Archive for the ‘Author Interviews’ Category:

Pump Up Your Book Chats with Lou Aronica, author of Blue

Lou Aronica is the author of a number of works of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times bestseller, The Element (written with Ken Robinson) and the national bestseller, The Culture Code. Former Publisher of Avon Books and Deputy Publisher of Bantam Books, he has been associated with book publishing for more than three decades. In addition to his writing, he is currently Publisher of two small independent publishing imprints, The Story Plant and The Fiction Studio. Thank you for this interview, Lou.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece? A: I recently
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Martin Sharlow author of Shades of Twilight

Martin Sharlow was always a storyteller. In his youth he used to play roleplaying games and usually he was the game master. That allowed him to create and modify stories and then tell them to his captive audience in the form of a game.  Because of this and the many fantasy books he read, Martin went the next step and started writing fantasy novels. Recently, however, Martin changed genres to vampire romance as he got bitten by the vampire bug. This happened after picking up one of the latest novels and finding himself hooked on it. Today Martin has written three vampire romance novels, and is in the process
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Katie Salidas author of Immortalis; Hunters and Prey

Author of the hot new Urban Fantasy series, Immortalis, Katie has always had a desire to entertain. Since, early childhood, she’s dreamed up fantastical characters and scribbled them into pages of various journals and notebooks. Taking an interest in vampires at an early age, she devoured every book, featuring those mysterious, blood sucking creatures, in any genre she could find. She claims that, of all the monsters out there, vampires had always been the most interesting. It was only natural that a love of reading about vampires, and a love of writing, turned into a desire to write her own stories. A Las Vegas native, having grown up in
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Talking Virtual Book Tours with Humor Columnist Rose A. Valenta

Rose A. Valenta is a nationally syndicated humor columnist. Her irreverent columns have been published in Senior Wire, Associated Content, Courier Post Online, NPR, Newsday, USA TODAY, the WSJ Online, and many other local news and radio websites. She is the author of Rosie’s Renegade Humor Blog. This is the blog for people who would be knowledgeable about current events and politics if only politicians and news anchors didn’t stretch the truth. “What else is there to do, but share an honest laugh?” Rose said. Rose regularly attends the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, is a member of the Robert Benchley Society and the National
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Humor Columnist Rose A. Valenta

Rose A. Valenta is a nationally syndicated humor columnist. Her irreverent columns have been published in Senior Wire, Associated Content, Courier Post Online, NPR, Newsday, USA TODAY, the WSJ Online, and many other local news and radio websites. She is the author of Rosie’s Renegade Humor Blog. This is the blog for people who would be knowledgeable about current events and politics if only politicians and news anchors didn’t stretch the truth. “What else is there to do, but share an honest laugh?” Rose said. Rose regularly attends the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, is a member of the Robert Benchley Society and the National
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  • January 3, 2011
  • Author Interviews, Featured
  • Comments Off on Pump Up Your Book Chats with Urban Fiction Author Frank C. Matthews

Pump Up Your Book Chats with Urban Fiction Author Frank C. Matthews

Prodigious and profound author Frank C. Matthews’ triumphant transformation from inmate to novelist has established him as a leading force in the world of urban literature. Armed with his mastery of the written word, Matthews has achieved feats that are only reserved for the most seasoned of writers, selling an unprecedented amount of books as a first-time author and self-publisher. When it comes to putting the urban voice – the human voice – on the page, Matthews has no peer. His unprecedented journey demonstrates that even when confronted with a web of trials and tribulations, creativity has the ability to flourish. As a New York City native, Matthews grew
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Women Fiction Author David Richards

D.W. Richards is a member of the Canadian Authors Association and beyond being a novelist he is also a script-doctor and freelance writer. An excerpt from Pairs will appear in the October 2010 issue of the international literary PDF quarterly Cantarville as a standalone fiction piece. In addition to creative writing, D.W. Richards has a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Carleton University and is a Certified General Accountant. He divides his time between Venice, Italy and Ottawa, Canada. Visit his website at www.pairsthenovel.com or connect with him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DW_Richards. You can purchase a paperback copy of Pairs online by clicking here or order the Kindle edition by
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Gary Starta Author of God’s of the Machines

A former journalist with a BA in Journalistic Studies and English, Gary Starta writes urban fantasy, science fiction, mystery and paranormal-related genres. His most recent works are Gods of the Machines, a full length novel about androids, and his short story about artificial life Growing Pains, published as a contribution to the Thank You Death Robot anthology, was a finalist in this year’s Independent Publisher Book Awards. See all of Starta’s releases at his website: www.garystarta.net, and visit his blog at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1019793.Gary_Starta                              Check in with the fan page at Face Book:                              http://www.facebook.com/twitter/index.php#!/pages/Gary-Startas-Sci-Fi-Fan-Page/260028014432     Thank you for this interview, Gary.  Do you remember writing stories as a
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Mike O’Mary

Mike O’Mary is series editor of the Dream of Things anthologies including Saying Goodbye, an anthology of true stories about people saying goodbye to the people, places and things in our lives with grace, dignity and good humor.  He is founder of Dream of Things, a book publisher and online retailer. He is also author of The Note, a book about the power of appreciation, and Wise Men and Other Stories, a collection of holiday-related essays. For more information, visit www.goodbyebook.com. About Saying Goodbye Saying Goodbye is a collection of true stories about saying goodbye to the people, places and things in our lives. This is a powerful book
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Sparkle the Cat

Sparkle is an award-winning author, blogger, advice columnist and supermodel. She is also a cat – a ruddy Somali of champion lineage, in fact, whose father, GC Tajhara’s Miles Davis, was twice on the cover of Cat Fancy. Sparkle’s first book, Dear Sparkle: Advice from One Cat to Another, won the Wild Card category at the 2007 Hollywood Book Festival and honorable mentions in several other contests. She also recently came home with the Pettie Award — the pet blogging equivalent of an Oscar — for Best Cat Blog. Sparkle lives in Los Angeles with two humans, two feline roommates (both rescue cats), and (unfortunately) a dog. Dear Sparkle:
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Pump Up Chats with K.M. Daughters

Sisters, Pat Casiello and Kathie Clare write as K.M. Daughters.  Their penname is dedicated to the memory of their parents, Kay and Mickey, the “K” and “M” in K.M. Daughters.  All’s Fair In Love And Law is the fourth book in the author’s acclaimed Sullivan Boys Romantic Suspense Series.  K.M. Daughters writes romantic suspense for The Wild Rose Press, inspirational romance for White Rose Publishing and contemporary romance for Sapphire Blue Publishing.   Other books by K.M. Daughters include: Against Doctor’s Orders, Beyond the Code of Conduct, Capturing Karma, Past, Present and Forever, Jewel of the Adriatic,  and Rose of the Adriatic. Find K.M. Daughters online at  http://www.kmdaughters.com, http://www.facebook.com/kmdaughters, and
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Pump Up Chats with Nancy Carty Lepri

Nancy Carty Lepri, a North Carolina transplant, was born and raised in Massachusetts. She, along with husband, Art and daughter, Danielle, have also lived in FL and LA.  While in MA, Nancy worked as an editorial assistant for a publisher and continued her studies, earning an AA degree from Cape Cod Community College and a BA from Western New England College. In 2006, she became a certified editor through Cape Fear Community College in NC. Nancy freelanced writing for several local newspapers, local, national and international trade magazines, taught online writing and art courses, illustrated children’s books, and started four mainstream novels.  A senior editor for a national publisher, Nancy edited
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Nicole Weaver

Nicole Weaver is Haitian American.  She moved to the United States when she was ten years old.  She lived in Brooklyn, Queens and then upstate New York.  She attended the College of New Rochelle. She studied abroad and lived with a French family in Strasbourg France.  After graduating from college she worked at a junior college as a French and Spanish tutor.  Later she went to graduate school at Bankstreet College of education to obtain a degree in teaching.  She began her teaching career in Houston Texas as a French and Spanish high school teacher.  She currently lives in Littleton Colorado with her husband Steven and their three children. 
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  • December 9, 2010
  • Author Interviews
  • Comments Off on Pump Up Your Book Chats with Tom White Author of Justice Rules

Pump Up Your Book Chats with Tom White Author of Justice Rules

  Tom began his career as an actor, which lead to a degree from the United States International University School of Performing arts in San Diego. A Cum Laude graduate, Tom was also named to “Who’s Who In American Colleges and Universities. He immediately hit the road and spent several seasons touring across the country with various shows, working as an actor, tech director, stage manager, scenic designer, lighting designer, sound designer and finally a director. Several years later Tom found himself as an Artistic Director for a theatre in Los Angeles and the winner of several Drama-Logue and Critics awards for directing. As Tom’s career grew he ended
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Kathryn Casey

Kathryn Casey is an award-winning, Houston-based novelist and journalist, the creator of the Sarah Armstrong mystery series and the author of five highly acclaimed true crime books. SINGULARITY, the first in the Armstrong series, debuted in June to rave reviews. It was a Deadly Pleasures magazine Best First Novel of 2008 selection, was included on Vanity Fair’s Hot Type page, won stars from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and the Tampa Tribune said: “Not since Patricia Cornwell’s POSTMORTEM has a crime author crafted such a stellar series debut. Kathryn Casey hits the right notes.” The second in the series, BLOOD LINES (2009) was called a “strong sequel” by Publisher’s Weekly,
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with K.D. Hays & Meg Weidman

K.D. Hays and Meg Weidman are a mother-daughter team who aspire to be professional roller coaster riders and who can tell you exactly what not to put in your pockets when you ride El Toro at Six Flags. Meg is studying art in a middle school magnet program. For fun, she jumps on a precision jump rope team and reads anything not associated with school work. K.D. Hays, who writes historical fiction under the name Kate Dolan, has been writing professionally since 1992. She holds a law degree from the University of Richmond and consequently hopes that her children will pursue studies in more prestigious fields such as plumbing
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Shana Mahaffey

Shana  Mahaffey lives in San Francisco in an Edwardian compound that she shares with an informal cooperative of family, friends and five cats. She’s a survivor of Catechism and cat scratch fever, and is a member of the Sanchez Grotto Annex, a writers’ community. Her work has been published in SoMa Literary Review and Sunset Magazine.  She welcomes all visitors to her website www.shanamahaffey.com, and is happy to meet with book groups in-person or in cyberspace (phone/webcam/the works). Her latest book is Sounds Like Crazy. Q: Thank you for this interview, Shana. Can you tell us why you wrote your book? I have many thoughts that have lapped my
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Stephanie Vlahov

Stephanie Vlahov has her Masters Degree in Therapy/Counseling, in addition to a year of clinical internship in psychiatric settings. . However, her “day job” is that of corporate recruiter. She is married and has two sons-one of whom (Alex) was the impetus for the book “The Active Creative Child.” Now 21, he attends the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA ) after attending two years at UCLA in the theatre dept. Stephanie’s passion is writing and painting. Through years in community theatre and school involvement, she has drawn upon her well of professional insight and “gut level” parental intuition to draw up one conclusion: We are
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Vila Spider Hawk author of Hidden Passages

Thank you for this interview, Vila.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?   A: I have been writing since I could hold a crayon.  Even before I learned the English alphabet, I would write little stories.  I was always disappointed when no one else could read them.  When I finally learned the standard alphabet, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!  People could actually read my words!  Oh yes, I remember my first published poem.  I wrote it in French, and my teacher loved it so much that she submitted it to
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Shelly Frome

Shelly Frome is a Professor Emeritus of dramatic arts at the University of Connecticut. A former professional actor and theater director, his writing credits include a number of national and international articles on acting and theater, profiles of artists and notable figures in the arts, books on theater and film and mystery novels. His books include The Art and Craft of Screenwriting, Tinseltown Riff, Lilac Moon, The Actors Studio, Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Playwriting: A Complete Guide to Creating Theater and his most recent, The Twinning Murders. Q: Thank you for this interview, Shelly.  Can you tell us why you wrote your book, The Twinning Murders? A dramaturge
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Sheila Roberts

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Readers Digest Condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her novel Angel Lane was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009 and her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas is slated to be a Lifetime Channel movie presentation this December. When she’s not hanging out with her girlfriends or hitting the dance floor with her husband, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate. Her latest book is The Snow Globe. You can visit Sheila at her website (http://www.sheilasplace.com). You can also find her on Twitter
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Kristy Haile

Californian Kristy Haile earned an Associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene from Northeastern University in Boston and then worked as a hygienist in Massachusetts and California. She moved from her hometown of Turlock, CA to Los Angeles, where her two children became actors on TV (The Office, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives), movies (Chihuahua: The Movie) and in commercials. At age 4, son Ty came to believe he was Santa Claus. Haile kept a journal of the funny and unusual things her son said and did over the next two years, as well as of people’s reactions to his self-identification as the “new real Santa Claus.” That journal was the basis
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Let’s Talk Virtual Book Tours with Holiday Fiction Author Kristy Haile

Californian Kristy Haile earned an Associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene from Northeastern University in Boston and then worked as a hygienist in Massachusetts and California. She moved from her hometown of Turlock, CA to Los Angeles, where her two children became actors on TV (The Office, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives), movies (Chihuahua: The Movie) and in commercials. At age 4, son Ty came to believe he was Santa Claus. Haile kept a journal of the funny and unusual things her son said and did over the next two years, as well as of people’s reactions to his self-identification as the “new real Santa Claus.” That journal was the basis
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Shari Bookstaff

Shari Bookstaff grew up in Milwaukee, WI, dreaming of becoming a marine biologist. She made it to California and is currently a biology professor, teaching at a community college near San Francisco. While her specialty is marine mammals, she recently expanded her course offerings to include a class on the human brain. Inspired by her own medical trials, Shari continues to merge her personal and professional interests. Shari lives with her two children (and two dogs) in a small town just south of San Francisco, near the ocean. While her disabilities make life harder, she is determined to continue walking on the beach, attending concerts, and cheering at football
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with M.M. Bennetts

Educated at Boston University and St Andrews, M.M. Bennetts is a specialist in the economic, social and military history of Napoleonic Europe. The author is a keen cross-country and dressage rider, as well as an accomplished pianist, regularly performing music of the era as both a soloist and accompanist. Bennetts is a long-standing book critic for The Christian Science Monitor. The author is married and lives in England. Bennetts’ latest book is Of Honest Fame. You can visit the author’s website at www.mmbennetts.com. Q: Thank you for this interview, M.M. Can you tell us why you wrote your book? Well, I had begun Of Honest Fame and then set it
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Joel M. Andre

Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981. At a young age he was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry. Between the years of 1999 and 2007 Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection, Pray the Rain Never Ends. Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark tongue in cheek, A Death at the North Pole, created a dark world among the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately providing a tale
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Amanda Wolfe, author of “Beneath the Silver Lining Trilogy”

Amanda Wolfe was born in the mid 60’s. She matured at a very young age out of necessity, growing up in unusual circumstances. She has always been a happy go lucky, care free spirit with the amazing ability to smile even when things were tough. She is a very strong willed person. She has done everything from Waitress to owning her own restaurant and selling things from Mary Kay cosmetics to real estate. She is married to a wonderful man.They currently re-side in the great state of Texas with their horse. When she is not at home writing her next novel you will find them flying in their plane
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Lian Dolan, author of Helen of Pasadena

Lian Dolan is a novelist, writer, and talk show host. She writes and talks about her adventures in modern motherhood for her website and her weekly podcast, The Chaos Chronicle, which is currently being developed by Nickelodeon into a half-hour sitcom. She is also a weekly relationships columnist at oprah.com. In addition, Lian spent a decade hosting Satellite Sisters, an award-winning talk show that she created with her four real sisters. Previously published books include Satellite Sisters UnCommon Senses published in 2001. She lives in Pasadena, California with her husband and two sons. Her dream is to ride on a Rose Parade float. @helenofpasadena http://www.helenofpasadena.com http://www.chaoschronicles.com http://www.satellitesisters.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-of-Pasadena/103966149642707#!/pages/Helen-of-Pasadena/103966149642707  
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Mark Oetjens

Mark Oetjens was born in 1971. He grew up in suburban Chicago. As a child he was diagnosed with Dystonia, a debilitating neuromuscular disorder. Though there is no cure for Dystonia, surgeries and rehabilitation allowed him to walk with only a slight limp by the time he started high school. He received a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Anthropology, both from Northern Illinois University. As an adult a brain tumor, completely unrelated to his Dystonia, threatened to disable him a second time. Thanks to radiation therapy the tumor has disappeared.  Mark currently lives in Phoenix, AZ. Mark’s latest book is the science fiction novel, The Staff of
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Pump Up Chats with Mary Maddox – Author of Talion

Mary Maddox grew up in Utah and California. A graduate of Knox College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she now teaches at Eastern Illinois University. She lives in Charleston, Illinois with her husband, film scholar Joe Heumann. Her interests include dressage and tournament Scrabble. Mary’s short stories have appeared in a number of magazines including Farmer’s Market, Yellow Silk, and The Scream Online. Her writing has been honored with awards from the Illinois Arts Council. Talion, her debut novel, is available at Barnes and Noble online and at Amazon.com as a trade paperback and as a Kindle book. You can visit her at her Web site www.marymaddox.com,
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