Kirsten is a writer with a love of art and design. She worked in the engineering field, taught college, and consulted free lance. Due to health problems, she retired in 2012 to travel with her husband. They live and work full time in a 40′ travel trailer with their little dog Bingo. Besides writing romance novels, she enjoys selling art on Etsy and spoiling their three grandchildren.
As a writer, Kirsten’s goal is to create strong female characters who face challenging, painful, and sometimes comical situations. She believes that the best way to deal with struggle, is through friendship and women helping women. She knows good stories are based on interesting and relatable characters.
Shadows in the Salon(Sugar Mountain Book 3) by Kirsten Fullmer ~ Genre: Cozy Mystery, Sweet Romance
“I loved this book! It’s the third book in a series in a little town where the characters are funny, smart, amazing, and unique!”- 5 star review
“One of my new favorites!”- 5 star review
A spooky mystery, a promising romance, and a secret society of scheming women…
The cozy town of Sugar Mountain, NC harbors a secret society of women. The society itself is not secret—it’s the devious work of the group that is mysterious.
Michelle owns the Salon, Shear Genius, on Sugar Mountain Main Street, a favorite with the tourists and locals alike. Lately she’s dealing with mysterious problems. She’s being plagued by spooky and unexplained goings-on. Is it a sign from beyond that she should rethink her life choices?
Matt Hopkins moved to Sugar Mountain after losing his business, but thanks to the lovely and talented Michelle, he is now building an amphitheater in town. It looks like things are finally going his way until Michelle is threatened by an eerie aggressor and the Mayor’s involvement spells trouble for his project. Will Matt be able to complete the Amphitheater and help Michelle, or will things with her fall apart as well?
Facing puzzling complications at every turn, The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society go undercover to figure out who is threatening Michelle and the new amphitheater. If they’re not careful, the society may fall apart and Michelle and Matt might end a promising romance. Come along for the ride on this zany, enchanting, romantic cozy mystery!
A picturesque mountain town, sparks of romance, a threatening mystery, and a secret society of devious women…
“Wonderful characters, a real mix of women with varied strength and foibles” -Goodreads review 5 stars
“I loved the first book in the Sugar Mountain series so I was excited to read the second installment and get back to investigating with the Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society” – Goodreads review 5 stars
The cozy community of Sugar Mountain, NC harbors a secret society of women. The society itself is not secret—it’s the actual mission of the group that is devious.
Sugar Mountain is a sleepy town bursting with tourists. If you like quirky shops and original artwork, you’ll want to visit. But the local kindergarten teacher, Sarah, has a mystery on her hands. All she did was try to help the fire department and now she’s receiving threatening notes. Of course, she takes the frightening messages to her friends in the Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society, but even their investigative skills fall short. How will they be able to find the person intent on holding back the fire department and frightening Sarah?
Hugh Brockman, the second in command at the firehouse, is taking extra shifts to cope with the shortage of firefighters. When he visits Sarah’s classroom to talk to her students about fire safety, he gets caught up with the lovely teacher and her cryptic mystery. He’s not happy that someone in town is threatening her with bodily harm, and he intends to find out who it is.
With every lead shot down and tensions running high, it’s up to the ladies of the society to go undercover in their own town to flush out the culprit. If they’re not successful, the fire department will continue to be undermanned, leaving Sugar Mountain is in danger and Sarah in peril.
Join in the continuing antics of the Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society and fall in love along with Hugh and Sarah in this heartfelt and comical romantic mystery.
A cozy mountain town, a sweet romance, and a secret society of sneaky women…
The sleepy hamlet of Sugar Mountain harbors a secret society of women. Don’t misunderstand—the society itself is not secret—it’s the true nature of the group that is hush-hush.
Sugar Mountain is the kind of charming village that tourists adore. If you like small-town charm, quirky shops, and local art, this is the place for you. But when a blood smeared package shows up at the post office and it appears to be linked to a scheme that threatens Heidi Collinsworth’s historic home, the town takes on a sinister vibe. Heidi would lay odds that slimy Mayor Winslow is involved, but even with the enquiring skills of The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society at work, proof is scarce.
The new guy in town, Adam Williams, is determined not to get involved in Sugar Mountain’s business. His last job in a big city planning office ruined his life, but Heidi needs his help. No matter how hard he tries to stay detached, Adam finds himself eyeball deep in Heidi’s problems, as well as the needs of her teenage son and a homeless dog.
With conflicting theories abound and tensions running high, it’s up to the ladies of the society to don disguises and go undercover. If they’re not careful, the town may fall to a wrecking ball, Heidi may fall for Adam, and the secret society will be exposed.
Meet the cast of colorful characters in this charming and zany introduction to a whole new series of romantic, cozy mysteries!
Late For Love (The Way Over the Hill Gang Book 5) by M.K. Scott ~ Genre: Cozy Mystery
The senior sleuths love a good laugh, but this conundrum is no laughing matter. A missing journalist, an African Grey parrot, and a possible mob connection sound like the beginning of a bad joke. Unfortunately, there is no punchline and no one, aside from the seniors, who would dare to take the case on.
Will their first chance to handle a case on their own prove to be way too much for them to handle, and more importantly, could this first be their last?
M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries. Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities. The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands on approach. Morgan’s daughter, who manages a hotel, provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Chance, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog.
Nicole Wells had been guiding people spiritually for over 10 years. In UpSpark, she weaves in everything she’s learned in an emotional heartwarming journey, with a psychic paranormal fantasy twist. An observer of people and life, she crafts inspirational romance stories that make you laugh and cry, reflecting our human condition with tenderness and hope. This New Adult contemporary romance is her debut novel.
StarDust(The Five Elements Book 2) by Nicole Wells ~ Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
So you’ve got psychic powers, now what?
When superstar Aurora manifests telekinesis, her beliefs about everything are put to the test, even the ones about herself. Can she heal enough to let love in?
Brayden is an easygoing guy, until an Australian beauty steals his heart and turns his world upside down. The stakes get even higher when she threatens to expose a secret that’s been kept by his people for millennia.
Can they recognize their precious love for what it is, and save the world in the process?
Enter the world of the Five Elements with Aurora and Braydens story.
This book contains some topics that may be triggering.
Get ready for an award winning story that reached Amazon’s top 500 for all e-books (over 2 million), now fully revised!
Can they find themselves and each other before time runs out?
Enya’s dreams of making a difference in the world are devastated the summer after high school when she finds out she has a fatal disease.
A cross country road trip to Native American reservations helps her find meaning. But Jacob, her best friend and traveling companion, has longed for them to become something more.
Their expedition is just the start of an amazing love and spiritual journey, but a one-in-a-million phenomenon changes everything.
“I get the feeling like I’m reading Fault In Our Stars Part 2.”
So there I was with a newborn in my lap, sleep deprived and awake between nursings. Writing. There was a story I was gifted with that suddenly wanted to be told, and whether I cobbled it together during the day on my cell phone or wrote in the wee hours of morning while my little one slept, I managed to get it all down in three weeks.
For almost a year prior, I had seriously dallied with the idea of writing, and since high school I had fancied the idea of one day becoming an author. While I was pregnant, however, the starts and stops on the world I’d honed since I was a sophomore never tugged the full idea out of me. Instead, I found myself with a complete, and completely unexpected, novel. It was a gift, and my welcome to the world of pantsing.
You see, I am a planner. A we-need-to-turn-this-car-around-because-I-forgot-the-kitchen-sink type of planner. I am not accustomed to waiting to see what my characters had planned, or discovering them as they slowly choose to reveal themselves. With UpSpark, I had only the first scene and the last scene, and it was a full tilt ride filling in everything in-between. What an exhilarating experience to let go of control! I had no idea I was capable of indulging this creative muscle, following it down whatever dark alleys it lead me, to come out the other end into euphoric sunshine.
And now the floodgates are open. I have so many ideas. More so, I have an addiction now. There is no comparable meter stick in my life to this whirlwind of simultaneous wonder, creation, and pride when I strap myself into the sofa, fire up my laptop “control panel”, and dive in to explore new stories, no holds barred.
Well, I guess you could say my kids are wondrous creations I’m proud of, and that’s certainly true, but my stories don’t make dirty dishes or laundry, and when they talk back, it only makes me laugh.
Speaking of, don’t tell my kids, okay? This is just between you and me. They have no idea I can let my hair down and go with the flow. And as much as I love and enjoy the community and friends that I’ve found with this endeavor, the stories that I have been so blessed to be able to share, and the opportunity to touch people with my words, it’s this discovery of these new pieces of me, at the ripe old age of forty something, that I truly treasure. What value would you put on loosing the binds that held you back all your life? I didn’t realize what constriction was, but I’ve gotten a glimpse of who I’ve been and who I am. For a little bit longer, just to be between you and me, this is my precious secret gift from writing, a new superpower of possibility: Mommy can do anything.
For We Are Many by William Becker ~ Genre: Dark Contemporary
The beauty of being able to finally let go is something that Robert has craved for a very long time. Just days after his birthday, he prepares to embrace nothing.
William Becker is a young horror author with a mind for weirder sides of the universe. With an emphasis on complex and layered storylines that tug harshly on the reader to search for deeper meanings in the vein of Silent Hill and David Lynch, Becker is a force to be reckoned within the horror world. His works are constantly unfathomable, throwing terror into places never before seen, while also providing compelling storylines that transcend the predictable jump scares of the popular modern horror.
His first novel, WEEPING OF THE CAVERNS, was written when he was 14. After eight months of writing, editing, and revising, the story arrived soon after his 15th birthday. During the writing sessions for his debut novel, he also wrote an ultra-controversial short story known as THE WHITE SHADE that focused on the horrors of a shooting. Living in a modern climate, it was impossible for THE WHITE SHADE to see the light of day. Following a psychedelic stint that consisted of bingeing David Lynch movies, weird art, and considering the depth of the allegory of the cave wall, he returned to writing with a second story, THE BLACK BOX, and soon after, his second novel, GREY SKIES.
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Q: It’s not hard to figure out from reading the first few pages or even the description ofyour newest story, For We Are Many, that it’s a pretty heavy piece about mental health.How does mental health impact your art? How do you incorporate into your stories?
A: I’d be lying deeply if I said that ideas about mental health had nothing to do with my work. For We Are Many is a very blunt and personal piece about suicide, abandonment, and depression. I tried really hard to get this aimless and hopeless angle into the story. A lot of the feelings of being suicidal are captured pretty well, in my opinion. I’ve struggled to a large degree with depression and I’ve been in therapy before. For We Are Many is probably the most personal piece I’ve ever written. While I’ve never committed suicide (obviously,) there are a lot of things in there that are very real and true.
It goes beyond my honest attempts to capture mental health. Seventh Circle, which also came out this year and is available on my website, is about societal pressures to lose your virginity and something of an obsession with another person. It’s about using another person and their intoxicating presence to fill a hole within yourself.
The Egg, another free short story, was written about confusion about sexuality and my personal fear of becoming a father. It deals a lot with co-dependence and having your meaning stripped away.
While not all of my stories are as blunt as saying a main character has OCD, anxiety, or schizophrenia, I think I incorporate concepts about mental health quite heavily.
Q: Your work is considered fiction, but you’ve said before that you incorporate littlepieces of the real world into your writing, like basing characters and their interactions offof things you’ve really seen. How does that work?
A: This is a hard question to answer. On a more surface level, I will use someone’s name who has helped me with writing. I have a habit of sending little pieces of writing to certain people and as a thank you, I’ll name a character after them. For example, I named May Elizabeth Dawes after my cousin’s girlfriend, Stephanie Dawes.
On a deeper level, there’s a large portion of For We Are Many that is written about infidelity. The protagonist’s girlfriend has a quite obvious sex addiction, and after cheating on him multiple times, she insists she’s going to try and “get better.” She turns herself into the victim, even though she is the one cheating on him. This was based off of a close friend in high school who cheated on his girlfriend in a similar way. He’s changed his life around for the better, of course, but it greatly disturbed me when it happened and slipped its way into this story. I also use a lot of conversations that I hear and turn them into elements of the story.
A lot of my other imagery is based on some of my weirder dreams. It’s probably not hard to determine how this manifests itself in my work.
Q: Do you implement your personal beliefs or philosophies in your books?
A: Yes! One hundred times, yes! I can’t talk a ton about it, but I have a concept floating around in my head right now for a story called “The Goat and The Whore.” It’s going to be about karma and reincarnation. I was raised catholic, which I think shows in some of my work, but as I grew older, I began to gravitate towards some Buddhist beliefs. I really love using the Four Noble Truths in my work.
I also believe that people have a duality of being inherently awful and inherently good. I rarely write a character that is 100 percent good. Sure, there are people I write who are more “good” than others, but most of my people are very human. I don’t like writing protagonists who don’t make tons of moral mistakes.
I’ve talked countless times about how much each story is based on a thought or fear I’ve had before, but the one I’ve neglected to mention is about symmetry and infinite loops. I believe that life is a series of circles and mirrors. We are never exactly in the same place twice, but many events in our lives mirror one another and echo one another. These “echoes” are most apparent in beginnings and endings. The first example I can think of is the Seventh Circle. The first chapter, where our main character falls in love, is called simply “Mia.” This is pretty straight forward in meaning. The final chapter is called “Persephone,” also known as the queen of hell. If you’ve read the story, then you most likely have a pretty darn good idea as to why.
Q: Do you use writing as an escape or as a form of expression?
A: Some people might read my stuff and flip either way, and I agree. I think that some of my work lies pretty deeply on the expression side of things, while also as a form of escape. I’m a bit fan of creating characters that resemble me or people I know, but also being very nuanced and quite different. My characters are all connected to one another and me in very specific ways, but they also exist in something of a vacuum. For example, I relate to some aspects of Roman Toguri from my second novel, Grey Skies, but I don’t personally find myself identifying as a broken psychopath.
New York Onions is based a lot on a family member who overdosed on heroin, but it’s obviously in this strange, dream-like place that resembles very little of the real world. I would say my work is not unlike very abstract paintings. It might represent or pull elements from reality, but it exists as something of a mix between expressionism and escapism.
Q: What drew you to writing horror?
A: I wouldn’t say I necessarily gravitate just towards horror, but darker work as a whole. Sure, things like Grey Skies or The Egg are obvious horror, but New York Onions doesn’t really count as a horror story in the traditional sense, and neither does For We Are Many. I would argue I mostly write work that is dark and features strange imagery, not necessarily “horror.” It gets exhausting hearing family members say, “oh, he writes spooky ghost stories.” I don’t think I’ve really ever written something that resembles a Hollywood horror film with lots of jump scares and demon possession. My work feels more ethereal and honest than that. Maybe I’m tooting my own horn and sound like a pretentious jerk with that, but…
There’s something I find easier about writing things that are dark. I love to challenge myself with different genres and I know for a fact that I’ll write something more positive and family friendly one day, but that being said, it’s easier to experiment in the darkness. I like to think of writing darker content as working in a really dark room. I’m not exactly sure where the limits are, how large the room is, or how much space I can actually work with. It’s easier for me to just feel my way through and make something that is very grotesque and strange, yet also very natural and drenched in feeling. Writing work that is more… Hallmark, for a lack of a better word, feels much more obvious and in your face. It’s like working in that same room and turning on the lights. Suddenly, you know what’s directly in front of you. You have limits when it comes to genre, mood, and content. I feel like it’s harder to write something true without being able to incorporate anything that exists. It’s the reason why dark and abrasive music like Swans is more experimental and interesting to me than Taylor Swift.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing about a four minute pop-country song about someone’s ex that I don’t love, but a very fluid composition that’s thirty minutes long and features a sixty year man shouting obscenities always has a lot more feeling. Once I have my plate more clear, I’m going to write something more normal and tame as a form of challenging myself, but for now, I find darker work to be the easiest way to express myself.
Q: You talk a ton about music and how it influences your work. What are some albumsyou’ve heard recently that have excited you?
A: I listen to an absurd amount of different genres and going through the discographies of full artists is one of the things I love to do in my free time. I’m currently working as a delivery driver, so I have a lot of time to listen to music. I suppose it’s easiest to list them out by genre.
Electronic: Maniac Meat by Tobacco
Country: Black Ribbons by Shooter Jennings
Metal: Pain is God by Pig
Rap: Anti-Icon by Ghostemane.
Q: What’s the worst part of writing in 2020?
A: Oversaturation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing to have access to such amazing artists who wouldn’t have had the same exposure thirty years ago, but it also makes it much harder to get random people to actually check your work out. In between all of my creative projects, it’s very difficult to dedicate a ton of time towards marketing. On top of that, knowing where to market yourself is very hard. Instagram hasn’t been great recently because hashtags have been blocked in response to election disinformation. Thanks to *whoever* is responsible for that, cough cough. Currently, I’ve been up close and personal with authors on Wattpad and that’s been giving me a decent amount of success. I tried for a while to send my stories out to blogs, but I found that I felt like something of an annoying person just shipping my work off to anyone who would read it. It was hard to develop meaningful connections with these people who are more than sick of dealing with indie authors.
Q: What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written?
A: I’m just going to use this one. It’s unreleased right now and for that reason, unedited. It’s VERY NSFW. It just personally interests me.
“I dreamt again of my birth home that night. I was young again, only my mother wasn’t standing over me, watching me dig into the sand. I was completely alone in the middle of the desert. I glanced around me and saw that the place where we had lived was gone. For miles in each direction, I was surrounded by sand and nothing else. Digging in the vast ocean of sand seemed pointless. I felt
exhausted even in my dreams, but something about the desolation felt wrong. I was out of place. I didn’t belong here.
Suddenly, the sand seemed to slowly sink into the earth where my hands were, creating a miniature canyon that opened into a black abyss. The slit in the sand couldn’t have been wider than an inch, but it seemed to go down forever. I felt a shiver go down my body. The slit called for me. I needed to be inside of it. The blood flowed from my head, all the way down to my groin, filling me with a jittery sensation. The sand smelled of roses and other exotic scents. The hole in the sand
grew ridges along its edges, becoming more organic, more alive, yet still made of sand. My body throbbed with ecstasy, an ecstasy that was so intense that I lost all other sensations. My mouth was watering. I bit down on my tongue. It wasn’t right for me to be here, staring into the slit of the earth. I crawled over the ground, ignoring the grains digging into my palms.
My breathing became the beat of all life, heavy and rhythmic.. I needed to be inside of her slit, to put my hands inside of her. My right hand grazed the ridges at first, but I wanted more, shoving my index finger into the hole. It was wet and sticky. My penis throbbed beneath my white robes.
I tore my robes off with ease, as if I was gliding through the clouds. As if they were a weight on my ankles, I felt free once they were removed, as though I could fly off of the ground.
My naked body felt comfortable on the sand, as if the earth was a blanket that wanted to swallow me whole. I took my erect penis and slammed it into the wet, tight, slit. My eyes rolled back in my head with pleasure. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. My mind and body were overwhelmed by the sheer bliss.
I was panting in a pool on my own fluids, which seemed to be rejected by Mother Earth. The slit was gone and once again, I was alone. The sun had disappeared, leaving the desert vacant and black. My feelings of arousal had been replaced by a feeling of emptiness. I had satisfied her and she had rejected me. I shivered, rolling in the sticky pool of semen.
My eyes shot open as a cold breeze grazed my skin. It was still dark out, too early for us to start moving again. My face was wet with my own drool, which I wiped with a swipe of my hand. Beneath my blanket, there was another wet spot on the mat that was thankfully not visible. I adjusted my flaccid penis that had mysteriously been pulled from my pants. I sighed, taking my finger to the mat and whiffing the oceanic scent of my semen. Hopefully, no one would notice the smell. I began quietly rolling up my mat.”
Q: Who is your favorite author right now?
A: Aron Beauregard. No contest. Google him, he’s awesome. Also his covers are some of my favorites.
Q: Your imagery seems to be pretty important to you. What thought process goes intoyour covers and author photos?
A: Every single one is just a bit different. I can probably go through all of them individually.
Weeping of The Caverns- I was going for something like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the first Black Sabbath album. It’s a very grainy image of my neighbors house in Boone. I took that photo when I was twelve with a digital camera, then threw it through photoshop. It was really my first time editing an image like that. It ended up becoming the cover somewhat randomly. I did have the money or skill to create a cover that I absolutely loved, so it just ended up being represented by a photo of some house. I absolutely adore the back cover. For anyone who actually owns a copy, you can see it’s a photo of a man standing beneath a tree. It’s very subtle and a little spooky. I basically was out in a field beside an abandoned house and told a friend to stand underneath the tree. A little bit of editing later, and it turned into the back cover.
Grey Skies- This one was shot, I think, back in late 2014 with an iPhone. I wasn’t even a freshman in high school yet. It’s weird to think I’m twenty years old now and that feels like a decade ago. It was taken on a street near Blowing Rock Elementary school. A lot of the kids who went to the school wouldn’t take the bus, they’d just walk into downtown Blowing Rock and hang out at the park.
I had a close male friend who went out with some female friends a few days before the photo was taken. I’m not sure why, but one of these ladies sat on his lap. Being a pretty hormonal middle schooler, he got an erection and this got him a decent amount of bullying. That photo is a picture of him walking down the road, crying with headphones on. It ended up perfectly capturing the mood I was going for in Grey Skies.
Author images- It was very very hard for me to figure out how I was going to represent myself as an author. A few months before Grey Skies came out in 2019, I decided I needed to make myself some author pages on the internet. I texted a friend named Hope Rosenfeld, who you can see credited on my website, and asked her if she wanted to do a photoshoot. I wore a big leather sports coat, a cowboy hat, and a David Lynch shirt. I wanted to create photos that were eye-catching, but also very gothic and mysterious. Late stage Johnny Cash was a pretty huge influence. The problem that I still have with those photos is that I should have worn dress shoes or boots.
New York Onions- Can’t remember the building right now, but I took the photo on the roof of a skyscraper in New York.
Seventh Circle- Probably the only cover I have that has no text, and also the first of mine to be a GIF. This one was originally created by Aubrey Flowers. She wasn’t quite sure how to make it into a gif, so I took it my own hands and used a free online gif maker. It ended up becoming very trippy. I’m not completely sure how I made the effect, but I really could stare at it for hours.
The Egg- I bought some eggs from the supermarket, hung up a white sheet, then took a ton of different photos of it from different angles. I still have at least fifty different photos of that same egg. I tried my hand at editing using a variety of different applications, before I finally ended up with three different versions. I had a poll on my instagram asking which looked the best, before I finally decided to make a gif out of my favorites.
For We Are Many- Originally, this was made by Ashley Kincaid. It was a plain, white photo. We had originally planned on creating four different images, but she lost interest in the project. I took her original, plain images, then played a lot with the cover, border, and background. Then went from a black and white image of a gun and tissues with no text to a blue, yellow, and black piece of art that’s really grimey. It’s a shame because I absolutely adore Ashley as a person and her style is amazing. You can follow her on Instagram at @Type4me
A: Is it pronounced “Gif” as in gift, or “Jif” as in the pasture butter?
A: Gif.
Q: Do you do any more photography or digital art?
A: Yes. I love doing a ton of photography and editing. I don’t consider myself all that good at it, but the end result is usually interesting.
Q: What other creative things do you do outside of photography and editing?
A: Right now, I host a podcast called First Degree Tea. You can hear me awkwardly talk about serial killers and criminals on that. I also created the theme song for that. I also compose a different score for each new episode. I also edit two other podcasts, one of which is called We Talk Too Much, the other is Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas.
I’ve done some music stuff with JaredMiller, I’ve directed two music videos for Bury Me In Black, and I’ve edited a few novels, most notably, The Night Made This Decision by Alexis Sundquist. One of the coolest projects I’ve got coming kind of soon is an audiobook that’s more of an audio experience. Most audiobooks are just some guy reading in a relaxed voice, which certainly has its time and place, but I want to make something more exciting. I want to make an audiobook where I do the narration, but I have a different voice actor for each character, ambience for each location, and lots of background music.
How do you stay motivated?
I’m not really sure. My cousin and I are roommates next to an Applebees. I set a goal to write 1600 words a day. A few days ago, I asked him to motivate me to keep writing. He said if I hit my goal that day, he would buy one free appetizer for me from Applebees. I think my motivation comes from strange places, haha.
I’m happy to be one of many tour hosts sharing For We Are Many by William Becker.
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GERARD COLLINS is a Newfoundland writer whose first novel,nbsp; Finton Moon , was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and won the Percy Janes First Novel Award. His short-story collection,nbsp; Moonlight Sketches , won the NL Book Award, and his stories have been published widely in journals and anthologies. He lives in southern New Brunswick.
Sissy and Ava Hush are estranged, middle-aged sisters with little in common beyond their upbringing in a peculiar manor in downtown St. John’s. With both parents now dead, the siblings must decide what to do with the old house they’ve inherited. Despite their individual loneliness, neither is willing to change or cede to the other’s intentions. As the sisters discover the house’s dark secrets, the spirits of the past awaken, and strange events envelop them. The Hush sisters must either face these sinister forces together or be forever ripped apart.
In The Hush Sisters, Gerard Collins weaves psychological suspense with elements of the fantastic to craft a contemporary urban gothic that will keep readers spellbound until the novel whispers its startling secrets.
Would you like a chance to win a $15 Amazon giftcard, ebooks of Finton Moon, and Moonlight Sketches by Gerard Collins? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born at the cottage hospital in Placentia, Newfoundland. I grew up in Bond’s Path, just a five-minute drive from that hospital. Placentia, or Plaisance in French, was the original French capital of Newfoundland before the English triumphed in battle and moved the capital to St. John’s. I was the youngest of five boys, and my only sister was born five years after me. I attended a one-room schoolhouse for the first few years, and we didn’t have a telephone until I was in high school. To this day, I despise telephones. I can remember having to break the ice in the well a few yards from the house in order to haul water from the well for tea on winter mornings. In my high school years, and for a couple of years after, I hauled a lot of water and wood.
If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
There are at least fifteen different answers to this question, and they’d all be fine with me except for the fact that each one means my last day on earth. I’m a “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” sort of person, and I have always known I would kick at the darkness even when death was inevitable. It’s all a part of my underdog complex, I suppose, but it’s also a part of the fact that I love this life, this earth, and the people in it, for the most part, and I can’t imagine not savouring every last breath. That said, I’d probably like most of all to spend my last day at The Brazen Head pub in Dublin – it’s the oldest pub in the country, supposedly – having a few pleasant pints, a good supper, and writing all day long. Maybe a music session in the evening.
Who is your hero and why?
I don’t really have heroes, but there are lots of people I admire. The closest thing I have to a literary hero would be Stephen King who started out as a teacher, with not much money, and just followed his heart and did the one thing (writing) he knew he was good at, and made a great life for himself. Margaret Atwood is another one I admire greatly because it’s harder to be that successful as a Canadian writer, but also – and especially – because she speaks truth and wisdom. I could just listen to her talk about literature and life forever.
What kind of world ruler would you be?
I wouldn’t want to be world ruler because I know I would throw myself into the job every minute of every day and never have a moment’s inner peace. I’d be kind and as wise as I could manage to be, but I’d be a dictator when it came to doing the right thing. I can see all sides of an issue, but it would likely come down to doing the greatest good for the greatest number, with allowances for differences as long as those difference weren’t born out of ignorance or arrogance.
I do have this streak of letting my neighbour go to the devil in his own way. In other words, if someone is determined to self-destruct, and I know there’s not much I can do about it, I’ll just let him or her do that. But if I know there’s good to be done and that I can actually affect someone’s life for the better, I’ll usually take it upon myself to do that.
If there were one world ruler, then global warming might be easier to tackle, as would the economy, which might be a hybrid of socialism and capitalism. I think we could share with each other and not let money be the main factor in such decisions. World poverty would have to be tackled and would be easier under a single world ruler, and I think we could also do something about inequalities of all sorts, particularly regarding gender, race, and economic class.
Looking back on what I just wrote, it sounds like I’d be a boring ruler, but I do know that I have a keen sense of humour, though it can be a dark one. So, if the state had enemies – as I’m sure it would – I’d have patience, kindness, and tolerance up to the point where I couldn’t afford to anymore, and then I’d devise a scheme for doing away with those people, perhaps not literally, but at least in a funny way that was not without a touch of irony.
What are you passionate about these days?
Mostly about writing. I’m keenly aware that we only get so much time on this earth, and I’m determined to make the most of it. Writing isn’t just work to me – it’s also play. It’s me being at my very best, and so it can feel selfish to want to do it all the time, or to talk about it to other people all the time, but, really, I’m just trying to figure things out, which is what I was born to do, apparently, even if I never really figure anything out. It’s the process that matters, and it’s the process that I’m passionate about – that, and just living the best life possible. So, travel, good food, good company, and good beer are a necessary part of that for me – as long as there’s writing, which includes moments to stop and not think about anything. Maybe, ultimately, I’m passionate about peace of mind, which largely eludes me.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I try and lie still for a few minutes, to not think about anything. That rarely works or, if it does, I fall asleep. Sometimes, the world can just be a bit too much for someone who suffers from post-concussion syndrome and just needs a respite in order to reset and move on. But I also love playing guitar and singing, which I don’t do nearly often enough, especially with my partner Jane, who is a lovely harpist, pianist, and singer, as well as writer. We enjoy the traveling, pubs, singing, and all that stuff together, so sitting by a crackling fire and playing music together is about as good as it gets. There’s TV sometimes, too, and for me it can be something like CNN or, more likely, something like Game of Thrones or The Crown – lots of underdogs in those shows. I love movies but can barely find time for them these days. Same with books – I love reading, but I don’t find nearly enough time for them unless I force myself to make time. I guess what I’m really saying is that I work most of the time but when I do relax, it’s with something mindless that doesn’t require anything of me.
How to find time to write as a parent?
For most of my life, I wasn’t a parent, but finding time for writing has never been easy. I often teach university English – on campus in St. John’s for two decades and by distance these past few years – and during the semesters, I focus almost exclusively on that. Nowadays, I offer writing retreats and workshops, mentoring, and all sorts of things related to writing. But only writing is writing. Somehow, despite all that and a few medical setbacks (not “health,” per se, since I’m completely fine now) from which I had to recover, plus major changes in my life in every single way (which includes separation, divorce, moving away from Newfoundland and my job, friends, and just about everything I’d known for so long, then settling into a new place where I lived for six years in a cottage by a lake in the woods, learning how to be an effective teacher by distance – somehow, I still have managed to write three books of which The Hush Sisters is one, and there are two others waiting for publication. This past August, I moved into a huge farmhouse with my partner, and she already had two kids, one in university and another now in his last year of high school. But they’re pretty self-sufficient. I like to eat meals together and watch some shows together, and that sort of thing. Teenagers take up a lot of space and tend to make some noise – which is all fine and natural – but I have an office space upstairs and far away from everything so I can focus on my writing and other work there. I’m pretty lucky in that way.
As for finding time to write, I will say that it is definitely harder for female parents to find time. But I also have to say that it’s never easy for anyone and harder for some. The world doesn’t want you to be a writer. It’ll throw things at you, give you things, set traps of distraction everywhere. Children, I’m sure, demand your attention in an urgent and necessary way that’s not like anything else. But there are all kinds of emergencies – though I also say only the end of the world is the end of the world, and the only things that are matters of life and death are a) life and b) death – just as there are jobs, social gatherings, weddings, funerals, dishes, vacuuming, TV shows to watch, and all sorts of things, and most of them wonderful. But only writing is writing, and if you are really going to make a go of it, you have to make time for it.
If you don’t make time for writing, then writing isn’t as important to you as some of these other things or, more to the point, writing isn’t as important to you as not writing. If there’s a choice to be made, sometimes, at least, you have to choose writing. Even children, after a certain age, are able to take care of themselves to a degree. But then it’s a matter of what you do with your time – and not just writing when you have the time, but writing when you actually feel up to it, when you can muster the creative energy to do a decent job of it and give yourself something to revise later.
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Cosplay Killer (London Podcast Mystery Series Book 1) by Dahlia Donovan ~ Genre: Cozy Mystery, M/M Romance
What happens when an autistic firefighter and his paramedic boyfriend share a thirst for true crime?
Osian Garey and Dannel Ortea live together in a colourful flat in Covent Garden. They run a podcast and throw themselves wholeheartedly into Cosplay, video games, and musical theatre. This year, they’re all fired up to attend their annual convention with a group of first responders.
When Osian finds a paramedic friend murdered in the middle of the crowded venue, the police immediately turn their attention to him.
They have one question on their mind.
Is he the first witness on the scene or the killer?
As the mystery unfolds, Osian has to face the trauma of his last job as a paramedic. Somewhere in those memories, a killer waits to exact revenge. They’ll have to prove Osian’s innocence and fight for their own survival when the killer puts them both in their sights.
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Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.
In a freshly lawless New England in the dead of winter…
A bloodied and barefoot 17-year-old, grieving the loss of her father, trudges around a smoldering pileup on the road out of town. She’s endeavoring the 120 mile trek to her only living family member through blizzard conditions…
A once kind-hearted lumberjack splits a teenager’s nose in half with the rim of a metal gas can. Since the day his family was slaughtered before his eyes, he’s been consumed with an undying fury that can only be quelled through acts of violence…
A two-time college-dropout, trying to do good, howls in agony as her face is slashed with a razor-blade. The crackhead who did the deed is taking back her five-year-old child who the drop-out was trying to protect after finding him abandoned in a dumpster…
Anyone wishing to live must harden and adapt to the new rules of a world post-fall of polite. This dangerous new world will make you into a survivor… or a corpse.
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Sam Kench is a 23-year-old writer and independent filmmaker. His screenplays and short films have been awarded by festivals and competitions around the world. Click here to check out work on BrickwallPictures.com
In 2014 he was named one of the top defenders of free speech by the National Coalition Against Censorship.
He grew up in New England and spent years exploring many of the locations that found their way into the novel. He now resides in Los Angeles. ‘The Fall of Polite’ is his debut novel.
Sarah Biglow is a USA Today Bestselling author of cozy mysteries, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. She is a licensed attorney and spends her days combating employment discrimination as an Investigator with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
She is a self-professed TV junkie and in her spare time (what’s that?), she runs a TV recap blog with her best friend (and sorority sister), Jen. Sarah currently enjoys an array of TV shows including (but definitely not limited to) This Is Us, The Good Doctor, Doctor Who, Lucifer and any show with Chicago in the title by Dick Wolf.
USA Today Bestselling Author MOLLY ZENK was born in Minnesota, grew up in Florida, lived briefly in Tennessee before finally settling in Colorado. She graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL with degrees in Secondary Education, English, and Creative Writing. She write across genres but primarily YA, romance, historical, and urban fantasy/paranormal. She is married to a Mathematician/Software Engineer who complains about there not being enough “math” or info about him in her author bio. They live in Arvada, CO with their daughters.
Hunted by Sarah Biglow and Molly Zenk ~ Genre: Paranormal Romance, Alt-History
On the hundredth anniversary of being turned into a vampire, Edith Dorset joins her adopted daughters and their friends at the Heartsong Clan’s annual Live Action Role Play recruitment event where she meets an eager young man named Dan Paxton. His older brother and Hunter, Darren, thinks Dan’s merely chaperoning a trip to a nerd convention, but has no idea he’s partnered with vampires for the weekend.
When Darren discovers Dan missing, he follows the only lead he has to the Heartsong Clan’s residence on Tombstone Row. Edith and Darren’s first meeting is uneasy because he lies his way into the Clan’s house, claiming to be there to play on the side of humans. He’s determined to keep his Hunter instincts in check, rescue his brother, and get it out of there.
An impromptu late-night encounter leads Darren and Edith to come clean with each other about who and what they are. Edith longs to keep Darren and his brother close, although it goes against Clan rules, and Darren is finding it harder than he thought to snuff out Edith and her family. Darren and Edith grow closer as they seek out the truth from her Sire, Mr. Heartsong.
While Darren uses all his Hunter skills to free his brother and be the hero, Mr. Heartsong banishes Edith from the Clan for her behavior towards Darren. No longer having Clan protection, Edith is faced with a terrible choice. Just as Darren returns with Hunter reinforcements, Heartsong and his Clan have vanished, along with Edith and her family. All that remains is a note from Edith, begging Darren to find them. And so, the hunt begins.
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An Interview with Author Sarah Biglow
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Hi, I’m Sarah Biglow and I’m a USA Today Bestselling author. I write primarily urban fantasy and cozy mystery. I dabble in paranormal romance, although admittedly most of my romance tends to be on the lighter side (as in it’s there but it’s not always the focal point). I have been publishing since 2015 and am so grateful to be on this journey with my amazing co-author Molly Zenk. We’ve been friends for over a decade and have been writing together for the last two years.
In terms of how I became an author, I was originally published by a small press in 2012 but when the publisher shut its doors, I made the decision to self-publish and have been on that journey ever since. I will say I’ve learned a lot in the last two years when I really started to take my career seriously. I’ve had to adjust my goals and expectations over time, but I think I’m really starting to get the hang of this author thing! I hope you’ll think about coming on this wild ride with me by following me on social media and diving into some of my books.
How do you find time to write as a parent?
Have I found time to write as a parent? It’s still a work in progress with an almost eighteen-month-old. I do my best to get up early and write before I have to start work (I have a full-time day job, too) and when he goes to bed sometimes I’ll try to write then. On weekends, I do my best to take advantage of nap time, but let’s be real, that doesn’t always happen either. Sometimes, mama just needs a nap herself! But it really has become much more of a balancing act/spinning plate scenario since the little guy came along.
Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
I can absolutely see my Seasons of Magic (urban fantasy) series being made into a movie. I’ve actually talked about my dream cast on the series Facebook fan page. I think in particular it would be fascinating to see how the visual effects department would adapt and show the way magic is used in that universe. But I could also see Hunted being made into a trilogy of shorter films (there are two more books coming soon). It’s got action, romance, mystery, drama and a unique premise that I think would lend itself to a visual medium. I could also see both of my current cozy mystery series being maybe short-run special event miniseries for TV. Like the Hallmark channel or something fun and light like that.
Can you tell us a little about the characters in Hunted?
Hunted follows Darren and Edith, two people on opposing sides of a centuries-long conflict who are more connected than they realize when they first meet. Edith has been a vampire for 100 years after the death of her fiancé during World War I. And Darren is driven by revenge against all vampires because vampires killed his parents. There are other supporting characters like Edith’s adopted daughters and Darren’s younger brother who round out the cast and provide a lot of innocence and some much-needed comic relief. But they are also people dealing with grief and loss as well as identity, position in society and what it means to love your fellow man.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I loved building the world and the backstory for this series with my co-author Molly Zenk. It was our first foray into co-writing and we just had a blast coming up wit the rules for our vampires (they can only turn seven people with that person’s verbal consent before they turn to dust). I really enjoyed the social justice aspect of the story as well. Our vampires exist out in the open, but they are treated as second class citizens after losing the Civil War. They’ve been subjugated to government land (similar to the Native tribes in reality) and forced to take government benefits. So, it was really ripe for something big to kick off and I think we did a good job of showing that despite surface differences, they are all people.
The Magic in Fire ~ Genre: Fantasy Anthology ~ with stories by Victoria Young, Dragonness Wyverna, A. H. Serrano, L. R. Huseboe, Kieran McKiel, A. A. Warne, R. A. Darlinge, Aörali Eden, B. R. Storm, Ilona Krueger, Serena Dawson, Michelle Crow, and J. T. Moriarty
*** 12 MAGICAL TALES IN ONE MASSIVE FANTASY COLLECTION ***
Twelve stories – Thirteen authors. One theme – The Magic in Fire.
FEATURING IN THIS ANTHOLOGY:
Victoria Young – The Doll Boutique There’s nothing healthy about a tan – Melinda had heard the warnings and frankly, being stuck in a cramped white coffin was not her idea of fun. But when she wakes from the solarium bed in a dusty prison cell, Melinda realises she’s gotten herself into a tighter spot than she expected.
Dragonness Wyverna – Fire Under Water Humans have come to the desert, and with them comes death. The oasis has been an indestructible black rock and shelter for the Desharihn fire sprites for generations. But when a band of humans arrive to mine the rock, it is up to Fia, the last Rahar sprite, to save the tribe from the humans’ immutable greed.
A. H. Serrano – Conviction by Fire Blessed with the power of fire, Lhii Fuéra’s duty is to protect, but in the aftermath of a murder, she’s the one placed on trial. As the daughter of a great general, Lhii soon realizes that justice matters little among the powerful, and she’s faced with a choice: Become the victim or blame the victim.
L. R. Huseboe – Flames of Green Jaer and his Knight Commander Kae, wander the thick forest in search of information about their missing spy. What they found was a battle against their century-long enemy, the Shaedyn. Will they prevail or face the same unknown fate?
Kieran McKiel – Hummingbird Far from home and missing his love, Marco is fighting a war to end all wars. When hope seems lost, a strange entity appears with an offer to help him survive.
A. A. Warne – The Masters of Fire The Masters of Fire were once a powerful brotherhood, but now only two of their brothers remain in the free world. Will they be strong enough to liberate their kin from the clutches of the Mad King? Or will an uncomfortable truth unravel their master plan?
B. R. Storm – The Harbinger Since the beginning of Earth, Watcher has been tethered to immortality, waiting for the final soul to depart. The day finally comes and Watcher prepares for rest, but he’s confronted by the bringer of apocalyptic carnage.
Ilona Krueger – Song of my Soul Always the realist, Felicity does not entertain anything that is unscientifically based. Her clinical assertions leave no room for magic and imagination. It is said, however, that Pride goes before a fall. And fall, she does. Is there salvation from the pit? Does she rise from the ashes? Is there hope for a new understanding?
Serena Dawson – A Spark of Courage Prince Zabriel’s fire magic is weak, but Princess Maniela’s will to defy their cruel father is strong. Zabriel agrees to help his sister, and she leads them into a battle that will determine the fate and future of their kingdom.
Michelle Crow – The Flame When Momma Courtney shows up on Prudence’s doorstep and draws magical wards to protect the house from an impending attack; Prudence’s reality is thrown into chaos as she discovers she’s the last Flame Keeper. Now with the entire village’s lives in her hands, can she save them from the body-snatching Ifrits with her untrained powers?
J. T. Moriarty – Petals of Autumn As the legendary dragon, Flallemin, sets its sights on Goblin Birchwoods, Wedina has an impossible challenge: train the entire tribe. While there are plenty of shields, there’s only one sword and Wedina knows it’ll take more than might to deal with the hungry dragon.
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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became anauthor?
Adryanna – I wrote and illustrated my first story when I was seven. It was called “Panda’s Hat,” and one of the main characters died. If that doesn’t say something about how I write now… Anyway! I continued writing slice-of-life stories until I discovered a love for reading fantasy. That’s when I shifted gears and began writing more fantasy stories. I was fifteen when I wrote the novel I swore would be the first one I published. And I published that novel in October.
Amanda – I love everything about fantasy. In fact, I live more inside my head then I do in real life, so it was natural that I’d end up becoming a writer. That way I can harness the weird part about me. As a child I was always creating art but when I became a mother, I felt that my art practice was just too much, so I fell into writing. It’s clean, easy to put aside when I need to attend to my children, and then jump back in when I could. So I’ve been writing for over ten years now.
Brandon – I discovered I wanted to write stories since the fifth grade. I started this endeavor by stepping a toe over copyright infringement with small blurbs about The Legend of Zelda franchise. No project was entirely completed and no money was made, so perhaps maybe not. I didn’t get my inspiration to seek more original material until two years later. I was wholeheartedly enthralled by the imaginative brain of Stephen King. The Stand truly lit the match for me. By seventeen, I’d written two-and-three-quarters books and already moved back from Canada to the United States after discovering my father. I grew displeased with my immature work and discarded them to the depths of a portable harddrive during my last year of high school. Life distracted me from then until October 2017. Drunk on anger and gin, I found myself in need of cathartic self-therapy. Lo and behold, the need to write reemerged, and The Infinity Series was born.
Brittany – I recently discovered that I’ve been writing stories since I learned to put pencil to paper…I suppose I let life take over for several years and forgot about a childhood passion. In 2015, out of curiosity and desperation, I started tossing my hat into the freelance ghostwriting ring. After I landed my first contract, a 50k bad boy romance that had a three-week turnaround (oh, the story was bad!), I was hooked! Since then, I’ve co-written a novel, had three—soon to be four—-short stories published, ghostwritten countless novellas for clients, and am working on an absurd number of stories and ideas.
Debi – I wrote (and illustrated) a story when I was eight years old, and when I showed it to my mom, she told me I should be an author when I grow up. It hadn’t yet occured to me that people actually wrote books for a living, and my mind was blown by the revelation. I wrote another little story, illustrated it, and entered it in the State Fair. It got champion in its division. That was my “sign” that I was meant to be an author. I didn’t stop writing after that; I wrote “books” to commemorate my friends moving out of state, I wrote “books” to give my friends super powers, and I wrote “books” to prove my sister’s boyfriend didn’t deserve her. Finally, I started writing for myself, telling the stories I wanted to tell, and I just couldn’t stop.
Ilona – Words are fascinating. Stories are fascinating. I have always been thrilled with reading about other people and places and times. Pens, pencils and paper always held a fascination for me. And what does one do with these? The natural follow on is writing, another way to explore and create. It’s wonderful to be able to project one’s imagination into other worlds and life circumstances. I had penfriends from an early age, dabbled with poetry and enjoyed writing compositions. School was never a punishment for me: it was opportunity to learn, to research and to think.
Jay – Hi, I’m that excitable little geek who loved scifi and fantasy as a kid, but always knew a better way the story could have ended. To that end I became an author, because I wanted to show everyone what my ideas were! In year 2 I wrote my first story about pirates. In year 10 computers I was so thoroughly bored my stories would write themselves and entertain me. I’ve always got plenty of ideas bubbling around, and luckily can remember a great deal of them, so eventually enough ideas coagulate into a story length something-or-other, which is exactly how The Full Life of a Robot came to be. The “Leaves of Autumn” story came to me as a way to use magic and fire in a unique way. Magic means fantasy means Goblins, and not nasty ones but good ones. And fire means dragons, so we had our goodies and baddies, but we needed a way for the wimp to beat the giant, for David to beat Goliath. Coming up with that story element, and finally having my Eureka! moment really makes writing worthwhile for me, and it’s what I look for in every story I write. If a piece doesn’t have at least one “this will make or break the story” moment, I don’t feel like I’m doing my job.
Kieran – I’ve just always had an active imagination and a love for storytelling, so the spark has always been there. Initially it was just writing generic fantasy for the fun of it, but now that I’m getting a bit older, it’s become a form of catharsis, as well, a really helpful form of escapism. Sometimes you just need to leave reality for a while and empty yourself out on a page.
Laura – I’ve been writing since I was 13, since I was always a bit bored in school and needed something to do to pass the time. I grew to love writing at such a young age as it let me explore the worlds in my head. It wasn’t until last year that I was given the chance to be a part of the Anotholy with Amanda and a few of the others here. I am so honored and excited to be a part of this again.
Serena –
The funny thing is, I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I do remember reading a career advice column in a magazine, it was listing ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ but all the ‘cons’ of being an author looked positive to me, like “lots of time spent alone.” Lol. So I was like, what part of this is negative?
I have a distinct memory of narrating what I was doing in third person, like; “Serena strode across the room to the door, opening it with a forceful jerk.” I realised what I was doing, laughed at myself and then decided it was a sign I had a writer’s brain!
I was homeschooled and grew up rurally so my childhood was quite different to most people’s.
When not working raising calves, my sister and I would explore the countryside on our ponies. I also spent a lot of time at the beach as a child or playing in our stream. Water always fascinated me. Exploring up streams and rivers is something I still love.
Although I loved some aspects of that life, such as the freedom to explore and go horse riding, it could sometimes be lonely and boring, despite having four siblings. However, the isolation helped develop my imagination, something I’m very thankful for.
Reading fiction was an important part of my childhood. It taught me things no one else could, and helped me through difficult times. I learnt to be brave, despite being a generally fearful and anxious kid, thanks to living through the stories of so many protagonists. I learnt a lot about relationships and taking responsibility for my emotions through the writing of Jane Austen. Her mix of emotional intelligence and stoicism is something I still turn to for comfort and wisdom.
Sometime too far back for me to pinpoint, I decided, ‘if books can be all this for me, then my stories can be “this” for someone else.’ To entertain is an achievement, but to go beyond that; to inspire, to transform, to give hope to the hopeless, is my dream.
I started writing my main WIP, a fantasy trilogy, when I was desperately bored while breastfeeding. I picked up a pen and some paper, started writing longhand, and out walked the first characters into the forest that is one of the main settings of my book. it was almost like all I had to do was open the door and there they were…
Vicky – I am drawn to stories the way I am to music. They both share an infinite potential for evoking emotion, hijacking the imagination and uncovering universal truths. There’s nothing more powerful and I am an absolute sucker for a crescendo. To me, the potential to have that kind of an impact, even upon one single reader, in the whole of my life, makes storytelling the most rewarding and exciting venture. I’ve been brewing my ideas and writing for myself all of my life, though it has always played a side role. My literature-based undergrad was more for writing than it was my teaching degree. I’ve done well in a number of writing competitions but never taken it further. Well, I guess I will now. Let’s see where the future takes me. Plus, you know, I’ve had Amanda – AA Warne – poking and prodding me for a good decade now. It’s time.
I am happy to be one of many tour hosts sharing information on The Magic In Fire!
Amy Michelle Carpenter is a developmental editor with Eschler Editing and a professional blogger. She’s written hundreds of blogs and news articles for local and national companies. She also has a children’s story in an anthology.
As the daughter of an Army officer, she grew up traveling the country and has lived by sandy beaches, southern woods, towering cities, and the rocky mountains. Now, she resides in the countryside of Tooele, UT with her husband and baby girls. She enjoys seeing what wildlife and farm animals dare venture into her yard only to be chased by her toddlers. Wherever family is is home.
Becoming Human by Amy Michelle Carpenter ~ Genre: YA Science Fiction
A redneck boy. An Earth-obsessed alien. And a robotic girl… Three wildly different teenagers must work together, and accept one another, to conserve humanity.
A breathtaking debut with Southern charm, whimsical worlds, and meet-cuteness, for fans of Marie Lu and Lois Lowry.
Carter doesn’t believe in aliens. And he certainly doesn’t defend his dad’s claims that they exist, even if they aired on national television. But then, the girl he’s falling for starts doing strange things, magical things, things that seem a bit out of this world.
Kokab hungers to be a Perfect in a world where her emotions are her greatest flaw. But when her planet faces extinction, her sympathy makes her the best ambassador to persuade humans to accept her people. Failure means invasion, but success means she will never become a Perfect. Ags dreams of graduating from the Academy and becoming a guardian of Earth.
Obsessed with all things human, she’s eager to spend time on the unique planet. But when she uncovers an impending invasion, she’s willing to lose everything, including herself, to stop it.
“Human and alien, complex and sweetly personal, Carpenter’s thoughtful world blends sci-fi with coming of age as three unique worlds collide. This book will make you laugh, make you fall in love, and then make you re-evaluate what it means to be human.” McKelle George, HarperCollins author of Speak Easy Speak Love
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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
It all started with an assignment I got in sixth grade to create a book about myself. In it, I announced that in ten years I’d be a published author. Right around my 22nd birthday, I found that book. Had I become an author? Nope. So, I decided that it was totally feasible to accomplish my kid dreams, and I went for it.
I checked out a guidebook on how to be published for dummies (this isn’t a joke). Then, I followed its advice. I joined a writing group, started going to conferences, honed my craft by taking on an internship with an editing company (because I thought there was no better way to learn to write than to learn how to tell others how to write), and built connections. A friend of mine got a publishing contract with a company, and she recommended me. And that’s how I broke into to the wild business of publishing!
What is something unique/quirky about you?
Before having all my little babies, I lived in a school bus with my husband. My husband tore out all the seats, and we got to work remaking the inside of it into a little home.We had a bedroom, a little kitchenette, a bathroom, and a living room. We even had a giant tub in the bathroom that fit the two of us and a full-sized couch.
While living in a school bus may sound like luxury (haha), I wasn’t the biggest fan, so I highly recommend not jumping on that bandwagon. I won’t get into the gritty details, but let’s just say that a lot of basic like electricity and heating struggled to work, and, even though we were renting a piece of land, we looked sketchy sitting there. The cops may have showed up at our house a few times in the middle of the night. But, it ended up well enough because when we moved into a real house it felt like a luxury!
Where were you born/grew up at?
My dad was military, so I basically grew up all around the USA. That was a good time. My dad was stationed in Georgia for a year, so I pulled some of my distant memories of the place to write this book.
How to find time to write as a parent?
I have three babies under three, so finding time to write is basically impossible these days. It’s a good thing I wrote this novel when I only had one newborn who slept all day.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Redneck Intellect.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
The two female protagonists are me, which is weird to say because they’re foils of each other, but it’s true. I’m a crazy perfectionist like Kokab. There have been times in my life when I’ve been so obsessed with being a good person that I couldn’t really function. There’s a part of me that really feels that rigidity and confusion about customs, and I definitely sometimes feel like social things can take a second to click. But then, there’s this other side of me that is all Ags, super excited and exuberant about things, with high energy and happiness.
The male protagonist Carter, is kind of just a mesh up of my husband and also what I think the ideal guy is.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I think I most enjoyed the process of working on it with others. I have an amazing critique group, and it was so fun to brainstorm with them and then steal their ideas that they had for my book and look like a total genius. Looking like a genius is great fun.
How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
Becoming Human is the whole theme of the book. Theme is really important to me, and the book is all about what makes us human and what the point of the human experience is.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Of course. I’m one of those people that could keep picking at something forever and ever. But I won’t since it’s now been through all the beta reading stages and three stages with Immortal Works’ editor. I’m pretty sure I’d make a lot of people annoyed if I went in and tried to change things now.
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
Ags is really obsessed with the humanities, so it was really fun to go out and learn about a plethora of different paintings, and stories, and ballet, and such.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Yes, I did theater in high school, so that’d be a blast. My favorite character to play would be Anna though. Anna is really overdramatic and wild and does whatever she wants, and that’d be an exciting character to play.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
One of my favorite parts of the book is Kokab and Carter’s first date (spoiler, sorry..not sorry). It’s just so cute and awkward and real. I feel like it’s how a real first date goes with two teenagers who are crushing on each other.
What did you edit out of this book?
Well, this book was originally a completely different story so half of the ensemble of characters, most of the scenes, and the overall storyline. The theme stayed the same though, so that’s good.
Do you see writing as a career?
Of course.
What do you think about the current publishing market?
I’m a big fan of Indie publishers. I like them because they have more wiggle room for originality and wholesomeness.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I love YA books. Maybe I’m immature; I don’t know. I most especially love sci-fi with female protagonists.
Advice they would give new writers?
Join a really good writing group. They will teach you how to write. Go to conferences. Use the conferences to learn but also to meet people. Making friends with people who are authors will help you break in yourself.
What makes a good story?
To me, it’s what I come out with. A good story is one that inspires or uplifts me or makes me question things. I only have so many hours in a day, so I want to come out better than I went in before I read it.
Nina Soden 