Blog Archives
My Soul Calls For Me To Write Poetry
Thy Paintbrush to Abstracting Images is a collection of imaginative poetry that provides compelling commentary on life. Why was this an important collection for you to publish?
I feel this collection of poetry
Is an blueprint based on commentary life.
What inspires you to write poetry?
My soul calls for me to write poetry
I feel my heart has something important
To say when i get that urge to express
Myself.
My favorite poem from the collection is ‘Dedication’. Do you have a favorite poem from this collection?
I feel each poem resonates with me
In favorable ways for many different reasons.
Do you have plans to publish more works of poetry?
Yes, I am actually working on
My 52nd book right now
I just so in love with poetry
It will always be apart of me.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
True Inspiration is a Mystery
The Claviger follows a unique group of beings that hold the knowledge and evolutionary traits to save the earth. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
True inspiration is a mystery to me. Who really knows where it comes from? With this script I did try to make it seem as though the reader was watching a feature length film. Although, I don’t really know where that came from either…
I enjoyed the unique characters in your story. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
The characters in this script just showed up as I was writing the book, more like the book was writing itself. They just morphed into the storyline as it evolved. I tried to make them believable as a way to draw in the reader.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The main theme in this novel is that all life is precious.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next script FORCE QUIT is being finalized. It’s a story of four Heyoka empath foster kids and their mysterious sigma male guardian. It’ll be published sometime in the fall of 2021 or sooner.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
For the Good of Humanity
Phoenix: Field Of Mars follows a young woman seeking to advance her P.R. career when she gets caught up in a special ops’ mission that takes her back to Ancient Rome. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration for my Phoenix trilogy happened while I taught high school. I noticed that my students were reading lots of fantasy books with no educational value, in my opinion. It seemed they were completely unaware of the world around them. I wanted them and adults to know about the Middle East, all the different human faiths that began across the ocean and from the beginning of civilization, and teach them history in an entertaining way. The time travel element was always a given because I always loved books about time travel. Therefore, I combined the genre I loved with romance, action, suspense, and tidbits of learning opportunities along the way.
I thought your characters were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I really enjoy when authors use the whole ‘fish out of water’ scenario for their protagonists. It gives the reader a chance to not only question how they would handle the tough situation the characters are in, but it also helps the reader connect more closely to the characters. We cheer on the characters that push through the hardest situations and come out victorious in the end because they persevered. However, I knew that I needed my readers to know the characters in a way that wasn’t artificial.
Kyla was a typical business woman who was used to accolades and having her opinions appreciated but then she’s thrown into a time when women were not treated fairly and were better seen than heard.
The special ops guys were seasoned in missions with advanced technology and sometimes, not always, they were used to going on missions that had a lot of intel guiding them. However, when they landed in Ancient Rome, they were flying blind and just going off of small bits of information about their target. It made it really hard because their target ended up not traveling where they were told he would be. Without GPS, informants, etc., the special ops guys really had to rely on their instincts and their training of interrogating natives to get an idea of where the threat was traveling to. In reality, that is some tough stuff and without some kind of otherworldly help, it would be almost impossible.
Also, I knew when I set out to write the contracted special ops team, I wanted them to be from all different countries. Not only because of their expertise and language acquisitions, but also to help show my readers different cultures and faiths and how they will work together for the good of humanity.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Ever since the beginning of time, humans were notorious for wanting more and more, especially when it came to resources. My story is not just a story of action, history, suspense, wars, but also a story of HOPE. In my opinion, if we were all left to our own devices, the world would have ended by now. There is a reason we haven’t destroyed ourselves yet. So for.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book is Phoenix 4: The Cerberus Chronicles, but I won’t give too much away. Let’s just say that once time travel is invented, it’s like Pandora’s Box. In truth, it’s pretty scary if we don’t have HOPE.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Twenty-eight-year-old, Kyla Marshall, has desires of advancing her career in public relations at all costs… Until she ends up stumbling in on a special ops’ mission that takes her from her client’s lab in the year 2017 to 8 A.D. Ancient Rome. After learning her new reality, she discovers that the team’s mission is to stop a biochemical scientist from unleashing a deadly virus on the unsuspecting 1st Century people in order to change history.
As Kyla encounters hostility and strife on her journey, she is surprisingly protected by the team’s leader, Capt. Christopher Eriksen. Even though Eriksen has many internal struggles from what he’s seen and done, he inspires her to trust in something bigger than herself. But as Kyla and the team race to stop the impending genocide, Kyla’s biggest fear is no longer the known threat. It is the not knowing if she will ever be able to get back home.
An Out of the Box Thinker
Rogue Moon Dreamer follows a renegade who’s navigating a carefully chosen life path because of what he knows about the future due to a lucid dreaming technique. This is a fictitious narrative based on true events. What events inspired this book?
This script was inspired in part from an experience that I had while I was on a climb and base jump in Montana. I met some old timer pot farmers from Humboldt County who were camping in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. We sat around a smokey campfire and shared an engaging all night conversation after the jump.
Ryker is an intriguing character that I enjoyed watching develop throughout the book. What were some sources that informed his character development?
The character Ryker is a blend of three people that I know. One is a wingsuit pilot, one is a medical cannabis researcher and the other is an off the grid astronomer and an out of the box thinker.
This book was thoughtful and seemed high in social commentary. Was this intentional or incidental to telling the story you wanted to tell?
The weaving of social commentary for the purpose of engaging the thoughtful reader is intentional in all of my scripts.
What were some things you learned as a writer while writing this book?
What I learned from writing ROGUE MOON DREAMER, my second effort, was that I could write a better book. And I believe that I did with my third script, THE CLAVIGER. And the next script, FORCE QUIT will be even better.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
A Character’s Morals or Vices
The Spark of Wrath continues the Cader family saga and the murder, lies, greed, and adultery, that comes with them. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that were different from book one?
As the saga continues, I wanted to concentrate on Jay’s younger son, Darrell, along with introducing some other characters into the saga. Like life in reality, the way people react to people along with circumstances they bring or cause, only add to the main characters of a story. I want the reader to feel like they themselves know each character to the point they begin assuming what will happen because of their connection to them. It adds to the excitement and mystery when things look one way but end up something totally unexpected.
The characters in your story continue to be fascinating and realistic.
What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that were different from book one?
When building characters in a saga, I believe it’s a bit different than a normal series or one-off novel. People who read this type of story, I believe want to go deep into the character’s mind. I wanted to introduce characters that brought new problems to the Caders and their acquaintances that have evolved throughout the story. Greed, sex, and power are some main reasons for people to either fight the urges to succumb or make the choices that have serious repercussions. Both physically and mentally. I love setting up challenges to a character’s morals or vices and then try to throw something unexpected to challenge the way the reader feels about them. In a thriller, my point is to lead the reader to one way of thinking, and twist their thoughts into another when the reaction wasn’t what they were certain it would be. Help them either like a character and then give them a reason to dislike them, or vice-versa.
What were some challenges you set for yourself as a writher with this book?
Honestly, I wanted to introduce the reader to situations or types of people that most of us never really know exist on a personal level. The effects those temptations can have on a neighbor or even someone they may know or work with, but be clueless of what that person keeps hidden from sight. I love surprise. I love reading it and I absolutely love when I can catch the reader off guard. The challenge I set myself up to, was to be able to keep pulling those twists consistently enough to force the reader to fall in love with the whole concept of choices and how they effect people or characters.
This is book two in The Mason Jar Series. What can readers expect in book three?
Definitely, more challenging twists and new characters as the story evolves. As long as the readers are enjoying it and the ideas keep from growing redundant, I intend to keep this series alive and exciting for the readers. I think I enjoy writing this more than the reader does reading. The late hours spent in this world as I write and then getting up early to dive back in, tells me there is something going on that is enticing in the Cader world down in a little town called Apalachicola, Fl. My only fear is that the next time I visit Apalachicola, they may ask me not to come back! I have painted it as a town with lots of dirty secrets back in the eighties!
I can say I’ve written four in the series so far and am about to release book three-The Glass House, hopefully in the end of June this year. My brilliant narrator, Paul J McSorley will have that manuscript in hand first of June to do his magic in adding a really totally different dimension to the books. He has signed on to produce them as long as I keep writing them! That thought alone keeps my brain wanting to continue dreaming up new and better sub-plots. If you have never listened to an Audible book, I suggest giving it a try. It really is totally different than reading a book. I enjoy both, but when I travel on the road, you can bet I’m listening to good exciting audio.
Author Links: Facebook | Amazon
Could the new girl in school draw his internal attention away from his past and lead him down a different path? Or was the Cader family and those who surrounded them bound for more dysfunction and tragedy?
Climb aboard and be whisked back to a small Florida coastal town in the early eighties and see how Franklin County Florida as straight, flat, and open as it can be, can lead people on the most twisted and crooked path possible. Murder, lies, greed, adultery, and spiritual deception. The road t’s and as easy as the choices to make appears…the wrong turn is usually taken.
The Mason jar form of justice from book one-The Judgment Game…continues on.
Into a Dystopian Universe
Fallen Gods follows a young man that suddenly discovers he has powers and sets out on journey that reveals much more about himself and the world then he had imagined. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I began writing this story, albeit it very differently at the time, as a teenager in school. I actually had a tough time in school, was bullied quite badly, but at the same time I didn’t want to just give up. Instead I focused on my fantasies, essentially what if? Over the years, my ideas developed but I didn’t really have the drive I needed to write the book properly. Then I told the story to my wife and she pushed me to get it done.
The idea of the witches was inspired by a group of girls I knew at school. They were essentially “IT” girls, not bullies of other girls, but they were the ones who every girl wanted to be. Completely by chance, my older brother was friends with the brother of one of the girls, and for some reason, that meant that I became a friend to the girls. It felt special to me and really put me in a different place; but then the more I got to know them personally, the more I felt that they were not the nicest people to be around.
Adam is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind his character’s development?
That comes from my experiences growing up on the Isle of Man, and then being forced to move to Lincolnshire, which was hell on Earth for me. I was always an emotional person but after my set of misfortunes over the years, I grew a thick-skin, which led into the position I am in today at work, done all through determination and fight. I wanted Adam to go through the same thing, just much faster, obviously. I wanted to character to actually be a beacon for all those who struggle to recognise their own potential, to be able to understand that we are all capable of more, to beat our demons; we just need time and support. But it’s okay to be emotional. It’s okay to cry and get scared.
The psychology of the main characters is extremely important for me, because this is essentially the introductory book to a string of follow-ups. It will lead into a dystopian universe which will twist a little bit. I know one of my concerns were on the character development at the beginning, that I did not develop the connection to the characters until later in the book, and for some that maybe a problem, but it’s important to understand that none of the characters have fully developed into what they will become, and we still do not know if what happened throughout the book was the correct thing for the world.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but for me religion has always played a negative element in my life. It never had good experiences with religion and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth. As an atheist, I wanted to provide an alternative angle to religion, to allow us to question why Abrahamic religions play so heavily on the idea of masculinity, and why women were second class in the bible etc. What if all of this was a cover for something much deeper and darker?
I also wanted to address the idea of gender and sexuality. If we were to look at the world as the witches did, then there is a fluidity to their sexuality, but their own take on religion takes away the idea of multiple genders. In some ways, we could suggest that the fight against the witches could be mistakenly viewed as misogyny, right up until you realise that the witches care less about women and men but really their own selfish gains.
Finally, there are hints in the book of Adam’s sexuality too, but given how confused he is by his own situation, I did not want to address it too deeply. Really, I wanted to leave it to the reader for them to make their own judgment of who or what Adam really is.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m actually working on the next books for the Fallen Gods series. One will be the direct sequel, taking place a decade and a half after the events in Fallen Gods, and will be a decidedly darker and longer novel than the first. Then the other is a shorter novella that I will be giving away online free, and will be about a different character not in the first book, and will be a join between book 1 and 2, but can also be read as a standalone novella; in other words, the idea is that you can read the novella and then go and read the first or second book and still know what is going on.
I also have a couple of other ideas in the works, but they are in the skeleton phase right now. One is about a part-time government assassin who accidentally kicks off a revolution. Another is a dark thriller about husband who discovers a dark secret about his Czech wife and her childhood at time when she escaped from communist Czechoslovakia.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
In 1984, eight year old Adam and his friends discover an abandoned car near a large creepy work shed. Kids being kids, they decide to search, only to find the car belongs to a missing MI5 agent named Hendley. In the car, Adam finds an old leather-bound book written in a language, the likes of which he had never seen before; whilst Adam’s friend Ian enters the shed, only to suddenly vanish, never to be seen again.
All of this kicks off events which will change Adam’s life forever. On his eighteenth birthday, everything changes in an instant. Suddenly, he is strong, powerful, and can do things which should have been impossible.
Determined to understand who, or what he is, Adam begins to investigate, discovering an alien race of women, trapped on Earth for millennia, known as Witches, who shaped modern-day religion. He also discovers that the MI5 agent’s wife, Carol, is not who she appears.
Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, surrounded by his best friends, Adam travels across Europe, visiting historical sites and investigating Greek mythology, to find out why he has powers. Joining them are four beautiful girls; girls the boys never dreamed of talking to before. But these are no ordinary girls; rather they are witches who may not have Adam’s best interests at heart. Adam soon discovers that not all is as it seems, and their journey will not be a fun-filled relaxing adventure, but rather a trail of death and destruction, leading to the revelation that the world is in grave danger and Adam may be the only person capable of saving humanity.
Standing in the way will be the witches and the threat of a bounty hunter goddess named Venus. What begins as an epic adventure amongst friends, descends into a battle of epic proportions, and a race against time to stop an evil goddess from restoring her powers and destroying the Earth once and for all.
Adam has to grow from weak wimpy kid, to confident, strong adult; and fast. In order to do that, he needs to discover who he is and why, and he may not like the answer. The truth could ruin him. Getting the answer may kill him, and everyone he holds close. One thing is for certain, the world will never be the same again.
To Their Inimitable Path
What were challenges you set for yourself as a writer while writing A River to the Ocean?
This script was my first attempt at writing a novel so the challenges that I set were many. I would say that keeping the story flowing and interesting was the greatest challenge.
What were some ideas that were important for you to delve into in this novel?
The most important idea that I tried to get across in this script had to do with what people will go through for the sake of love, discovery and commitment to their inimitable path.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
The one thing that I’d like to see readers take away from this script is a positive impact from contemplating the subject matter.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
Beauty in the Darkness
 |  |
Blooming in the Dark is a collection of emotionally charged and expressive poetry that explores love, friendship, identity and healing. What inspires you to write poetry?
Jennifer: Inspiration comes to me from a little bit of everything: music, movies, other books, conversations with friends and family, personal experiences, past traumas, as well as other forms of art. I like writing things that can connect with people on a deep level and draw out emotions from readers to create a meaningful experience for them.
Kirsten: The expression of ideas and the goal to connect with the reader in a powerful way. With poetry, you have to be so careful with your word choices to make the most impact. It’s not like a novel where you have paragraphs and paragraphs to get the point across. Poetry requires instant impact and that’s an interesting challenge for a creative mind.
What was the writing collaboration process like with author Kirsten McNeill?
Jennifer: Working with Kirsten was such a great experience and I don’t think this project could have come out any better than it did because her and I think so much alike in terms of the theme for this book. She’s very easy to work with and it made getting to the finish line that much more exciting. When I ran out of things to write she was there to help me get some inspiration back or to help keep the flow going. We were essentially each other’s accountability partners as well as sounding boards and I think that was one thing that contributed to how well this poetry collection came together.
What was the writing collaboration process like with author Jennifer LeBlanc?
Kirsten: Reading the completed product of our book, sometimes I couldn’t remember which poem was written by me and which was Jennifer. We have a similar style and we were very clear on the goals and themes we wanted to include in the book. It was fun to collaborate and share ideas on what did or didn’t work in a poem. We’re both talented writers and being able to combine our skills and experience helped us create something incredible for readers. It helps working with someone who can align so well with your thoughts and writing style!
What themes do you find your poetry often drifts towards?
Jennifer: A lot of things I write tend to stem from past or personal experiences with love, family or trauma, but occasionally I get inspired by instances I simply observe and am completely outside of. I like exploring deep emotion and trying to bring that out in others. More often than not I write what I feel, but there are instances that I don’t and I try to explore new ways to put certain thoughts into poetry. It’s almost like telling a story and whether it relates to me or not I always lean towards thinking there might be someone out there who could relate to it and connect with it no matter what it is.
Kirsten: I love exploring the darkness in people. The struggles they go through that aren’t always on display for the world. It tends to be a “taboo” to talk about your dark thoughts or the negativity. We’re meant to put on a pretty smile and go about our day. Exploring the darkness helps me find a way to see the good, to connect with others who may be going through the same thing. To let readers know that whatever they are feeling is valid whether in love, friendship, or life in general. It’s all about the balance of light and dark.
Did you write these poems slowly over time or did you write them specifically for this collection?
Jennifer: Some of the poems I contributed to this project were extra ones that didn’t make it into my previous poetry collection Paper Heart. The rest were all written just for this book. The theme really inspired us to dive deep into what being human means. Both the good and the bad and how no matter what darkness you face, you can always find a way to rise within it and become stronger from your darkest days.
Kirsten: All the poems were specifically meant for this collection. We had the title Blooming in the Dark as our inspiration to show the journey of our struggles and how we can find our way to the light. There were a handful of poems that didn’t make it in because they didn’t quite fit, but we may use those for other poetry collections.
Jennifer LeBlanc Author Links: Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Website
Kirsten McNeill Author Links: Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | Website
LITERARY TITAN 