Author Interviews

Kalpana Sutaria is an architect, an author and a project manager working for the City of Austin. She has worked on climate responsive buildings and has promoted sustainable guidelines in City’s buildings throughout her career. She has been a volunteer at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which is working to create a political will to transition away from polluting fuels. She believes that green buildings are crucial but to cool our environment, we need policies to lower carbon from all sectors of our economy. She has a master’s in architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a licensed architect (AIA) in the State of Texas, LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Joel Geier has covered the craft beer scene since 2016 via social media, multiple podcasts, his website, freelance articles, and now as a member of the Badger Beer Report. He resides in Glendale, WI, but has lived in fourteen states with his wife Rosa since they were married in 2015. After completing his master’s degree in nonprofit management in 2019, he became a stay-at-home dad and is the proud father of Lily and Beau. He loves visiting breweries and sharing his experiences with others, which is culminating with his first book, Flights Across America.

I’ve been writing since I was fourteen years old. Majored in mathematics at university, tried four or five different careers, worked as a stable-hand for my equestrienne ex-wife, finally settled down in Hickory, NC, with a significant other, cats and chickens, and volunteer work at the Hickory Aviation Museum.

Writing under the pen name Louisa Clare, I am an indie author who has published four romance novels to date, and am currently working on the fifth. Living in beautiful North wales, I am always able to find inspiration right outside my own front door!

Boaz Kelvin C. Smith is an ordained minister and a chaplain. He has ten years of experience working in the Disability and Mental Health sectors and is a veteran of the Australian Army. A qualified higher educator with a Community Service diploma and a BA from Harvest Bible College, he is the founder and director of The Kelvin Smith’s Youth Foundation and general overseer of Calvary Ministry. Boaz is passionate about developing good character leaders and working with grassroots communities. His children inspire him. Boaz loves to cook, play football, and listen to reggae music.

Nigerian-British writer and TV producer, Deborah Somotun, has been captivated by speculative fiction since discovering Frank Herbert’s Dune at the age of eight. A lifelong love affair with the works of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Michael Crichton, J.K. Rowling, and other genre giants fueled her own creative aspirations. As a devout Christian, the events surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement sparked a profound dialogue with her faith, leading to the creation of her debut fantasy novel, Ileri: Spirit Over Shade. This book, the first in the Ileri series, delves into themes of prejudice, power, corruption, and the liberating power of faith. Deborah’s writing blends her heritage, vivid imagery, complex characters, and thought-provoking themes to offer a unique voice within the fantasy genre.

John Gonzalez was born in a small town of 12,000 people in the highlands of Mexico. At age thirteen, his family immigrated to the U.S., hoping he would forge a solid future for himself. Gonzalez always remembered why his parents decided to leave their home country and the sacrifices they made while uprooting the family. He learned English and French and earned several degrees, including a doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA. After receiving his doctorate, Gonzalez was appointed American Council on Education Fellow. He has worked in academic positions from middle to graduate school in the U.S. He lived in South Korea for five years, where he worked at an American School as a Spanish and English teacher and academic counselor.

L. P. Simone lives and writes in Washington, DC, where she has worked as a history and writing teacher, a librarian and an advocate for human rights.

Kara lives in rural Minnesota with her husband, son, two fish, and two male cats. She was once an avid traveler, venturing to Egypt, Peru, and the Yucatan Peninsula, but now can usually be found outside on her patio with a cup of coffee and a notebook. She is the author of The Intra-Earth Chronicles and Beneath Storm Mountain.

My interest in writing came not just from my own reading but also from the process of teaching others about reading, writing and understanding the written word. The ideas for my first novel came from my experiences in education and travelling in Europe, as well as my enjoyment of a well-told psychological thriller. I focus on human behaviour and individual motivation when faced with life-changing events and difficult decisions.

Rachel Baker is a queer, disabled writer who haunts the Pacific Northwest with her sister and their cat, Boo. She loves writing spooky stories, knitting warm things, and devouring every book in her path.

V. Walker is a poet and indie author whose work dives into the depths of the human experience. Exploring themes of grief, loss, love, and mental health, her writing seeks to connect and heal through raw storytelling. Walker was raised in the Southern United States and currently resides in GA with her husband, an Englishman from Birmingham, UK.

E.A. Loghry grew up as an avid reader, and the stories she read illustrated many important truths about life and her place in the world. Her passion is to share those truths in her own stories, and her hope is that her writing will change lives just as the stories she read changed hers. When she isn’t working as an aircraft mechanic in Dallas, Texas, she enjoys painting, writing, and reading.

I’ve always admired writers who can transport the reader’s mind into the scenes they are describing. John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Peter Matthiessen’s Snow Leopard, and Huston Smith’s The Religions of Man. There are so many great poets that connect people to nature. A few that come to mind are William Wordsworth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sara Teasdale, and Douglas Malloch.

Riley aims to encourage readers to fall in love with the world around them. Author of two independent chapbooks and currently working on her debut self-published poetry collection, Riley can be found anywhere spilling into the pages of her journal or plotting her next adventure. Sometimes both at the same time!

J. Paul Sheppeck, a renowned paranormal specialist, author, and musician, is known for his captivating storytelling and unique perspective on the supernatural. An explorer at heart, Sheppeck draws inspiration from fascinating people around him. His intriguing, engaging books invite readers to curl up with a cocktail and enjoy. Keep an eye out for his latest work as he continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and captivate audiences with his unique style and creativity.

Elle McFadzean is a Melbourne/Naarm writer, architecture graduate and fictional worldbuilder. She writes fantasy and science fiction novels. Her desk is covered in books, literary magazines, and sketched plans of imaginary cities.

Josephine Lamont is a Cuban-American author, living in Covina, California. She is a lover of all romantasy stories, and enjoys writing tales of strong women facing impossible odds and swoonworthy book boyfriends. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching ghost documentaries, camping, or hanging out with her family. Josephine loves connecting with her readers.

This book is about a perspective on the seasons of change as experienced by the Maiden and the Crone. The title, Bookends of Life, sprang to the forefront of my mind even before I started organizing my poetry. What better way to hold life together than with the generations shoring each other up?

I have been married for twenty-one years, have two teenage daughters, am a law enforcement spouse, and work part-time for the women’s ministry at my church. I have worked as a teacher’s aide, a missionary with Mission Aviation Fellowship, and a foster care mom. Life has not been boring!