Author Interviews

Christy Schillig is a middle school teacher who lives in a log cabin in suburban South Jersey with her two children, her husband/best friend since 6th grade, and her dogs, Puppay and Sheep. Christy graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Italian Literature and Language (yes, that’s a real degree) and uses that degree to commentate classroom science games in Italian and plan off-the-grid trips to the Italian Rivieras. On any given day, you can find her reading young adult paranormal romance beneath her desk at school.

I started writing at an early age, creating comics based on Mayne Reid’s works, particularly The Boy Hunters: Or, Adventures in Search of a White Buffalo, because one of the main characters was my first crush. My dad used to read “grown-up” books to me out loud, and I’m still immensely grateful to him for that. Later on, my interests were shaped by numerous fantasy books I devoured. Naturally, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern, and Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber had a strong influence on me. I like to say that I’m made of books and can easily trace each bit of my personality back to a specific story.

A story lover at heart, Morgan has always been crafting stories. Growing up in East Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains, their mystery and beauty have inspired many of her tales. She’s a big fan of rain, stargazing, coffee, and taking the long way home.

Cass Biehn (they/them) writes messy queer characters in messier situations—and always with angsty kissing. They hold a Master of Library Science degree from Aberystwyth University in rainy Wales and currently live in the Utah desert, where they split their time between cosplaying and wrangling their dogs.

Elizabeth Austin’s writing has appeared in Huffington Post, Thrillist, Reactor Mag, Business Insider, and others. She holds an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her two children and their many pets. Find her at writingelizabeth.com and on Instagram @writingelizabeth.

I am DeKeshia S. Horne, a Black nonbinary writer from the west side of Chicago. I am currently the Assistant Manager at Barbara’s Bookstore and have self-published five collections of poetry. My poetry has been featured in the Austin Weekly Newspaper and Chicago Tribune.

Zariah L. Banks is a multi-award-winning contemporary romance author, best known for Beauty Beheld, the first title in the Beauty is Her Name series, and the Amazon bestselling holiday short, “Mistletowed.” Beauty Beheld was a featured title in the Indie Author Project Select collection, one of the best indie books in the Indie Author Project program on Biblioboard.

Ashley lives in rural West Virginia with her husband, three kids, and a myriad of animals. She loves the Lord, all things funny, 90s, and spooky.

Award-winning author Jeanne Skartsiaris spins stories about life, digging into the souls of her characters while they deal with real-life challenges. Many readers identify with her stories, making them laugh as well as cry.

Kim Alexander grew up in the wilds of Long Island, NY, and slowly drifted south until she reached Key West. After spending ten rum-soaked years as a DJ in the Keys, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she lives with two cats, an angry fish, and her extremely patient husband. Please visit her at kimalexanderonline.com.

Julie is a multi-genre author. Her articles and stories are featured in self-help, inspirational, trade, and fiction publications including Writer’s Digest, Coping With Cancer, Complete Woman, Daily Meditation, and the anthology Writes of Passage: Every Woman Has a Story! She is the 1999 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Grand Prize Winner for her horror short story, “House Call.”

Jennifer A. Jones adores animals, rainy days, and the thrill of living a frugal lifestyle. Married with two grown children, Jennifer enjoys her Texas home, where she cuddles with her dogs, immerses herself in books, and expertly pinches pennies because every cent leads to a dollar.

Jessica Huntley is an ex-British soldier and Personal Trainer turned author of addictive psychological thriller books. She has spent almost three years writing and is now the author of thirteen books, including two trilogies, three standalone thrillers, two anthologies, a co-written horror project, and a novella. She is both self-published and traditionally published with Inkubator Books and Joffe Books.

I have been creating little stories in my head for about as long as I can remember! When I was about twelve, I remember having this vivid dream of this unique medieval story happening and I woke up the next morning and wrote it all down. That night, I wrote the first three chapters, totaling around thirty pages. I remember my dad came into my room to say good night and I said to him, “Dad! I’m writing a book!” His response was, of course, “Sure you are, sweetie.” Little did he know that four and a half years later, I would go to self-publish that book.

Karol Ruth Silverstein (she/her/disabled) is an award-winning children’s book author, public speaker, and disability advocate.

William Grant holds a BA in Fiction Writing and Photography from Columbia College Chicago. He’s had work published in Hypertext Magazine and The Lab Review. He currently lives in the Chicagoland area with his partner and their cat. With Your Friends is his first novel.

Bruce Robert Coffin is an internationally bestselling novelist and short story writer. A retired detective sergeant, Bruce is the author of the Detective Byron Mysteries, co-author of the Turner and Mosley Files (with LynDee Walker), and author of the forthcoming Detective Justice Mysteries.

Jane Foster (aka GiJane) is a professional speaker, trainer and writer, specializing in communication, presentation skills, living life to its fullest, and motivating her audience to take action. Jane draws from real-life experiences in the U.S. Navy as a Morse Code intercept operator of Russian ships and planes during the Vietnam War, and on the battlefields of corporate America.

Jamie Clarke grew up in a rural town in south wales and fell in love with books and reading in her teenage years, she would even write her own fan fiction and post them to various fanfic websites. This year she and her friends started a book club that reignited that spark of reading! She even found some of her old work, which inspired her to start writing her debut novel. She is aiming for her debut novel to be released in early 2025!

Carrie Lehtonen is an entrepreneur, passionate animal advocate, and storyteller. Her work has been featured in Elephant Journal, YOGA+ Life, and Well magazine. She earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and spent over eighteen years working in Human Resources. After surviving a heart attack at thirty-one years old, Carrie chose to pursue an education in health and wellness. Carrie attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a Holistic Health Practitioner. She also trained to become a Registered Yoga Teacher and Educator. Carrie eventually left her career in Human Resources to start her own business, Firefly Community LLC. Pawsitive Perspectives is Carrie’s first book.