Author interviews

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.

Thomas Penn Johnson was born on August 22, 1943, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He holds a BA in Classical Studies (1966) from then-Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana; an MA in English from UNC-G (1968); an ABD in English (1973) at Syracuse University; and an MA in history from Wake Forest University (1982). In 2009, he retired from then-Edison State College in Fort Myers, Florida, after serving for twenty-six years as an instructor of English and humanities.

Chace Boswell lives in the beautiful mountains of southwestern Virginia with his two teenage daughters. He is the author of the novel The Awakened, the poetry collection Forwards, Backwards and Everything In Between, and the short story collection Twisted Limbs. He is currently working on a new novel and a poetry collection.

Trae Vincent spins cozy mysteries and fantastical adventures with a dash of magic and a wink of mischief. The pen name honors her grandfather, Vincent, who first sparked her love of storytelling; “Trae” is a lifelong nickname that keeps the heart of her writing close to home.

Chantal Dalton is a “recovering” poet. She has returned to writing poetry after a long hiatus and is delighted to rediscover her poetic voice. Ms. Dalton is a graduate of Bates College (BA) and has a master’s degree in American Literature from Northwestern University. In addition, she has a Master’s of Science Degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, DC.

Sierra DenBoer is a 16-year-old writer who is working on the series The Umbral Gates. She has finished four YA fantasy/sci-fi books and plans to start publishing soon. She grew up in Long Beach, California, but now lives in the Chicago area, where she is dual-enrolled at a local college. To help her understand and develop her characters, she likes picking up their hobbies, such as knife-throwing, coding, and lock-picking.