interview here.
Birgitta Hjalmarson and her husband live north of San Francisco, in a house on a hill, overlooking the ocean. When not writing, she walks along the bluff and up into the forest, alone or with friends. Tutoring local children keeps her grounded. She studied Swedish, English and German Literature, earning Master's Degrees from the University of Lund, Sweden, and the University of California at Davis. While covering the San Francisco art beat as a contributing editor for Art & Auction in New York, she also wrote Artful Players, a book on early California art, published by Balcony Press. Turning to fiction, she drew on memories of her native Sweden, where she spent her childhood summers in a village much like the one we encounter in Fylgia. Sarah Orne Jewett's words to Willa Cather still hold true: "Of course, one day you will write about your own country. In the meantime, get all you can. One must know the world so well before one can know the parish." You can find the interview here.
If you're not familiar with Silke Stein, she is a graphic designer and writer. Silke currently lives on the west coast of Canada, where she tends to her ever-growing sea glass collection. And, when she's not beachcombing or writing, she designs book covers for fellow authors. See her interview and lovely collection of sea glass images here.
Natalie Hart specializes in conflict and post-conflict environments and has worked extensively across the Middle East, including 3 years in Iraq. The interview is located here.
You'll find from my interview with Sonia that she has a passion for conservation and she educates as well as entertains. You can find the interview here.
His undergraduate studies were in Mathematics (LIU-Brooklyn), after which he attended the University of Chicago Law School. His later graduate work was in the Social Sciences, earning an M.A. (New School for Social Research) and a Ph.D. (The Union Institute & University). In recent decades, he has been a commercial real estate broker and adviser, exclusively representing New York non-profits.
His published works include fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Recent speaking engagements have been at the CUNY Graduate Center, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the American Educational Research Association and the Cornwall Public Library.
He currently resides with his wife Carole in Newburgh, New York and accommodated me with this interview here.
Richard Bray's father was a keen gardener and that is where his interest in all natural things began. As a youngster, he enjoyed nothing better than helping his father in the garden. Nowadays, he finds himself at the opposite end of life. Having had a satisfying career, he now has time to potter around in his garden and take care of his small homestead. Much of the food on his dinner table is homegrown. He likes to experiment with various gardening methods and find new ways to grow bountiful crops year-round. He wants to share his knowledge showing how easy and rewarding it is to set up your own prosperous garden. In his opinion, you do not need a huge budget to get started. When you do get started, you will soon feel, and taste, the benefits of growing your own food. You can find the interview here.
Desperate to remember what she’d been told, along with her already growing love of writing, Faye began to write about the history of her local area. Never could she have imagined the history of her small home town in Australia would become a growing list of published books.
Faye’s passionate stories combine controversial subjects and provocative encounters as her characters struggle to survive the lifestyle in early rural townships throughout Australia. She explores slavery and abortion, drug addiction and murder, as well as forbidden love and passionate affairs of the heart.
When she’s not writing, Faye enjoys sharing a bottle of wine with her husband in their ever-growing garden and encouraging the varied interests of their combined family of nine children. You can find the interview here.
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).
In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years. Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya. His latest novel, Justice Gone, was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police. Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. You can find the interview here. Nicholas Lombardi Jr's, book Justice Gone won the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards for Best Legal Thriller.
In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years. Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya. His latest novel, Justice Gone, was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police. Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. You can find the interview here. Nicholas Lombardi Jr's, book Justice Gone won the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards for Best Legal Thriller.
Who is Charlie Laidlaw and What Have You Written?
I am the author of two contemporary novels. My second, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead, was published in 2017 (Accent Press). My third, The Space Between Time, is due for publication in June next year (also Accent Press). Rights to my first novel have been acquired by Accent Press and it is to be republished as Love Potions and Other Calamities, towards the end of next year.
Apart from that, I am married with two children, live in the east of Scotland , provide writing services to a number of clients, and am starting teaching a Diploma course in Creative Writing. You can find the interview and review of The Things We Learn When We’re Dead here.
Nancy Wagaman is a human technologies innovator specializing in personal growth and transformation. Her practical techniques enable people to transform self-limitations and improve their lives. Rooted in science and intuition, Nancy’s transformative techniques are practical and easy to use. Nancy began developing human technologies during her early career at Bell Laboratories, and she has also consulted and conducted research for corporate, university, and private clients. Her work has been featured in magazines, radio, and television. Nancy holds advanced degrees in applied psychology and communications, and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biology. She is the author of The Curious Dreamer’s Practical Guide to Dream Interpretation and The Curious Dreamer’s Dream Dictionary (TheCuriousDreamer.com) and has written extensively on applied psychology, intuition, and other personal growth topics. You can find her interview here.
Award-winning author Ralph Webster received worldwide acclaim for his first book, A Smile in One Eye: A Tear in the Other, which tells the story of his father’s flight from the Holocaust. Voted by readers as a Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards Nominee for Best Memoir/ Autobiography, A Smile in One Eye: A Tear in the Other and this second book, One More Moon, are proven book club selections for thought-provoking and engaging discussions. Whether in person or online, Ralph welcomes and values his exchanges with readers and makes every effort to participate in conversations about his books. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Ginger, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In addition to writing, he enjoys spending his time with family, playing tennis, hiking, and traveling the world. You can find the interview and review of the audible for One More Moon here and for The Other Mrs. Samson here.
After his first overseas assignment to the USA in 1975 – just twenty-three with a suitcase and a guitar – corporate nomad, Patrick Burns, kept on moving from country to country rarely declining a fresh challenge in a new location. In these stories from four decades of living and working around the world, he relives some of his most memorable experiences: from dangerous pyrotechnic liaisons in the Algerian desert to a quest to find the Archbishop of Rangoon after a chance meeting in an English village church. See his interview here along with the review of Far Away and Further Back.
Melissa Hines Helms is the author of the Leah & Rhea book series (middle-grade novels). In addition, to being an author, Melissa is a mom, wife, school psychologists, hu-mom, and co-founder of Helmshines publishing. Melissa and her family reside in Texas. You can find the review and interview here.
Jeffrey Bardwell writes fantasy with elements of epic darkness, steampunk, and romance set in the Metal vs. Magic Universe. His character-driven books are guaranteed to include gritty realism, political intrigue, lurid entanglements, dry wit, and dragons in differing proportions. He devours fantasy and science fiction novels and is most comfortable basking near a warm wood stove. When not writing, Jeffrey enjoys cooking, gardening, and shooing baby dragons from the compost bin. He lives on a farm and in a prior life worked as a community ecologist. He is over fond of puns and alliterations. He is also an unabashed history and mythology enthusiast and would love to hear from you. See his interview here and the review of Rotten Magic here.
Kitty Lewis is a Fantasy and supernatural fiction writer from Britain. She is author of the series, “Legends of the Lost Tribes”. She said, "I’ve had the world and characters in my head for a long time, in fact, I think I was around 6 or 7 when I first started imagining the earliest parts of it all. It was always just a sort of private fantasy though, the little world I’d escape to in daydreams (or during a boring school lesson!). A few years ago I was trying to work out what I actually wanted to do with my life after a lot of plans and ideas had fallen apart, and I realised I’d already created this entire world, so why not share it with others?" You can find my interview with Kitty here. Links to my reviews of the first two books in her 'Legends of the Lost Tribes' series are also available. Colourless is here and Beyond the Serpent Hills is here.
Jamison Stone CEO / Creative Director / Lead Writer at Apotheosis Studios was very generous with his time and allowed me to bombard him and co-creator and illustrator David Granjo with questions about his writing process for The Last Amazon among other things.
Apotheosis Studios is an Indie Studio responsible for The Last Amazon a post-apocalyptic superhero graphic novel; Shadow of the Moon an illustrated novella and top-down Roguelike Action-Adventure RPG; The Chicano Movement of Colorado, a photo civil rights art book; and The Color of Compassion a diversity documentary; and Fantasy/Sci-Fi novel Rune of the Apprentice. You will find the review for The Last Amazon here. An extensive interview with Jamison Stone and David Granjo is located here.
Joanne Pence is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling author of the Angie Amalfi and Rebecca Mayfield mysteries as well as historical fiction, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, fantasy, and supernatural suspense.
Cynthia Harrison writes contemporary women’s novels and crime fiction published by The Wild Rose Press in print and e-book. Cindy has also self-published two indie paranormal novels, a novelette featuring the love story of a minor character from The Paris Notebook, and a non-fiction writing manual she used when teaching college freshman creative writing, now in a second e-book edition available on Amazon. Cindy has been blogging since 2002 and is currently posting flash fiction. Cindy is married to her super-husband Al. They have two grown sons and three grandchildren. Cindy and Al live in Michigan and Florida. You can find Cindy's interview here including a review of her book Lily White in Detroit.
Myrna enjoys speaking about her book and recently discussed the legacy of the one-room schoolhouse at this presentation before the Swiss Community Historical Society.
You can read more about her research and pictures of one-room schools here.
Jamison Stone CEO / Creative Director / Lead Writer at Apotheosis Studios was very generous with his time and allowed me to bombard him and co-creator and illustrator David Granjo with questions about his writing process for The Last Amazon among other things.Apotheosis Studios is an Indie Studio responsible for The Last Amazon a post-apocalyptic superhero graphic novel; Shadow of the Moon an illustrated novella and top-down Roguelike Action-Adventure RPG; The Chicano Movement of Colorado, a photo civil rights art book; and The Color of Compassion a diversity documentary; and Fantasy/Sci-Fi novel Rune of the Apprentice. You will find the review for The Last Amazon here. An extensive interview with Jamison Stone and David Granjo is located here.
Her novels present a variety of times, places, and reading experiences from mysterious to thrilling, emotional to lightly humorous, as well as powerful tales of times long past.
Joanne was born and raised in San Francisco Boise , Idaho Japan
Her books have won or been nominated for a number of high honors, including the Willa Cather Literary Award for Historical Fiction; North American Book Award for Mystery; Idaho Top Fiction Award; The Golden Quill, RWA's Rita, and Golden Heart Awards, Daphne du Maurier Award, Independent Bookseller's Golden Scroll, and Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and Best Amateur Sleuth Award. You can find the review of Ancient Illusions and her interview here
Johnathan Tindale was the 2018 Award Winner - Best Parenting & Family - Pacific Book Review. Daddy Day Care: a book for new dads and curious mums lifts the lid on the hilarious, bewildering, joyful, and maddening experience of being a stay-at-home dad with his baby daughter. Johnathan resides in the United Kingdom. You can find the review and interview here
Mark Rounds author of Commonality Games has been an Air Force officer fuzzing radars in B-52’s, a bouncer in some of Spokane’s least classy bars, a consultant in information technology, geek in a cube in a couple .com’s, a folk singer, and currently faculty at the University of Idaho in MIS. He has published papers and conference proceedings on Computer Security, Hacking Motivations, Geographical Information Systems, and Grizzly Bear Habitat. Academically, Mark has a BS in Computer science from Montana State University in 1978, MBA from University of North Dakota in 1985, MS in Computer Science from Washington State University in 2000, and a Ph.D. at the University of Idaho in 2014 focusing on Cyber Security. When he was younger and more foolish, he competed as an IPF powerlifter and has a first ascent in Glacier Park on Red Rock Point. Mark’s current hobbies include Civil War Reenacting, Reading, Folk Guitar, competing in Practical Pistol meets, and cooking gourmet food for his wife of 37 years and 3 kids. Mark is also known as a gamer. My interview with Mark and review of Commonality Games is here.
Lindsay A. Franklin is an award-winning author, award-winning freelance editor, and homeschooling mom of three. When she’s not exploring the fantastical, she’s exploring the Bible and encouraging young women through her devotional books. You can find my review and interview here.
I own most of Blake Sebring's books and spoke with him recently. Sebring is the author of eleven books. He is also the author of six sports nonfiction books, including Fort Wayne Sports History, Tales of the Komets, Legends of the Komets, Live From Radio Rinkside: The Bob Chase Story, The Greatest Mistake I Never Made and On To The Show. His first novel was The Lake Effect, followed by Homecoming Game and then Lethal Ghost. Blake worked for The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, IN for more than 30 years, winning national awards for his coverage of hockey, tennis, and volleyball. In 2015, he was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. He's posted a Q & A here.
Myrna J.Gove is a teacher and author of the book 'Legacy of One-Room Schools'.
Myrna enjoys speaking about her book and recently discussed the legacy of the one-room schoolhouse at this presentation before the Swiss Community Historical Society.
You can read more about her research and pictures of one-room schools here.
Roxanne Heath’s interests and ambitions have changed a plethora of times, but the one constant has been her affinity for fiction. Inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle, Roxanne began writing short stories at the age of seven, progressing to novellas by the age of twelve, and completing her first novel-length story at the age of fifteen. Keeping her love for the craft alive throughout a rigorous, scientific academic career, she published her first novel at the age of twenty-two (Smoke) and her second novel a year later (Risen). Her style of writing is self-described as new adult dark fantasy, grounded in the realism and grit of the real world yet often enhanced by those things which lurk in the shadows. You can find her interview here.