Blog Archives
Time Lapses Differently In Prison
The Forever Young Prisoner follows a curious inmate who tries to uncover a hidden mystery of a prisoner that does not age. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Locked up for over 2 years in Colorado penitentiaries, I deemed it on par to an obligation, as an aspiring writer, to write a novel or short story set in the unique setting which is prison. Time lapses differently in prison. Six months may pass, a year, or five years, but the same white walls, orange scrubs, and iron bars remain ever the same. In prison, “time” is a subject on everyone’s mind: time left to parole, time down, length of sentence. But in the moment, in everyday life, it is an abstract thing. There are no deadlines, no workweek, no foreseeable future, no change. Prison. Time. Suddenly, I had the premise for a story.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
They can indeed be the same. They were certainly for me, while writing The Forever Young Prisoner. With only a sketchy outline of a basic plot, I just wrote. Usually, the shocking plot twists popped into my head no earlier than one or two chapters in advance of their place in the novel. Inspiration is sometimes a funny thing. The deeper I advanced into the novel, the more familiar the characters and setting became. With that familiarity came a wellspring of potential plot-lines. As the characters came to life, so did their stories. Sometimes, plot just happens.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Impulsiveness can be a problem for anyone, but tends to be a big problem for the incarcerated. Goal setting, looking at the big picture, and maintaining a vision, are things convicts often tend to struggle with. Prison helps along those lines because it provides a framework of constancy. Henry Heck, The Forever Young Prisoner, had a vision, which every day over the course of his 100 years behind bars he repeated, out loud. Our words, what we say, has incredible impact on who we are and where ourlives end up. That’s the theme of the story: the power of words.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve titled it Fairy Tale Girl. It’s about a flighty, fair-haired young woman who inhabits a house on federal lands in the middle of nowhere, central Missouri. Living all alone, she is never quite that, as she hosts and harbors the wayfaring spirits of the dead. An escaped convict finds his way to her remote residence. Raised on fairy tales and ghost stories, and naive to the point of otherworldliness, she harbors him, too. His first-person narrative recounts the discoveries and adventures he shares with his gracious and mysterious host. The novel should be available sometime in 2024.
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Unless the Guardians of the Mysteries of the Clock have the final say.
Henry Heck is the mysterious prisoner locked away in the depths of Providence State Penitentiary since the Great War for crimes unknown. Rumors suggest he hasn’t aged a day.
Tommy McConnell, inmate #176543, a rollicking, dumpster-diving addict with nothing to lose except his own self doubts, sets out to investigate the Legend of the Forever Young Prisoner. He will require the assistance of both the living and the dead.
A cellmate introduces Tommy to the paranormal. Vivid dreams, synchronicities, and ghosts ensue.
Tommy’s behind-the-walls investigation into the top-secret, mystical tale of the Forever Young Prisoner will present challenges even more harrowing and high stakes than prison life itself. Will Tommy find his man, become a better one himself, and live to share the fathomless secret of Henry’s agelessness with the world at large? Or will the devious and ever defiant Guardians prevail?
A Cathartic Writing Experience
Hidden Shadow follows a down-on-her-luck psychologist who inherits a haunted speakeasy and unravels family secrets and uncovers the legend of the Blue Owl while navigating a web of deception and self-discovery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The initial idea for the story was sparked by a dream I had in the middle of the night about ten years ago. I woke up from a nightmare with an eerie feeling and an echo of a mystery woman’s voice asking me a question. After a few days of this eerie feeling nagging at me, I felt compelled to write down more of the details. The idea of turning it into a story or possibly writing a novel intrigued me, even though it seemed so far out of reach at the time. I embedded some of the details of the dream in the novel and the story snowballed from there, taking on a life of its own. Even changing direction from its original intent. The inspiration was also driven by a love of mysteries and ghost stories, along with a fascination of psychology and human behavior, including my own. What started from an idea to create a story turned into a cathartic writing experience for me, working out some of my own hidden shadows.
Sophie Thomas is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
The driving force behind the character Sophie Thomas was the goal to create a relatable character that persevered through challenging, seemingly overwhelming circumstances. I wanted to create a character that lived in the duality that her mind was her superpower and her enemy at the same time. It was up to her to choose how to view her circumstances and the actions she would take to guide her forward. Being a psychologist, as well as having a more creative aspect to her personality would allow her to have the education, training and yet still be able to think out of the box. I wanted to create a character that was unusually empathetic and compassionate enough to consider other character’s positions. This may have clouded her logic at times but overall, her compassion, empathy and unrealized intuition helped her navigate uncharted territory and create opportunities in the unexpected, leading her to complete her quest.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Two of the themes I thought were important to explore in this book are the power of the mind and the unexpected. The power of the mind can influence our thoughts, emotions and behavior. We are engineers of our own future and how we think, our perceptions and even the way we view our circumstances shapes the outcome. I wanted to explore how the characters viewed their circumstances and how their mindset determined the way they handled their consequences. Life is the greatest challenge — trying to remain calm in the midst of chaos while maneuvering through all the unexpected changes we are presented with along the journey. The goal in this book was to explore the unexpected throughout Sophie’s quest. She found herself in a new set of circumstances, surrounded by the unknown, searching for opportunity in the unexpected through connections, relationships, and the choices she made.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on the sequel to Hidden Shadow. My goal is to create a series of four books that will follow Sophie and explore more of her intuition. Availability of the next book in the series is still to be determined but I will be sharing updates on my author Facebook page.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
A puzzling question from a mysterious woman in a dream disturbs the subconscious of psychologist Sophie Thomas, expert on the human mind. At the same time, shattered future plans implode her life as she knows it—leaving her single, homeless, and jobless. At a pivotal moment in her life, she inherits a building that is a 100-year-old speakeasy, which turns out to be occupied by the unexpected. As Sophie tries to adjust to her new life, she discovers her inheritance has more to it than she initially thought and the mystery surrounding the old building is drawing attention of friends and foe alike. Not knowing who to trust, Sophie nevertheless sets out to find answers. She must delve into mysteries of a past, veiled with revenge and tragedy, to uncover secrets surrounding the legend of the Blue Owl, not expecting that along the way she will also find connection she desperately craves.
In Hidden Shadow, by Jennifer Bourland, we experience a journey through time to unlock family secrets, unexpected connections, and the power of the mind.
I Stumbled Onto The History
Journey Into Mexico: The Revenge of Supay follows a young man with the ability to summon the Aztec and Mayan gods who is trying to save Mexico from demons and the old gods. What was the inspiration for your story?
During the time that the idea came to me, I was heavily researched into South American mythology and the pre-Catholic era, meanwhile I stumbled onto the history of Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s first Afro-American president and his organized execution from rival political forces and the following Mexican revolution. Something started to form as I was putting all that together, and thought how interesting it would be to bring more knowledge of this material to the public, but also weave together a story that resulted in Mexico’s independence from Spain. Surprisingly it all took shape very quickly and I desperately sought an artist.
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?
This process took about 6 weeks to finalize where I wanted it all to go.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Sebastián Guidobono?
Sebastián was fantastic. I sent him the first few pages of script, and he hit it out of the park. I really couldn’t believe it, and wanted him to be the primary visualist of the story. He is incredibly easy to work with, and collaboration with him is a dream. We’re similar age-wise and we had a great time generating the graphic novel together.
What is the next installment in this series that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m in the research phase of that, and not quite sure if I want to do a direct extension of the story or fastforward it thirty years and involve Mexican politics during the American civil war. To be determined!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
They Can See Past Illusions
A Realm of Seers and Shifters follows a powerful seer and rogue wolf-shifter who are tasked with uniting the paranormal kingdom to prevent it’s destruction. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Warning: this answer may contain some spoilers.
The inspiration for the setup of A Realm of Seers and Shifters came from a variety of sources, but from the character standpoint, it started with how I came up with the idea for the protagonist. I remember watching some documentary about animals who can control when they give birth, what gender they give birth to, and so on, depending on the conditions around them. Later I learned about a type of fish that can actually switch genders if there wasn’t enough of the opposite gender around to procreate.
In reality, these changes are triggered by environmental and biological factors–it’s kind of like when Jeff Golblum’s character in Jurrasic Park, Dr. Malcolm, says “life will find a way.” But then I started thinking, what if there was a group of people who could consciously “see” into their bodies and trigger changes? Of course, what they can do isn’t the same as what those animals and fish can do. There have to be rules and limits to any story world, system, or race, after all.
The seers can stimulate healing, suppress or stimulate elements already present in their bodies to change skin tone, hair color, and so on, but they cannot change form. But, since I was going with characters that can “see” inside themselves, I thought, what if we took the traditional seer narrative and made it so that it’s a race of people, not just some otherwise randomly gifted people. They get dream-visions of the present, past, and future, but don’t always know which it is; they can “see” (really, it’s more that they sense/feel) inside their own bodies; they can “see” peoples’ intentions; and they can see past illusions.
As for the shifters, who are called animal-folk in my story, they are a magical race who are spiritually connected to the land and to the animals they can shift into. My inspiration for this came when I was teaching my students (in my “day job” as a classroom teacher) about the indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the land we live on.
The protagonist herself is special because she doesn’t just belong to just one group. It makes her feel like she doesn’t quite fit in, but it also gives her a unique position to approach potential allies from, since she is already open to looking at things from more than one perspective. She is also a reluctant hero who has been prophesized to be the realm’s best hope, but she fears the parts of herself that she needs the most to protect the world.
Another inspiration, though, are some of the social issues that we see in our own world. At the beginning of the series, all the different magical races and the humans keep almost entirely to themselves with very little intermingling. Then there comes a threat to the whole realm in the form of a very powerful dark sorcerer and the demonkin army he’s been building for years behind the scenes. The seers are the only group that understands what’s been going on and who is behind the strange things that have been happening, so it’s up to them to try to mobilize all the people to stand together before their world ends up bowing at the feet of this evil villain. So, the question is, will the protagonist, who is a seer (among other things), and her 2 allies be able to convince the divided peoples to come together to stand against the evil forces who are trying to conquer the realm, or will their differences keep them divided and leave them vulnerable?
The question for me, and where the story draws a parallel to the real world, is what would it take for people (in the real world, the human race, both groups and individuals) to stop focusing on our differences and seeing them as reasons to judge people and treat them as “other”? What would it take for people to be able to look at others and see and appreciate each group and each individual for who they are and what they contribute to the whole?
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?
I don’t remember exactly how long I was actually thinking about it. The general idea came to me probably a decade and a half before I started to write it. As you can probably tell from my previous answer, a lot of things got added and built into the world along the way. I started to draft it around six years ago. I’ve been planning, drafting, writing, rewriting, and tweaking it for around six years now.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There are a number of themes that were important for me to explore in the book. One of these is knowing and accepting oneself–the good and the bad. There are some things we can change, or work on and improve over time. There are other things we cannot. And sometimes the things we see as our own weaknesses can turn out to be our strengths; we just need to know and understand ourselves enough to learn how to use them to our advantage.
Another theme is similar to the first, and that’s accepting others for who they are–including those from other cultures or those who have a different way of life from our own. Taking that even further is the idea that the things we consider differences can make us stronger when we come together, with each of the differences contributing to and strengthening the whole.
Can you tell us more about where the story and characters go after book one?
I have four books planned in the series. They run almost parallel, with each book following one of the four seer guardians as they protect the keystones and the humans in the gate towns. They will also gather allies to stop the Dark Sorcerer before he can open the Great Gate (which is like a portal) and bring demons across to bolster his army. More will be uncovered about this mysterious and secretive villain and his motivations as we progress through the books. Also, though each book will have a similar set-up, each protagonist will encounter new challenges, groups, characters, dangers, etc. They each have their own unique personal stories and experiences that will affect the action in their books and the development of the series as a whole.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
After her father’s tragic demise, Maelona keeps her powers close and pushes everyone else away. So when visions of a dark sorcerer plague her remote Seer community, she’s horrified to learn the realm’s defenses are in danger. Tasked with an impossible mission to unite all paranormal beings in the fight against evil, she fears long-held divisions could spell their demise.
As she ventures through a sacred forest, Maelona fights her reclusive instincts to recruit a sensitive wolf-shifter with ties to her own dark past. But after encountering the bloody aftermath of demonic raids, she feels the dreaded prophecy at hand. And the time to forge alliances may have already slipped through her fingers…
Will Maelona bring the realm together before a sinister foe divides and conquers?
A Realm of Seers and Shifters is the first book in the action-packed Trial of Kingdoms epic fantasy series. If you like mythical shifters, courageous heroes, and dark prophecies, then you’ll love Sherry Leclerc’s spellbinding adventure.
Buy A Realm of Seers and Shifters to join the magical alliance today!
His Story Needed To Be Told
Satyromanic: A Love Story follows a man with sexual addiction who shares his story and experiences as well as those of the woman in the industry. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
During the pandemic, I met the main character of the book and spent almost a year interviewing him about his sexual addiction and his endless stories of devasting loss and trauma. I felt his story needed to be told.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There were many themes related to the complexities of the human experience that I wanted to explore in this book such as: love, confidence, identity and purpose – elements that are part and parcel of our human psyche. Imagine if the fragile human ego was stripped of these things. What might a person do to get all that back? What price would you be willing to pay? What paths would the nature of human desire take us on?
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
A significant number of people believe that any addiction results from lack of control or discipline rather than a biological defect. Sexual addiction in particular is more often than not, thought of as something you use as an excuse when you are caught in an extracurricular relationship. There was no conclusive consensus as to whether sexual addiction is a real addiction with professional opinions widely varied across the gamut of: “compulsive behavior”, “psychological disorder”, “lacks intimacy”, “complete myth”, “not a brain disorder”.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on a novel about cocaine trafficking in the 80’s as well as a story about a serial killer. I expect them to be released in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | Website
The Story Inside The Story
Mumentous is a fascinating book about the history and the culture surrounding homecoming mums. Where did the idea for this book come from?
Thank you!
Before I decided to write a book, I was first drawn to homecoming mums as a subject matter to photograph. They are, after all, visually stunning! But I really just wanted to understand why without judgement, and I think the only way to do that is to be quiet and pay attention. The camera lens helps me be present in this way. I can hone in on details I might never have otherwise noticed, zoom out and take in relevant context, and begin to discern what is tertiary or immaterial. Another way of saying this is that when I decide to take a photograph, I’m making a promise to look for the story inside the story.
As I mention in the book, it all began when I asked a good friend if I could join her at a mum-making session hosted by a local high school marching band booster club. The club was selling mums as a fundraiser for the band in which her daughter was a member. I helped cut ribbons, but mostly I took photos and listened to the group, all women, whose camaraderie and work ethic were equally palpable. It was like I had discovered a secret quilting bee, which completely surprised and enchanted me. I realized then that I not only needed my camera to fully unpack the tradition but it would take lots of conversations and research, too.
In terms of taking a creative direction, I made one decision early on that made all the difference. If you search the internet for images of people wearing homecoming mums, you will only see one kind of photo: kids in mums standing still and smiling for the camera. A homecoming mum is many things, but it is not still. From the beginning, I avoided depicting a mum as a “still life”, trying instead to capture it as the fully animated expression that it is. That decision drove me to be thorough, which led me to so many wonderful and unexpected discoveries.
How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I’ve been shooting photos, collecting personal stories, and conducting research on the tradition since 2016, but only during fall football season.
Should you want more detail:
Those photo sessions with the booster club took place in Fall 2016. In Fall 2017 and 2018, I shot photos at several different locations. I conducted considerable online research on the historical evolution of mums in Fall 2018 and 2019 while also interviewing people across the state, which validated the online research and vice versa.
In the second half of 2019, I served as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at the Arlington Museum of Art in Arlington, TX, a position which allowed me to broaden my reach considerably and create an exhibition of my work to date. There’s a chapter in my book which goes into detail about the exhibit and how I turned it into an opportunity for the community to participate. It was during that time I decided Mumentous needed to become a book.
In Fall 2020 and 2021, I watched the tradition refuse to yield to Covid, then I wrote about it and shot a few more photos. By early 2022, my research wasn’t yielding any new revelations, which told me it was time to write “The End” and seek a publisher. The book is being released by Atmosphere Press on April 25, 2023, just as “mumtrepreneurs” across and beyond Texas are ramping up for the 2023 football season.
I joke with friends that if universities gave out degrees in “mumology,” I’d be ready to defend my dissertation.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes. In the first half of the 20th century, throughout the United States, it was common practice for a boy to give his date a chrysanthemum corsage before the annual high school or college homecoming football game. I find it fascinating that this tradition has all but vanished, except in Texas (and a few adjacent states) where it not only held fast but evolved into a version of itself that would be unrecognizable to its originators.
What is one thing that you hope reader take away from Mumentous?
As readers dig deeply inside the very unique tradition of homecoming mums, I hope they will discover that like so many traditions, its driving force is utterly universal: women.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | Website
They’re called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma’s love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that’s as ingrained in the culture as it is confounding to outsiders.
Through her original photography and collection of stories from across and beyond the Lone Star State, Amy J. Schultz takes us deep in the heart of mum country. You’ll meet kids who wear them, parents who buy them, and critics who decry them as just another example of consumerism gone wild. But mostly, you’ll discover that just like every ritual which stands the test of time, someone is keeping the tradition alive. Someone like Mom.
The Rule-breaker’s Gender
Only Prince Charming Gets to Break the Rules is an analysis of over 200 folktales and fairy tales from around the world showing the inequality of treatment between men and women. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Following the 2020 presidential election, I became curious about who is permitted to break the rules. I turned to traditional fairy tales for insight, wondering if they reveal any gender bias in terms of rule-breaking. Fairy tales and folktales are integral parts of every culture, carrying messages for both children and adults. I thought it was possible they might contain implicit messages about rule-breaking, punishment, and reward for different genders.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Our research has revealed a significant finding: male characters make up two-thirds of all rule-breakers, whereas female characters make up only one-third. Furthermore, although male rule-breakers often go unpunished or are rewarded, female rule-breakers are predominantly punished. These implicit messages in fairy tales and folktales can be harmful, as they reinforce gender stereotypes and encourage one gender to break rules while the other should obey. Interestingly, other research has found a correlation between rule-breaking and career success, with individuals who break rules tending to achieve higher income and greater success than those who adhere to rules. This finding suggests that some level of rule-breaking may be associated with personal and professional growth.
How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I conducted extensive research over several months, beginning with the identification of 200 fairy tales and folk tales from different regions of the world. I read through hundreds of stories to identify instances where rules were broken, ensuring a balanced representation from North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. After gathering an equal number of stories from each region, I analyzed them thoroughly and cross-checked my findings with another researcher to ensure consistency. Each story was analyzed in terms of the rule-breaker’s gender, whether they were punished, and the severity of the violation and punishment.
What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?
The consistency of our findings across geographic regions comes as a surprise to many who read the book; they expected to see significant differences. In addition, they are particularly surprised by the severity of punishment for female characters who break the rules. Shockingly, almost one-third of the female characters who break the rules in stories are executed!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Proceeds from this book will be donated to Empowering Girls for Life (EGFL), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating the female leaders of tomorrow by empowering girls today. EGFL is located in Lombard, IL.
Lost To Time
Rebel Correspondent tells the story of Arba F. Shaw and his time in the Civil war through a combination of research and Shaw’s own writings for a newspaper.Why was this an important book for you to write?
Shaw wrote his memories about his time as young Confederate private in the 4th Georgia Cavalry over about a six week period from late December 1901 to February 1902. You can imagine him writing it by lantern light in his farmstead located in the shadow of Lookout mountain. It would have been one continuous manuscript. Then it was serialized into 55 articles in the Walker County Messenger, where he was a correspondent, through early 1903. It was pretty much lost to time until I stumbled across the mention of his writings and was able to piece together all of the articles so they read as a continuous manuscript once again. I felt it was an important piece of history to see the light of day again, and I was intrigued by all of the facts he wrote about and wanted to find out how accurate his memory was, more than 35 years after the war ended.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
It is important for readers to understand the difficulties of soldiers trying to survive on either side. Most were young like Shaw (He had just turned 18 when he enlisted) and were leaving home for the first time. They had to deal with the communal illnesses caused by having hundreds of men living together through all kinds of weather while also not understanding the cause of most diseases. Shaw himself became very sick, likely with Typhoid in the first year. More men were killed by illness, like rubella than died in battle.
Soldiers on both sides were just trying to survive the experience.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Shaw witnessed events that had not been reported in detail. Like the death of soldiers in his regiment or others who his regiment encountered that died when they attacked the regiment. Families knew their some of their loved ones went off to war and died, but didn’t know how or where. Shaw remembered these events in very accurate detail years later providing context to lives lost.
Shaw was also wounded twice. The second time he recounts a battle in Campbellsville, TN in September 1864 and mentions the face to face encounter with a Union soldier wearing a red sash. I was able to research in detail the events of that day, and the “red sash” was an important clue to identifying the soldier that wounded Arba Shaw. A Union sergeant. Shaw himself fired on the man and he sustained a mortal wound to the lungs. In Shaw’s lifetime, he never knew who the man was that left him with a damaged right arm that he never regained full use of. Now we know who that was. It’s that kind of sleuthing that I really enjoy. Researching something that discovers an answer to a mystery. Rebel Correspondent had many instances like this.
What do you What is one thing readers take away from your book?
I hope they enjoy learning what it was like for the average soldier in the American Civil War. A young private who went to war, was wounded twice, and came home alive. He was on the losing side, and had to take a loyalty oath to become an American citizen again. I am sure that the political side of why the Civil War was fought was not important to Arba after the war ended. He was proud of doing what he considered service he was required to do. He participated in the veteran groups after the war, but ultimately was a patriotic American the rest of his life. Happy to have survived and happy to return to a normal life on the family farmstead and to get married and have his own family. I think he treasured and discovered the value of a productive life.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | YouTube
Rebel Correspondent is the true story of a young man who joined the Confederate Army days after his eighteenth birthday and served bravely until the war ended. Wounded twice, he emerged a changed person. But he wasn’t just a returning veteran; he was also a writer.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Arba F. Shaw was a fifty-seven-year-old farmer. On a chilly December day in 1901, he put pen to paper to write his memories of being a Rebel Private in the 4th Georgia Cavalry (Avery), C.S.A. He completed writing his account in February 1902. His local newspaper, the Walker County Messenger, in Lafayette, Georgia, published his account in more than fifty articles from 1901 to 1903.
Then it was all but forgotten. Until Now.
LITERARY TITAN 