Willa was only the nanny. How did she end up on the Oregon Trail with her young charges?
Cade Chester enjoys his life as a scout for a wagon train. Little does he suspect that any woman could change his desire for adventure. Willa Winston is more than merely a woman needing help. She is the one person he cannot let walk out of his life.
When Willa is forced to pick a husband on the trail, she asks Cade to marry her. Only, she wants to be able to walk away at the end of the journey. That is, until danger comes after her.
Favorite Lines:
“I’m only the nanny!”
Willa Winston shouted the words to the wind. No one heard her. After all, the wagon train was behind her where she should be. It was where she would be if the little devils hadn’t disappeared in this direction.
Tall prairie grass tugged at her skirt. The only good thing about it was the trail going through the overlong stuff. She easily followed the rascals.
Fun Fact:
I am not a quitter. After a spinal cord injury, I was no longer able to teach. Writing has given me a new way to reach out to others and continue what I see as my ministry of encouragement.
Blurb: Falsely accused of wrongdoing at a Princeton Prep school, Sophie Kearns accepts a temporary teaching position at an environmental school in the Florida Keys to wait out her suspension. The time away is meant to be an anxiety-free escape, but her clashes with the hot but arrogant marine biology teacher, Max Heaton, are anything but tranquil.
Max is determined to start an environmental research institute at the school, but he suspects the gorgeous new Lit teacher, who lacks even the most basic outdoor skills, is there to hinder that dream. Yet, something about her tames the demons from his past, and he can no longer ignore the fire she’s lit inside him.
Excerpt:
How’d Sophie end up working with women who could have been in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue?
She glanced down at her own one-piece halter and smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle. Not ready to venture back to the bikinis of her college days, she’d chosen a lime-green hue that looked great against her tan. And even though her midriff wasn’t bare, the high-cut detail on her legs showed plenty of skin. At least she wasn’t embarrassed standing next to Maddie. Or the other two.
She’d come a long way from the buttoned-up professor at Valen, thanks to her new friends here. After their shopping spree in Key West, they’d made sure to compliment Sophie on her new look—obviously afraid that if they didn’t, she’d go back to her old ways. And it had worked. Along with the exercise she was getting from boating and swimming, she looked and felt like a new woman.
Stealing a glance at Max, she assumed he’d be staring at Maddie. A slow burn crept across her face when his gaze fell on her.
His mocha eyes blazed a scorching trail as they traveled up her legs, her torso, then stopped at her face. She turned and looked out over the ocean, swallowing hard, to banish this erotic discomfort. But try as she might to ignore his scrutiny, she felt it deep down in the pit of her stomach as fingers of heat spread over her skin, doing much more damage than the sun.
Maria Imbalzano is an award-winning contemporary author who writes about strong, independent women and the men who fall in love with them. She recently retired from the practice of law, but legal issues have a way of showing up in many of her novels. When not writing, she loves to travel both abroad and in the states. Maria lives in central New Jersey with her husband–not far from her two daughters. For more information about her books, please visit her website at http://mariaimbalzano.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I was born on the East Coast, the youngest of five to parents who both came from large families. My father was one of 18 children, and my mother was born fifth in a family of 13! While I’m originally from Massachusetts, my family relocated to my mother’s birthplace, Minnesota, when I was six years old. I consider myself a Midwesterner with a splash of the East Coast still lingering on the inside. On occasion, the accent I lost while in elementary school still pops up in my day-to-day conversations. The funny thing is, it’s happening more and more lately. My husband never shies away from pointing out when I say “water” with just the right inflection. Even funnier is my young adult daughter does the same though she and her older brother were born and grew up right here in Minnesota.
I met, dated, and married my husband while in the midst of the Covid pandemic. We now live in St. Paul with our blended family which includes a very rambunctious grand-corgi named Posh.
Where did you get the idea for The Passenger?
The original idea for The Passenger came to me when I was 16 years old. I was on the city bus on the way home from school playing the “What If” game I used to create fictional stories for the random people I would encounter throughout the day.
On this particular day, I noticed a man sitting at the back of the bus who seemed a bit down on his luck. I wondered, what if he were alone in the world? What would happen if this man collapsed there on the bus? Would he die right there on that bus alone? What if I, or someone else, comforted him in his dying moments?
The tale bloomed from there and went through many metamorphoses until I finally sat down to truly write it 16 years later when I was 32.
Why did you choose this genre?
The genre chose me.
The Passenger came to me as a ghost story.
Now, when I write try as I might not to, a ghost always haunts my stories. Someday, though, there might be a story where there isn’t a restless spirit lingering on the pages with some unfinished business. For now, all of my stories are ghost stories in one way or another.
One thing I do know is there will always be something otherworldly in my fictional worlds.
Do you collect anything?
When I was a child, I collected unicorns. These came in the form of trinkets, picture books, story books and even music. I still have most of these—some on display, others stored away for those rainy days when I take them out and remember the story behind each of them.
Now, I would say—books. Does that count? I have shelves of books. I never quite realize just how many books I have until I decide to move, and the heavy boxes of books outnumber everything else!
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? What’s your favorite childhood book?
My favorite book of all time is the time travel thriller The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser.
Not only is this my favorite book but one I can honestly say has had the biggest influence on me as a writer.
Originally released in 1978, The Mirror made its way from my older sister’s hand into mine in 1984. From page one, I was transfixed. I remember sitting in my teenage bedroom, devouring every word. It excited me that this story evolved from another person’s imagination. That the author’s vision could whisk me away to the 1900s Boulder, Colorado and back again to 1978 with the help of a cursed mirror. Through the words, I could live vicariously through the two main characters, and I loved it. I knew this was the kind of story I needed to write—that I could put my limitless imagination to good use.
As for my favorite childhood book, there are many. I read voraciously. Those that do spring to mind are The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare and The Pearl by John Steinbeck.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read The Passenger?
The message that love—be it romantic, parent-child or friendship—endures through the passage of time and across the plains of existence.
What is your favorite quote?
“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!”
~Aunt Frances Owens – Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
What I like about this quote is that while I was growing up, I always felt a little out of step with other people. I don’t know why but maybe it was how I lived so often in books and my fictional worlds. This quote embodies how I accepted who and how I was. Doing so has fueled me throughout my life, enabling me to create the stories that I do.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
The simple answer is—entirely from my imagination. That’s the simple answer because the characters, especially those who live inside The Passenger, have become fully realized people in my mind. I’ve lived with Elizabeth and Gio, Paolo and Adriana, Anna, Marco, and Esteban for so long they cannot be compared to anyone live or fictional because they are who they are.
How did your interest in writing originate?
It started with books. Books are and always have been a form of magic to me. As a small child, I loved to be read to and I loved to make up stories. To add to that my oldest brother, who’s 15 years my senior, is a writer. I knew I would be a writer when I grew up before I truly comprehended what that meant. It’s almost as if it is in my DNA.
Your favorite…
Movie: A Walk on The Moon
Music: 80’s andCurrent Indie Rock
Place you’ve visited: San Luis Obispo County in California
Thanks so much, Joie…fun interview. And, wow, your book sounds fabulous. Can’t wait until it’s released! Readers, check it out below…
She’s a 1940s ghost whisperer. He’s the son of a ghost.
Burdened with her empathic gift, Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of it and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of an old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home.
Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who abandoned him as a child. To help the father pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger. Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction. Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?
Excerpt:
Elizabeth’s stomach churned in nervous knots. She squirmed on the cloth seat, and her foot twitched. If he heard her erratic heartbeat, he’d realize how frantic she was—and hot. Perspiration built up on her forehead. Grabbing the metal handle, she rolled down the squeaking window, and inhaled the pure air. The fragrances of the forest filled her senses—the resinous scent of pine, the earthiness of soil, and damp detritus of fallen branches and decaying leaves. The surrounding land was alive, vibrant, and something more she couldn’t quite identify. Somehow, the vehicle they drove in and the path it traveled seemed out of place.
Gravel on the uneven road crunched and ground under the truck’s tires. Elizabeth sat straight in her seat and stole stiff, awkward glimpses at Giovanni. A frown marked his lips. His lean, well-defined face held soulful eyes bringing to her mind images of the sad little boy he must have been.
A thin red scar stretched down his right cheek and she itched to run a finger along the faded edges. She’d caress his stubble-shadowed chin and tell him how terribly his father missed him. Instead, she stared out the truck window.
The Passenger is coming soon from The Wild Rose Press.
About the Author:
Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including ghosts. She loves to write a good ghost story—especially when it includes a touch of romance.
Originally from Massachusetts, at six years old, Joie moved to her mother’s birthplace, Minnesota. By eight, Joie lost her New England accent, however, it’s gradually returning as the years go by. She grew up in Minneapolis but now resides in St. Paul with her husband and their blended family—which includes a rambunctious grand-corgi.
Joie misses the ocean, but she often finds herself walking by one of Minnesota’s many lakes and travels to one of the coasts as often as she can. In fact, she considers California her home away from home. When she’s not writing, reading, or walking, you can find her listening to music. She absolutely loves music—especially live—and songs have sparked most of her story ideas.
Good morning, Kimberly. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Sometimes I feel like a character in someone else’s novel. So much drama! My husband died unexpectedly when our children were six, eight, and twelve. Over the next decade-plus, I focused on raising the kids and putting myself through college. I didn’t date, because it didn’t seem fair to make the kids share their only parent with someone new. Eventually, the kids grew up, I got that college degree, and I landed a good job as an editor with a federal agency in my Pennsylvania hometown.
Then came the second blow: the agency I was working for shut its doors for good. I was fortunate to find a new job with a federal agency in the Washington, DC, area, but that meant I had to leave the town I’d lived in all my life. Saying goodbye to friends, neighbors, and family members—not to mention my comfortable house and idyllic suburban neighborhood—was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life.
Nonetheless, I made the transition and settled into my new life. I even met a wonderful man, Clint. Things were good until 2018, when Clint was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease. Only a lung transplant could save him, and the odds were low that a matching pair of lungs would become available in time. Miraculously, Clint got those new lungs. It’s now been four years since the transplant, and he’s doing well. Alas, my three children and two grandchildren live far away (Chicago and Sacramento), but I’m blessed to have Clint nearby. And as of now, the drama seems to have simmered down—for the time being, anyway!
Where did you get the idea for Out of Body? Sometimes I dream that I’m flying, and at one point I wondered, “What if these aren’t dreams? What if my spirit actually leaves my body when I’m sleeping and goes flitting around town?” Thus, the concept for Out of Body was born.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)? Many of my story ideas are rooted in some sort of paranormal or science fiction scenario. For instance, my first novel, The Haunted Purse, is about a girl who buys a vintage purse at a thrift store and learns that it’s inhabited by a ghost. I have a weird imagination, so I just run with whatever it churns out.
What is your favorite quote? “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”(John Milton) This quote reminds me that attitude is everything. You can turn a negative into a positive (or at least mitigate it) by looking for the silver lining or simply choosing to make the best of every situation.
What is your most prized material possession? Why? I have a wall calendar from the year my husband died. His death occurred in April, and there’s a strange anomaly on that calendar page: the whole page is upside down! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this particular calendar ended up in my hands. The metaphorical message is clear: my family’s world was about to be turned upside down, but we would be okay, since all the subsequent pages are right-side up. I’ve kept the calendar as a reminder that there’s more to existence than the world we see around us.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? It’s impossible to pick just one, but two young adult series I really enjoyed were Neal Shusterman’s Scythe and Unwind. I’m a sucker for a unique premise and a well-written story, and Shusterman’s two series deliver on both counts. What’s your favorite childhood book? As a child, I would have said all the Nancy Drew books, especially The Secret in the Old Attic. As an adult, I have a different favorite: The Velveteen Rabbit. The ending never fails to choke me up.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met? Bill Cosby.He was the keynote speaker at my college graduation. I was the last student to walk across the stage, and he grabbed me in a bear hug, lifted me off my feet, and spun me around. I have photos of me in his arms. I gave one to my mom, and after the Cosby scandal hit the fan, she cut out a picture of Mark Harmon (her favorite actor at the time) and glued his face on top of Cosby’s.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have 3 (inanimate) objects, what would they be? I’ve learned from watching Survivor that flint, a machete, and a tarp are essential. But I also have a less practical list: a fully loaded Kindle, a solar-powered Kindle charger, and my bed pillow. (Can I bring six items?)
What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time? Cooking! I hate doing it and would love to have a personal chef to prepare all my meals and bring them to me at my desk so I could keep working. (Naturally, this person would do the dishes, too.)
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Out of Body? My intent is not just to entertain but also to uplift and inspire. Let’s face it: life can be tough—and my stories reflect that. My characters endure all sorts of hardships, but they prevail in the end. They come through their struggles stronger and wiser. I hope readers are able to draw strength from that message, to internalize it. I want to plant the idea that no matter what life throws at you, you can get through it.
Blurb:
Those weird dreams Abby Kendrick has been having? Turns out they aren’t dreams after all. They’re out-of-body experiences, like the ones her cousin Logan is having. At first Abby has fun with her new ability, using it to spy on her neighborhood crush and spook a mean girl. But when Logan gets in trouble on the astral plane, the game changes, and Abby must bend the rules of out-of-body travel as she journeys to a distant realm. Her mission is a perilous one, and success is not guaranteed. Can she save Logan and find her way home again? Or will the cousins be lost forever on the astral plane?
Excerpt:
The girl slept on, never stirring, breathing deeply. Arms and legs akimbo, hair spread out like disconnected wires, mouth hanging open. Was that how I looked when I was sleeping? It wasn’t pretty.
Something twinkled below me, a translucent silvery cord tethering me to my body. I’d never noticed it in my dreams-that-weren’t-really-dreams, maybe because I hadn’t realized I was out of body. The cord, thick and round as Italian sausage, was weird but reassuring. I assumed it would keep me from getting lost, because no matter where I went, I could simply follow it back to my body.
But how did the cord work? Was it retractable like the cord on our vacuum cleaner? Stretchy like a bungee cord? If so, how far could it stretch? I wanted to test it for myself, but before I could do that, I needed to figure out how to move. For now, I was stuck in place like a stalled weather front.
A few nights ago, I’d traveled all the way to Sorcery Place. I’d gone to Sophia’s house, to Grandma’s. How had I done it?
More important, how could I get back into my body? I gave a psychic grunt, straining toward that sleeping form, but nothing happened. I was anchored to the ceiling as firmly as my physical body was anchored to the bed.
What if I couldn’t get back? What if I was stuck up here forever?
Kimberly Baer is an author and professional editor who was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town marginally famous for having endured three major floods. She even lived there during one of them. She now resides in northern Virginia, where she enjoys power-walking on days when it’s not too hot, too cold, too rainy, too snowy, or too windy. On indoor days, you’re likely to find her hard at work on her next novel or binge-watching old episodes of Survivor, her favorite guilty pleasure.
Kim has had her nose in a book practically since birth. Her first story, written at age six, was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl’s Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. These days she writes in a variety of genres, including adult romantic suspense, young adult, and middle-grade. Her books are published by The Wild Rose Press and have won several awards.
Is not having a Valentine making you feel stabby and horror-ific? Would you rather read about what a psychopath does to a heart rather than that annoying little Cupid? If you answered yes, then do we have a deal for you!! Check out these frightening Friday the 13th Horror Short Stories and make this Valentine’s a day to remember…
(on sale for a limited time for ONLY 99 cents each!! – Sale Ends 02/28/24)
Spit on a grave by Tamrie Foxtail
No one likes a bully and Kiera’s tormented by four of them. But Kiera knows something they don’t. She knows how to turn the tormentors into the tormented.
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Soulless by Alicia Dean
When Sheriff Rosalyn Grimes shoots and kills the serial killer who is holding her daughter captive, she thinks the ordeal is over and her town is safe. But a rash of new murders plunges them right back into the nightmare—is there a copycat on the loose or, even more terrifying, has the same murderer come back to life?
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The Boy in the Bubble by Stephen B. King
Timothy has spent his life in a bubble which protects him from fatal allergies. But nature always compensates and Timothy has developed incredible telekinetic powers. When a simple hernia operation goes wrong causing him unbearable, non-stop agony, Timothy strikes back the only way he knows how by reigning death and destruction.
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A Wicked Fate Mark Edward Jones
Miomir ìl Kurić desires money, power, and to be feared, while unburdened by her past. Her Uncle Karanosz insists she remains a part of their unique family, one which harbors special skills … and connections to evil.
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Blanks by Christopher Farris
Beaver Poopart has graduated both the VA psych ward and the police academy. Now he’s gone to Oklahoma in search of a wayward woman. Lots of people are going to wish he hadn’t.
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The Devil’s Dregs by Robert Herold
A witch has stolen Steven Metcalf’s newborn son and intends to sacrifice the child to her dark lord. Steven and his two friends scour Seattle to rescue the infant, but the city has become infested with witches and their allies. Can Steven and company save the innocent before it’s too late?
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Feast or Famine by Jon Minton
Theresa Salomé is cursed and blessed. Every Friday the 13th, she must kill and cannibalize her victim, extending her life. She’s collected knowledge, amassed wealth, and watched empires come and go. But as centuries pass, the cycle and isolation threaten to tear her mind apart. Is she a monster, a preview of humanity’s future, or just another pawn for gods and devils.
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Violet by Connor Treadway
Ivy Powers, now Ivy Ligon, is happily married, renovations to convert the Victorian home she inherited from a distant relative into a bed-and-breakfast are almost complete, and she just discovered she’s expecting. Life is perfect except for troubling dreams and the heartbreaking wail of a child that keeps waking Ivy in the middle of the night. While one lost soul may be seeking solace, another intends to keep its secrets buried…forever. Ivy will be forced to pay a price in her quest to right a wrong…but will it be worth the cost?
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Karma’s a Bitch by TL Schaefer
Millie is determined to prove the existence of the paranormal in Bountiful, Oklahoma. But the people of Bountiful don’t care much for strangers asking questions…
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Spine Chilling by Michelle Godard-Richer
Peter McFadden’s life is ending, but he isn’t ready to leave this world and his killing ways behind. His spirit lingers inside his favorite vintage book, tethering him to this world, while he waits for his next victim.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, TR Simmons with his new book Crushing, released November 15, 2023 through The Wild Rose Press
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I was born in Hamilton, Ontario, also known as, The Hammer for its long-standing industrial base with Steel Mills and manufacturing. It is a port city at the most south western tip of Lake Ontario.
Hamilton has been home for most of my life; although, I travelled and live in other places in my youth. I went to university in Ottawa. On two occasions, I froze my butt off doing construction work in the north to earn enough money for a couple of European backpacking trips. For over forty years I’ve been exploring parts of Canada and the United States on motorcycles. I especially like riding in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I didn’t really settle down until I was thirty. The idea that I should get married came to me while racing a storm-front on a vintage Suzuki between Alberta and Saskatchewan. By the time a made Regina, it had turned into a full-blown tornado.
Three years later, I met a Korean foreign student who was attending the local college in Hamilton to learn English. I took her to a Valentine’s Day party a week later. Then, after a trip to Seoul to meet her parents, we decided to get married that very summer. We’ve raised two rambunctious boys and two cats. The boys played football all the way up to varsity level. The cats keep the mice out of our Edwardian home. I took over the family wedding business and did a couple of terms on the local School Board. Kyoung-Ju spent many years running marathons and owns and operates a hair salon. We just celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and we’ve managed to build a pretty good life in Hamilton.
Where did you get the idea for ‘Crushing’?
My wife and children inspired the story. Our boys were born in 1999 and in 2003. Little did we know that by the time they hit high school the burgeoning social media age would be upon all of us. Many of the pressures experienced by my protagonist, Atarah, were similar to what my children and their friends experienced. In Crushing, the supporting characters and school culture is an off-the-wall parody of what school might be like if social media became more entrenched than true reality. Even today, it is difficult to have a completely private social relationship. For youth, the drive for external praise and popularity can be overwhelming to the point that school-life and social media become seamless.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I have always been interested in science fiction, paranormal, and romantic stories because they allow me free reign to world build. Crushing is the first novel I’ve published, but it is not the first novel I’ve written. My writing crosses genres of Sci-fi, paranormal, and romance. I think there is a romantic aesthetic in everything we experience, good or bad. It is at the heart of our emotions. I also like to explore how the human condition is affected using concepts associated with AI, human intelligence, consciousness, and love. Crushing was my first YA novel because I thought the setting and the story’s youthful perspective demanded it. Contemporary youth culture is difficult to pin down. It is always in a state of flux. This can make a YA novel out-dated very quickly. Sci-fi and fantasy novels free an author from contemporary norms and lingo/slang so that they can invent their own. The author must still tell a compelling story the reader can identify with.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?
I usually write in the evenings. It is the most emotive part of the day for me. I need to feel the same emotions that I’m writing. It is sometimes helpful to put on a record and play music that conjures those same feelings. By the time I finish a manuscript the protagonist will have one or two songs that sum up their overall vibe.
I don’t plot my stories before writing. I imagine a world or a place in my head, and from there the characters emerge. I work the details out in my mind through the course of a day, so that it pours out when I sit down to write. Although this process gives me notions of what to write, my characters often have other ideas that transmit from my subconscious while I’m writing. I have learned to concede to their wishes. If I try and direct my character too much, I always hit a dead end. It is uncanny the way my characters tie up even the most obscure plot points by the end of the story. In Crushing, I did not know how it would resolve until I wrote the ending.
How much of Crushing is realistic?
Predicting what the world could be like four decades requires the writer to form linkages with our present situation. For Crushing, I predicted that the cultural and racial mixing of families, along with advancements in gene modifications of children before they are born will make racist sentiments appear even more irrational and fade from cultures. At the same time, other aspects relating to passive identities, lifestyle and sexuality might become more socially gray. This is an underlining theme in the book. Identity is found in what motivates a person to choose to do one thing over another, and not found within the veneer of personas.
Throughout human history, technology has always been the biggest driver of cultural change. I predict in forty years we can expect AI will still be reflective of humanity and so, become the most powerful institution in people’s lives; especially, if the machine’s general purpose is to garner human happiness (a conundrum all on its own).
Are your characters based on real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My protagonist, Atarah has many similarities to my wife, Kyoung-Ju who is a tomboy, was a competitive taekwondo blackbelt, a marathon runner, and she is now my personal trainer to offset the hours I spend sitting at my desk writing.
Every other character is a collection of diverse human traits I’ve sewn together from meeting so many different people from different places. Since my children are mixed, I’m privy to their unique points of view and experiences. Their peer groups are also socially and culturally diverse. I see them as the future.
Planning weddings for all kinds and types of couples also provides me with perspectives on the uniqueness of every person. Despite this, everyone still suffers from the human condition, which should be a uniting feature of our species.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
I am an avid reader of most genres from almost any era. Science fiction/paranormal books are my favourite to read, so I have to pick, Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Writing a story from the point of view of an AI with very limited parameters and design capabilities requires incredible imagination. The novel has a wonderful story arc and I highly recommend it to readers.
How did your interest in writing originate?
My mother tells me I’ve been writing stories even before I knew how to read and write. She collected pages of squiggly lines that I called my stories when I was very young. My stories became more cogent when I got older and had to sit in church. I learned to escape from the boredom by making up adventures in my head. Over time, this design process merged with lucid dreaming, and I would sometimes become so immersed that I’d start acting out the story in the church pew.
I enjoyed creative writing and essay writing in school. I wrote the first draft of what would become a political treatise for an AI control solution while in Athen’s Greece in 1994. I eventually published it in 2021, but I needed to first understand the guidelines and techniques of writing well. For success, learn to stay within writing rules before attempting to break them.
I took night classes and joined a writer’s group, and very quickly realized that most of what I wrote wasn’t very good. I kept practicing and allowed myself to be coached and criticized by more accomplished writers. I also diversified my reading list to experience different kinds of writing and ideas. Even still, my first few drafts of a novel are still pretty terrible, but I now have a process that allows me to polish my work over time.
Blurb:
Atarah is a high school tomboy and a stellar athlete, but of below average height and beauty. This is a problem when everyone’s physical attributes and popularity are ranked by an AI computer called Big Social. Atarah has five days before the Crush-it dance to find her secret admirer and become popular or she will have little chance of acceptance to a top university and their romantic reality shows. A cryptic message warns Atarah that Big Social’s selfish protocols for human happiness is killing Earth. A plan to subvert the AI will require Atarah to find true love on the night of the dance.
Author Bio
TR Simmons writes science fiction/fantasy Romance novels that blur lines between possible worlds and the paranormal. His characters expand our understanding of what it means to be human living in revolutionary times. In this way, a thread of irony runs in tandem with his protagonists.
His publication, Evolutionary Digital Environment Net describes a global solution for climate change using a general AI that is the personification of the natural environment. This is a source for his fiction writing.
He has lived real-world experiences as an activist, political theorist, entrepreneur, politician, writer, husband, and father. He is also an avid motorcyclist and lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Good morning and Happy 2024! Please help me welcome Patricia McAlexander…
Hi, Patricia. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am from Johnstown, New York, a small town in the foothills of the Adirondacks. I earned a BA from the University of New York at Albany, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from The University of Wisconsin, Madison, all in English. Athens, Georgia, became my home when my husband took a position in the English department at The University of Georgia, and I soon found a teaching position at the University also. Our son was born here and now lives in nearby Sandy Springs. I have retired, but continue to teach classes for The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). I also enjoy hiking, photography, and, of course, writing fiction.
Where did you get the idea(s) for The Last Golden Isle?
The basic idea for the plot came from a little novel I’d written as a high school student about a Northern girl who goes to spend the summer with her pen pal in Virginia and discovers her family has dangerous secrets. The idea for the setting came from a visit to Tybee Island, one of Georgia’s “golden isles” off the coast. I loved its sandy beaches, sea shells, dolphins, and gorgeous sunrises. The idea for the “spiritual guide” character came from a friend whose Brazilian son-in law and his family had such a “guide.” Being fascinated by the description, I incorporated a similar character in the novel.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
All of my novels so far can be described as are romantic suspense. I like romance, but also like to spice it up with drama—an escaped convict, drug dealers, psychological trauma. I think such elements add to the intensity of the relationships described.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?
I remember thinking when I was maybe two thirds through writing The Last Golden Isle that I had “written myself into a corner” (like the proverbial “painting yourself into as corner”). I didn’t know how to get my characters out of their dilemma, and lay awake at night thinking about it—sometimes turning on the light and jotting down ideas as to what I could do. Finally, with the help of Google research, the Facebook site “Cops and Writers,” and those night sessions, I came up with the last third of the novel.
How much of The Last Golden Isle is realistic?
I know fantasy and “romantasy” (I’ve just heard that last term) have become very popular now as readers seek escape, but when I write “romantic suspense” I try to keep the story in the real world. I think realistic stories can be as much of an escape as fantasy, perhaps more so. The Last Golden Isle is based on actual experiences (first and second-hand), observation, and non-fiction sources such as newspaper articles. It might be argued that “happily ever after” endings like those in my novels are not realistic, but as an author, I try to make them so.
Are your characters based on real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are often inspired by real people—or a mix of real people—that I’ve known or heard about at various times in my life, including public figures. But imagination plays a major role as I put them into action in the novels.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
I wish I had written Circe by Madelaine Miller. I loved the way she retold so many classical Greek myths, making the gods, demi-gods, and goddesses come to life in a believably human way. My mother was a Latin teacher, and my sister and I grew up hearing many of those myths. Miller’s novel gave them new details and life. I would love to have done what Miller did—tell the stories from the point of view of one of the mythical female characters, relating realistic psychology to the tales. And of course, I’d want to write as beautifully as Miller did.
What was your first job?
In the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, my hometown, Johnstown, New York, was a center of the glove-making industry. My first full-time job was working in a glove factory for two summers in the 1960s. I met some fascinating, admirable, strong women there as we worked around the “blackedging table”—painting the white seams on black leather gloves with a black dye. I wrote up a memoir of those two summers and sent it to the Johnstown Historical Society, which had put out a call for such material. The glove factories have all closed now.
Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and do you like it?
I’m retired, but I taught composition and grammar at The University of Georgia in a program preparing students for their college writing courses. I loved it. We read short stories and memoirs as inspiration for some of their assigned essays—pieces by Alice Walker, Dick Gregory, Flannery O’Connor, and Mary Hood, for example. They say reading good writing helps with one’s own writing, and I think this proved true for the students in my courses.
How did your interest in writing originate?
Being a writer must have been in my genes, and my family supported my interest. My father let me type stories on his typewriter beginning when I was five years old, and my mother patiently (most of the time) spelled words for me when I asked her to—which was often. I illustrated my “books” with crude crayon drawings—I was never very good at art—and fastened the pages together with safety pins. My younger sister eagerly read these books when they were finished. And for the record, today she is a chief reader and editor of my fiction.
What do your friends think of your writing?
My friends are some of my biggest fans, and I appreciate them greatly. They write reviews of my books, invite me to speak at their book clubs, tell me they can’t wait for my next book. I know they helped make The Last Golden Isle an Amazon Best Seller for those wonderful hours last December.
She came to escape her past—and found her future.
Excerpt:
Reaching the island, she turned on her GPS and keyed in her uncle’s address. The system’s confident female voice guided her over circuitous roads until she reached a wide concrete drive blocked with closed wrought iron gates. The GPS told her, “You have reached your destination.” She didn’t remember those gates. They were like those at the entrances to exclusive communities. Then, seeing the sign Sanderson Estates, she realized that this was such a community—the one her uncle had established since her last visit.
She pulled up to the gates and stopped. A tall, well-built, very tan young man in a white Oxford shirt and jeans—a security guard—came out of a small brick building beside the drive. Clean shaven, with dark curls cropped short and strong, even features, he reminded her of the statue pictured on the cover of her high school Latin textbook. She lowered her window, and he looked in at her, examining her with direct gray eyes. He held a clipboard and had a gun tucked into his belt.
Her hands grew cold. “I’m Clare Matthews, Sally Sanderson’s cousin. They know I’m coming.”
He looked at the clipboard, unsmiling. “You have some identification, Miss?”
As mentioned earlier, I grew up in Johnstown, New York and earned degrees in English from the University of New York at Albany, Columbia University, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Now retired from the faculty of the University of Georgia, I’ve published four contemporary romantic suspense novels—Stranger in the Storm, Shadows of Doubt, and The Student in Classroom 6,and the latest, The Last Golden Isle, released December 11, 2023.My short story “Falling,” which came in second in the Atlanta, Georgia, Writers Club’s 2021 Terry Kay Prize for Fiction, was published in the Fall 2022 issue of the online journal Knot (https://www.knotliteraturemagazine.com/patricia-mcalexander ). I live in Athens, Georgia with my husband, also a retired UGA professor.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, N. Jade Gray with her new book Autumn Deception, released November 13, 2023, The Wild Rose Press
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am an Oklahoma/Kansas transplant living in Missouri. My husband and I moved to Missouri in 2021.
I was born in Kansas, but the farm where I grew up was barely over the border in Oklahoma. Most of my life I’ve lived in either Oklahoma or Kansas, with a one-year stint in South Carolina, until we recently moved to Missouri. We had all kinds of animals on the farm. Old McDonald didn’t have anything on us… Rabbits (barns of rabbits), Pigs, Chickens, Cows, a dog, cats and one horse.
Currently, my husband and I have three rescue cats, Mango, Meera, and Pancake and one stray who has “claimed” us as his owners and he lives outside. I am the cat lady, and my husband has one dog, Fabio, that he’s responsible for entertaining. Unfortunately, my husband is married to a romance writer, and I thought it was hilarious to name the dog Fabio. I believe our new neighbors in Missouri are getting a kick out of it as well.
Our two boys are grown with our oldest being married with two daughters of his own.
That’s kind of us in a nutshell.
Where did you get the idea for ‘Autumn Deception’?
Autumn Deception is my Oklahoma story. I have had a few people ask me when I was going to have one of my stories set in Oklahoma. There are a lot of references to family stories ingrained in Autumn Deception since I dedicated the story to my mom and dad. We lost my dad earlier this year and he knew about my current story, but passed before it was finished. Mom had read my previously published books out loud dad since he was legally blind. So, Autumn Deception is a story going back to my Oklahoma roots.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I have written a couple of Christmas stories that are Contemporary, and I have two historical time travel romances. I was trying for a romantic comedy vibe with Autumn Deception and from a few comments I have seen from readers, I hit the mark.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
Sometimes it’s just sitting my bottom down and writing. The hardest thing about this story was I knew my dad wasn’t going to get to listen to mom read it to him.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Autumn Deception?
I’m hoping readers will get a laugh and an escape from concerns going on in the world…if only for a little while.
Your most prized material possession? Why?
Material possessions are fleeting. My husband and my home was robbed last year and a lot of possessions taken we will never see again. Memories are my most prized possession and I hope that my mind retains them for many years to come.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
There are notes stashed here and there with characters sitting on the sidelines just waiting. These ideas are written down in hopes that one day they will make it into book form.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
It’s a mixture. I love to tell people, to freak them out, that names have been changed to protect the innocent, but truthfully, it’s more like characteristics of people I know that I weave into a story.
I’ve also been told there is a lot of me in the story from readers who truly know me. Whether I have done so intentionally or not.
How did you come up with the title?
The original title was Midsummer Night’s Dream or something along those lines. When the time of year changed to Fall, I began playing with Autumn in the Title. Because, let’s face it, Autumn just sounds so much better than Fall. And the Deception part popped into my head one day when I was struggling to put into words what the story was going to convey. Fall Deceit just didn’t pop with me. 😊
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Enjoy the read and I hope the humor lightens your day.
How did your interest in writing originate?
It started in high school and continued in college as a way to entertain my friends.
Money can’t buy you love…
Stressed and burned out, Sierra Scott is coerced by her grandmother into taking a vacation to Harts Valley, Oklahoma for the annual apple festival. Owning and running a multi-million dollar company is a piece of cake compared to deflecting the matchmaking efforts of a determined senior citizen and her sidekick. Before long, Sierra needs a vacation from her vacation.
Widowed Sheriff Cade Collins isn’t prepared for the naked female hiding by Dooley’s pond when he responds to a disturbance call. His days are filled with juggling his job and raising a teenage daughter. No matter how strong the pull of attraction, he simply can’t afford to fall for a woman who is out of his league.
Excerpt:
He met her at the front of the car. “Do you need me to carry you?”
As tempting as his offer was, she cursed the fact he didn’t need to bother. Tucking an errant curl behind her ear, she shook her head. “No. Clara has stepping-stones from the drive to the front steps. I should be fine.” A board creaked under her weight as she treaded onto the porch. She peered into a window nearby. Through a crack in the curtain, she spied Gram.
The serene picture made her want to laugh hysterically. She sat in a rocker with her fingers flying with her crochet hook in her hands making her famous miniature red hearts. Beside her on the end table were a stack of finished ones. The tranquil scene caused her to shake her head. The big faker. She wouldn’t be surprised if she was humming one of her favorite hymns while she worked.
“Is something wrong?”
The deep voice from behind jolted her back to the fact she wasn’t alone. She stuttered a moment. “Just look…” Her hands fluttered. “Sitting there all innocent.” She could feel an angry blush creeping over her body under the scratchy blanket. “Do you have your handcuffs on you?” In the dim light cast through the curtains a quizzical expression appeared on his face.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, keep them handy.” She unclenched her fists by her sides. “I may strangle her!”
N. Jade Gray grew up on a farm in Oklahoma with one sister and three brothers. She began reading romance novels in high school and was hooked. In an attempt to entertain her friends, she began writing stories. The biggest hurdle she had to overcome with her writing was sharing her stories. Her former writing groups, the Wichita and Regional Authors and Low Country Romance Writer’s, helped with her confidence and shook the needed pom poms to get her motivated for publication. She is also a former member of the Romance Writers of America. She met her husband while attending college and has two grown sons and two granddaughters. Not really knowing what she wanted to do when she grew up, she’s held various jobs in the accounting and legal fields. She lives in Missouri with her husband, rescue cats and one spoiled dog-named Fabio. Yes, she helped name the dog. She loves to hear her husband calling for his four-legged companion.
Last month for EARLY BIRD PRICES – The fee will go up on January 1, 2024…
*** 3 New Categories: Cozy Mystery, Horror, Women’s Fiction
(If you have already entered and wish to change your category, please contact Alicia Dean at Alicia@AliciaDean.com and provide your name, book title and the category you’d like to switch to.)
If you have a fiction novel or short work published in 2022 or 2023 you are eligible to enter!!
*** Judged by readers, not votes!
~ Ten categories with two winners in each category–one for novels and one for short stories/novellas.
~ Prizes: First place winners will receive…
* A lovely customized engraved award
* Your book/win shared to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
* Featured in a ‘winner’ trailer that will be shared on Social Media and on this website
* Winners and finalists will receive certificates.
~ Early Bird Fees: $25 for novels, $20 for shorts.
(Entries must have an original publication date of and must have been for sale in 2022 or 2023)
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Meryl Brown Tobin with her new release…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am an Australian and live with my husband in regional Victoria, Australia between bush and coast. We think we live in Paradise.
Living in our place is like living in a bird hide. We have counted over 80 different species of birds within a kilometer of our home. Each morning we put out seed on our balcony and usually crimson rosellas and rainbow lorikeets come in to be fed. Sometimes a grey shrike thrush, a dove, sulphur-crested cockatoos, galahs and occasionally king parrots come in. In late October a small strange bird with stripes across its chest came in. A friend who illustrated a bird guide book identified my photos of it as a shining bronze cuckoo. Magic!
We also have other wildlife as ‘pets’. At least five different black swamp wallabies live on our small property and accept us as other fauna. When we pass, they stop eating grass or browsing on trees, watch us walk by and then resume eating. Sometimes we see an echidna, a blue tongue lizard, one of the four different sorts of snakes we have here––copperhead, red-bellied black, brown and tiger––lizards and skinks and the odd fox.
Where did you get the idea for ‘Broome Enigma’?
My family and I have visited Broome in Western Australia a number of times and love it. The setting came first and then we met a young man there who seemed so out of place as a maintenance man at a holiday park that I played the ‘What If…?’ game. In time the answers formed and I came up with a hero whose past life was shrouded in mystery.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I’d written lots of short stories about human relationships and several novelettes and novels, but none published. Here I had set out to write a love story but the rest evolved until the suspense became as important as the love relationship.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
Getting the start right is very important and also giving back-story without info dumping. Hinting at violence rather than showing it in this novel was also difficult. I deplore violence and could not and would not write graphic descriptions of it. However, for realism, there had to be some unpleasant situations.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Broome Enigma?
Apart from sharing the adventures and travels of pleasant people who have faced up to and overcome serious challenges, I hope readers will not only have enjoyed the read but also have grown along with the characters and had insights into their own challenges.
Your most prized material possession? Why?
Probably my computer because it has become almost an extension of me. It is in my DNA that I have to write.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
My first novel was a very amateurish one though it had a noble motive behind it. Its two main characters were Australian identical twin young men who were called up in the conscription lottery to fight in Vietnam. One saw himself as fighting a just war, while the other, a conscientious objector, refused to participate in what he saw as an unjust war. Both young men put forward their arguments to each other and friends and family to justify their stands.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Both. For instance, the hero of ‘Broome Engima’ was inspired by a goodlooking young man I once saw working in a holiday village. Dressed only in jeans and sandals and shifting around sprinklers, he had shoulder-length hair, was perfectly tanned and looked as though he had just stepped off a film set about surfers. However, he did not ooze the personality I would expect to match. He did not smile and had a ‘damped down’ personality. That prompted me to wonder how someone like him came to be working in a holiday village. Eventually I came up with a back story.
How did you come up with the title?
Because the setting was so important to the story and because the hero’s past life was shrouded in mystery, the title popped into my head early on.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
While my main motive for writing is that my story is ‘a good read’, I would like readers to enjoy the emotional rollercoaster experienced by the two main characters, especially the heroine as the book is through her point of view. However, if there is a message it is to treat others with respect and that all relationships, even when participants in them disagree, can be respectful.
How did your interest in writing originate?
I think it must be innate. I’ve always loved school and loved writing. When I was about eight, I joined children’s clubs run by two newspapers and entered their competitions and contributed material.
On a working holiday in Australia’s cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer and artist is open to romance and adventure.
At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.
Is Joe the person she thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can Jodie and Joe stop their relationship from developing until they have answers and know if he is free to love her?
Excerpt:
A big gust of wind rocked the van and flung Jodie hard against Joe.
He pushed her off.
“Joe, it’s me, Jodie! Wake up, wake up!”
“Jodie, is that you?” He threw his arms around her and buried his head in her chest.
She brushed his hair back from his sweating face. “Take it easy, Joe. Take deep breaths. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
He stopped shaking and pulled back from her. “What’s happening?”
“It’s the cyclone. Don’t you remember?”
Another huge gust shook the van and sent Jodie sprawling on Joe’s bunk and into the wall. “Ow, that hurt!” She picked herself up and rubbed her head.
The van rocked violently again. Joe and Jodie grabbed for handholds.
“Quick, come into my bed with me, Joe. It will be safer there.” Tripping and feeling their way along the wall, the two made their way to the double bed and clambered in.
Her breathing coming in short spasms, she lay on her back and took deep breaths. The storm whined and screeched about her, and the roof creaked and scraped.
“Oh, my god, the roof’s going to take off any minute!”
Joe’s arms enveloped her. “Hush, everything will be all right. But will you be okay if we have to make a run for it?”
“Yes.” She let out a sob. “But I like our chances better in here than out there.”
Joe kissed her forehead. He pulled her closer and they lay locked against each other while the storm raged around them.
Meryl Brown Tobin, is an Australian writer. She writes short and long fiction for adults and children, non-fiction, especially travel, poetry and educational puzzles. She has had 21 books published. These include puzzle/activity books, black-line masters books of educational puzzles, work books for primary students, a travel book, a children’s picture storybook, a poetry collection and a haiku collection with four other poets. In total nearly 300,000 copies of her first four puzzle books were sold in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Hundreds of her poems and puzzles, scores of her short stories and travel and other articles, and some cartoons have appeared in more than 150 magazines, newspapers and anthologies in Australia and elsewhere, including the US. ‘Broome Enigma’ is her debut novel and more novels are in the pipeline.
Author Alicia Dean 