Author Interviews

Rick Mendes spent thirty-five years in the technology sector before retiring early to pursue writing full-time. Rick Mendes’ debut novel, Growing Future Operators, draws on his extensive professional experience and explores the intersection of technology, education, and innovation. Set in a fictional city, the novel follows public and Catholic schools competing to become the first to teach DevOps, informed by Rick’s background in software engineering, systems engineering, and cybersecurity.

Helen Montague Foster, MD, is a poet, novelist, and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Before her retirement, she was a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. For thirty years she worked in private practice as a psychiatrist in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in the psychotherapy of adults, often writing in literary fiction in her spare time.

Holly M. Jenkins is a storyteller at heart and a caffeine enthusiast by necessity. A lifelong reader of fantasy, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, and every shade of romance, she spends her days dreaming up new worlds – and her nights making endless to-do lists she’ll never quite finish. Based in Austin, Texas, she shares her life with her husband, two mischievous cats, and an outrageously photogenic corgi who often steals the spotlight.

I am a retired teacher and school librarian but have had a varied career. I love to be challenged, so explored different careers. I’ve been a development director in a nonprofit, a freelance journalist, a financial advisor, and for twelve years published and edited the first women’s magazine along the Lake Michigan shores. The most meaningful career was teaching and being a librarian, with owning a monthly magazine second.

A great many of the stories we write are either history or fiction, and James Gilbert has dedicated himself to both forms of expression. He began as a historian of modern American Culture, at the University of Maryland. During his tenure there, he also lived and taught in nine different countries. He has now become the author of eight novels. His published works include collections of short stories, legal dramas, social satire, and this, the most recent – Murder on the Set, the fourth book in the Amanda Pennyworth Mystery Series, located in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

Debora Masterson is a writer, producer, musician and Francophone. A Los Angeles native, she currently resides in Chicago’s vibrant Far North. After a successful career in musical theater, she opened Working Artists Agency, representing post-production and developed programs for film and television. Fluent in French, she has a master’s degree in French literature and continues to play bass and sing in various musical groups.

I’m a writer who enjoys exploring emotions and how they shape our everyday lives. I’ve spent the last decade working in health and social care, alongside my writing. My long-term goal is to dedicate more time to it and eventually write full-time, continuing to develop my voice and connect with readers through honest, emotion-led projects. My work has also been featured on the radio.

Lisa Dawn was brought up in New Jersey, where she fell in love with fairy tales and animated movies. She studied screenwriting at Ramapo College in the hopes that she could one day write the next great animated princess movie. After attending the DAVE School in Florida to learn computer animation, she moved to Los Angeles to work on 3D movies as a rotoscope artist. She lives in Texas with her husband, where she reviews princess content through The Princess Blog and composes original princess songs on the piano.

From high atop a mountain in Western North Carolina, Mark Charles Powers shares glimpses of grace revealed in ordinary lives. Go to MarkCharlesPowers.com to be uplifted and inspired by his weekly blog Glimpses of Grace and his book Going Full Circle: Worship That Moves Us to Discipleship and Missions.

A. Elizabeth Shaughnessy is a North American artist with a passion for Gothic horror. While most of her works are painted on canvas, she took a venture into the unknown and rekindled a hobby for writing. Sourced from both imagination and nightmares, with a paranormal nod to her New England roots, she penned a novel deeply woven by folklore and the essence of human survival.

Scotland-based historical fiction author, shortlisted as part of Penguin’s WriteNow program 2023 and invited to read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of their On the Road event in 2022.

S.K. Fields was born in Yorkshire and has lived a life shaped by contrasts – from bustling cities to quaint villages and a rural community deep in the countryside.

Robert Callaway 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.

Snehal is a freelance writer and poet based in Surrey, UK. She writes about motherhood, memory, chronic illness, and the quiet drama of everyday life much like a Bollywood film, but with fewer costume changes and more laundry. Her work has appeared in anthologies, and literary zines. Snehal has authored four poetry books, including Magical Mundane, plus a memoir, PapaMa’s Portrait.

Roger Fischer is a multifaceted director, producer, and entrepreneur whose career spans high-fashion e-commerce, international film production, and the literary world. After successfully building and selling a tech-driven apparel company, Roger pivoted to entertainment, founding Regulate Entertainment and spearheading major global film ventures.

I grew up in the Midwest, on the edge of the Ozarks close to the town of Joplin, Missouri. The first five years of my life, I lived in the log cabin my grandfather built. I left home when I was fifteen and supported myself with odd jobs until I joined the Army at seventeen. After the Army, I traveled around a lot to many parts of this country, from Alaska to Arizona and several places in between, having many adventures and getting to meet many interesting people. I found my soulmate, my wife, in Tucson, AZ, forty-six years ago.

Dr. Richter has received national writing awards for his novels.

Chirag Sainath is a versatile Indian author whose literary journey began at the age of sixteen. Originally from Patna, Bihar, and currently based in Delhi, Chirag has built a diverse body of work that spans from poignant romance to gritty crime fiction.

I’m a husband, dad, grandfather (and dog dad to Soozie the cockapoo) from Glasgow, Scotland. I’m also a rom-com devotee. I love a good cheeseburger, a piece of cheesecake, and a nice glass of red wine.

Matt Robinson has been an educator at all levels from pre-K to college for over twenty years. He also hosts the nationally syndicated author interview show, The Writer’s Block, and has hosted events around the world. Pete’s Beat is his second book (he wrote Lions, Tigers, and…Bulldogs? An unofficial guide to the legends and lore of the Ivy League in 2020), and he looks forward to sharing it with your students soon!