Author Interviews

Author Interview: James Tyler Ball

Tell us about yourself.:
I tried to ascend to the fifth-dimension through a McDonald's based meditation method. If that doesn't tell you all you need to know about me, then I don't know what will.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
Swindon. A place nicknamed 'The Bum Hole of The World.' It influenced my writing less than my humour. You've got to be somewhat cynically sarcastic to live in a dull place like this.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. I'm entirely usual. And that there pretentious attempt to subvert this question I realise how truly sedated my writing process really is.

What authors have influenced you?
Swindon. A place nicknamed 'The Bum Hole of The World.' It influenced my writing less than my humour. You've got to be somewhat cynically sarcastic to live in a dull place like this.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don't compare yourself to anyone but who you were yesterday. I believe that's a Jordan Peterson quote and also serves to answer the previous question, perhaps better. Once you stop comparing yourself to others, you allow yourself to grow as an individual in your own style.

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Author Interview: Gregory Kopp

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am an Amazon 5-Star Author, Graduate of Northwestern University and a Principal Consultant for Kopp Company. I am also a Talent Ambassador for The Walt Disney Company.
The Kopp Chronicles series novels have been nominated for Reader's Choice Awards and numerous "Cover of the Month" & "Book of the Day" Honors.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in the USA Midwest and it influence my upbringing and writing with it's notions of right and wrong.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to music when I write which allows me to tune out any distractions.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in the USA Midwest and it influence my upbringing and writing with it's notions of right and wrong.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give for a new author is to continue revising until you are satisfied with your work. After a final edit, put your work aside for a period of time and look at it again until you are satisfied with the final product.

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Author Interview: Alex Pearl

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am an extremely shortsighted and slightly shambolic bloke with a bad sense of direction living somewhere in NW London with my wife. Both our kids have now flown the nest. I was brought up in Ilford, a large suburban conurbation on the outskirts of East London. I wasn't particularly academic at school but was quite good at art and English. So I ended up going to art college in Maidstone and together with a good friend became interested in creative advertising. We put together a folio of work and were hired by a creative agency called Kirkwoods in 1980. By this time I had decided to become a copywriter and my partner who was a far better artist would take on the mantle of art director. Our working partnership would span a quarter of a century working for several different agencies. I started writing fiction when my other half retired from the industry in around 2007. And it was in 2011 that my first book 'Sleeping with the Blackbirds' was published.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
As I mentioned earlier, I was brought up in suburbia in the Greater London borough of Redbridge. Looking back, there were a number of extraordinary people who we were friends with living in the area who would go on and make a name for themselves in their respective fields. There was Bramwell Tovey, my brother's very good friend who became a conductor and composer. He'd go on to conduct some of the finest orchestras in the world and win a Grammy for his composition work. There was Ronald Hutton (now Professor Hutton) who has become one of this country's most eminent historians specialising in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. And our neighbour's son Malcolm Denmark would become a multi-millionaire with his company Mediaforce. Did any of this influence me? No, I don't think so. My biggest influences were through school and later on, at work. I had a wonderful English teacher by the name of Clive Lawton who was simply inspirational. He was radical in his approach to teaching in our large comprehensive school in Camden Town. He would turn everything on its head. For instance, he'd tell us that our syllabus was boring and that we were going to scrap it and do something far more interesting. He'd engage us in class debates on contentious issues and get us into storytelling. He'd instill into every child in that classroom a love of words and the power of words. He was totally unconventional but a quite brilliant teacher. Not surprisingly, he would make a name for himself in education and was eventually awarded an OBE. Then once I'd gained employment as a copywriter, I would encounter influential people. One such person was my Creative Director in the mid 80s, Ken Mullen. Ken is a brilliant writer with a wonderful sense of humour. With his academic background (two degrees from Oxford University) he might have cut a daunting figure. But he wasn't at all. Instead, he was a fantastically encouraging, supportive and nurturing boss to have around. And he was a great fun. On one occasion he and his art director created a press campaign for real fires for the Solid Fuel Advisory Service. This involved commissioning novelists to wax lyrical about their own real fires at home. Among the authors commissioned was the fabulous Beryl Bainbridge whose piece won a prestigious D&AD Silver award for the best piece of copy written for a press advertisement that year. And I was fortunate enough to sit next to her at the awards dinner. And looking back, I think it was pretty inspirational to sit and chat with this very lovely, down to earth lady who also happened to be one of the greatest living novelists in the country.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don't know if it's particularly unusual, but I quite like writing in different locations on an old Chromebook. I have written in cafes, holiday cottages, as well as the garden and different rooms around the house. Most of my first book ('Sleeping with the Blackbirds') was written in an office where I was literally waiting to be made redundant. It took the best part of a year before they let me go – by which time I had virtually finished my first book.

What authors have influenced you?
As I mentioned earlier, I was brought up in suburbia in the Greater London borough of Redbridge. Looking back, there were a number of extraordinary people who we were friends with living in the area who would go on and make a name for themselves in their respective fields. There was Bramwell Tovey, my brother's very good friend who became a conductor and composer. He'd go on to conduct some of the finest orchestras in the world and win a Grammy for his composition work. There was Ronald Hutton (now Professor Hutton) who has become one of this country's most eminent historians specialising in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. And our neighbour's son Malcolm Denmark would become a multi-millionaire with his company Mediaforce. Did any of this influence me? No, I don't think so. My biggest influences were through school and later on, at work. I had a wonderful English teacher by the name of Clive Lawton who was simply inspirational. He was radical in his approach to teaching in our large comprehensive school in Camden Town. He would turn everything on its head. For instance, he'd tell us that our syllabus was boring and that we were going to scrap it and do something far more interesting. He'd engage us in class debates on contentious issues and get us into storytelling. He'd instill into every child in that classroom a love of words and the power of words. He was totally unconventional but a quite brilliant teacher. Not surprisingly, he would make a name for himself in education and was eventually awarded an OBE. Then once I'd gained employment as a copywriter, I would encounter influential people. One such person was my Creative Director in the mid 80s, Ken Mullen. Ken is a brilliant writer with a wonderful sense of humour. With his academic background (two degrees from Oxford University) he might have cut a daunting figure. But he wasn't at all. Instead, he was a fantastically encouraging, supportive and nurturing boss to have around. And he was a great fun. On one occasion he and his art director created a press campaign for real fires for the Solid Fuel Advisory Service. This involved commissioning novelists to wax lyrical about their own real fires at home. Among the authors commissioned was the fabulous Beryl Bainbridge whose piece won a prestigious D&AD Silver award for the best piece of copy written for a press advertisement that year. And I was fortunate enough to sit next to her at the awards dinner. And looking back, I think it was pretty inspirational to sit and chat with this very lovely, down to earth lady who also happened to be one of the greatest living novelists in the country.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My only advice is to be yourself and enjoy your writing. Don't be deterred by rejection letters from literary agents. Everyone receives them. Even j K Rowling has a huge pile of them.

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Author Interview: Ethan Ruedlinger

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Tell us about yourself.:
Ethan Ruedlinger is a US Army veteran, Shito-Ryu Kyokushin Karate black belt, and entrepreneur who possesses a deep fascination with all things history. Since his parents took him across the country visiting historical sites and museums during his childhood, he has a profound love for America and American history.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a small house in the middle of the forest of Southern Indiana. The beauty of the trees, the blue skies and sunshine, it was all incredible inspiration for my early poetry, and even some of my later works.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Perhaps my most unusual writing habit is the fact that I won’t always write in chronological order while adding to my autobiography. If I remember an important detail that I failed to add, I’ll have to retrace my steps back to where the paragraph should be inserted, and thus I’ll have to reformat each page.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a small house in the middle of the forest of Southern Indiana. The beauty of the trees, the blue skies and sunshine, it was all incredible inspiration for my early poetry, and even some of my later works.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
NEVER give up, continue writing DESPITE failures! It’s those failures that will mold you, and shape you into the writer you strive to be!

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Author Interview: Helen Starbuck

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Tell us about yourself.:
I’m a third generation Colorado native with no relation to the coffee bunch, so I don’t get free coffee. I worked as an operating room nurse in several ORs in the Denver Metro Area for most of my career. I love ballroom dancing, and I’ve gone to several competitions. I was an art major in college before discovering I couldn’t support myself and liked to eat too much to be a real life artist, so I switched to nursing. I own a horse who’s 21 years old and basically a pasture pet, and two couch potato cats.
I live in Arvada, Colorado, and I'm a multiple award-winning author of Legacy of Secrets, Finding Alex, The Woman He Used to Know, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series.

I love mysteries, suspense, romance, and any well written book. I write my mystery series from the perspective of Annie Collins an OR nurse, and I rely on my love of suspense and romance to writer my standalone romantic suspense novels.

I like stories about strong women and interesting men and my theory is, if you don’t like life as it is, write a different ending.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a suburb of Denver, CO, the oldest of three daughters. My two sisters were quite popular throughout school, and I was not. Writing and reading made life more enjoyable. I could imagine a different life for myself, be a more confident, self-assured person than I was in real life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I spend probably far too much time thinking about my characters and their story, to the point that they become very real for me and often direct the way the story is told. When the urge hits, I sit down and often write for hours. Some days I don’t write at all.

I have found music inspires a lot for me. Whenever I hear Santana’s Samba Pa’ Ti, I think of Angel Cisneros, the male lead in my mystery series. It just fits him, smooth, seductive, and Latino. P!nk’s Try describes my main character and narrator of the mystery series and Annie’s relationship with men.

Music also inspires scenes and moods for different stories. Overheard conversations spark ideas and plots or characters often are the result of certain settings in Colorado.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a suburb of Denver, CO, the oldest of three daughters. My two sisters were quite popular throughout school, and I was not. Writing and reading made life more enjoyable. I could imagine a different life for myself, be a more confident, self-assured person than I was in real life.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love, then find people who like the genre you're writing and listen to their feedback. Keep writing and learning and your ability to write will grow and become better.

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Featured Author Interview: Christine DeLozier

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Tell us about yourself.:
My name is Christine DeLozier, and I am a licensed acupuncturist specializing in sexual health. I love nature and I'm a total foodie. I like cooking things that look pretty, but are also close to nature.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up poor, in the city with my sister and my mom, who was a teen mom and high-school drop-out. My dad has schizophrenia too, so my childhood was interesting and colourful.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I habitually ride my bike to a coffee shop to work because it is difficult for me to focus when I'm at home.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up poor, in the city with my sister and my mom, who was a teen mom and high-school drop-out. My dad has schizophrenia too, so my childhood was interesting and colourful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Commit yourself to writing a first shi**y draft. If you wait for perfection, you'll never get done. Then with every subsequent draft, your book will be less shi**y, and more brilliant!

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Featured Author Interview: Gary Corbin

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Tell us about yourself.:
Although I've been writing all of my life, it was a side job for me until about five years ago, when at the age of 56, I published my first novel. Novel writing is now my fifth career, proof that anyone can reinvent themselves at any age.

I live with the love of my life in Camas, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR, where I also write and produce plays and participate in various writing groups and workshops. We love to ski, hike, travel, breathe the ocean air, and teach our Golden Retriever new tricks.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
My hometown is Agawam, MA, a small 19th-Century farming and mill town on the Connecticut River. I love writing about small-town experiences, and often set my novels in places much like Agawam. You'll find rivers, mountains, and well-meaning nosy people in all of my stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
All writers, and thus all writing habits, are unusual. It's an odd profession, really.

I used to write everything out in longhand, then transcribe and edit as I went in Word. No more. I draft quickly in Scrivener and subject my critique group to those early drafts. They're very patient with me. Gotta love that.

What authors have influenced you?
My hometown is Agawam, MA, a small 19th-Century farming and mill town on the Connecticut River. I love writing about small-town experiences, and often set my novels in places much like Agawam. You'll find rivers, mountains, and well-meaning nosy people in all of my stories.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don't rush out and publish that first draft! And don't show it to prospective agents or publishers. Writing is rewriting. Make that your mantra.

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Author Interview: Constantine Dhonau

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Tell us about yourself.:
In 8th grade, I started a myspace-official religion (thank you to our 121 dedicated followers). I picked up trombone after my ska/punk band broke-up in high school. Florida sucked me back in and I became depressed after blowing-out my knee on a 52-day backpacking trip in Colorado because I thought I blew my only chance at realizing my dream by just trying to chase after it. Someone planted the idea in my head to pick-up skydiving as a hobby in college. 8 years later, I jumped out of an airplane solo after watching a man break his leg on landing right before it was my turn to fly. I’m terrible at cooking. After 3 & 1/2 years as a wilderness therapy field guide, my roommate and I woke up one morning and decided to start a high-end catering company. Life is good & I’m satisfied with myself.

All that aside, I like tea. I’m a homebody and a space/tech nerd. I’m becoming increasingly attracted to Daoism. I’m working on letting go of fixed plans and surrendering to the current of life. For the rest and whatnot in between, you’ll have to check out the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My journals are open and public. I write in them the same as anyone else would, except I invite and encourage family, friends and strangers to write in them as well. I enjoy capturing life’s raw moments and I see life as a collaboration of relationships, not an individually-informed perspective.

I often write and work on writing projects for days at a time. Eating, drinking, and sleeping very little. It’s somewhat manic, but its a choice and I enjoy it.

For “Collateral Intentions,” I spent a year transcribing 10 journals’-worth of poetry, letters, wrinkled cocktail napkins in a shoebox, milestone journal entries, and phone notes to a google doc (don’t do that), then transferred it over to Mac Pages (don’t do that either), then submitted my eBook to Amazon late (definitely don’t do that), and wrestled with a DOCX for over a year until I finally gave up on the last 5 errors in the printed version.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It took me just as long or longer to self-publish. I didn’t think I’d be good enough and didn’t have the patience to find the publisher that was looking for my book and submit it. Self-publishing does come with this cool DIY badge of honor, but I plan to find a legitimized press I’m excited to partner with for my future projects.

They have all the resources, they know the biz. While you still have to do most (or all) of the work, I imagine it would be a hell of a lot easier to have that publishing team to call when you’re looking for some help. In fact, I’m still hoping to find a legit publisher for “Collateral Intentions”.

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Author Interview: Menelaos Gkikas

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am a writer, digital marketeer and transformational leader who recently completed a circle of lessons around artificial intelligence. My first book back in 2004 was entitled “Mathematical Models”. I have been thinking of literature since I existed in the army. I still remember the first script I wrote back then and I would feel delightful to bring it to life at its original dimensions, perhaps it can work as a screenplay! I am passionate with books and my library, reading all sorts of things. I have self-published 2 projects, a romantic drama entitled ‘The Words of Emily Logan’ and a fairytale fantasy entitled ‘When Magic Truly Happens’. The Words of Emily Logan is a screenplay. I have also completed the first draft of a second screenplay entitled ‘Krista’s Instinct’. Though I believe I can have lots of alter egos in art, I also believe in homogenizing all these multiple identities including my education in one, that is the belief in the world of letters.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a city of Athens, Byron, in Greece. If it is to search deep in my childhood to answer this question, I would say that our country is our childhood years. Nevertheless, here I will put emphasis on the family and private school aspects. As a result of both of my parents working, I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers and aunts. Exciting years that I still remember very often nowadays, full of love, adventures, protection and religious experiences. In terms of my parents the atmosphere and love were partly the same. There was joy, safety, plenty of excursions and wonderful Christmas experiences at home and in hotel occasions where I still remember the discussions with Santa Clauses. At home, my dad used to ring the bell at the balcony when the gifts were under the tree to make me believe Santa Claus came for Christmas. The beloved atmosphere was accompanied with the fact that during my first 6 years at school, I had been given the role of one of the best students that is actually one of the main themes of this question’s answer. The themes of love, Christmas, school performance, religious messages and feeling powerful as a child are present in both of my published books. Having been given the role of the best and getting accustomed to different data have been motifs for both of my books where the characters not only achieve goals while children and teens, but prove the difference that growing up in the real world outside the home experiences requires resilience and durability when they actually realize how tough the world is and that they may not be always the best. Where data start to differ… Conclusively all the above elements took me 42 years to even dare to reimagine but have been present in my writing in terms of portraying the beautiful side of the world and not themes that may be dark, metaphysical, purifying and often revolutionary!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Things that you own end up owning you… As a web creator dealing with time management, I should focus on being less intellectual and more kinesthetic, meaning to deal with the entire, social, organic sense of being a writer, acting or even better predicting and not just trying to understand everything before by studying it…

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a city of Athens, Byron, in Greece. If it is to search deep in my childhood to answer this question, I would say that our country is our childhood years. Nevertheless, here I will put emphasis on the family and private school aspects. As a result of both of my parents working, I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers and aunts. Exciting years that I still remember very often nowadays, full of love, adventures, protection and religious experiences. In terms of my parents the atmosphere and love were partly the same. There was joy, safety, plenty of excursions and wonderful Christmas experiences at home and in hotel occasions where I still remember the discussions with Santa Clauses. At home, my dad used to ring the bell at the balcony when the gifts were under the tree to make me believe Santa Claus came for Christmas. The beloved atmosphere was accompanied with the fact that during my first 6 years at school, I had been given the role of one of the best students that is actually one of the main themes of this question’s answer. The themes of love, Christmas, school performance, religious messages and feeling powerful as a child are present in both of my published books. Having been given the role of the best and getting accustomed to different data have been motifs for both of my books where the characters not only achieve goals while children and teens, but prove the difference that growing up in the real world outside the home experiences requires resilience and durability when they actually realize how tough the world is and that they may not be always the best. Where data start to differ… Conclusively all the above elements took me 42 years to even dare to reimagine but have been present in my writing in terms of portraying the beautiful side of the world and not themes that may be dark, metaphysical, purifying and often revolutionary!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I can drill this advice from what I am doing this period. The case, my artistic debut, my first project in other words, has been submitted to the best Hollywood office, to provide script coverage and foresee in the long run its movie potential… The advice, if you writers believe that creative success comes without hard work, without torturous advices and plenty of sweat, pressure, notes, tones and lots of transformations, you are completely mistaken, even if we’re talking about the first or your sixth work. Writing is all about rewriting!

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Author Interview: J.M. Woods

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am 43 and live in the great state of Tennessee. I have been writing ever since I was a kid of thirteen. I've always written, most of my life, and have published material under different names over the decades.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
Well, I grew up in Tennessee where I still live. I think the overall environment of this region in the country, not just this state, really influenced my type of writing. The south has a lot of ghosts and a lot of stories and a lot of characters.

Being a Southern Gothic writer I was, I guess you can say, pre-exposed to that type of fiction where writing it seems like second Nature. One thing I know about the south is that everyone has a story or a ghost story that they swear is true.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really at all. I guess the one thing that I like to do is listen to music as I write. Especially if I'm writing something really emotional I like to find that one song that can bring that certain emotion out of me.

When I find that song, I tend to write more emotionally. So music, the right music, is something that really helps me. It's a habit I can't break.

What authors have influenced you?
Well, I grew up in Tennessee where I still live. I think the overall environment of this region in the country, not just this state, really influenced my type of writing. The south has a lot of ghosts and a lot of stories and a lot of characters.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing because you have to give your imagination a daily workout if you're going to be good. I write a thousand words a day. Some of it's great and some of it's terrible. But I'm exercising my imagination on the daily. That's the most important thing for those that want to write I think.

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Author Interview: Allison Romero

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am a K-8 teacher with a passion for special education. One of my greatest joys is helping every child recognize their own abilities.
Though currently working on my second master’s degree, with a focus on middle school social studies, my primary focus continues to be my three daughters: Abigail, Anna, and Charlotte.
Abigail is 2 and my twins, Anna and Charlotte, are 1. As a mom of 3 under 3 life can definitely get chaotic. To all the parents out there, you're superheroes!

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Colorado just outside of Denver. I love Colorado and although it's getting a bit crowded I'm not sure I'd want to live anywhere else. The mountains have certainly influenced my writing and the type of characters I write about. In the mountains you can find peace, adventure, and magnificent beauty. I am also blessed to live around the majority of my family, another theme that often shows up in my writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I honestly don't have any writing habits. My writing tends to be sporadic and I'll whip out an entire children's book in one sitting. If it comes to me then I write it. In fact, I wrote one children's book on a break from work while I was watching my oldest daughter play with some toys.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Colorado just outside of Denver. I love Colorado and although it's getting a bit crowded I'm not sure I'd want to live anywhere else. The mountains have certainly influenced my writing and the type of characters I write about. In the mountains you can find peace, adventure, and magnificent beauty. I am also blessed to live around the majority of my family, another theme that often shows up in my writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have fun and don't stress too much. Writing and publishing is a learning process. Don't be afraid to ask questions and grow. You'll make mistakes but you'll also have a lot of wins. Celebrate those wins!

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Author Interview: Riri Sensei

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Tell us about yourself.:
Hello dear readers! :3 My name is Ririchi [リリ血]. I am an Asian lady in her late 20s who lives in USA. My favorite animals are cats. I love the colors green, black and red. My zodiac sign is Capricorn. In my daily life, I suffer from several medical conditions and I have physical disabilities. Nonetheless, I try my best to live a good life and do enjoyable things. c: As for my interests, I am a huge nerd who loves anime, manga, and video games! I also love to cook, sew, and do arts & craft projects. I am a henna artist too. Furthermore, I have a passion for astrology, divination, occultism, and spiritualism.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Florida. My writing was mainly influenced by my upbringing, which was a very poor and abusive household. I often wrote stories to escape the painful reality and deal with stressful situation caused by my abusive father.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can't type without typing my hair in a bun. I get super distracted! xD

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Florida. My writing was mainly influenced by my upbringing, which was a very poor and abusive household. I often wrote stories to escape the painful reality and deal with stressful situation caused by my abusive father.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Studying grammar, punctuation, and basic English language and hire an editor or BECOME an editor before publishing books. Nothing is worse than a book that is unreadable.

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Author Interview: Patricia M. Muhammad

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am an American-born fiction author of crossover contemporary romance/science fiction, science fiction/fantasy, mystery/detective romance and historical romance genres

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a small town on the east coast. For years I enjoyed exploring nature and was surrounded by animals. I would write what I considered poetry with trees as my witnesses and animals as my company. However, I did not do any serious writing until I was an adult.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am particular about what type of pen I will use to write my novels.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a small town on the east coast. For years I enjoyed exploring nature and was surrounded by animals. I would write what I considered poetry with trees as my witnesses and animals as my company. However, I did not do any serious writing until I was an adult.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To write sincerely and to try not to force your story. Trust your ability and your imagination to guide you.

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Author Interview: Shawna James

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Tell us about yourself.:
Shawna James is an award-winning author & writer. Her debut novel “Despite the Devil,” released in November of 2020, as part of her “They Loved Collection” book series. Shawna has received 5-Star awarded book reviews, including Readers Favorite, and is a winner of the Canada Book Awards, as she quickly began gaining reader fans from around the world.

Shawna has book two of this series as a special pre-order price, titled “As It Should Be,” which releases July 2021 for all her reader fans on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks. Both books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many fine online bookstores.

James, a Canadian Author, earned her Masters degree in Education and works as a university instructor, fueling the bright minds of her students. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop or instructing, she enjoys the great outdoors and loves hiking with her puppies. Shawna also travels abroad, is an avid reader, and enjoys watching her favorite football games on Sunday afternoons. She continues to reside in the Vancouver, Canada, area.

The Author welcomes readers, publishers, and agents to visit her Official Author Website for her author news, updates, new releases and is open to interviews at https://ShawnaJames.com.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
Growing up in Canada has influenced both novels in the 'They Loved Collection' as the setting of each 'Despite the Devil' and 'As It Should Be' is primarily in Canada.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Coffee and apples fuel my writing hours.

What authors have influenced you?
Growing up in Canada has influenced both novels in the 'They Loved Collection' as the setting of each 'Despite the Devil' and 'As It Should Be' is primarily in Canada.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love … and, keep the readers' attention.

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Author Interview: Sunshine Rodgers

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Tell us about yourself.:
I am a Best Selling Author, Blogger, and Entrepreneur. I have written 9 books that have landed on 21 different Amazon Best Seller lists on the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
I have 43K followers across all my social media pages and have attended 31 book signings and 4 Book Tours. My events have been promoted in various newspapers, newsletters and magazines
including The Florida Times-Union, The Orlando Weekly, live interviews on podcasts and radio and local literary magazines. I love being a Full-Time Author and pursuing this crazy dream!

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Virginia and there was a total of 4 kids (I am the second oldest). There was always craziness in the house with our 2 dogs, our very loud parrot and various birds and hamsters. Even as a kid, I loved reading and my favorite book series was "Animorphs" by K.A. Applegate. I excelled in my English classes and would even help my siblings with their reading homework. I started a journal when I was 9-years old and I never stopped writing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always write my fiction stories from a first-person narrative. I took theater classes in high school and really learned how to "fully become the character" I was playing on the stage. So, now I fully embrace the main character on the pages.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Virginia and there was a total of 4 kids (I am the second oldest). There was always craziness in the house with our 2 dogs, our very loud parrot and various birds and hamsters. Even as a kid, I loved reading and my favorite book series was "Animorphs" by K.A. Applegate. I excelled in my English classes and would even help my siblings with their reading homework. I started a journal when I was 9-years old and I never stopped writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am an Author Representative to my current publisher, RWG Publishing, so I talk to aspiring authors all the time about the literary industry. The advice I give most often is…to have realistic expectations. The first book you write may not get you fame, money or notoriety. But keep writing. You are a no-name author and you may not make a lot of sales for a while. But keep writing. You may be discouraged with the process and even the bad reviews written about your books. But if you love what you do, and if it's worth it to you…then keep writing!

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