Danielle Sartorelli is a first-time author and primary school teacher. With a passion for storytelling and an understanding of the transformative power of words, in Life in Instalments Danielle has crafted a heart-wrenching recount of her life, exploring the complexities of family dynamics through her experiences as a sister to a troubled brother.
Atmosphere Press is proud to bring readers the Atmosphere Press Presents author interview series. We’re happy to have this archive of excellent interviews and author success stories for you to enjoy. Learn about writers and their books, from book title origin stories to music playlists that relate to their writing to what it was like seeing the cover for the first time.
Atmosphere puts the author experience first, and these interviews make up just one facet of a meaningful and rewarding author journey. Please share your favorite interviews and author success stories on social media, and stay in touch so you can be the first to know when new posts are published. Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on interviews, Atmosphere Press Presents readings, and other news!
I am a husband, father, entrepreneur, police officer, military veteran, adventure seeker and writer. One of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield, wrote, “I was born this way… I was detached. I felt like another person was inside me. This other person was me, only stronger and crueler, more cunning and more deadly. I never told anyone about this secret me. I was afraid they might think I was crazy, or try to take this other me away, or convince me that I should be ashamed of him. I wasn’t. I loved him.
I write under four pen names depending on the relevant genres. J.J. Cade is the name for Moving the Force and Jubilee Ki. I also have a brand, ‘Bland on the Run Books.’ My writing includes ghostwriting non-fiction and editing.
On November 28, 2016, I lost my wife and both of my daughters in the wildfire that consumed Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As I have stumbled and crawled down this unstable, broken road of grief, I have learned many lessons along the way. I have learned that trauma, pain, loss, and grief are universal, almost like a mutually understood, unspoken language. Regardless of who you lost, whether it be a parent, friend, spouse, child, grandparent, mentor, or even a beloved pet, the feelings associated with losing someone you love can change your life forever.
c.b.strul is the author of The Ancient Ones, CONNECTIVITY, and Papillon IV and founder of Odom’s Library. He also has in print three novellas: Spinners, Forget the Complex, and What Grows from the Stump of a Tree?, as well as the short story “The Last Trucker.” His short play Leading the Blind was produced in Los Angeles by the former artist organization ImageneseFree. His three-minute short films as well as the animated feature screenplay for Critter Crossing have received awards and recognition at multiple festivals in California and around the world.
I work on the rigs (my next book is a fiction book based on this), but as it was recently described, I seem to end up doing a lot of “side quests”. I was an extra in Gladiator 2, and was in the series Bodies on Netflix. I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, skydived several times, and competed in a white collar boxing fight. I’m a very “why not?” type of person and this often leaves me either in trouble or in adventure.
I'm seventy-five years old and this is my first book. I spent over forty years as a carpenter, then a builder, then a developer, then back to being a carpenter. My only writing was contracts and specifications for my construction business. Very early as a teen, I had a torrid writing relationship with a girl I met on a vacation. I recently spoke with her and she told me she still has those letters. It would be fun to see them now.
Maria A. Arana is a writer, poet, and editor from the Los Angeles area. She has published many poems and short stories in various publications. Formerly a teacher who encouraged a love of reading and writing, she now channels that passion to create magical stories for a wider audience. She lives with her family, four dogs, and one cat (who thinks she’s a queen herself).
Tabitha Winters is a practicing LMHC with a master's degree in clinical psychology and a PhD in sarcasm. A sought-after lecturer on the psychology circuit, she currently works within her state's mental health litigation division, and before she knew better? She served as co-leader of the Murderer's Support Group, which is exactly as glamorous as it sounds.
Ellen Graham's writing focuses on the West and stories of open spaces, both on the land and in the heart. A prize-winner in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers, she has also been published in Narrative, High Desert Journal, Everyday Fiction, Concrete Desert Review, Epiphany, and On the Run. She is at work on a series of stories about what happens in and around Utah.
