Category: Interviews

Author Maranda Russell says her book “Ode to Icky,” is a picture book about a disgusting cat and his owner, Candy, a little girl who finds a way to make her pet’s hygiene problems work for her. Hmmm. . . I don’t own any cats, but my wife owns three, so this idea intrigues me.

Maranda says that one of the things that sets her writing apart is that she feels she really does still think like a child sometimes. “I still enjoy childhood activities, and find it easy to slip back into that pattern of thinking (even if that isn’t always good). I also tend to think outside the box, sometimes a little too far, but I’ve learned to rein myself in a bit to better my stories. ” Continue reading “Meet the Author: Maranda Russell”

Meet Nancy Lee Parish, author of the soon-to-be-released fantasy adventure, “Amulet.”  She is an author who is both inspired and inspiring. When I do these interviews, I always ask each author to identify their biggest challenge. Most of the time, I get an answer that is at once familiar to all writers. Often, I will just glean a word or two from the answers so I am not writing the same article over and over. Nancy’s answer shows why I continue to ask this question, though:

“Running the 100 foot cord up to the public washroom so I could plug my laptop in to continue writing next to the campfire was challenging. That and mosquitoes. I won’t bore you with details, but Amulet began in a tent in the middle of a prairie, amidst thunderstorms, heavy winds and sudden downpours. That was a very difficult time in my life, but it was also a turning point. We were homeless for almost 9 months. Writing a novel was something I always wanted to do, but never did. At that very low point, I guess I finally figured I had nothing to lose by starting to write. Fortunately, it concludes from inside solid walls, though the campfires were rather nice.” Wow. I’m just in awe of that kind of commitment and passion. Continue reading “Meet the Author: Nancy Lee Parish”

Meet Steven Montano. He is the author of the military sci-fi/fantasy series “BLOOD SKIES.” Steven describes his writing style as prosaic and lyrical. He says this helps make the very visceral setting and often horrific events all the more jarring and real.

“I’ve received LOTS of kudos for my stylistic imagery and poetic metaphors…which I guess is pretty impressive for a book about magic, vampires with guns, and evil unicorns,” he says.

He finds inspiration in other fiction and from films. “What I’m in to at the time strongly influences my writing. I’m a huge fan of China Mieville, J.V. Jones and John Meaney, as well as the films of Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan. I also steal a lot of ideas from my dreams – BLOOD SKIES, in fact, was based in part from a particularly disturbing dream I had a few years ago about maidens trapped in a glade, where they were hunted by black unicorns,” Steven says. Continue reading “Meet the Author: Steven Montano”

Salvatore Buttaci is  a retired English teacher and college writing instructor. He has been writing since 1957 and says his objective as a writer has been to provide readers with stories and poems they will not regret investing the time to read.

“I have made it my business to constantly improve my command of language and my understanding of the writing craft. I am never satisfied with first drafts,” Sal says.

Sal  always reminds himself that if readers are not hooked into a story, they will not stay for the long haul, or in his case, the short-short haul.  Sal is a flash-fiction author. Each of his stories is less than 1000 words in length. Continue reading “Meet the Author: Salvatore Buttaci”