Differences in the Fantasy, Paranormal, Science Fiction, and Sci-fi Genres

While fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, and sci-fi are all genres of speculative fiction, there are some key differences between them in terms of the themes, settings, and elements that they incorporate.

1. Fantasy: Fantasy is a genre that typically involves elements of magic, mythical creatures, and otherworldly settings. It often takes place in a world that is different from our own, with its own rules and systems of magic. The focus of a fantasy story is usually on the characters and their journey, rather than on scientific concepts or technologies. Some popular examples of fantasy include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
2. Paranormal: Paranormal fiction typically involves supernatural elements, such as ghosts, vampires, or werewolves, that interact with the human world. These stories often take place in our own world, with some added paranormal elements. Paranormal fiction often focuses on the struggle between good and evil, and the battle between the supernatural and human characters. Some popular examples of paranormal fiction include Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels.
3. Science fiction: Science fiction (or “sci-fi”) is a genre that typically involves futuristic or speculative concepts, often based on scientific or technological advancements. These stories often take place in a world that is significantly different from our own and focuses on the impact of these advancements on society and individuals. Science fiction often explores themes of social or political issues, such as government control, artificial intelligence, or climate change. Some popular examples of science fiction include Dune by Frank Herbert and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
4. Sci-fi: “Sci-fi” is a sub-genre of science fiction that is often more focused on scientific or technological concepts and less on the societal or human impact. It often involves speculative or futuristic technologies and concepts that are central to the story. Some popular examples of sci-fi include The Matrix and Blade Runner.

While there are some similarities between fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, and sci-fi, each genre has its own unique elements and themes. Fantasy often incorporates magic and mythical creatures in its world-building, while paranormal fiction involves supernatural elements interacting with our own world. Science fiction explores technological advancements and their impact on society, and sci-fi focuses on the science and technology concepts themselves.

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Writing Paranormal Fiction

Paranormal fiction is a genre of fiction that involves supernatural or paranormal phenomena. This type of fiction often includes ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and other creatures of the supernatural realm. If you want to write paranormal fiction, here are some steps you can follow:

1. Develop your concept and theme: Start by deciding on your story concept and theme. This is the idea that will drive your story forward. It could be anything from a haunted house to a vampire love story. Once you have your concept, think about what theme you want to explore. Is your story going to be about love, fear, or redemption? Having a clear idea of what you want to explore will help you stay focused as you write.
2. Build your world: Next, you need to create the world in which your story takes place. This involves not only the physical setting but also the rules of the paranormal universe. Will your vampires be killed by sunlight? Can your ghosts interact with the living? The rules of your world should be consistent and make sense within the context of your story.
3. Create your characters: Your characters are the heart of your story. Take time to develop them fully, giving them distinct personalities, backgrounds, and motivations. Make sure that their actions and decisions make sense within the context of the story and that they are consistent throughout.
4. Establish the conflict: All stories need conflict, and paranormal fiction is no exception. Your conflict could be anything from a battle between two supernatural beings to a character struggling to come to terms with their own powers. Whatever it is, make sure that it is compelling and drives the story forward.
5. Write with atmosphere: Paranormal fiction is all about atmosphere. You want to create a sense of unease and tension throughout your story. Use vivid descriptions and sensory details to transport your readers to your world. Make sure that your tone and language reflect the mood you want to create.
6. Edit and revise: Once you have a first draft, take time to edit and revise your work. Look for plot holes, inconsistencies, and anything else that might detract from the story. Make sure that your characters are fully developed and that their actions make sense. Finally, make sure that your pacing is appropriate and that your story flows well.

Writing paranormal fiction can be an exciting and rewarding experience. By following these steps, you can create a story that engages readers and transports them to a world of supernatural wonders.

Different Types of Paranormal Fiction

There are various types of paranormal fiction, and here are a few popular ones:

1. Ghost stories: These stories involve ghosts, spirits, or other supernatural entities that haunt a place or a person. They usually focus on a person’s experience with the supernatural, and the protagonist is often trying to understand or come to terms with the haunting.
2. Vampire fiction: This type of paranormal fiction involves vampires, who are typically portrayed as immortal beings with superhuman strength and a thirst for blood. Vampire fiction often explores themes of power, mortality, and love.
3. Werewolf fiction: Werewolves are another popular paranormal creature that appears in fiction. These stories often involve a person who transforms into a wolf-like creature during a full moon and the challenges they face in controlling their primal urges.
4. Witchcraft and wizardry: These stories involve characters who have magical abilities and practice witchcraft or wizardry. These stories often take place in a world where magic is commonplace and follow the protagonist’s journey as they navigate their magical powers.
5. Urban fantasy: This genre combines elements of paranormal fiction with elements of urban and contemporary fiction. These stories usually take place in a modern-day setting, and the protagonist is often an ordinary person who discovers a hidden world of supernatural creatures living among humans.
6. Supernatural romance: This genre combines elements of romance with the paranormal. These stories often involve a human falling in love with a supernatural being, such as a vampire or werewolf.
7. Paranormal mystery: This type of paranormal fiction involves a mystery or a crime that has a paranormal or supernatural element to it. The protagonist is usually a detective or an investigator who must use their knowledge of the paranormal to solve the case.

Most Popular Paranormal Fiction

It’s difficult to determine the most popular type of paranormal fiction at any given time, as popularity can fluctuate depending on current trends, new releases, and media adaptations. Some of the more popular paranormal fiction sub-genres that have enjoyed significant popularity in recent years include supernatural romance, urban fantasy, and witchcraft and wizardry.

 In particular, supernatural romance has been a consistent favorite among readers for many years. Popular series such as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith has contributed to the genre’s continued popularity. Urban fantasy, which often combines elements of paranormal and mystery fiction with a contemporary setting, has also seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with series such as Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels achieving significant success.

The Future of Writing Paranormal Fiction

Paranormal fiction has been a popular genre for many years and continues to attract a dedicated fan base. While the popularity of the genre has fluctuated over time, it remains a viable and profitable area of publishing.

In recent years, many publishers have continued to acquire and release paranormal fiction titles, and there are still many readers who enjoy the genre. With the rise of self-publishing and digital publishing, there are also many opportunities for authors to publish their paranormal fiction independently and reach a wide audience.

That said, like all genres, the success of a paranormal fiction book depends on factors such as the quality of the writing, the strength of the plot, and the author’s ability to market their work. As with any genre, some books will succeed and others may not, but there is still a future for paranormal fiction in publishing for those who are passionate about the genre and willing to put in the work to create engaging stories.

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Interview Beem Weeks, Author of The Thing About Kevin!

ABOUT BEEM

Beem Weeks is an author, editor, blogger, podcast host, and audio/video producer. He has written many short stories, essays, poems, and the historical fiction/coming of age novel entitled Jazz Baby. Beem has also released Slivers of Life: A Collection of Short Stories and Strange Hwy: Short Stories, and the novella The Thing About Kevin. He is a lifelong native of Michigan, USA.

INTERVIEW WITH BEEM

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I am a lifelong Michigander, born and raised. I spent two years living in Ft. Myers, Florida, in the 1980s.

How did you get started as an author?

I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. I co-wrote a play that was performed for the entire school in fifth grade. Once in high school, I wrote a music column for the school newspaper. From the first time I learned to read, I’ve been a voracious reader. Reading helped fuel my desire to write.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

My most recently published work is a mystery thriller set in Chicago. It’s a shorter read, at just over seven thousand words. A young man named Jacob returns home for his father’s funeral. Dad was a mob man, part of the local mafia. The oldest son walked out of the house more than thirty years earlier, and just disappeared. Talk is, he may return for the funeral. Secrets begin to spill; life isn’t what Jacob remembers. When the truth finally comes out, his family may never be the same. The inspiration for this one came from my desire to write a mystery thriller, since I usually work in coming of age or historical fiction. 

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

I am a plotter. I outline my stories. They usually begin with a simple idea that I’ll jot down on a Post-It note or in a notebook. Once I begin to work on it, I’ll close myself off in my office/bedroom, and I’ll begin to outline the story. Once I know where it starts and where it ends, I map out the road between. Once I have a general idea of what the story will look like, I’ll begin writing. I don’t have a special process or routine, though I do require silence.  

Can you share any challenges you faced during the writing process of your latest book?

I can’t really say there were any challenges. I’ve been writing most of my life, I tend to just plow ahead. I do find that my writing time has been limited in recent years, simply for the fact that I’m busy with my day job—editing other writers’ work.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?

Often, it’s the characters that come to me first. I’m a people watcher, so ideas are all over the place. I’ll hear an accent or a stutter that works for a character. There might be a limp or a nervous habit that fills out a personality. The idea is to make the characters so real, the reader will feel they know this person—or somebody just like him or her.

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

Research is vital to a good story. It’s one of my favorite parts in the creative process. I write a lot of stories set in past decades. If the story is set in the 1920s, obviously I need to know what that era was like, since I wasn’t around back then. I use Google and various websites to address any questions I need answered. If you’re telling the story of a man living in, say, 1977, you need to understand smart phones and apps and the internet didn’t exist back then. It also helps to know the popular television programs of the day, the common vernacular, clothing fashions, music, fads. There is a lot to consider when crafting reality from fiction.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

I’ve never encountered writer’s block. There are days where I’m just not motivated, but writer’s block has never been an issue. For those who may suffer from this issue, I suggest stepping away from the story and letting the mind rest for a period of time. Then, sit down and read what you’ve written from the beginning.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

I am currently working on two novels, several short stories, and the outline for the sequel to my first novel Jazz Baby. The two novels currently in progress are set in 1910 and 1977. In 1910, a young woman becomes involved in the suffragette movement. She’s a free spirit who just wants to see the world around her and face life on her own terms. But family secrets tug her toward a showdown with the very people she loves most in this world. One mistake will change the trajectory of her life. The story set in 1977 is perhaps my best—as far as plot is concerned. A nine-year-girl from West Memphis, Arkansas, lives with her grandmother and tests at a genius level. While on summer break from school, she works with her grandmother cleaning houses for wealthy people across the river in Memphis, Tennessee. It is during one of these jobs that she is tapped to fill in for a young model during a photo shoot for a department store catalog. The photos, and a trip to New York City, will put her on a collision course with a truth that will forever change her life, and the lives of those around her. One of these projects will hopefully be finished before summer.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

I don’t have an agent. I honestly see little need for one in the publishing world today. I work with publisher Fresh Ink Group to get my work in front of readers. It’s a good fit for me. I tell them what I want, they make it happen. They’ve opened my work to worldwide outlets other than Amazon.   

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

Basically, I write when I feel like it. I don’t write just to reach a daily word count. When I write, it needs to mean something. It must be important to the story I’m working on. I’m disciplined in that I plot my stories. I edit as I write. I employ the dreaded re-write when needed. But motivation comes with belief in whatever I’m writing. If I believe the story has potential, I’m motivated to see it to the finish line. In a nutshell, if a writer enjoys their current work, that should be motivation enough. Excitement comes from the creative process. Excitement equals motivation—at least to me.  

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

Many of my stories carry a coming-of-age theme. We all start out as simple lumps of clay. Over time, we’re molded by our families, our teachers, our environments. I try to convey that idea of growing up under uncertain circumstances in my stories. We have dreams and aspirations almost as soon as we learn to walk and talk. Often, those dreams fail to materialize. We change or, maybe, our circumstances change. There will be disappointments galore as we travel this life. I want to capture those growing pains in my characters. I hope readers can relate to the struggles of my characters. 

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

Social media is a huge part of the marketing process. There are so many platforms available. Some work better than others. The world is literally at our fingertips today. Interacting with readers and other writers online really helps bring about name recognition. I’m still learning after more than a decade of working our craft.

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

I don’t believe in the term aspiring writer. One is either a writer or they are not. There are many fine unpublished writers in the world today. Getting published is easy today. My advice to those who are seeking to publish is to be certain your work is the best it can be. I’m not just talking about punctuation and spelling—though those are incredibly important. Understanding Point of View in your narration is vital. Who is telling your story? Head-hopping is a sure way to lose readers. Choosing a tense and sticking with it is important. Don’t slip between past tense and present tense. I’ve seen that. It ain’t pretty! Learn strong dialogue for your characters. The best way to do that is to be a listener. Hear those around you, the way they speak, the cadence of their sentences, their choice of words and slang, their accents. Consider using beta readers who are NOT also writers. A reader can offer a whole other take than can a writer.  

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

I write primarily in coming of age and historical fiction, but I may try other genres at some point. I may even try science fiction or dystopian.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

My biggest literary influences are those who write with feeling and truth. The stories may be dark with shades of light—just like real life. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorites. Her novel The Poisonwood Bible is a master lesson in writing Point of View and dialogue. The Poisonwood Bible happens to be my all-time favorite novel. Daniel Woodrell is also brilliant at creating reality in his characters and situations. Read his Winter’s Bone or Tomato Red for a lesson in strong southern dialect and old-school storytelling. Real life events have also shaped my writing. There may be elements of people I’ve known embedded in some of my characters. Situations I’ve witnessed in the real world may add color and tone to scenes in some of my stories. It happens that way sometimes.

Can you share any experiences you have had with book clubs or other reader groups?

I was part of a book club some years ago. I’ll just say, I’m glad I’m no longer involved. I’ve interacted with some reader groups over the years. Those can be useful in discovering new authors and books.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

Reviews are just opinions. You’re never going to write something that everybody loves. If the majority enjoy it, consider that a win. I don’t take a negative review to heart. It just represents a reader who didn’t connect with my characters or stories. As writers, we can’t take reviews to heart—good or bad. I just write the stories and let others form opinions of them.

Can you discuss your experience with book promotion and advertising?

I’ve used some Google ads and Amazon ads over the years. I can’t say they really did much to up my sales. Other than those two outlets, I really haven’t advertised. I use social media mostly. It helps, though it isn’t a magic bullet.

Can you talk about any challenges you faced during the publishing process?

I really haven’t faced any challenges. As I mentioned before, I use Fresh Ink Group. They’ve seen a lot over the past 25 years. When issues arise, they usually have a plan.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

Unfortunately, there are days when I don’t write. I have to prioritize work over writing. But it does balance out. Eventually, my projects reach the finish line and I publish them. It works for me without driving me batty.

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ABOUT “THE THING ABOUT KEVIN”

Jacob Radner returns to his suburban Chicago roots to bury his departed father. The family is all there—except for older brother Kevin. Thirty-seven years earlier, Kevin Radner walked out the front door and vanished. Will this prodigal son return and finally make peace with the ghost of his mobster father? As the patriarch’s body is lowered into the earth, long-hidden family secrets become uncovered: a former girlfriend, a child born out of wedlock and adopted out, a mother willfully blind to the sins of the father. In this novella, author Beem Weeks examines the notion that sometimes those closest to us are the very ones we should fear most.

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Interview with Stephen Geez, Author of Comes This Time to Float!

ABOUT STEPHEN

Retired TV producer and composer/producer of music for television, Stephen Geez has mellowed into the lakeside-living life of a writer, editor, graphic-artist, and Fresh Ink Group publisher. His work includes novels, short fiction, personal-experience essays, blogs, GeezWriter How-To material for authors, podcasts, video scripts, marketing content, and more.

INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in the Detroit suburbs, multi-degreed at the University of Michigan, spent seven years growing a non-profit training at-risk people, then transitioned into television producer and composer/producer of music for television. I started writing stories young, did traditional publishing, got fed up with traditional publishing and founded Fresh Ink Group in 1995 to publish my books and my friends’. Writing, publishing, cover design, editing, trailer and audiobook production, and marketing out the wazoo are what I do now.

How did you get started as an author?

I wrote stories when young, then later started writing novels to flex my fiction muscles while producing non-fiction television. I did a second B.A. at Michigan in literature, as that literary itch is powerful.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

Comes this Time to Float is a collection of 19 short stories written over several decades. They vary widely in genre and style. Each opens with a short explanation from me about why/when/how that story came about. Two audio-shorts read by me with music and sound effects are in the Fresh Ink Group channel on YouTube: “Bus, Boy” and “Sidekick.” This is my only collection of short fiction, following a collection of mini-memoirs.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

I am a hardcore outliner. When you write for television, you have to work with pieces than can be arranged, timed, and adapted. I write fiction the same way. I’ll start with the first scene or two to refine whatever new style I’m using while at the same time spending a few months honing that outline. Then I write, knowing everything that has to happen in each scene, which frees me to be creative with my techniques. I edit scenes as they are done. After a handful of chapters, I’ll re-read from the start for flow and pace and style variations, continuing to edit. At some point, I’ll read my scenes aloud to Beem Weeks for feedback, then send it all to the layout team while I work on the covers. Nobody else sees my work before it is published.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?

As an outliner, I do make character notes, but not in detail. Instead, I’ll spend time thinking about them and how they would act in the situations I intend for them.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

Not to sound crass, but I don’t understand the concept. Seriously, I could spend the rest of my life writing ideas I have in a single day. Is someone who can’t think of anything to say really a writer?

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

I am halfway through writing a novel called How It Turns Out, which alternates three points-of-view, including an old man who is descending into dementia. In November 2021 a goofus I now refer to as “Defendant” totaled my car and fractured both of my hands badly. Both have permanent damage and limit my capabilities, not as much what I can do as how long (and how painfully) it takes me to work. Since Fresh Ink Group’s scores of authors are most important, I’ve shelved the novel until someday when I can spend the time it needs.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

 My agent experiences were great, except for losing my favorite to cancer. Traditional publishers, not good at all. Being lied to or misled, promises unfulfilled, zero control over any aspect of the final product, pricing issues, and availability had me ready to move on. Then my contract got sold to a Canadian publisher as a package deal and I backed away, instead turning my literary management “Fresh Ink” into Fresh Ink Group, LLC, a full-service multi-media publisher. My experiences working with myself and my team are scintillating!

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

I have things to say, and that’s the only way they get said. Sometimes poignant feedback can be affirming, too.

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

Well, there are nineteen widely different ones, as my thing is that every time I write something it has to be a new style and techniques for me. The trailer does a good job showing the variety of themes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evGhXAQQ10Q Note: we usually hire pro voiceovers, but this one is narrated by me to match the audio-shorts.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

At FIG we are big on support materials, a quality video trailer, a radio commercial, packages of social-media posts, plus the usual blog tours, appearances, podcast guesting, and so on. We have an 18-year-old influencer on staff who blankets social media for me and all of our authors. This interview will be my best effort today! (Thanks, Kim.)

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

I like hybrid publishers. The author invests some to have skin in the game and retain control and ownership. The publisher invests some. Everybody works together. Talk to writers you like and compare their experiences, costs, and results. Those who still want to try for an agent and a traditional contract should note that authors are expected to show a track record, have a platform with built-in audience, and have other support to get the attention of a quality agent. I know one who says if you self-publish and can’t sell 10,000, she’s not interested. That’s sad, really, as that’s likely more a marketing limitation, but the competition is severe.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

I think by now all except erotica/porn—not that I don’t have a steamy scene or two in some novels. I like literary levels of any genre.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

My lit degree opened the world to me. After that, it’s reading and recognizing quality work. My teen years were mostly about sci-fi, but now I’m a literary reader. You can’t read a book by Edmund White, A.M. Homes, Barbara Kingsolver, and their ilk and not learn.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

I see if there’s anything useful there. Normally a sack of flaming dog poop on the porch makes my point.

Can you discuss your experience with book promotion and advertising?

This is way too big a question for a short answer. I’m lucky to have enough authors and several hundred titles to have a support team. One big point: I prefer and do better paying someone to help work free channels than I do paying for advertising.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

This is tough, as I’m a few months from 65. My plan had me easing back from cover design and other FIG work by now to spend more time writing and composing music. I’d hired an engineer to work with me on recording an album, but his start day would have been two days after the car wreck busted my hands. So right now my balance is keeping up with FIG author needs while my novel and music hold. I do make it a point to travel and attend concerts, plays, symphonies, etc. I skip reading books I want in lieu of working on books by FIG authors. Still, someday I’ll finish How It Turns Out and we’ll all see how it turned out.

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Prepare to think as you explore these wildly disparate literary short stories by author, composer, and producer Stephen Geez. Avoiding any single genre, this collection showcases Geez’s storytelling from southern gothic to contemporary drama to coming-of-age, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy—all finessed to say something about who we are and what we seek. Some of these have been passed around enough to need a shot of penicillin, others so virgin they have never known the seductive gaze of a reader’s eyes. So when life’s currents get to pulling too hard, don’t fight it, just open the book and discover nineteen new ways of going with the flow, because NOW more than ever Comes this Time to Float.

The Trailer and Two Audioshorts from the Book

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evGhXAQQ10Q

“Bus, Boy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OYSaSMDXIQ

“Sidekick”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbdVKknrOxc

TO BUY THE BOOK

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Interview with Verwayne Greenhoe, Author of Finding Myself Again!

ABOUT VERWAYNE

Born and raised in West Michigan, author Verwayne Greenhoe spent the last seven years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After freezing his keister off, he and his wife moved to Florida in late 2021 to spend more time writing and less time shivering. Author of multiple stories, genres, & formats including 28 Audible books & counting, Greenhoe spends his free time working in his backyard, plotting on where his next story will go.

INTERVIEW WITH VERWAYNE

Can you tell us a little about your background?

Raised on a small dairy farm in west central Michigan, the oldest of six kids, I enjoyed working with the cattle and other animals. I learned to drive a tractor at eight, and was hauling hay and straw in from the fields.

I graduated from high school and went to a small local community college before going to the University of Michigan, where I got a Bachelor’s in Biology and Psychology. I was one of the very first medics/paramedics in Michigan in early 1973.

After several years of that, I spend two years working in the psych ward of one of Michigan’s several prisons. THAT was a learning situation.

I got my nursing license and worked twenty-seven years in the Emergency Room before retiring.

How did you get started as an author?

Working on the farm with my father and grandfather, both of whom were notorious story tellers. I would spend many summer nights after the chores were done, listening to them tell tall tales of things that never happened, and they fascinated me! I began writing at seven. My first story was a total rip-off of the movie, “Bambi,” but I fabricated my wild tales in the fashion I had heard them told at the feet of my dad and grandpa as I got older.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

My latest complete story was also based on my childhood. While my father was a loving man, my mother was not. Due to head injuries she sustained as a teen, mom was never right. She spent more time screaming at her children than she did anything else. While she was an equal opportunity abuser, mom had a thing for me in particular. She would beat me (not discipline… she BEAT me) nearly every day of my youth. Sixty years later, I still bear the visible scars of her beatings.

“I Hate My Mother” is the story of how I came to forgive her and then learned to forgive myself. It was a personal nightmare reliving those days, but by the time I was done, I found the peace I had been seeking all of my life.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

Writing comes to me as easy as breathing. It is medicine for my mind. The signature line of my email account reads:

Writing is the only thing that I don’t feel I should be doing something else when I do it.

I will sit down in the morning and work on whatever project I was thinking about in my sleep. Most days, I will get 300 to 1500 words done in the morning and another 300 to 1500 in the evening.

I keep a list of possible story ideas in my email drafts, and a quick look shows me I have at least seventy-five stories I could write. Since Amazon came out with their Vella platform, I have been using it versus finishing a story and then uploading it.

Vella allows writers to serialize their stories in 600-5000 word episodes. I have found the best method is to upload at least three to five new episodes every week. I currently have five Vella projects in motion – two active and the other three are at least once every seven to ten days. Doing this allows me to avoid the dreaded *writer’s block.* Sometimes, you can be stymied on one project, but my brain is always ready to go on a different project.

Can you share any challenges you faced during the writing process of your latest book?
“I Hate My Mother” presented an unusual problem for me. I’ve worked as a medic, and I saw a lot of horrific stuff with no problems, but emotionally reliving the hatred, filthy language, emotional beat downs, and the physical injuries caused me to have terrible nightmares which did not stop until that story was done.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?
I model my characters after people I know. If I am basing it on my nephew, *Jim,* that character will look like Jim, act like Jim, and react like Jim. My *bad man* characters are based on men I met while working on the prison. I do the same thing with my female characters. The story plots are based on things I read about, things I witnessed, or things that came to me in a dream.

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

Most of my stories are based on things I know about and have experienced, thus requiring very little research. But…  

I am currently writing a Vella project about the Singularity, the concept that humans and computers will become a single type unit. I did tons of research, but could not find much valid information… until I tried the ChatGPT bots.

After I learned to properly talk to them and ask the right questions, my bot (I named it George!) spat out mountains of information I wasn’t finding anywhere else. In a single one hour chat with George, he gave me over 6500 words of information of how a Singularity unit could go rogue and, after lecturing me about me using any information he was giving me could be “evil,” he began to spit out how a human could cause this to happen. 

This Vella is going to be a challenge, but once the foundation of the story is laid in, George and I have it covered.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

Writer’s block is a very rare thing for me, but there are days when I just can’t get started. Those days are rare, but I have learned to get up, go outside and work in the yard. My body might be busy, but my brain is perking and fighting with itself, and when my next possible writing slot comes available, I am on it. The longest it has ever sidelined me with “block” is six days… the longest two months of my life! LOL.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

As mentioned above, I have my sci-fi Vella story, “Trouble in The Singularity” started with about ~3000 words. It is cooking as I work to explain how the error that occurs in 2035 will affect this Singularity unit to go rogue in 2089.

I also have a steady Vella titled , “Dealing With Grief.” As a medic and then an ER nurse, I have seen more than my share of grief, up close and personal.

Another Vella project is titled, “How I Keep Smiling in A World That Isn’t.” My dad always called me his kid that was always looking in the horse manure for the pony. (There’s a joke that goes with that name!) With all the horse manure life throws at me, I still keep smiling because there is nothing I can gain by crying about it.

I have another dystopian political Vella titled, “The American Storm.” Oddly enough, the man running a site that took over when Matt Drudge sold his site picked it up. I got a Twitter message from him a few weeks back that he had started reading the story, and had linked it on his site. Depending on what device you use, it is in the middle column at the bottom or the very bottom if using a cell phone. Check it out at Rantingly dot com.

One of my other Vella projects I sat aside when “I Hate My Mother” took off is titled, “A Knock On The Door.” It is a series of Twilight Zone type stories that have the phrase, “There was a knock on the door” in them some place. That line is from the 1948 “flash fiction” story, “Knock” by Fredric Brown. That entire story read: “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.” I found it intriguing, and I am about to pick that Vella up and run with it again until something big hits me again.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

Angela Hoy published my first paperback at her company, Book Locker dot com. I was new to the game, and I wanted to see how a pro did it. Angela is the definition of pro, and while I do my publishing right now, Angela is still friends with me on FB.

Since then, my association with a publishing group has been the Fresh Ink Group at Freshinkgroup dot com. Stephen Geez and Beem Weeks, the two men who run the place are both extremely professional, and I consider them both friends. They have been beyond helpful to me in my efforts, and I can not thank them enough.

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

LOL. Writing is like breathing to me. Consider it like a cocaine habit gone good. If I am not feeling good, I write. If I am upset or angry about something, I write. If I am happy, I write.

You get the idea.

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

I rarely write for a message, but I have written a story on child abuse that was not based on my physical abuse, but on the abuse I had seen as a medic and working in the ER. Child and spousal abuse is rampant, and growing every day.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

I do my best to be a modern day PT Barnum, “This way to the egress!” on Twitter and FB. I develop a series of tweets that promote the same story, but spelled out differently. On my computer, I have at least thirty different tweets promoting my better-selling stories. Twitter is the best so far because I have found that if you aren’t paying FB to promote your material, they throw shade on it.

The Fresh Ink Group made a nice video trailer for “I Hate My Mother,” and it has been helpful in drawing attention to the story. I include my email in every story, and it is remarkable how many emails I get about various stories.

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

Keep at it. Don’t stop. Bounce your material off people who have the courage to tell you, “This sucks! Fix it!” If all your beta readers tell you is “This is great!” find new beta readers.

The odds of getting a professional contract are two: Little and none. I think most people would be more likely to win a few million dollars in the lottery than getting a professional contract. It’s nice to dream about, but the reality of the situation is to find a reliable company to help you edit your material and then get it to the market.

The two companies I listed above, FreshInkGroup dot com and Book Locker dot com, are the two companies I would recommend to my friends. Neither company knows I am saying this, but there are dozens and dozens of companies that will promise you the moon, but will deliver nothing but the stuff I used to scoop out of the gutters in the dairy barn. I know the people behind both companies well enough to tell people I trust them.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

Oh, my! I love to write murder stories! As a medic, I was at more murder scenes than I can remember! I also have written two romance stories that have done very well, with the last one, “Finding Myself Again,” doing exceptionally well. When asked about the disparity between the two genres, I tell people, romance can lead to murder, so it’s only natural!

I have written stories about handling grief based on personal experiences. I did a story about growing up with my father (Things My Father Taught Me – Lessons In Life) as a role model. I’ve written a children’s story based on my grandson, (Johnny Robot – Space Alien), and several other genres.

My plans include a series of romance stories to be posted on the Vella platform, tentatively titled, “Midlife Romances – The Series.” I have the template Vella uses set up, but I’ve had a few things going on in my personal life that have slowed the actually writing of those stories. I expect by early April, I will have multiple episodes posted, with others to follow steadily.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

I wrote this several years ago for this same question:

Someone recently asked who had ‘influenced’ my writing style. From youth on up, I’d say it was Truman Capote, Dorothy Parker, Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, and Stephen King. Capote and King taught me story arcs, Hemingway and Wolfe taught me color, while Parker taught me humor.

Can you share any experiences you have had with book clubs or other reader groups?

I had an unpleasant experience with one group that I have since washed from my memory. Their goals were much different from mine. Since then, I found the FreshInkGroup, and I am happy and grateful with and for everything they have done for me and all of my author friends. Check them out at the dot com site of the same name.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

I always tell people, “You can’t hurt my feelings because I have already looked in the mirror this morning.”

I have gotten a few bad ratings that bothered me until I realized what I had done. When I attempted to make a few minor changes to about a dozen stories, I uploaded the wrong version of the story. Those first/second drafts got some sharply worded comments, but they taught me something. I deserved them because I made a dreadful mistake.

If you write multiple stories as I have done, put each one in a separate folder. Once you are done with the story, delete every other copy of the story after you are done. Keep only the final copy and upload the document, cover, and anything else related to that story to a place like Dropbox dot com to make sure a computer crash doesn’t make it go bye-bye.

Can you discuss your experience with book promotion and advertising?

I have done several book signings that were good and one that was bad. It happens. Keep doing them. I have a small one in my local library this weekend.

Avoid the places that promise you to “reach thirteen gazillion readers” in a week or less! There are one or two good ones, but there are thousands of bad ones. Find a group of like-minded authors and work with them to promote each other. My promotion of my friend’s cop/murder story does not hurt my sales of my romance story.  

Stick with a group that stands behind you and supports you. It can be a rough and tumble situation. Find solace with a group that supports you. You support your friends, and your friends will support YOU!

Can you talk about any challenges you faced during the publishing process?

If you are a self-publishing author, and there are thousands of you out there, the big problem I have found is making an eye-catching cover. My partner that used to make my covers died of Covid in September 2020. If you are in a group, as I mentioned above, there will always be someone who can make a nice cover without taking your first two years of earnings.

ASK AROUND!

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

I’m retired. Writing keeps my mind perking and happy. I have a wonderful wife who understands the two to three hours a day I spend at my desk writing makes me much easier to deal with later in the day!

I WANT to write daily, but I understand I owe her a fair portion of my time. No one lives forever, and you need to remember the time you spend talking and laughing with your loved ones is always more profitable than any time you spend writing. My wife improves my life and worth living. Every single day, I am thankful for her being with me.

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ABOUT FINDING MYSELF AGAIN

A Lonely Man Finds Love Again

After forty-seven years of a great relationship, courtship, and marriage, the author found himself alone. His wife had struggled with a rough fight with dementia. Suddenly, she took a sudden and unexpected turn for the worse, leaving him alone for the first time in his adult life. He was sixty-four at the time but felt more like he was forty physically and ninety-five emotionally.

For over a year, he had tried to go forward with his life, but when he was alone at night, his heart’s emptiness reminded him that he needed someone to fill the ache inside him.

Loneliness is a killer, and he was dying from grief. He was dying inside because he had never been alone in his life. He told himself that he would be alright, but he wasn’t and was fading fast.

Then he found Heather. They were two souls drifting in a sea of loneliness and grief that found one another amid a building storm. Is she the one that can pull him out of an escalating depression?

We’ll see.

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Interview with J. M. Robison, Author of Paragon Forgotten!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am J.M. Robison. I write fantasy books where heroes don’t follow the rules.

I joined the U.S. Army at 17. To date, I have visited Italy, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, Qatar, U.A.E., and Kuwait. I read, crochet, and strive to be chemical-free in my food and body products. I love playing in the dirt: mountain biking, hiking, and camping. I recently started barefoot running. Amazon Author Central

Join her mailing list for exclusive book offers and future fantasy book notifications: https://www.jmrobison.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobisonAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMRobison

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JMRobisonAuthor/

THE INTERVIEW

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I’m a published author with 4 fantasy titles under the name J.M. Robison currently held by Tirgearr Publishing: The War Queen, and three books under the series title The Last Wizard. Paragon Forgotten, my latest book, has been nominated for Best Novel for 2022. I’m an active duty U.S. Army soldier and have used my traveling across the entire world visiting a myriad of cultures, economics, religions, and society to add variety to my prose.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

Paragon Forgotten is the first book in a planned epic coming-of-age fantasy series. Where I got the inspiration to write this book is irrelevant because the event that triggered the book’s birth has no semblance to the book’s content. I also wrote the 4 book series (all written and complete) out of order ( 2,3,1,4), and because I’ve been writing and re-writing this series for 18 years, my original ideas have morphed to keep up with my own evolving life. However, even though I don’t have a notable, inspiring event to report, Paragon Forgotten was influenced largely by the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, my intended audience who enjoys the same. (I DO, actually, have a specific moment that directly triggered Paragon Forgotten, but it’s embarrassing and, again, not relevant to what the book is actually about.) I’m also a pantster, so I make the book up as I go and hope for the best.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

I do. I write every single novel by hand first with a notebook and pen. Every single novel. I then type the second draft up into Scrivener and make a further mess of things until it eventually gets straightened out after I have a text-to-voice program read it back to me, and then I throw it at beta readers who bring it back – thankfully – still in recognizable pieces.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?

Character creation has been my hardest writing task. For that, I sought the help of Scribe Forge’s Essential Character Creation Blueprint and Workbook to break my characters into understandable pieces and rebuild them into fleshed-out reality. I can’t recommend Scribe Forge enough.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

I’ve never had writer’s block to where 5 minutes of serious thought never fixed. If you can’t think how to continue a scene, think harder. When things are really tough, I have picture dice I throw and let the images inspire a thought to chase and see if it can bridge my temporary block.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

Paragon Forgotten is my up-front project. Still unpublished, I’ve serialized it on my website where I release a chapter every Friday. After that? Book two will be ready.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

I’m pining for a literary agent right now, but I have 4 titles held by Tirgearr Publishing. Tirgearr took care of my book covers and editing, but marketing is largely on me. For editing, I was assigned an editor and we bounced my novel back and forth until we were both happy with the edits.

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

I won’t write unless I’m having fun, and I won’t write if I’m bound by rules and deadlines (because that makes it unfun). This is why I won’t do NANOWRIMO. My motivation is always there, so long as I don’t force myself to write a “daily word count”. I’ll sit and write while I want and give myself a break for a few days when I’m not feeling the verbs. The moment I start dreading writing, I know my writing days are over.

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

Oh, my goodness. Thank you for asking.

Paragon Forgotten has a heartbeat. Perhaps all fantasy authors claim so, but I would wait to see the proof because when I say “heartbeat” I don’t mean snazzy characters, larger-than-life plot twists, or the heavily researched world-building fantasy authors sell their souls for.

“Heartbeat” is the theme.

Fantasy is my favorite genre to read, and I’ve read enough to know that fantasy authors want your focus directed on this magic system, that unique creature, or the move-by-move sword-fighting scene they’ve acted out during LARP. What appears to be largely missing in the fantasy genre is the “reason” for writing down even the first word. The reason, the pulse sliding undercurrent to the characters, plot, and world-building. Without this reason, this pulse, this heartbeat, all fantasy is a copy-paste from each other because magic systems are not unique, fantastical creatures come out of the same mold, and I skim move-by-move sword fighting scenes because I know the hero will win and I will DNF a book for predictability.

Paragon Forgotten isn’t about Cohthel discovering if his father is alive, or his subsequent choices and the impact his choice will make on the rest of the series (the series is 5 books, not 4. I split the 1st book in half.) Paragon Forgotten is about the villain who isn’t even mentioned in the blurb. It’s the villain’s story because through his internal conflict — and the reason I use varying races (dragons, elves, dwarves, ecthore, seadwellers, falkons, gryphons, pegasi) — he begins to understand that the race of humans are superior to the other eight races not because of their divine birthright, but because the humans have been mandated by their divine birthright to serve the other races, much like a servant would serve a king, or exactly like Jesus — a king — served his fellow mankind.

If you could say one thing to the entire world, what would it be?

I have that opportunity to say one thing to our world, and I spend 4 more books after Paragon Forgotten to say it: love and serve your fellow mankind.

Thank you, readers, for encouraging me to say my one thing to the world.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

I’ve been more successful with my latest attempts to serialize Paragon Forgotten, because this forces me to 1) seek out readers to read Paragon Forgotten (which I find mostly on bookfunnel) and 2) to push out a dedicated newsletter every week with fresh content, which has more than just the weekly-released chapter. Every week I get new readers trickling in, so it’s an experiment to see, when I post the final chapter, if my methods worked.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

Funny, I don’t read sci-fi, but I wrote a little sci-fi short story which is being published in an anthology in April 2023 with Metal Lunchbox Publishing.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

My writing was influenced 100% by the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

This is actually ridiculously easy to handle. So easy I even wrote a blog post on it. You handle criticism and negative reviews by, and I cannot stress this enough, by NOT releasing your book to ANYONE until you’ve written at least 3 drafts of it. Which is why I write every novel by hand first, because it forces me to re-write it word-for-word when I type it. Every editor will tell you this is the best way to edit your novel: re-writing it word-for-word. Then, once typed, I have a program read it back outloud to me (because you understand things differently when you read something versus hearing something.) Then beta readers who work out all those annoying plot holes you’ve so far ignored, and THEN you seek publication.

I know my methods work, because I’ve never received criticism (beta readers provide feedback, which is not the same) and I don’t have negative reviews at this time. I am also a reader, and I do give out negative reviews on books, even knowing my negative reviews could have been avoided if the author had taken more time and more care to craft an excellent story, like I have done to all of mine.

Can you talk about any challenges you faced during the publishing process?

I was rejected 47 times over the course of 2 years before Tirgearr offered their contract. The challenge was never knowing if I was being rejected because it wasn’t to the publisher’s taste or if my story was terrible. But because beta-reader feedback told me I had an excellent story, and gave me mini-awards for it, I maintained that I DID have a good story and I just hadn’t found the right publisher yet. This is why I say it is VITAL to have a writing/editing process that forces you to take the time and take the care to make an excellent story, because so long as you’ve proven to yourself you have an excellent story, you won’t get negative reviews and you will KNOW the publisher/agent rejected you because it wasn’t their taste, and not because you wrote a terrible story. It all comes full circle.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

I’m an active duty U.S. Army soldier, so I already have to work a full-time job (combat deployments, night operations, sometimes weekends,) and yet I still find time in the evenings and on weekends to write. I make it a priority in my life, and I focus on that priority. What you focus on, you have more time for.

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ABOUT “PARAGON FORGOTTEN”

16-year-old Cohthel, a human, should have visited Father’s grave sooner, because now it’s missing.

Mother makes excuses for the absent grave, which Cohthel accepts, but his best friend, Thaen, won’t. Thaen convinces Cohthel his father must still be alive, and Cohthel runs away from school, family, and friends to find the truth. He needs the truth because Mother won’t remarry and without a father’s guidance Cohthel fears he’ll never choose an apprenticeship, will live with Mother the rest of his life, won’t fully grasp manhood, and all his friends will succeed in life and leave him behind.

While away, Cohthel hears corrupting rumors that humans are breaking alliances to force the other eight races to worship humans as gods. Cohthel returns home to not only having found the truth about his once-thought-dead father, but that he now must choose: join the humans’ war for godhood and erase his culture, identity, and humanity or oppose the war and be forced to kill the only thing he’s ever wanted: a father.

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Interview With Susan Clayton-Goldner, Author of Dark River Rising!

ABOUT SUSAN

Susan Clayton-Goldner was born in New Castle, Delaware and grew up with four brothers along the banks of the Delaware River. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Creative Writing Program. Susan has been writing most of her life. Her novels have been finalists for The Hemingway Award, the Heeken Foundation Fellowship, the Writers Foundation and the Publishing On-line Contest where she received a thousand dollar prize. Susan won the National Writers’ Association Novel Award twice for unpublished novels and her poetry was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. 

Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Animals as Teachers and Healers, published by Ballantine Books, Our Mothers/Ourselves, by the Greenwood Publishing Group, The Hawaii Pacific Review-Best of a Decade, and New Millennium Writings. Prior to moving to Oregon and writing full time,

Susan worked as the Director of Corporate Relations for University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. 

Susan shares a life in Grants Pass, Oregon with her husband, Andreas, her fictional characters, and more books than one person could count.  Website: https://susanclaytongoldner Goodreads Author Page

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born in New Castle, Delaware, and grew up with four brothers. After graduating from high school, I attended the University of Delaware where I received an Associate’s degree in Applied Science. I married and moved to Arizona. After my two children started school, I enrolled in creative writing classes and ended up pursuing a MA in Creative Writing.

How did you get started as an author?

From the time I could hold a pencil, I was always writing. It seemed I had to write about something before I fully understood how I felt. I believe writers are born with the passion to write. We can learn to perfect our craft, but writers write because they can’t help themselves. Who’d choose such a difficult and isolating path? So few of us can make a living writing.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

One of my reviewers inspired my latest book, Dark River Rising,—a retired minister and police chaplain, who sent me his idea for a novel. I try to deal with a social issue in each of my mysteries and he suggested I consider writing about the difficult topic of child pornography and sex trafficking of minors. I have a kidnapped ten-year-old girl, sold into pornography, and eventually murdered as one of my point of view characters. It was a difficult novel to write from the POV of a dead child. I knew it was risky, but I didn’t think there was any way to convey the horror without hearing it firsthand from a child who’d experienced this trauma.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

I consider writing to be my job and I go to work daily—sometimes spending 8-10 hours at the computer. Until my husband of 34 years died unexpectedly from a brain bleed, I was producing three novels a year. I’ve slowed down considerably during the past two years, but still manage at least one.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?

I always begin by writing an elaborate character sketch for each of the point of view or important characters in the story. I delve into both their physical and psychological history. Sometimes these sketches are ten or more pages long. Writing the sketching helps me to find their voices and to know how and why they behave the way they do. I ask them a lot of personal questions about their childhoods, their parents, their siblings, what they do for a living, what they are most ashamed of in their lives. I ask them what makes them happy. And what hurts them most?

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

I always try to read at least three autobiographies of people who have experienced the social issue my character is going through in the book. For example, I wrote a book called Lake of the Dead where I have a transgender individual. In order to climb into her head, I wanted to understand what it felt like to be born into a body that didn’t fit your image of yourself. In Forgotten Creek, I deal with homelessness and, besides reading autobiographies, I went to a homeless encampment in Ashland, Oregon (where my mysteries take place) and spoke with many members of that community. It helped me so much with the character I called “Corndog.”

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

I rarely have writer’s block, but for months after my husband died, I could write about anything except grief. Mostly when I feel stuck, I reread what I’ve written so far, along with my character sketches, and that puts me back into the fictive dream.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

My next novel is called River of Mercy. It is about a mercy killing. When my husband had his first brain bleed, he was paralyzed on his entire left side. Most of the time he was coherent. He begged me to help him die. We’d had many discussions about this and I’d always said that I would. But, when it came down to it, I couldn’t. He begged. He cried. He even screamed, “Susan, why won’t you help me?”  About a month ago, I woke up after having had another nightmare about that time and the thought entered my mind, “What if I had?” With that thought the seeds for #14 in the Winston Radhauser mystery series was planted.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

In the course of my writing life, I’ve had 3 agents. None of them were successful at placing one of my novels. When the third one took a paying job as foreign rights manager for another agency, she dropped the clients who were not yet making money for her. I was among them. I tried smaller presses and queried three. Two of them accepted my stand-alone novel, A Bend In The Willow. One of them was Tirgearr Publishing in Ireland. I love them. They have now published 16 novels for me, designed beautiful covers, provided great editing. I could not be happier. What I like most is the response time. If I write with a question, I get an answer within minutes—never longer than a day. That was so refreshing after waiting months for a reply (if you get one at all) from one of the major houses.

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

Because I love writing so much, it is not difficult for me to be motivated and disciplined. There is almost nothing I’d rather be doing than creating characters and telling their stories.

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

As I mentioned earlier, I like to deal with some social issue in my novels so that they are more than a mystery. The books in my series are a cross genre—somewhere between a family drama and a mystery. I want my readers to come away from the books moved to a place of feeling—be it sadness, empathy, joy. I want them to have taken a journey with the characters and come to care deeply about the outcome. I hope that I can change someone’s heart from contempt to compassion—as in the book about the homeless man.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

This is the hardest part of the process. I’ve found Bookbub to be a great resource, but it is expensive and difficult to get. I put the first book in the mystery series, Redemption Lake, on Bookbub for free. The first day, over 100,000 people downloaded it. And this turned out to be a smart move because the other books sold at full price. I’ve also used the newsletters like ENT, FKBT, Bookbaby, Book Adrenaline. I have a website and a blog. I send out a newsletter to about 5,000 people. Every year I try to enter a few contests and line up reviewers who will post on launch day. It’s hard work and not nearly as much fun as the writing itself.

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

Be tenacious. I think tenacity is the best gift a writer can receive. Keep trying. Never give up. I was writing for two decades before I finally found a publisher. But it was definitely worth the wait.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

I have written 3 stand-alone novels. One, Tormented, is a thriller. It won the Rone Award for Best Thriller 2019. Missing Pieces is a family drama about a daughter’s journey to forgiveness with her father. A Bend In The Willow, my first published novel, is about a mother’s love for her son who has leukemia and the lengths she will go, risking her own life, to save him.

Can you share any experiences you have had with book clubs or other reader groups?

I love talking to book clubs. I recently did one in Tucson with a group of women who were so conscientious. I gave them a list of questions to answer about A Bend In The Willow. They actually typed out their answers. We had a lively discussion. The host put on a catered luncheon and she’d bought copies of all my books and created a centerpiece for the table with them. It’s fun for the writer and the readers. I highly recommend them.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

It’s a crazy thing, and probably true for most writers, but we remember the critical reviews. We can have 100 excellent, glowing, five-star reviews, and not remember one of them. But we never forget the bad ones. They hurt more in the beginning. I now understand that not everyone will love my books. And that there are mean-spirited people in the world who leave a one-star review just because they see the book has a lot of five stars. I used to read every review, now I often skip the bad ones. But the most important thing to remember is not to respond to the negative ones. Thank a reader for the positive ones if you can.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

This is often difficult to do, especially if you have a young family. I did not start writing full time until I’d retired from my job and my children were off to college. So, for me, it has not been difficult. I often take my computer with me on vacations and write during long train, airplane rides or any other time I can steal away and write.

BUY DARK RIVER RISING – AMAZON US – NOW!

ABOUT DARK RIVER RISING

Where has Ava Cartwright been for the past three years and why was she dumped on the eve of her thirteenth birthday?

When Detective Winston Radhauser’s phone rings in the middle of the night, he knows something terrible has happened. On this night, a homeless man, rummaging for food in a local dumpster, finds the body of a severely beaten young woman. On scene, Radhauser estimates the victim to be in her early twenties. He’s overcome when he learns the forensics reveal she is the girl whose disappearance has haunted him for three years–Ava Cartwright.

In broad daylight, Ava’s bicycle had been found parked with the kickstand down near a wooded area. Search parties inched their way through every portion of those woods, the neighborhood, nearby Lithia Park, and along miles of railroad tracks, but there was no sign of the little girl.

Where has she been all this time? And why was she dumped on the eve of her thirteenth birthday? There must be something, some tiny detail, he missed that will give him a lead. This time, Radhauser won’t quit until he finds it.

MORE BUY LINKS FOR DARK RIVER RISING:

AMAZON US

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Interview With Author, Alan Brenham!

ABOUT ALAN

After graduating from college, Alan spent twenty years as a criminal investigator before earning a law degree. I worked first as a prosecutor then as a defense attorney for over thirty years. Travels for the U.S. Government took me to several European and Middle Eastern countries. While contracted to the U.S. Army, I resided in Berlin, Germany. I married a retired Army officer. She and I live in the Austin, Texas, area.

Under the pen name of Alan Brenham, I have published five crime fiction novels, Price of Justice (2013), Cornered (2014), Rampage (2015), Game Piece (2018), and Hidden Intentions (2020), with an

established publisher. All five novels have garnered numerous awards and endorsements. A sixth novel is under contract to an established publisher in Ireland.

Learn More About Alan

INTERVIEW WITH ALAN

Can you tell us a little about your background?

My background includes twenty years as a law enforcement officer and thirty years as a prosecutor and later as a criminal defense attorney. After retirement, I decided to write crime fiction, using my experiences to craft stories and characters.

How did you get started as an author?

A- I had always loved to read so, after retirement, I went back to reading novels. With a few under my belt, I decided to write crime fiction. I relied on my work experiences and cases as well as my international travels as a federal marshal to craft stories and characters.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

My latest book features the adventures and difficulties a young deaf woman faced while living alone in  Paris, France. The inspiration for it came from my own loss of hearing as well as my time living in Europe.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

My writing routine is to start the day rereading the preceding chapter before beginning to craft the next chapter. I tried creating an outline and character profiles. What works for me is to write the story then go back to begin revisions.

Can you share any challenges you faced during the writing process of your latest book?

The main challenge I faced in Every Silent Thing was creating a believable deaf character. Although I have a loss of hearing, I’m not deaf so the challenge was how to make Claire Devereaux come alive. To solve it, I linked up with a female Canadian author who is deaf. She was kind enough to provide responses to Claire’s scenes – how she would remain fully aware of her surroundings in public, communication skills, and her individual outlook and behavior in interpersonal relationships, particularly with those who didn’t know sign language.

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

For the two recent stories set in Paris and Rome, I spent a good amount of research time viewing Google Maps to perfect the setting. My niece spent a good deal of time in both cities so I relied on her input for specifics for both. With the main character being deaf, I spent time learning some aspects of American (ASL) and French (LSF) sign language.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

My wife is nothing short of genius when it comes to curing my writers block episodes. She has a knack for presenting the right question/suggestion concerning the story that ends the slump. It’s worked since I began writing in 2012.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

I am currently working on a police procedural set in Fort Worth, Tx, featuring a young Native American detective who is learning how to deal with racial and ethnic sniping by another detective while the two of them reluctantly work together to solve a homicide case.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

The staff with my first publisher was easy to work with and very helpful. After the staff retired/resigned, the company was taken over by one person and seems to be closing down. Regarding my new publisher (Tirgearr), It’s like going from a dark room into one well-lit.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

I used reader connections built through my extended family and from former co-workers from my law enforcement days. For marketing/promotions, I rely on connections from social media and paid services for book reviews and book promotions. I’ve also connected with a few New York Times bestselling authors for endorsements.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

The only genres I’ve written in are mystery-police procedural- and thriller. I’ve considered others such as horror and sci-fi. As of today, I have no plans to expand my genre list beyond mystery and thriller.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

The chief literary influences that shaped my writing were crime fiction and thriller authors such as Michael McGarrity, Robert Crais, and Lee Gimenez. Early on, I had read some of McGarrity’s police procedural novels. They motivated me to create my first character (Detective Jason Scarsdale) in a 2012 novel and its two sequels. Crais impressed me with his style of a wise-assed PI playing off his no-nonsense no-humor partner. Gimenez’ books introduced me to using a female as the lead character.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

As a twenty-some veteran of law enforcement, I learned to develop a thick skin when it came to criticism. I carried that forward into my writing career. Everyone has an opinion and suggestions as to how a scene or character should be crafted. I read them and consider some. I do submit my story drafts to a beta reader and adjust the missteps accordingly.

As for negative reviews, I rely on a quote by the poet John Lydgate: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”

Can you discuss your experience with book promotion and advertising?

I use paid promotional services, book reviews, and word of mouth to promote and advertise my novels. The experience has been overall decent. Of course, I wish I could have more book reviews and sell a ton of books.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

No worries there. I use a five-hour period six days a week to write then spend the remainder doing the items on my wife’s honey-do list. The evenings are entirely devoted to spending quality time with my wife.

Interview with Elizabeth Delisi, Author of Lady of the Two Lands!

ABOUT ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Delisi received her B.A. in Creative Writing from St. Leo University. She’s been married to her high school sweetheart for over 40 years, and has 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She wrote her first story when she was 6 years old, and now she writes romance, paranormal and mystery novels. She enjoys reading, knitting, playing piano and watching old movies. Find out more about Liz here:

• Tirgearr Publishing, Author Page
• Elizabeth Delisi, Author Website
• Elizabeth Delisi, Amazon Author Page

INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I’m married with three kids, three grandkids, and a dog. That gives me more than enough material to write with…but I actually wanted to be a writer as far back as when I was five years old. It just took me some time to get there!

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

My most recent novel is a time-travel romance set in ancient Egypt, LADY OF THE TWO LANDS. I have been fascinated by Egypt since I was in sixth grade, especially Hatshepsut, the first female Pharaoh, so I decided to give it a try. It took a huge amount of research, but I’m pleased with the final result.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

Some people are “pantsers“ i.e., they write by the seat of their pants. But I’m an outliner, meaning I write an outline first, about ten to twenty pages. I also add anything that comes to my head such as a line of dialogue, a description of the setting, etc.  That way I know I won’t lose track of things that pop into my head.

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

LADY OF THE TWO LANDS took a huge amount of research, much more than on any of my other books. I wanted to be able to not only describe how a character looks, but also what clothing she wears, what she eats, and even what the bathroom facilities were like.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

I’m currently writing a paranormal romance, where the heroine is a witch who does her best to be a white witch, who helps others as much as she can, but she was cursed before she was born so that any man who falls in love with her will die. So, although she has a good life, she is lonely.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

My current publisher is Tirgearr Publishing, and they are wonderful to work with. Questions are answered rapidly, thoughtful suggestions are given, royalties are paid on time.

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

It’s funny, but if I am actually writing, motivation isn’t an issue. However, when I’m NOT writing, it can be difficult to get going again. Sometimes just reading through the most recent chapter I’ve written can get me going again. Or, having a critique partner read it and make suggestions.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

I used to do a lot of talks and book-signing events, but now my efforts are mostly online, since that’s the way most readers are going. So, I have a website, a Facebook page, info on Amazon, and I have as many social media opportunities as I can find.

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

No matter how much advice I could give, it all boils down to, sit at your desk and write. Don’t give up. Write, write, write!

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

I have written in paranormal romance, time-travel romance, cozy mysteries, and I have also had three stories published in various Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. I write in whatever genre interests me at the time.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

Two of my favorite authors inspire me to write my best, and then some. Harlan Ellison has a vivid imagination and all his stories are surprisingly delightful to read. Eloise Jarvis McGraw wrote one of my favorite books, “MARA, DAUGHTER OF THE NILE, which is a YA book but it encourages me to write a bit above the YA level as kids don’t like to be written down to. I re-read that book at least once a year.

ABOUT “LADY OF THE TWO LANDS”

One minute, Hattie Williams is in a museum, sketching a gold necklace that belonged to Hatshepsut, first female Pharaoh of Egypt; and the next, she’s lying in a room too archaic to be the museum, with a breathtakingly handsome, half-naked man named Senemut bending over her.

Hattie soon discovers she’s been thrust into the body and life of Hatshepsut, with no way back to her own time. Tuthmosis, the heir to the throne, hates her; the High

Priest of Amun and the commander of the army want to kill her and Tuthmosis; and the best bathroom facilities in the country are the equivalent of a cat-box.

To make matters more difficult, she’s falling helplessly in love with Senemut, and soon, she’s not sure she even wants to return home. To protect Tuthmosis from

assassination, the lovers arrange to put Hattie on the throne. But, what should she do when she suddenly finds herself, an obscure artist from Chicago, crowned ruler of all Egypt?

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Interview with Lori Soard, Author of Cupid’s Quest!

ABOUT LORI

Lori Soard lives in a tiny town in southern Indiana with her husband and house full of pets. She loves miniature dachshunds and has one named Daisy Mae and one named Dolly Pawton. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and traveling. You can read more about her at her website: https://lorisoard.com. You can also get a free novella from my Cupid’s Crossing series on my website when you sign up for my monthly newsletter.

INTERVIEW WITH LORI

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in the far east suburbs of Indianapolis. When I was a kid, we played outside and needed to be in when the lights came on. You could go for a walk or to a friend’s house without all the fear there is today. I NEVER let my children do that. Summers were spent running barefoot through the grass, sucking honeysuckle off the bush next to our back porch and swinging until you couldn’t see anything but the sky and you felt the metal frame come out of the ground a little bit.

A train ran behind our house, so I’d run to greet the conductor and he’d honk his horn as he flew past. My mom had a huge family, so I just always remember being surrounded by people who loved me dearly. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and a great-grandma. I honestly feel so very blessed by my family.

How did you get started as an author?

had always told and written little stories. It was for fun. In high school, my two best friends and I would swap stories in the hall and write round robin style. We’d each add a little to the tale and then trade again. I still have some of those stories around here somewhere.

However, it never occurred to me to be a writer for a living until I took journalism in college. The teacher had us go out and find a local story and submit it the paper. Well, not only was the assignment fun and right up my alley, but the local paper put my article on the front page and PAID me $25. A light bulb went off and I started researching everything I could about making money as a writer.

Can you talk about your latest book and the inspiration behind it?

My last book was #3 in the Cupid’s Crossing series. I live in a tiny town in southern Indiana. We’re only known as being the birthplace of Colonel Sanders of KFC fame. We don’t even have a stop light in our town, just a flashing four way stop.

I love my small town and all the ones I’ve visited, so the idea of a small town where love matches happen and you can see God’s design in things made perfect sense. I am currently writing Book # 4 and I have to say that it is my favorite so far. I don’t have a release date yet as I’m still writing it.

How do you approach the writing process? Do you have a specific routine or method?

I tend to have a whole folder of ideas. I jot them down as they come. When I’m ready to start a new book, I begin looking through them and brainstorming. Sometimes I use an idea I already had and sometimes a character from another book is screaming for their own story.

My ideas come from songs, conversations, things I observe, stories I hear people tell and I do believe are sometimes just heaven-sent.

Can you share any challenges you faced during the writing process of your latest book?

I’m having some challenges with finding the time I’d like to devote to my books. My readers want them a bit more quickly than I’m able to release them. I’m working full-time as a copywriter and I help my daughter with my grandgirls. They’re little and they need me now. I’d love to write more quickly and devote myself to it full-time, but financially I still need the day job right now.

How do you develop your characters and bring them to life on the page?

I write out a character profile for each one and I add to it as they come to life for me. I used to adore my Barbie dolls as a little girl. I’d make up all these soap opera themed stories for them. Barbie and Ken were always breaking up and there was always some villain on the loose.

I think those childhood make believe days made it so much easier for me to come up with characters and stories. I kind of know how plots work from all the books I’ve read over the years and I am able to give characters flaws they need to overcome.

I think the BEST characters are the ones who have flaws but are good at heart, just like all of us. One of my favorite examples is of Emma in the Jane Austen novel by the same title. Emma is a bit of a gossip and a busy body. She also can be a bit snooty if she thinks someone is beneath her. By the end of the story, however, she has had a change of heart when she hurts a woman who adores her as a friend by being a bit cruel in what she says to her. She also sees that all her meddling made no difference and she should have just minded her own business.

While PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is my favorite of Austen’s novels, I really love EMMA as well. I like her character and how she grows and develops. I hope my characters are the same. I hope they are flawed but they see the error of their ways and they change and grow as humans and in their faith.

Can you discuss your research process for your latest book?

My current work in progress involves a hero who knows a lot about music. I’m having to do a ton of research, because I only know a little. I’ve read about pianos, which are the best and talked to a local music store a bit about it. I also am going to have to dig into sheet music and learn more about that here soon.

Every book is different. I don’t stop when I’m in the flow of writing to research things. I will put a marker where I know I need to flesh something out or understand something better and then search for the markers during editing and expand or fix those areas. I usually edit at the end of each chapter, so it works well.

How do you handle writer’s block and overcome creative obstacles?

My blocks come with getting started and finishing a story. I just push through and get something on paper. I can always go back and fix it or completely change it later. For my first draft, I just want to get the story out.

Can you share any upcoming projects or books you are working on?

In addition to Book # 4 in Cupid’s Crossing series, I am working on a novella for You Are on the Air series. It’s a series of novellas based around radio talk shows. They go in alphabetical order, so like “Dial V for Valentine’s Day.” I have the letter Q. I’m leaning toward a book about a quilt and doing Dial Q for Quilt, but I am also tossing around a few other ideas including “Quickstep.” It’s a fun project. I like the group of readers and writers a lot. I can’t wait to contribute to the project.

Can you talk about your experience working with a publisher or literary agent?

I’ve worked with just about everything. I was published by Thorndike, which is a bigger publisher, with a small press, with an ebook publisher and I’ve self-published. I did have a literary agent for a bit but she retired and I’ve not sought another one.

I’m just not sure what one can do for you unless you’re negotiating something complex these days. I’m not against having one, I just haven’t reached out to any and am unsure where they could take me next.

How do you stay motivated and disciplined while writing?

When I’m not completely overwhelmed, I have a schedule where I try to write a certain number of words each day. There really is something to just sitting your butt in the chair and doing it.

Can you discuss any themes or messages you hope readers take away from your book?

Most of my books in the last 10 years are either sweet or inspirational stories. I hope that readers find some small glimmer of faith in a difficult time. I hope they see that my characters aren’t perfect Christians and sometimes not Christians at all. They struggle, they mess up but they seek God and they try to do better and they become Christ followers if they’re the main character.

Each book has a different theme, but if I give just one person a glimmer of hope in a dark world or can plant a seed that strengthens their faith or leads them to faith, then I’ve done my job. I don’t know how God might use me through my stories but I hope He does.

How do you market your book and connect with readers?

I belong to several social media groups. I’ll do online book tours. I keep a mailing list I notify of big events. It’s hard in today’s crowded marketplace. There’s so much noise of authors just self-promoting and screaming, “Buy my book!”

I want to be that author you discover and becomes a new favorite, not just the loudest voice. It’s okay if my audience stays intimate. I like that some of my readers are on my friends’ lists and feel free to comment and connect over various things.

Can you share any advice for aspiring authors on how to get published?

Keep sending stuff out and keep writing. Your first book will probably be awful. Mine was. I pulled it out the other day and laughed at myself. At the time, I thought it was such a good book. Trust me that it is not and the editors were right to reject it.

Learn to take criticism. If an editor takes the time to tell you something you need to change, they see a jewel in the rough. Take their advice if it makes any sense at all. I’ve been writing for 27 years, much of that professionally with my articles. I am STILL learning and growing as a writer. I adore my editors I have for my day job because they push me. They call me out if I fall back into passive writing or I am repeating myself or I’m mirroring as I write. We have to find one thing to work on and improve every quarter. I love being pushed like that. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve kept working the day job even though it cuts into my fiction writing time.

Can you discuss any other genres you have written in and if you have plans to write in other genres in the future?

I’ve written young adult. I have several children’s books ready to go but just haven’t quite figured out how to make my illustrations publish-worthy, although the HUNGRY, HUNGRY CATERPILLAR makes me think it doesn’t matter so much.

I also am working on a mystery that is on the back burner for a moment and some nonfiction books.

Can you discuss any literary influences or inspirations that have shaped your writing?

When I was a little girl, my dad would make up bedtime stories with me. My mom’s family were from Appalachia and they always had stories and adventures to tell. Huge oral storytelling traditions there. My dad would also take lists of words from Reader’s Digest and quiz me when I was like five or six. It was a game we played. I credit my family for my imagination.

As far as writers who’ve inspired me, I love Jane Austen, the Brontes and Shakespeare. I adore lyrical language that sounds like a song. For modern authors, I really like the skills of Dean Koontz, Nicholas Sparks (if he would stop killing my favorite characters) and too many romance authors to mention because I’ll leave someone out.

Can you share any experiences you have had with book clubs or other reader groups?

I have mainly just seen the ones on Facebook. I’m not involved in a lot of reader groups. I probably should be but time is limited and I need to spend it writing. I do occasionally participate in group events to meet new readers.

How do you handle criticism and negative reviews?

I think it depends. If the criticism is warranted and they tell me what to fix, I always consider it and look at it and maybe get additional feedback from trusted fellow writers and editors.

I try really hard not to read my negative reviews. The person is entitled to their opinion. I’m not for everyone. However, I made the mistake of reading one that was lengthy because I was like, “Man, they really HATED my book.” In the review, she said the book talked entirely too much about God. It was a Christian fiction romance. I kind of wanted to respond and say, “Thanks so much! That was the point.”

I restrained myself because what good could come from engaging like that with someone who already hated the book? I don’t want to be snarky—something I battle anyway—and drive her even farther from God. So, I didn’t say a word. I will admit, however, that the review ate at me. It wasn’t anything I could change without changing the entire story or the reason I wrote it.

How do you balance your writing with other aspects of your life?

Balance? What’s that? LOL I try to write on the weekends. If I get free time to myself, I will either research, plot, read in my genre or write a bit. I do try to find a few weekends where I can just write or take long weekends as part of my PTO.

Lori Soard lives in a tiny town in southern Indiana with her husband and house full of pets. She loves miniature dachshunds and has one named Daisy Mae and one named Dolly Pawton. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and traveling. You can read more about her at her website: https://lorisoard.com. You can also get a free novella from my Cupid’s Crossing series on my website when you sign up for my monthly newsletter.

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ABOUT CUPID’S QUEST

***They’re just like family to her and she can’t imagine losing them or this place…***

What if you were about to lose everything you ever knew or loved?

Saving Those She Loves…

The only life Gracie has ever known has been the nursing home and the residents who are like family to her. Now, she risks losing it all and her friends scattering to different homes if she can’t come up with the money to save the business.

Granting a Mother’s Last Wish…

Between caring for his ailing mother and running the family farm, Brandt is stretched thin. Too thin. When his mother begs him to enter a local scavenger hunt, win the prize money, and convert the farm into an orchard, he knows he can’t refuse her anything, so he reluctantly agrees.

Finding True Love…

While seeking clues to the scavenger hunt, Gracie and Brandt keep bumping into each other. Gracie’s always had a crush on him that keeps her from stringing two coherent words together. Brandt doesn’t understand why she dislikes him so much she won’t even talk to him. If the nursing home residents would settle down and stop getting into crazy shenanigans long enough, the two might figure out that they have more than a little in common.

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What Are Amazon Readers Saying About This Book?

★★★★★

Clean, Fun, and Downright Awesome!

“Lori does an amazing job capturing the hearts of readers as she all but draws a visual of her characters by words, giving you a vivid mental picture of their daily lives and how they handle difficult stressors in life. What’s even more incredible is the heart of Gracie, the main character, am amazing young lady who will take on the very difficult job of providing for nursing home clients. After losing a mother-in- law to Alzeheimers, I know first hand how wonderful it is to have people who really care. This is very well written, emotional in a good way, ends with a sweet, promising love. Well done, Lori!!!” — LovetoRead

★★★★★

Delightful!

“What a truly delightful story. Very refreshing to read about a young woman who is so selfless and gives of herself to help the elderly. I also enjoyed the farmer aspect.” — Fun Grandma

★★★★★

Amazing Characters

“If you’re looking for a sweet, clean romance with small town values, you’ve found it with Lori Soard’s Cupid’s Quest. This is the first book in what is sure to be a wonderful series, Cupid’s Crossing. Gracie and Brandt, as well as the quirky nursing home residents, will capture your heart. The story is well-written with amazing, well-rounded characters that are thrown into true-life situations. I will be sure to read the rest of this series.” — Kimwrtr

★★★★★

Gracie Was Called “The Nursing Home Girl” for a Good Reason…

“Years ago I worked in a nursing home similar to Days Never New. The patients all knew each other and they felt at home there. When that nursing home closed many of the patients were moved to others parts of Texas. It was hard for them to lose another home, more friends and the feeling of security. This story offers love and hope along with a great story.” — Kindle Customer

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Cupid’s Quest is the first in the Cupid’s Crossing series by Lori Soard, author of “small town stories with heart.” If you love a feel-good story with faith-based characters, you’ll enjoy this sweet, wholesome tale of love and sacrifice.

*** This sweet, wholesome romance will tug at your heartstrings and remind you why you love small towns and believe God still answers prayers and performs miracles.

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