Author Interviews

Writing a book out is such a lonely, uphill climb, that simply getting one out deserves a bottle of champagne. Getting good reviews is very self-affirming, but for me, the most rewarding is hearing from readers. I remember one woman thanked me for my book giving her a respite from a tough emotional time she was having. Another wrote and said one of my books turned her nearly non-reading daughter into a reader. I’ve never been more moved and gratified.

J.D. Taylor is a former high school, adult education and college adjunct history instructor. He has published articles and letters in major newspapers, magazines and won a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. J.D. received a B.A. from the University of Maryland, an M. Ed from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from Georgetown University.

I’ve been writing poetry for 25 years. Growing up as a gay man in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, watching progress toward equality happen too slowly, poetry has long been a way for me to reconcile the persistent bigotry endemic to small southern towns with who I factually knew my LGBTQ+ peers and myself to be. It’s also a way for me to relate to life in general, celebrating joys, successes and all forms of love and turning failures, pain, loss and all forms of despair into vigils.

Simon Goodridge is a singer/songwriter and first-time author from Fremantle, Western Australia. Active mostly during the 1980s and 1990s, he is seemingly a renaissance man of sorts, thanks to finding his voice again through the written word.

This is my first novel. I’ve done a lot of writing in my career in law and then as an executive for a financial services company, and then over 250 articles in a business blog over a period of several years.

Karin Gertsch lives with her husband on a Christmas tree farm in a small Massachusetts town. Her travel book, Cape Ann & Vicinity: A Guide for Residents and Visitors, was the first guidebook for this historic area.

Daisy DeMay lives in Illinois with her children and husband of 25 years. She loves sitting and watching the storms roll in. She enjoys reading outside in the warmth of the sun. When she’s not working, she creates stories to share. She has a fascination with the macabre. She approaches everything in life with a mix of passion and logic.

I have heard this a few times and I really hope I hear it more often: “I can’t wait to read the next book so I can find out what happens to Vandar and his comrades.” I am writing to entertain. For the reader to want more means I have struck the right nerve.

Sean Smith has written for a living for four decades, as a journalist and an editor/writer in academia. Transformation Summer is his debut novel. Sean lives in the Boston area, where he is known to haunt Celtic music events and jam sessions, and is trying to get the hang of tenor banjo.

Christopher Gould is a graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester where he earned a degree in Writing. His first novel, The George Stories, was published in 2019 and went on to be nominated for Central New York Book of the Year. Gould is a teacher by day and a writer by night. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and daughter.

Pete Benson was born in London in 1950. After obtaining a BA in Business Finance he pursued a career in Business. It was not for him, so in 1978 he became a film prop man. He worked on some of the biggest British-made films over the course of 25 years, during which time he started a successful prop hire company in 1984, before retiring in 2007.

Cara lives in Northumberland with her wife and menagerie of animals. She is currently working toward her English Literature Degree with The Open University and is also the owner of her own business Earth Soul. Cara was inspired to write Three People, Three Countries, One Path when she turned to spiritual practices due to her ill health. Suffering from Fibromyalgia and Hypermobility Syndrome, her writing provides her with escape and most importantly her dreams. Literature has always been her passion and one she now happily pursues.

That the problems facing our country are very broad, deep, and deadly, and that we may be 60-80% established as what is becoming a totalitarian socialism. Unless people see this clearly and find the courage to confront it, the American Experiment will be over in a decade or so. This isn’t my war—I’ll be dead—but it’s my fight. The perfect reader? Well, a bright conservative, and a courageous liberal who can see how dangerous liberalism has been for nearly two centuries.

Daniel Victor specializes in writing Jewish-themed fiction and has written three novels, two novellas, and a collection of short fiction. The Evil Inclination is his first published novel. He practiced law for more than forty years, concentrating on international media transactions (including fifteen years as a senior executive for Sesame Street). He is a father and grandfather and lives in New York City with his wife, Ester Fuchs.

I’m the author of two backstage novels, The Voice I Just Heard (Amazon, 2012) and One More Seat at the Round Table (Atmosphere, 2023). Prior to tackling fiction, I ran a promotional writing business in Washington, D.C., creating publications for banks, hospitals, and schools, and I also freelanced for magazines and newspapers. Earlier in my life, I did public affairs and/or marketing for Goodspeed Opera House, Syracuse Stage, and The Joffrey Ballet/NYC. I’m now based in Baltimore, Maryland, where I live with my husband, a senior care executive. We have a gifted daughter who is training for a career in theater production. When I’m not working on my fiction, I can often be found in New York City with my husband attending Broadway musicals, an avocation we share.

Deborah Harkin holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California. Dr. Harkin has worked and studied with William Peters, a leader in the field of end-of-life studies, founder of the Shared Crossing Project, and author of AT HEAVEN’S DOOR: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach about Dying Well and Living Better.

I was born and raised on a cattle ranch in southern Colorado. Although I have made my home in the Pacific Northwest for many years, the unique history of the American Southwest fascinates me and have written several novels on the subject.

Robert was born in Hollywood, California, and moved with his parents and sister to Utah when he was six. He grew up in the Orem-Provo area. He attended BYU, where he studied science, mathematics, and education. He also studied medical transcription and office management.

Rey De La Garza is a writer and spiritual advisor. Her debut novel The Oracle: Foundation was a love letter to her inner child. After being a daughter, friend, employee, wife, and mother she has embarked on a journey to release fulfilling roles and performances in other’s lives and learning how to live for herself. She is building a life she wants and enjoys. Sometimes it is unclear what that looks like or where it will take her, but she knows writing inspiring stories is a staple on this journey.

I have been writing romance for over 18 years and published over 100 titles. In 2019, I moved all pen names (Cara, September, and Echo North) to one website. I write in a variety of subgenres, I am a USMC veteran, and work in higher education as my day job. I host affordable writing workshops once or twice a year, attend conventions and signings as available, and enjoy collaborative projects.