Author Interviews

Rasana Atreya weaves tales of resilience, self-discovery, and cultural exploration. With a passion for celebrating the diversity of Indian culture, she takes readers on transformative journeys through her upmarket women’s fiction. Her debut novel, Tell A Thousand Lies, was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize (UK, 2012).

Dean Schabner grew up on the Great South Bay of Long Island. He’s dug clams, framed houses, worked in bookstores, and has been a reporter, sports writer, and editor. In addition to no better place than here, he has a chapbook of poems, surf-body, out from Ghost City Press, and has had poems and stories appear in The Pushcart Prize, The Trouvaille Review, Juniper, River Heron Review, Witness, Northwest Review, and others. He lives on the shore of Jamaica Bay in the Rockaways of New York City, and is a body surfer who doesn’t particularly mind if a wave takes him and tumbles him once in a while—and he’s glad his daughter is that way, too.

I am the author of three books, Falling in Love at the End of the World, a collection of stories, Searching for Mozart, a collection of poems, and most recently The Burden of Memory, a literary crime novel. I was a professor of English for twenty-five years in Des Moines, Iowa, and now I am retired to the South Carolina Low Country.

I grew up as child #5 of 10. I was the oldest boy. We were lower middle class, but we had a very close-knit family, maintaining about a 1/5-acre garden, raising chickens and rabbits for food. I was always an avid reader, discovering the local library and its children’s section during first grade. I went on to graduate from high school with a good grade average and was accepted by a university, but did not have the funds to enroll, so I joined the Navy during the summer of 1965. I was trained in electronics and served twenty years. I married my high school sweetheart, and we have been married almost fifty-eight years. We have four children and six grandchildren. Of my nine other siblings, I have four older sisters still living and three younger brothers. We lost our two younger sisters when they were thirty-five and sixty, respectively. My wife has always been a homemaker and I have been fortunate to be able to raise my family on my income alone.

Lucie Chou is an ecopoet and natural history aficionado. She writes poetry that endeavors to draw from the Romantic tradition to envision the voices and worldings of nonhuman living beings. She has published in the Entropy magazine, the Black Earth Institute Blog, and the Tiny Seed Journal. Her poem, Holy Green, Sweet-Smelling, is included in the Plant Your Words Anthology published by Tiny Seed Press. She also has work forthcoming in Tofu Ink Arts, both in print and online. Residing in mainland China with her beloved houseplants and wildflowers plus their insect and avian paramours, she studies Emily Dickinson, philosophies and artworks about plant-being, contemporary poetry, and Richard Powers’ eco-novels when not taking walks among feral creatures or drafting poems on foot.

James Marquart resides in Frisco, Texas, with his treasured wife, Kimberly. They enjoy traveling, spending time with their beautiful grandchildren, and relishing each other’s company, along with their sassy pup Abbey. James graduated with a BA in Law Enforcement from Western Illinois University, an MA in Sociology from Kansas State University, and Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University while working as a prison guard. He has served in such positions as Program Chair, Dean, and Provost. He was President of The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and has published many papers and authored several books, three with the University of Texas Press.

Besides launching breakfast sandwiches, Mr. Peecow writes songs, sings stories, and has a large appetite for sensory-deprived swimming lessons. It’s been two years since he succumbed to his frightening habit of climbing slippery slopes, but all in all, the wind blows where it does. Eat chips successfully!

Susan McLeod resides with her husband, John, in Alplaus, New York. She is originally from Southold, Long Island, New York. In the fall of 1975 she moved to Troy, New York, attending Hudson Valley Community College Nursing Program where she received her A.A.S. In 2007 she obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. Susan made a career change from nursing to work in a Nursing Home Activities/Recreation Department. Her favorite group activities were reading and writing poems with the residents. She volunteers in her community and enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, and pet-sitting for friends. She is an avid reader of historical/cowboy romance novels as well as poetry. She started writing her poems at age fifty-one and continues to write today.

Steven Barron is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but spent many formative years in Southern California. He currently resides in Leawood, Kansas, with his wife, Renee, and their two kittens, Hazel and Henry. Steven enjoys (in no particular order) books, espresso, anytime rain or snow, cycling, and staying in touch with family and friends—he also adores cats and still loves rock ’n’ roll. Madame Curie’s Piano Tuner is his first published work.

Carlota Josefina Bérard has a Ph.D. in Drama & Performance from the University of Exeter, England, a Diploma in Art Therapy from L’Atelier, Geneva, Switzerland, an MLitt in Art History from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico.

Marian Vallotton has been practicing yoga and mindfulness since 2004. She is a certified yoga teacher through the Yoga Alliance and a Y4C Yoga Certified Instructor specializing in supporting cancer patients. She has been a Corporate Coach and Leadership Speaker/Trainer/Facilitator for more than twenty years. Marian has combined her business background, yoga, and her spiritual training to de-mystify mindfulness, introducing it to the workplace and making it more accessible to employees in the corporate setting.

I live in a suburb of St. Paul, MN, with my husband, cat, and kids.

Siddiq started his legal career in 2000, qualifying as a solicitor in 2003 and eventually working as a partner in a leading law firm in London. He has acted for mostly vulnerable clients, motivated by his strong sense of justice. He started his self-development journey in 2008 when he realised that he wanted more from his life. He qualified as an accredited life coach in 2019, as an NLP Practitioner in 2020, and as a licensed trainer in DISC personality profiling in 2022. He is passionate about helping people understand themselves, achieving what they want from life, and enhancing their relationships with the people around them.

Scott Looney was born and raised in Caldwell, Idaho. As the second-born in a family of six kids, he learned to share, play fair, and mediate disagreements at a young age. When not working and traveling, Scott loves hiking, playing tennis, and golfing with friends and family. He has enjoyed many travel opportunities throughout his life—including some involving baseball—and is looking forward to returning to his favorite places. He attended Boise State University and lives in Boise. Finding the Elixir is his first published book.

Freeman Smith is an American artist and writer. His new book, Society, Suspicious, is available through Atmosphere Press everywhere books are sold and is getting some terrific reviews. Check out his website freemansmith.com for more details.

I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. I had a very happy childhood with my brother, Ruben, and my mother, Andrea. I graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School, then served four years of active duty in the U.S. Army as a member of NATO. I attended college in Houston, Texas, and graduate school in Connecticut. My career began with a one-year commitment as a FEMA Disaster Assistance Loan Officer primarily assigned to the Northridge earthquake declared natural disaster. I went on to build a successful career as a business banker but found my calling in climate risk mitigation. I am happily married and live in a nature preserve community on the Oregon Pacific coast. I am a life learner who draws strength and inspiration from my connection with humanity and the natural environment that sustains us.

My name is Dianne Lindsay. I have an outreach ministry by the name of JC’s Outreached Ministry and International Network where we feed children, widows, and do medical missions for people in need. I also partner with different organizations to feed people. Godly Riddims is my first book and it was a blessing for me to write.

My name is Patrick Barry and I have been writing novels and short stories for the last several years. As of now I have two completed novels, both unpublished, and three other books I have been bouncing around on. I hope to finish all three in one fell swoop and then continue on with something new.

The secretary of White Rock and Surrey Writers’ Club, Ekaterina Lobanova (penname Kate Valery) is a professional musician, journalist, and writer. She was born in Moscow, Russia, and educated at Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music. In 1996, she immigrated to Canada, where she started to write in English—her second language—and authored seven books. Her latest novels are Midget or Symphony of the Ocean (2020), and Clay Mask (2022). They are both winners of the Gold Seal award for literary excellence from the US Review of Books and now both are accepted by British Columbia Libraries. Currently she is working on her eighth book, memoir/anthology Why I Like Being a Writer

Sarah Westbrook is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the founder of Westbrook Counseling Services and Daisy Girl Communications. As a trauma survivor, she shares her story of growing up with personality-disordered parents and working through c-PTSD with the hope of helping others develop the courage to speak their truth and have their voices heard. In her spare time, she loves creating content with her husband and co-host Mason, entertaining her children, and hiding in her closet so she doesn’t have to share her chocolate or caramel popcorn with anyone else.