Author Interviews

Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein is a writer, former college lecturer, communications technology and society professional, and author of A Thousand Little Deaths, an account of her experience growing up under the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. With graduate degrees in the Social Sciences, her career focused on media and society at various institutions. Working with refugees inspired her to write Beyond Fear and Suspicion. She received an Individual Artist and Scholar Award from the Montgomery Arts and Humanities Council. Vicky lives by her motto that life is a curious mix of a love for organization and randomness.

Norman Coutts was born on May 6, 1953, and grew up on a farm just outside Toronto. He studied Radio and Television at Ryerson Polytechnical University and went on to work in the television and film industry, holding roles such as stage carpenter, stagehand, floor director, and eventually first assistant director in film. He comes from a large family with three brothers and two sisters. His mother passed away when he was just two years old—a loss that continues to shape his reflections and writing. The Naked Sailor is his debut book, and he is currently working on a long-gestating family memoir.

Riley Ray is a poet, writer, and published author whose work delves deep into love, loss, and healing. His poetry collections, Cliffhanger and Swimming in Chaos, unravel the raw aftermath of losing a loved one to suicide, blending prose and poetry to tell his story unfiltered and unapologetically.

Shannon Mori is an internationally sold children’s book author. Her Pawsome Pals book series features pets with problems and their pals that help their pets sort through them. Shannon has had a passion for writing and a love of animals since she was a child. Combining both into books that children and their parents not only will love to read, but also will learn something about themselves, others, and the world around them at the same time is her dream come true! Her incredibly supportive husband and her two bright young children, who love reading as much as she does, are her inspiration. After living all over the U.S. with a love for new adventures and travel, Shannon and her family, which include their beloved pets, now reside near the lake in the beautiful Ozark mountains of Missouri.

For over twenty-six years, Travis Hupp has been writing poetry about resilience, God, breaking free of oppressive structures, good trips, bad trips, love in its myriad forms, quantum physics, nature and the color blue, among other topics. American Entropy is his third book. His other two, Faster, Annihilators! and Sin and I, are also available on Amazon.com and wherever books are sold.

Kole Kealey is a poet renowned for her brave and vulnerable explorations of the human experience. Her second poetry collection, Sunflowers Sting, continues the powerful narrative established in her debut, Perfume and Cigarettes, by navigating the complex terrain of trauma, mental illness, and the path to self-acceptance.

Ruben was born in Sunnyside, Washington, while the streets of Sacramento shaped him before he moved to Salt Lake City, where he draws from his lifelong creative journey. His storytelling extends through multiple disciplines as he performs as an actor and musician while writing songs and scripts and finally turning his passion for narrative into published works.

Amber Gardner, a proud native of Newport News, Virginia, now resides in Hampton, VA, where she discovered her passion for writing at the young age of ten. A distinguished alumna of Hampton University, Amber draws upon her deep faith and unwavering devotion to the Lord, skillfully weaving a tapestry of heartfelt spirituality that resonates profoundly with her audience.

Hi, I’m Malaika, an eighteen-year-old author from Pakistan and the proud writer of over ten published books. Writing has always been my passion, and even at a young age, I knew I wanted to tell stories that mattered. My books cover a range of emotions, themes, and experiences—from fiction to poetry—all inspired by the world around me and the thoughts within me. I believe that age should never limit creativity, and through my journey, I hope to inspire other young voices to follow their dreams and write their truth.

Toni McBride was born into a delightful mix of British wit and Southern hospitality. Her unique perspective comes from her rich family heritage: a mother from Manchester, England, who was a passionate advocate in the Disarmament Protests, and a father from Birmingham, Alabama, who made his mark in the Civil Rights Movement. She now finds herself living in New Jersey, perfectly nestled between the vibrant cities of Philadelphia and New York City.

May Garner is a poet and author based in Dayton, Ohio. She has been dedicated to crafting and sharing her work online for over a decade. She is the author of two poetry collections, Withered Rising and Melancholic Muse. Her work has also appeared in Querencia Press, Cozy Ink Press, Arcana Poetry Press, and the Ohio Bards. Find her work on Instagram (@crimson.hands).

Rory North is a sci-fi/fantasy author who has been writing for as long as she can remember, from scribbling in notebooks after school to filling up Word documents between classes in university. Her main goal in life is to get all of the stories floating around in her head out into the world.

Jason Markiewitz is a voice, film, and theatre actor, an audio drama producer, and a multi-award-winning audiobook narrator with dozens of titles read for independent and NYT Bestselling authors. When not doing all of that fun jazz, he is a Colonel in the USAF Reserve, a competitive baseball player, and an avid runner. He lives in CA with his family.

Nico Drew writes about life after the reset button gets hit, divorce, dating apps, awkward texts, and the quiet comedy of midlife reinvention. His debut novel, The Middle Swipe Crisis, turns a personal tale of a recently single dad’s chaotic return to dating into something painfully honest and unexpectedly funny.

I’m Danielle Elaine, an entrepreneur and your favorite tattooed author! I write multiple genres of books, so you never know what my next project will be. I just love writing, period. I won a bronze medal in college for a short story I wrote, but my love for writing came when I was younger. I was also previously a tattoo model who’s been featured in and on numerous covers of magazines with interviews, owned and ran a magazine myself, brand ambassador for many apparel lines, and an artist.

Ella T. Holmes doesn’t write to escape the world; she pokes holes in the one we’ve got and asks why we can’t do better. She maintains corporeal existence by patting cats, writing, and engaging in Disability Justice advocacy. Her work has been published in Antithesis, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, Jacaranda, Portside Review, and is forthcoming in Aurealis, among others.

Hope Wilkerson is a raw, unflinching voice in contemporary literary fiction. She writes what most people are afraid to say out loud—stories that live in the shadows of addiction, grief, and survival. Born and raised in a small town in Kentucky, Hope still calls it home, drawing inspiration from the quiet backroads and hidden struggles of rural life. Her work strips language to the bone—poetic, spare, and searingly honest. When she’s not writing, she’s listening: to the silences between words, the weight of what’s left unsaid, and the echoes of lives that never got a headline. Teeth Like Glass is her debut novella and the first in a series that dares to tell the truth about addiction—not the aftermath, but the ache of the during.

Sandy Lo is an award-winning author, journalist, and multi-passionate creative known for her heartfelt storytelling and pop culture savvy. Best recognized for her Dream Catchers book series, Sandy weaves together romance, music, and self-discovery in stories that connect deeply with readers.

Desney Carlene provides poetic literature to introspective readers in a lyrical atmosphere, with an authentic voice. Helping them to feel vulnerable and empowered to face their own mental and emotional wellness journeys. Desney is the owner of Desney Carlene Inc. and lives in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois, as a proud Southsider.

Mark David Gerson is the founder of The Mark David Gerson School of Writing and award-winning author of more than twenty books, including classic works for writers, inspiring personal growth titles, compelling memoirs and The Legend of Q’ntana and Sara Stories novels. Mark David is also a popular writing coach, as well as dog dad to Kyri, named for a character in The MoonQuest, the first book in his Q’ntana “true fantasy” series.