 I have another installment in my author interview series to post today: say hi to Deb E Howell, author of The Healer's Touch (Kristell Ink Publishing, 2013). Deb E is a wonderful combination of science geek and fangirl, and has an inspiring sense of humor. I encourage you to check out her blog, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and of course, to buy her book. Now, on to the interview! I like the premise of your book: someone who can heal herself, but only at the expense of others. It takes the usual notion of a positive ability and makes it much darker. How did you come up with the idea? I honestly can’t remember. I developed a character with this power (the giving and taking) some 15-16 years ago. I was at High School at the time, so I would have been watching a lot of super hero cartoons, which no doubt played a part. Because I was a teenage girl, of course my character back then was a strapping young man. Llew will never forgive me for sticking her with it... |  Deb E's childhood nights were spent falling asleep to cover versions of Cliff Richard and the Shadows and other Rock ’n Roll classics played by her father’s band, and days were spent dancing to 45 LPs. Many of her first writing experiences were copying down song lyrics. She graduated to scientific reports when she studied a nematophagus fungus in the Zoology department of the University of Otago, trading all traces of popularity for usefulness… then traded both for fiction.  This interview is part of the Bandit Book Bloggers book tour series |
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 Great news on the interview front for my speculative fiction fans out there: I'm happy to present Morgan Busse, whose novel Daughter of Light (Marcher Lord Press, 2012) has come in for some good reviews - well, make that GREAT reviews, since it currently has a five-star rating on Amazon! Like everyone I've had the privilege to interview, Morgan is a lovely person as well as a talented writer, and as she herself points out, writers are really people, too, you know. Morgan invites you to spend some time on her web site/blog, getting to know her a bit better. There's lots to explore, and of course she'd love you to buy her book. Read on for more! Morgan L. Busse writes speculative fiction for the adult market. She is the author of Daughter of Light, the first in a series from Marcher Lord Press. Morgan lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. You can find about more about Morgan at www.morganlbusse.com  Well, this is fun! This week I'm posting my interview with Yvonne Anderson, whose sci fi Gateway to Gannah series is available from Risen Books. Her first novel, Story in the Stars, was a finalist for the ACFW's (American Christian Fiction Writers) Carol Awards. Pretty good stuff. The next book in the series, Words in the Wind, is out now, and the third and fourth are in production. So if you like what you're reading about, you'll have a lot more to look forward to! Yvonne, like me, is a "late entry" into the fiction-writing world, having pursued other vocations prior to starting her writing career. It just goes to show that writers may come from all over, but always from within. You can connect with Yvonne at her web site, or follow her blogs at Novel Rocket and Speculative Faith. Of course, she'd love you to purchase her novels, or ask for them at your local library. Read on to hear what she has to say about her work and herself! Yvonne Anderson, creator of the Gateway to Gannah space fantasy series, is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), The Lost Genre Guild, Independent Author Network, and International Thriller Writers, and serves as contest administrator for the Novel Rocket blog, named four times to Writer’s Digest’s list of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. She lives in rural Ohio but spends most of her time on the planet Gannah, researching her books.  I have to say, I'm really enjoying this interview gig. I feel as though I'm making friends all over the place. It's a little like being a rock star. Well, a very little, but still, it's fun. My interview this week is with fellow Cogwheel Press author Paul Freeman, whose epic fantasy Tribesman was released in November 2012. If you like sword-and-sandals-type stuff, run, don't walk, to pick up either the Kindle or the paperback edition. I finished it in 24 hrs, partly because it's a super-tight piece of work at 80,000 words (more on that later), and partly because it's so engaging (and horrifying). Paul is a fun and funny fellow who has other literary irons in many fires, ranging from urban fantasy to steampunk to horror to literary fiction. He's a contributor to the steampunk compilation Strange Tales From the Scriptorian Vaults, and has a horror collaboration coming out in spring 2013. On some level, I know I ought to feel challenged by his prowess, but mostly I find it inspiring. Paul's a friendly sort; you can get to know him better by reading his blog, following him on Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, & Twitter, and of course by buying his books. Read on to learn more! Paul Freeman is from Dublin, Ireland, where he works, plays and writes. In the past he has lived in Germany and America but is now content to keep his roaming to the worlds he creates and writes about.  Happy new year, dear readers! Once again, I've had the true pleasure of interviewing a fellow spec fic author, Cindy Koepp, whose sci fi novel Remnant in the Stars was released last July by Under the Moon Publishing. She also has a book of math puzzles for middle-grade students called Crunchy Word Problems and Other Brain Challenges, and writes a free serial fantasy novel called Condemned Courier on Jukepopserials.com. Cindy's one of those people that challenge my geek credentials big time, and it was a lot of fun to learn about her, her writing, and her plans for world domination - just kidding. I think. ;) You can visit Cindy's web site, read her blog and serial, and buy Remnant In the Stars and Crunchy Word Problems by following the links. And of course, read on for more! Cindy Koepp lives in Texas with her parrot and spends nine months of the year mutating the minds of children. In addition to a teaching certificate from the University of Texas at Austin, she has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University. In her time away from school, she does needlework, experiments with recipes, and works on her writing.  A native of Southeast Alabama now at home in Phoenix, Arizona, H.G. Ferguson has always loved the strange, the unnerving, the unusual -- in short, looking at things, particularly monsters, outside the box. Since the whopping age of six he has known Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and seeks above all things to honor Him and present the Truth -- even Truth shrouded in shadows, like a candle flickering in a mortuary window. He wrote New Blood to return horror to its Christian roots and worldview and to demonstrate God’s unconditional love for Thirsty and longsuffering Rebecca, who may not be the chief of sinners but is certainly the most unique. Happy holidays, gentle readers! It's time for the next installment in my author interview series, this one with H.G. Ferugson, who wrote New Blood (OtherSheep Books from Written Word Communications). Harold is an enthusiastic debut author with a background in history. He also happens to combine two abiding professional and literary interests of mine: colonial America and vampires. Oh, and in case I forgot to mention, he writes from a Christian worldview. Fun stuff! You can learn more about Harold on his publisher's author page, watch his trailer, and of course, buy his book on Amazon and B&N. Read on for more fascinating explanation of a fascinating writer!  Next up in author interviews is YA science fiction/fantasy author Laura Popp, whose novel Treasure Traitor was released in November 2012 by Starsongs. Congratulations on the debut! It was a hard-fought fight to win publication for this book, as Laura explains, since it crosses markets and pushes boundaries.
The whole interview process has been great for me as a writer, because it's allowed me to explore other genres and get a better feel for them. Part of the fun also has been getting to know great people like Laura, who has lived just about everywhere and done just about everything, despite having not reached her 30th birthday. Laura Popp’s novels, short stories, and plays have won numerous local and international awards in the fields of children’s literature and science fiction. In her “normal” life, she has been a model, film maker, teacher, world traveler, and missionary to Japan; India; Malawi, Africa and the U.S. She currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can connect with Laura on her blog, and of course buy her book. Read on for the full interview!  The lovely ladies over at Castles & Guns graciously invited me to contribute a guest post to their blog, and I was delighted to comply. Guest posts are a boon to both the guest and the owner of a blog - the owner gets new content from a fresh voice, and the guest gets to connect with a new audience. A win for everyone.
Later this week I'll post my interview with Laura Popp, whose book Treasure Traitor was released on November 8. Congratulations, Laura! Did any of you attend the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto earlier this month? One of the conference themes this year was urban fantasy. I'd love to hear how it went. Lastly, for all of you who were affected by Hurricane Sandy, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. My family and I were lucky - we never lost power, and were able to offer hot showers and coffee to those who did. The damage in Connecticut, while severe in several places, did not reach the level of devastation in New Jersey and parts of New York. I know you folks down there are still suffering, but I also know you're resilient people, and, with the help and caring of others, you'll rebound. Peace!  For your reading pleasure, here's another author interview, this one with Mark Roman, who wrote The Ultimate Inferior Beings, out with Cogwheel Press. I'm venturing outside my accustomed fantasy realm for this one, as TUIB is sci fi humor (or humour, as Mr. Roman is thoroughly British). By day he's a science guy; writing is his moonlighting career, but you'd never know it from his crisp, dry prose that still manages to make you giggle. Kind of like hard cider.
Mark Roman is the pen-name of a bioinformatics scientist who works at a research institute near Cambridge, UK. He lives in London with his wife and two children, aged 9 and 10. He wrote his sci-fi comedy, The Ultimate Inferior Beings, many years ago when he was young and foolish. Now that he is old and foolish he has had it published by Cogwheel Press. You can find Mark on Facebook pretty much anytime, no matter what your time zone. Read on for the full interview!  I'm delighted to present another interview, this time with spec fic author R.L. Copple. Rick is a multitalented guy, who writes non-fiction, fiction, a bit of poetry, and even dabbles in comics. He's the author of two YA series, one fantasy (available from Splashdown Books - yep, my second Splashdown author), the other sci fi (indie published through Ethereal Press), and is even thinking of writing the back story for a video game. Like my previous guest, Greg Mitchell, he writes from a Christian worldview, although he makes a point to tell us that it's more of a framework than a message. He contributes to a blog called The Lost Genre Guild, which is a home for Christian writers who love the weird and wonderful.
R. L. Copple is a science fiction and fantasy writer. He's written six novels and numerous short stories. While some say he lives in his own fantasy world, in reality he resides in the Texas Hill Country with his wife of 30 years and remaining son of three kids. You can visit Rick's website, read his blog, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter. And of course, you can buy his books on Amazon. Now, read on to learn more! |
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