Author Interviews

I’ve been telling tales for as long as I can remember. I dropped into the art form in high school with the literary magazine and then in college as well. From there, I worked hard on my craft, writing several novels, learning how to edit those novels, and eventually becoming more skilled as an artist. My first novel, Big Beasts, was published by Atmosphere in 2020 and my second series kicked off with Unburied in 2022. I’m now gearing up for the sequel to Big Beasts this year.

Cat Ritchie is a writer, healer, bee advocate, bird watcher, and menagerie attendant. She enjoys spending time in her gardens with the visiting birds, bees, and occasional fox or coyote. An avid reader and writer for most of her life, she lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, with her husband Don and numerous pets. Her works have appeared in The Talking Stick: Volumes 16, 17, 19, and Dust and Fire 2008. Her debut MG fantasy, Bosco and the Bees, was published January 2021 and selected by Kirkus Reviews for inclusion in their Best 100 Indie Books of the Year. Her second MG fantasy, Mirror and the Bobcat, was released September 2022.

Darlene Greene (Ann Curtis) is president and CEO of DGreene Sales Solutions, LLC, a sales, and marketing support company for manufacturers of health and beauty products. Her professional background includes over 30 years in the area of sales and marketing in which she has received numerous distinguished sales awards.

Michael Baldwin is a retired library administrator and professor of American Government. He may also be a descendant of the Lakota mystic warrior, Crazy Horse, and will be glad to explain over a couple of beers. As a youngster, Michael wanted to be an astronaut, built his own six-foot telescope, and studied astrophysics. In college, he became active in the civil rights movement and took a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. His intellectual appetite led him to a career as a librarian and teacher. Because of his eclectic interests, he has written books in several genres: a mystery novel, Murder Music, a children’s science-adventure book, Space Cat, four volumes of science-fiction short stories, the Passing Strange series, and five books of poetry.

Fran Abrams’ poems have been published online and in print in Cathexis-Northwest Press, The American Journal of Poetry, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Delmarva Review, The Raven’s Perch, Gargoyle, and many other journals, as well as in over a dozen anthologies. In December 2021, she won the Washington Writers Publishing House Winter Poetry Prize. Her autobiographical book of poems, titled I Rode the Second Wave: A Feminist Memoir, was released in November 2022. Her chapbook, The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras, was released in early April 2023. She read at the Kensington, MD, Day of the Book Festival in April 2023 and will read at the Gaithersburg, MD, Book Festival in May 2023. Please visit franabramspoetry.com for details.

Karissa has written more than they’ve ever spoken, finding it an easier way to communicate. They live quietly, spending most of their time with their five pets and family while also working full-time and attending graduate school.

My writing comes from varied experiences as an immigrant, a person with a hidden disability trying to fit into a neurotypical world, the child of Holocaust survivors, and someone with a deep spiritual life who loves the natural world of lakes and mountains, trees and forests, sun, rain, and snow. I’m an active member of SCBWI and the Adirondack Center for Writing, as well as several critique groups. I’ve taken courses from the Children’s Book Academy, Lyrical Language Lab with Renee LaTulippe, Picture Book Magic (Susanna Hill), and Writing in Rhyme (Angie Karcher).

Gil Stafford has been a professional athlete, teacher, coach, university president, and Episcopal priest. Now he’s a full-time writer, having published four books.

I’m CarrieAnn! I am 34 years old, and I have a weird cat named Jude and two beautiful nieces that fill my life with love. I have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and currently work as an advocate for the unsheltered community in Minneapolis. In my spare time, I like to Diamond paint, watch Star Trek TNG, and be in nature.

Working in niche publishing in 2005, Ekta has written and edited about everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films. A writing contest judge for the Florida Writers Association and the Saturday Writers chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild, Ekta conducts writing workshops and also hosts Biblio Breakdown, where she examines books and offers writing exercises. She blogs original fiction, book reviews, and all things writing and editing at The Write Edge (http://thewriteedge.wordpress.com). Her holiday novella, The Truth About Elves, and her fairy tale for grownups, In the Heart of the Linden Wood, are both available now from Atmosphere Press.

A native South Carolinian, Samantha didn’t go too far from home. When she’s not arguing with the characters over the plot, she’s baking, exercising, or Netflixing with her two rescue dogs and husband.

Jillian Arena lives in Jupiter, FL, with her husband, children, and countless pets. When she’s not writing stories, digging her toes in the sand, or hanging out with her family, she spends her time running her holistic coaching practice and empowering amazing humans from all walks of life to dream big and take life by the horns. Her experiences doing deep inner work with others have shaped her heart-centered writing style and all of the characters she has developed.

Karen McLain was born in the Chicagoland area in the early eighties. As the youngest child of three children to a single mother, life could be rough at times. The family moved to western Pennsylvania in the mid-nineties and things got a bit easier for them. After a tragic loss, Karen shut herself off from the world for many years in order to figure things out and deal with her illnesses. Searching for ways to vent a creative passion, Karen was inspired by internet content to create The Mayari Chronicles.

Justin O’Donnell holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Western Connecticut State University. He spent his childhood immersed in online roleplay, playing football, and reading history. When not reading or writing, Justin competes as a bodybuilder and dreams up ways to spin speculative tales about ancient empires, mythological horrors, and apocalyptic hellscapes. Justin currently lives in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, with his wife, daughter, and mischievous Siberian husky.