The writing world is very interconnected. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rob Samborn, and in that post, I quoted today’s guest, author Ruthie Marlenée. She is the author of Isabela’s Island, Devil’s Island: A Novella, Curse of the Ninth, and Agave Blues, which released earlier this year. The tagline for the…

For most of 2021 and much of 2022, this author interview series focused on debut authors. My main goal was to support the authors I’d met in various debut groups as we all launched our books. But in thinking about the interview schedule and the purpose of this series, my desire to reach out to…

This series of author interviews allows me to encounter so many people, some of whom I’d love to catch up with in real life. Author Barbara Newman is one of those people. She contacted me last fall after reading Keema Waterfield’s interview, and her slot has finally arrived! And I’m so glad it did because…

I first crossed paths with author Carolyn Clarke when I found her website, HenLit Central, which is both informative and entertaining for readers and authors alike. When I learned that her own book would be published, I knew I wanted to feature her in this series.  Her debut novel, And Then There’s Margaret, is slated…

It’s always a pleasure to feature authors who live or work in my area, and Karla Hueber falls into that camp. She’s Professor of Art History at Wright State University here in Dayton, Ohio, and she specializes in “1750-present with research interests that include Czech modernism, surrealism, and gender and sexuality.” Though an accomplished nonfiction…

The topic of mental health is important to me, and novels are one of the best ways to highlight the significance of good mental health support and educate readers. Author Jasmine Shouse is intimately familiar with the world of mental health, and she’s used her experience to help craft her most recent book, Insanely Sane,…

Conducting author interviews introduces me to so many authors I might not have crossed paths with. Shameez Patel Papathanasiou falls into that category. A fantasy author living in Cape Town, South Africa, Shameez probably never put on her list of people to “meet” a women’s fiction author in Ohio. But technology is so good to…

Years ago—too many to count, now (or maybe not that many, but that COVID time warp is real, you know)—I crossed paths with Carrie Vittitoe. A mutual friend and I attended a one-day writing conference at which Carrie, a teacher and freelance writer, spoke. Of course, we became Facebook friends, and I’ve lingered on the…

When a book blurb does it’s job, it draws me right to a story. In the case of 2022 Debuts author Caron Mckinlay and her novel, The Storytellers, this blurb by Victoria Dowd made up my mind for me: “Utterly mind blowing! If Stuart Turton had written Gone Girl it would look like this. Intelligent,…

Being a part of the 2021 Debuts allowed me to connect with several authors releasing books in 2022, including Elaine Stock, who is a fellow member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Elaine “enjoys creating stories showing how all faiths, races, and belief systems are interconnected and need each other,” and her latest book, We…