Author Interviews

Award-winning authors Ryan Hollatz and Catherine LaCroix are a husband-and-wife team who co-author the hit LitRPG, Everyone’s a Catgirl! Both were born and raised in Arizona, and they met as friends in 2006, then married in 2023. They began co-writing in 2021 in addition to freelance ghostwriting, personal commissions, and journalism work. When not at their desks, they’re busy serving two budgies, five snakes, and six tarantulas.

Elly Bookman grew up in downtown Atlanta and earned an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Since 2013, she has worked as an educator while consistently publishing her poetry in some of the most widely-read markets in the country, including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The American Poetry Review, and The Atlantic Monthly. She was the recipient of the first annual Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize from The American Poetry Review and the Loraine Williams Poetry Prize from The Georgia Review. She teaches middle and high school at the Paideia School in Atlanta.

Mary Flint, encouraged to try writing by a family member, discovered her love of writing from her life-long love of stories. Inspired by the books and success of teenage author Christopher Paolini, she began writing her first book, Red Star: The Hunter Trials, at the age of fifteen and published it two years later. Water Bird’s Shadow is the second book of the thrilling Red Star trilogy, and Mary hopes that readers will enjoy exploring the characters and their worlds as much as she does. She also enjoys interacting with Red Star fans at conventions, book signings, and online. Mary currently writes from her home in South Texas, USA.

K.N. Salustro is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author who loves outer space, dragons, and stories that include at least one of those things. When not writing, she can often be found drawing and painting, designing and sewing plushies, and trying to play video games while her cat demands her attention. She doesn’t get to play a lot these days. K.N. Salustro has been an indie author for just over ten years now, with a total of nine books out. She is currently hard at work on the next installment of her Southern Echo fantasy pirate series.

Ho Lin is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author, musician, and filmmaker, and the co-editor of the literary journal Caveat Lector. His books include China Girl and Other Stories and Bond Movies: A Retrospective. His publishing credits include work in Pulp magazine, The Adirondack Review, Your Impossible Voice, The New York Journal of Books, and Foreword Reviews.

C.L Brierley is a Manchester-based writer dabbling in fantasy, horror, thriller, romance, and more. With a love of mythology, history, gaming, and fantasy from a young age, she developed an excellent imagination very quickly that serves her well to this day for creating stories. She has been writing since she was fourteen and has been on a few different platforms but now is on Inkitt, where she has won awards and had many stellar reviews, as well as Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and more.

The joy of Christmas is always important and making up stories at bedtime is one of my favourite ‘jobs’ as a parent. My son was engrossed by stories filled with mischievous moments of magic whilst my daughter loved the tale to have a character saving the day and resolving the hilarious events.

An artist of many kinds, writing fills Mariah Rae’s creative well to the brim. She lives near the mountains with her spouse and furry children. When not writing, she bakes, lurks in nature, and plays games with her small circle of heart family.

Richard Newman is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Blues at the End of the World (Kelsay Books, 2024), and the novel Graveyard of the Gods. His work has appeared in American Journal of Poetry, Best American Poetry, Boulevard, I-70 Review (featured poet), Innisfree Poetry Journal, Literary Matters, Poetry East, Rattle, Tar River Poetry, and many other magazines and anthologies. He currently teaches Creative Writing and World Literature at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. Before moving to the Maghreb, he and his family lived in Vietnam, Japan, and the Marshall Islands.

Nathan is an award-winning, best-selling epic fantasy author based in Southern Idaho. His mission is to write empowering stories that will bring readers hope and purpose. Nathan truly believes that every person has a story, and every story is a part of something greater.

Naira Khan is an emerging author known for weaving powerful stories that explore deep emotional journeys and cultural complexities. Her latest novel, Mist and Unappeased Spirits, masterfully blends romance, mystery, and Zimbabwean mythology, taking readers on a captivating adventure through the mystical Mount Nyangani. The novel delves into themes of love, loss, and spiritual encounters, all while addressing personal struggles and societal expectations.

Alex Conway was born in 1978 in Bedfordshire, the UK. He served in the British Army between 1997-2000 and was based in Paderborn, Germany. During his service he was involved in two tours of the Balkans region: serving in Bosnia–Herzegovina and Kosovo. He now lives in London, working in brand licensing. His first novel, Destiny: 0422, was published in 2020.

Kathryn Rossati is an author of YA and children’s books, and a poet. She is neurodivergent and has hypermobility spectrum disorder. Her favourite hobbies include: country walks (despite her achy limbs and misbehaving joints), tai chi, painting, and anything to do with The Legend of Zelda games. She lives on the Isle of Wight and is often found daydreaming or receiving “constructive” criticism from her boisterous parrot and chatterbox budgie.

My name is Jerome R. McGinn and I was born in Southfield, Michigan. My formative years were shaped by the diverse landscapes and cultures of California, Illinois, Virginia, and Maryland—a journey guided by my father’s service in the United States Navy. This rich mosaic of experiences undoubtedly contributed to my worldview and creative perspective. In 1992, life’s path led me back to my Michigan roots, where I now reside in the Metro-Detroit area as a bachelor. I live near my immediate family, who encourage my artistic pursuits in writing and film.

Zoë is a shamanic artist, creating immersive energy landscapes for magical and sacred spaces. She is also the creator of her SacredExpression™ method, combining sacred geometry, Jungian mandala psychology, and fully embodied, energy-expanding self-expression.

FaRose DéVon is a poet, born and raised in London. She began writing poetry in her teenage years as a form of therapy to express her deepest thoughts. She professionally became a poet at the age of seventeen.

I am a part-time illustrator inspired by all things South Asian. Most evenings I am sat with my digital tablet drawing character illustrations from Indian Television or completing commissions for personal orders. I have also created GIFs for use within all social media platforms and most recently I have produced a couple of colouring books.

Along with being a mental health therapist, Kirsten Miles is an award-winning author and writer. She has been writing since about four years old, when she used to poke holes in the paper and tie ribbons to keep the pages together. Kirsten volunteers at an animal rescue and is a proud vegan. She has published several poems, including, “If Love Was a Color” in the 2019 edition of New Jersey’s Best Emerging Poets. She has self-published an award-winning novel and has a new published book out now. She lives with her wife and dogs, Ruffles and Jack Jack, in the heart of New Jersey.

A.M. Davis is an artist and an author from Ohio. She co-authored her first novel, The Shrike and the Shadows—a dark and twisted retelling of the classic tale, Hansel & Gretel. By daylight, she is the marketing manager for an upscale resort. By night, she is seeking out her next story, playing video games, or imagining what new piece to draw and anguish over-dramatically.

Koushik Banerjea is the author of two novels, both written while still the sole carer for his late mother: Another Kind of Concrete (Jacaranda 2020) and Category Unknown (London Books 2022). His short stories have appeared in Feign Lit, Jerry Jazz Musician, Salvation in Stereo, Minor Literatures, Verbal, Writers Resist, and in the crime fiction anthologies Shots in the Dark and Shots in the Dark II. He has had poems published in Third Space, Building Bridges (forthcoming Renard Press November 2024), Mogadored (Tangerine Press), Razur Cuts Magazine, and online in House of Poetry magazine.