Author Interviews

Award-winning author Sinmisola ‘Sinmi’ Ogúnyinka enjoys creating stories across cultures. A wife, mother, movie producer, and talk-show host, she is also a Craftsman of the Jerry B. Jenkins former Christian Writers’ Guild, Colorado, USA, and founder of Pleasant Writers’ Guild.

I was born in England. Now I live with my family in Chicago. Years ago, I had a children’s book published entitled Little Lord Blink and His Ice Cream Castle. I worked with a French illustrator in Paris named Georges Lemoine, recommended to me by the illustrator Etienne Delessert. I never had the pleasure of meeting Georges, but he created wonderful illustrations that enhanced my story immeasurably. Recently, the book was translated into French and published in France.

I have self-published a children’s book, Little Critters: Beyond the Pond, and I am a retired NYC guidance counselor.

Latoya grew up in Seattle but lived in the United Kingdom during adolescence. Latoya is a multi-talented writer with non-fiction, fiction, creative writing, and illustration expertise. She’s been a member of the African American Writers Association (AAWA) since 2019, hiatus from 2021 to 2024. Latoya’s publications include BLK Excellence—Return to the Eternal Self and KERNE Magazine.

Brian Sluga is a customer experience consultant, author, and avid bicyclist. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bradley University and in December 2023 received an MFA in creative writing at Lindenwood University.

J.E. Boydston is a retired Professor Emeritus, has an extensive background in education, technology, and publishing. He authored a popular annual reference guide for school personnel in the U.S. while serving as the Technical Manager and Consultant in a central Florida school district. For fifteen years, he served as a professor of Networking Technologies at a Florida State College. A Vietnam Veteran, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor during his tour. With three loving adult children and a new granddaughter, he’s a very happy writer! Boydston is currently working on book two of the Kyle McNally detective series, Cigar City Crimes.

Metaxia Tzimouli is a reader, storyteller, creative writer, and music lover. When she’s not writing fiction on Reedsy, she writes essays (which she also loves) on Substack. Winner of some accolades, mainly in poetry & short story fiction.

Helene Kiser is the author of Topography (Linear Arts Books, 1998). Her poetry and nonfiction have appeared in dozens of literary magazines and anthologies (Clockhouse, Hawaii Review, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Borderlands, Connecticut River Review, Sycamore Review, Paterson Literary Review, Soundings East, The Cape Rock, etc) and been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

My writing reflects my upbringing on a rural island in NC, a place often visited but seldom understood. I’ve recently returned to this area to research the impact climate change and overdevelopment has had on the region. I’ve also conducted interviews that support this memoir project. In essence, these works address how geography contributes to the shaping of an artist and give some voice to an underclass culture that is seldom heard in the fields of literature and visual arts.

Jordan Merlino is a nonbinary poet and watercolor painter. Jordan writes poetry and paints as outlets for their mental health. They currently live in Santa Fe, NM, USA.

I grew up in New England, but moved to Arizona in 2007. I’ve loved Sci-fi and fantasy my whole life, and started playing Dungeons and Dragons shortly after I moved to AZ, when a friend invited me. When I decided to run a game, I created the world of Talloxxis, which I then set my series in.

Michael Barrington, MA., M.Ed., Ph.D., has written ten books, typically historical fiction: Let the Peacock Sing, The Ethiopian Affair, Becoming Anya, The Baron of Bengal Street, No Room for Heroes. The Bishop Wears No Drawers recounts ten years as a missionary in Africa. Passage to Murder is a mystery novel set in San Francisco. Magic at Stonehenge is a collection of 42 short stories. His memoir, Grandma’s Priest, will be published in April 2024.

Rebecca Faulkner is a London-born poet based in Brooklyn. The author of Permit Me to Write My Own Ending (Write Bloody Publishing, 2023), her work appears in New York Quarterly, The Maine Review, The Poetry Society of New York, CALYX Press, Berkeley Poetry Review, and elsewhere. She is a 2023 poetry recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund for Women, the winner of Black Fox Literary Magazine’s 2023 Writing Contest, and the 2022 winner of Sand Hills Literary Magazine’s National Poetry Contest.

Hugo and Nebula Finalist Marie Vibbert has sold over 90 short stories to top magazines like Analog, F&SF, and Amazing Stories. She has won readers’ choice awards from Clarkesworld and Apex Magazines and has been translated into Chinese, Vietnamese, and Czech. By day she is a computer programmer in Cleveland, Ohio.

Although Georgina Day works full-time in business, she spends every spare moment contributing what she can to animal welfare or reading books. When she’s not being an ‘Animal-Mum’ to rescue animals and a pony, she volunteers as a Veterinary Auxiliary for animal charities. She lives in Surrey with her (very understanding) partner and their menagerie!

As a kid, Elizabeth Carroll always loved stories and spent as much time daydreaming as she did playing Barbie with her sister. Because her imaginary friends hung around even when there was nothing more to say, she decided to try her hand at writing and has found great delight and purpose for all the little people in her head. She has published a young adult fantasy series, a historical women’s fiction novel, and several short stories. Currently, she has a children’s novel in the works as well as a historical mystery series.

A professional storyteller, Rebecca Benison’s weekdays are spent connecting with audiences on behalf of brands, while her nights and weekends are devoted to fiction. Her work has been published in the Workers Write! literary journal, Empyrean Literary Magazine, Newsday, the Long Island Herald, and a host of other publications. Harvest Cruise is her debut novel.

I live in Colchester, Vermont, with my husband Brian. I am starting a teen program and nonprofit called Vermont Youth Challenge and we enjoy being in a car group.

I grew up around St. Louis, Missouri, and now live in Denver with my wife and young son. I have a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Environmental Sciences.

Michaela is the author of heartwarming contemporary romance novels featuring diverse characters with strong emotional development. Don’t worry—there’s always a HEA (and plenty of spice). When she’s not reading or writing, she’s usually with her family and dogs, enjoying the desert in Arizona.