Blog Archives
Ecuador Bursts With Brilliance
Stories from Ecuador provides readers with wonderful details about Ecuador and your time spent there. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Moving to Ecuador was life-changing. It was the biggest leap I’d taken at that point, and I sought to capture as much of my time abroad as possible. So I constantly wrote about my adventures in the country. I also composed the pieces almost immediately after they occurred—while everything was still fresh in my head. I didn’t want to lose perspective.
Upon returning to Minnesota, I read the vignettes to reflect on my year in South America. But as I scrolled through the pages, the concept of turning my collection of narratives into a book took shape. I went for it after discussing it with my dad. He was even the person who created the title.
“Stop overthinking it,” he insisted. “Call it ‘Stories from Ecuador’ and move on.”
When I committed to this undertaking, finishing it became more and more important to me. Not only did I wish to achieve the goal of writing a book—something I had never done—but I further wanted to tip my Twins cap to the individuals who enriched my experience along the way.
Is there one location in Ecuador that you highly recommend people visit?
Ecuador bursts with brilliance from the torrid flats flanking the Pacific coast to the lush rainforests dominating the eastern third of the Republic. Although my preference was to explore the tranquil municipalities tucked within its central mountain range, I highly recommend getting off the mainland. People must visit the Galapagos if they can afford the costliness of the archipelago. The exotic wildlife and vibrant colors on the islands are without equal, while the volcanic landscapes take tourists back to prehistoric times.
What is one thing you learned from your time in Cuenca?
I learned how to be a teacher. Aside from the 130-hour TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) workshop in Quito before my arrival in Cuenca, I had no classroom training. I’ll never forget how a teenager capped off one of my first classes at the Centro de Estudios Interamericanos.
“¡Por fin!” he yelled. Finally!
And I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t know how to conduct effective lessons during those early days, so I’m sure the 120 minutes ticked by sluggishly.
Yet after I got some sessions under my belt, I figured things out. I made a lot of mistakes and eventually learned from them. In fact, during my final teaching cycle, a dozen students treated me to dinner at a local restaurant to say thanks. Despite my growing pains in Cuenca, I developed several useful activities (especially group exercises), which I continue to carry out in my Spanish courses in the Twin Cities.
What do you hope is something that readers take away from your book?
I want my book to entertain readers and inspire them to visit Ecuador as well. The country left an enduring impression on me, and I hope the same happens to others.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
A Sense Of Transcendence
The Spiral of My Destiny continues the saga of Rosteval, where the characters are forming unusual alliances to stop the destruction of their world. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
For me, the most important thing was to continue Rosteval’s story in a way that would feel fresh and exciting while also building on everything I’d established in book one, The Altar of My Fate.
By the time I finished Altar, I knew I wanted Rosteval to confront some kind of threat that would be connected to the past history of his world, but I didn’t have any clear specifics in mind.
So, one thought that I had was to try to come up with my own take on the whole concept of the “dark lord.”
Now, many years ago I read Milton’s Paradise Lost, and as anyone who has read it can attest, the character of Satan, or Lucifer, steals the show in the very first scene. He’s a fascinating anti-heroic character, and he’s far, far more interesting and relatable than Milton’s portrayals of God the Father, Christ, or Adam and Eve.
My character Soltapyral thus grew out of my own fascination with the idea of the arch-evil appearing as an angel of light.
He’s an immortal, effectively a god, who is trying to take over the world by seducing people with conjurations, visions that show them immersive, individualized fantasy worlds of pleasure and desire into which they can escape permanently.
Of course, since I set up Rosteval and his wife Ghaitta as enemies of this being who is trying to end all wars, all conflicts, all cruelty and oppression and suffering, and who has the means to do so, I had to explore human nature, good and evil, and the meaning of life.
Many aspects of modern life more or less reflect Soltapyral’s mindset: the idea that individual comfort and consumption should be the telos, that is to say the meaning, the end-all and be-all, of human existence.
Essentially the whole edifice of modern civilization is built on this idea, but it’s a lie.
We moderns have more cheap calories, more drugs, and more entertainments and distractions than any other group of humans in the whole of world history… but are we happy, fulfilled, and contented for it?
If the satisfaction of individual appetites and the pursuit of individual comfort, self-esteem, and validation was the key to human fulfillment—what Aristotle calls eudaimonia, in essence “the good life”—we wouldn’t have skyrocketing rates of obesity, drug abuse (prescription and illegal), and depression, anxiety, loneliness, and deaths of despair.
The thing of it is, and this is another key theme in Spiral, human beings need meaning, purpose, and identity, and that means we need to struggle toward meaningful goals, cultivate meaningful relationships with others, and find a sense of transcendence, a sense of something higher than ourselves.
Let me step off my soapbox and close by acknowledging another source of inspiration for this story: my amazing, incredibly supportive fiancée. I really could not have written the central relationship in this story, namely Rosteval and his wife Ghaitta, without having experienced the life we are building and have built together.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the character’s personalities grow organically as you were writing?
I’m one of those people who writes with a mixture of the “architect” approach, which is heavy on outlining, and the “gardener” or “pantser” (as in “seat of my pants”) approach, which is all about seeing what happens as the story goes along.
What this means is that I created an outline with some story beats, and then started writing. I had a good grasp on Rosteval and Ghaitta since, after all, I had spent a whole book with them already, but some of the other characters surprised me.
A case in point is Kurjayak, a tribal chieftain who joined Rosteval in the first book. He’s a brave but ruthless warrior, and he has led his people on numerous raids against enemy tribes for the purpose of capturing slaves.
This is all very typical in this world. Kurjayak is not unusual in this regard among his people, and his people are not unusual among the other warring tribes and kingdoms of the world of the Rosteval Saga.
For that matter, there have been many times and places in our own world’s history in which Kurjayak would have fit in perfectly.
As I gave Kurjayak free rein to express himself, though, I found him expressing a view of life defined by responsibility, struggle, and achievement.
His warrior culture is preoccupied with courage, action, and a keen sense of personal honor that must be ruthlessly defended.
And in many ways, Kurjayak embodies those values and uses them to affirm his own life. I’ll say this: he was a lot of fun to write.
I also had to think about how Rosteval’s own mentality had shifted, or would shift, in this book.
He spends essentially the whole of Altar attempting to gain things: status, power, slave-girls, a place for his people.
There’s a certain mentality you need if you’re going to undertake an adventure like that, and a somewhat different mentality you need if you’re married and planning to defend your position of power.
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?
This is a challenging question to answer because in truth, I spent years working on Rosteval’s world, but I added things with this new book and am adding even more things with the one I’m working on now.
Basically, it took me three tries from 2013 to 2018 to come up with a complete draft of Altar, and I did a lot of worldbuilding during that period.
Then I set the whole thing aside until my now-fiancée talked me into picking it back up, which I did in 2020 during the pandemic. I did a lot more worldbuilding in 2020 and 2021, and the process continues today with the book I’m working on now (about which more below).
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on Book Three, the working title being The Third Way of My God.
My goal right now is to complete it and publish it before my fiancée and I get married in early August, but we’ll see: I may need more time due to the size and complexity of this story.
Also, if any of my readers want to stay in touch, right now the best place to do it is my Facebook page. And please feel free to reach out, whether on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or through the website!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
An enemy god ascends…
Ancient immortals scheme…
Who can they trust?
Rosteval faces a new peril: an old rival has unleashed an ancient immortal, a being who is now ascending to godhood.
A vanquished foe offers a questionable alliance, and a connection with otherworldly beings who may be able to help… but at what price?
Even as dangers mount from every quarter, Rosteval and Ghaitta embark on a journey to gain powers, win allies, and master a conflict between entities who see them as pawns.
Dangerous foes, revelations from the past, questionable allies, intrigue, suspense, and passion all abound in The Spiral of My Destiny, sequel to The Altar of My Fate. Get it now.
A Desert Thriller
Restitution follows Sean as he’s dropped in the desert and must fight to stay alive against a bloodthirsty group of men. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I’d been wanting to write a desert thriller for some time. One of the first novels I really got into, way back in junior high, was “Deathwatch” by Robb White. It’s a great young-adult desert survival story that pits one man against another in sort of a hunter versus prey scenario. I enjoyed its grittiness, and the situational desperation surrounding the plot. I decided to finally go ahead and try my hand at the sub-genre, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
I chose the Nevada desert for a reason more specific to my Sean Coleman Thriller series. Ten years ago, when I was working on the first book in the series, “From a Dead Sleep”, I planted a lot of story seeds between different characters, in different parts of the country… including Las Vegas. I had originally planned to come back to them all by the end of the book, but eventually realized that if I went that route, the book would end up over 800 pages long. Instead, I’ve revisited each of these side-stories very slowly over subsequent books in the series, while maintaining a standalone premise for each thriller. In other words, there’s some underlying continuity for longtime Sean Coleman fans, but readers new to the series can pick up any book in it, and enjoy and understand it, without having read the earlier books.
Sean Coleman is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Thank you. I’ve known a few people throughout my life who I would describe as being their own worst enemies. They’re good people for sure, and in many ways loyal and even reliable, but they’ve made some really bad personal decisions for which they’ve paid a price. That’s how I see Sean Coleman.
The series begins at a very low point in Sean’s life. He’s a pariah in his small mountain hometown — a drunk who can barely hold a job. But he wants to be a better person, and in an odd way, the perilous situations he faces throughout the series actually serve as footholds, of sorts, to — with a lot of hard work — bring him closer and closer to becoming that person. There’s definitely a big perseverance angle when it comes to Sean Coleman.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
An underlying theme of the entire series is redemption. It’s a concept I’m a big believer in, and it very much carries over into “Restitution.” In fact, Sean’s chosen path to seeking forgiveness for his past wrong-doings is a large part of the story’s premise. The importance of friendship is also a key theme in the book. Sean started out the series as a loner, and part of his development and growth has come from the strength and importance of relationships.
This is book five in your Sean Coleman Thriller series. What can readers expect in book six?
Book six is in its very early stages, but I can tell you that the story will be much simpler and smaller in scope than “Restitution.” Restitution is a pretty good-sized book with several characters and moving parts. The next one will be pretty tightly knit, and perhaps more of a mystery-thriller than an action-thriller. I think readers are going to enjoy it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Life’s gotten better for hard-edged security guard, Sean Coleman. With personal affairs in order and relationships rekindled, he travels to Las Vegas to help celebrate his buddy’s last days as a bachelor. Soon after he arrives, however, a twist of fate spawns a reunion with an old flame.
Curiosity and a desire to make amends unexpectedly lead Sean down a dark path into the Vegas underground, where another face from the past emerges—a federal fugitive whose family, years earlier, altered the course of Sean’s life.
A harrowing escape drops Sean in the barren wasteland of a Nevada desert, miles away from the glitz and glamor of Sin City. There, he must fight to stay alive against a well-armed group of men whose bloodlust and greed won’t stop them from getting what they’re after.
“You deserve all you can get.”
The Future Survival Guide discusses how Christianity can help bring you peace and forgiveness after surviving abuse and coping with the memories that remain. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wrote this book because so many are fledgling after years of adulthood, held down by past events, or outright ignorance not because of laziness but rather having trusted wrong, and they are still punishing themselves for it instead of assessing it and casting it aside in order to be free. I believe if I reach a decent percentage of readers they will share “The Future Survival Guide” with others.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
Being a plain, overweight child, I entered adulthood with a range of insecurities. I did look a lot better as an adult, but psychologically I was still that plain unpopular girl. When I was 22, I was offered a job that paid more than I ever thought I’d be making, and the first words out of my mouth was “I don’t deserve that much.” Interestingly, that was my mindset, but his reply still resonates to this day. It’s been years so I don’t remember his name, but I do remember the hard look he gave me when he said, “You deserve all you can get.”
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
That my book is God inspired and it was put on my heart to write for them. What I’ve observed and learned over the years is in those pages. So it is from His wisdom, and my strength arrived from the same, that I trust all who reads “The Future Survival Guide” will personalize whatever touches them in those pages.
Author Links: Amazon | Website
Reading The Accounts Of Suffering
White Knuckle shares your experiences with grief, loss and abandonment through impassioned and raw poetry. Why was this an important collection for you to publish?
Initially, I never intended to publish White Knuckle. The manuscript came as a result of the final dissertation for my Master’s Degree. It wasn’t until I decided to start a small press that some of the poems saw the light of day. I printed ten of them in a handmade chapbook and placed copies in my local bookstores. After that, I thought no more of it.
A few months later, I was sitting in a café in Warsaw when I received a heartfelt email from a girl who’d read my work. She said she’d suffered similar experiences and found solace in knowing that she wasn’t alone.
That’s when I knew the full collection was worth publishing. And since its release, I’ve received a lot of similar emails and messages.
I believe that by reading the accounts of suffering, we get a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.
My favorite poem from the collection is Black Dog. Do you have a favorite poem from the book?
I wouldn’t say that I have a favourite. However, one that sticks out for me is Sleep. Although, I’m not quite sure why. The piece originally contained over fifty places where I’d slept. But for brevity’s sake, I cut it down to fourteen.
And if I may offer a parenthesis to your favourite poem in the collection, the black dog is a metaphor for depression.
I first discovered the term when reading about Winston Churchill, but it also has interesting roots in classical mythology and medieval folklore.
What inspires you to write poetry?
On a personal level, poetry is paramount for meditation and catharsis. It’s my preferred method of coping and analyzing the internal, an exercise of introspection.
To speak broadly, I find inspiration in paintings, people, landscapes, music, literature, the follies and triumphs of society.
If you care to look, poetry is everywhere.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
To answer that, I’d like to quote one of my favourite authors:
“Trust time; it usually provides a sweet way out of many bitter challenges.” – Miguel de Cervantes.
Author Links: Website | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Bruce’s debut poetry collection, an autobiographical report on the reality of life in a poverty-stricken, drug and violence-fuelled environment, is a gut-wrenching composition of grief, loss, and abandonment at an early age.
This powerful book is brutal, tragic, and moving: an essential read.
Begin Leading An Even Happier Life
Oliver and the Wishing Star follows a young boy who becomes a dog but finds that it’s not what he thought it would be and learns to appreciate his life. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Growing up, we always had a lot of animals. I often thought to myself how animals have the good life, especially our dogs. As a former preschool teacher and having spent a couple decades working in Children’s Ministry, I found the topic frequently talked about amongst children. The thing is, everyone’s life has both the good and the bad, and we should be grateful for who we are and what we have. And that’s the inspiration behind my story.
I loved the art in this book. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Chrish Vindhy?
Working with Chrish Vindhy was a wonderful experience, and we’ve become good friends ever since. In the beginning, she asked me for my manuscript and what the breeds of the dogs in the story were, and within two weeks she got back to me with her sample illustrations, and I was smitten. She captured my vision perfectly. Except for the cover, I let Chrish have complete artistic freedom in creating the entire book in black and white sketches. With only a few changes, I approved them. After that she enhanced everything with color, and with a few minor color changes we were good to go, and I handed it over to my graphic designer, Tia Perkin, to work her magic. Good relationships are vital when creating. I could honestly say that Chrish was ideal to work with, and I look forward to working with her again in the future. And highly recommend her as an illustrator.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope everyone who reads my book or listens to it is left feeling more grateful and appreciative of who they are and what they have—and begin leading an even happier life—and also shares what they’ve learned and experienced with others.
Do you have plans to write more children’s books featuring Oliver?
I certainly do! “Cooper’s Wish” is in the works. Where Oliver’s dog thinks that kids have the good life and wishes upon a star and becomes a boy. I’ve also started another as well. I didn’t plan for it to be a series, but my imagination is running wild regarding numerous story ideas.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
FAMILY CHOICE AWARD WINNER
FIRST PLACE ROYAL DRAGONFLY BOOK AWARD WINNER
5-STAR READERS’ FAVORITE
AS SEEN ON – ABC 4 “GOOD THINGS UTAH”
KIRKUS REVIEWS MAGAZINE – MARCH 15 2022 ISSUE
STORY MONSTERS INK MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE
HAVE YOU EVER WISHED UPON A STAR? What did you wish for? In this unforgettable story, Oliver thinks dogs have the good life until one evening when he sees a falling star, makes a wish to become a dog…and that wish magically comes true! At first, he’s on Cloud 9, but soon things take an unexpected turn, and Oliver begins to miss the old life he once had. Will Oliver ever make it home, or is he destined to remain a dog forever?
This book is destined to become a CLASSIC and a FAVORITE your child will ask you to read over and over again! Filled with laugh out loud humor, and moments that will touch your heart. Sure to become a book you and your whole family will treasure and enjoy time and time again!
Inspired Me To Tell A Story
Valley Fliers follows a young man who loves remote control aviation but a newcomer threatens to ruin everything with a possible terrorist act. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I live in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Los Angeles and there is a remote-control (rc) miniature airfield not far from me. I would ride my bicycle past this airfield and watch very talented rc pilots engage in riveting dogfights and aerobatics. I spoke with some of the pilots and it inspired me to tell a story set around an airfield like this one.
Jay Smalley feels like an authentic character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I am always interested in the underdog and people who see things that others miss to a point where they are ridiculed because their views are different — I am also a big fan of Hitchcock and the film “Rear Window.” There is a little bit of that Jimmy Stewart character in Jay.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted to explore themes of privacy – and how drones can invade privacy. I also wanted to touch on how drone warfare has changed the proverbial battlefield of yore. But also the theme of growing up and taking it upon yourself to save the day if needed.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on a book that partners an LAPD cop with an insect expert from the US Department of Fish and Wildlife as they investigate a suspicious death.
I hope to have it available at the end of this year or early next year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
Jay rallies his skeptical fellow Valley Fliersto surveil the suspect in a move that puts everything he cares about at risk: his scholarship to flight school, his budding romance with Cassie, a fellow remote flier, and his relationship with Kent, the father figure who manages the tiny airfield like it’s Edwards Air Force Base. Is Jay deluded or is he the only chance to stop an act of terrorism that will put hundreds if not thousands of lives in jeopardy?
*Literary Titan Book Award Winner
A Widespread Horrendous Crime
Human Collateral follows a P.I. who is tasked with finding a girl that’s gone missing at the hands of a loan shark who uses organs as collateral. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Human trafficking is and has been historically a widespread horrendous crime. I wanted to shed light on it but using a form not often talked about. Because it is also a little more sophisticated crime, requiring a multi-tiered syndicate, it offered a lot of out of the ordinary investigating.
Miles Darien is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Since he is a forensic scientist not merely a traditional “gum-shoe”, it allows him to be more analytical in his approach to crime solving. I also liked the idea of portraying a gay character in a positive light. The New Yorker transplanted into a small Wisconsin town added another layer to who he had become.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Human trafficking as I’ve said. Friendship, both old and newly acquired. And, of course, good versus evil. Oh, and the power of observation, and science in crime solving.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m about 25% into my third book, and it should be out sometime next year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Private Detective, Miles Darien, is hired by Cora Sims to find her missing daughter Olivia, who has been living alone in Chicago.
Miles enlists his best friend, investigative journalist, Ryan Duffy to assist in the search. Mrs. Sims has no idea where her daughter works or how she makes a living. First, they must uncover the clues which will lead them to her workplace, hoping to connect with someone who can take them to Olivia.
They eventually succeed in uncovering her workplace and who she is staying with. When they find Olivia, she’s barely alive as a result of an infection after having a kidney surgically removed. Turns out the kidney was payment for an illegal loan given by criminals who prey on people in dire financial trouble by forcing them to use their bodies as collateral.
Olivia can’t seek medical care or go to the police because the criminals have threatened to kill her if she does. Miles and Ryan must bring down the criminals to keep them from silencing Olivia.
They join forces with the FBI to look for the syndicate behind these loans. The syndicate is also hunting them down to erase any trail that would lead back to them. Who will erase who first?
LITERARY TITAN 