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Author Interview: Alexander Hinkley

1/31/2016

Meet Alexander Hinkley, Author of Nerd Psychology and Creating an Online Roleplaying Game

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

AH: I’m currently 29 years old. Even though I went to college for Criminology, it didn’t really interest me as much as writing did. Since I love video games and know a lot about them, I became a video game journalist. I’ve worked as a journalist for over seven years now, doing some additional sports writing on the side. I am also an indie game developer and producer and have administrated my own online game for a frog’s hair over 15 years. I first got into writing after playing online play-by-post roleplaying games. Combining my love for writing and passion for the video game industry seemed like a logical career choice. In addition to reading and writing, I also love sports. I’ve had Rochester Knighthawks (lacrosse) season tickets since their opening season. I like the New York Rangers and Denver Broncos, too.

BBB: What inspired your book, Nerd Psychology?

AH: A friend and I played online video games together for years and over time we started to notice behavioral patterns among our opponents. Many of them acted the same, literally making the same exact statements that others did in previous matches. We found this interesting and decided to experiment and document the results. We interviewed thousands of subjects and I turned this into the book Nerd Psychology, which attempts to explain why online trolls, which I call nerds, act the way they do online and also suggest solutions to the reader on how to most effectively deal with them so as to improve your online experience. Now I have to point out there is a big difference between a geek and a nerd, so if you like geeky things and call yourself nerdy or a nerd, you’re actually using the wrong terminology.

BBB: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?

AH: I think most readers will like Nerd Psychology because it will be personally useful for them. Most people nowadays use the internet for hours a day so the advice it gives in how to deal with nerds, aka trolls, will be immediately applicable to most reader’s daily lives. Most people will probably find the symptoms list the most interesting.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book cover?

AH: Being that it is a psychology reference book, it was actually pretty hard to come up with a cover because there really was no way to make it flashy or attention-grabbing. I settled on the idea of a neuron on the cover because I thought it looked scientific and espoused the idea of professionalism and serious tone I attempted to convey within the book.

BBB: What other books have you written?

AH: My other book is called Creating an Online Roleplaying Game. That book is based on my experience running my own online RPG for 15 years. It is the longest running and most successful RPG in its genre. During that time, I have seen countless other RPGs come and go. It made me sad to see people putting in all this hard work only for it to prove fruitless and their game died. Since mine is so successful, I tried to share what I thought were the keys to its success in this book so that other people can make an RPG as good as mine.

You can find out more about Alexander Hinkley and his work by visiting http://alexhinkley.com/.

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Author Interview: Mitch Davies

1/28/2016

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Meet Mitch Davies, Author of Stolen Breeze

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

MD: I’ve been writing now for about fifteen years although I’ve always thought of stories and how I’d turn events I’ve experienced into books. I grew up in Western Canada, Calgary to be specific, and moved to Arizona where I’ve lived since 1998. Since 2005 I’ve been very interested in Japan, the history, the food and sumo wrestling so I travel to Japan quite often.

BBB: What inspired your book, Stolen Breeze?

MD: Stolen Breeze is based on something that happened to a man I used to work with. He told me how he’d been out of work and received an opportunity to be part of a sailing crew that would be sailing in Tahiti. He told me his story and I found it unusual and interesting. On a number of occasions I told his story to others and people were always a little stunned by what had happened to this man. Years later I decided it would make a great novel. I changed a lot of what happened and created entire adventures and circumstances that didn’t happen to my friend but in general it’s his story.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

MD: The main character is someone who likes to work and accomplish goals in his life. He’s worked a few jobs and just left one he really liked. It ended due to the end of the construction project. He’s a little desperate for a new opportunity and doesn’t think his hometown in Idaho is going to provide much that will interest him. For him it’s time to do something exciting. He’s been a rough kind of man in the past and has given up that life as he gets older (about 26) but this new adventure and the people around him cause his old violent instincts to get aroused. Sailing is new to him but he wants to become a reliable sailor that any captain can count on. But the captain and the rest of the crew are a little hard for him to read. He’s enthused about sailing but reserved about how the experience is unfolding. When they get to Tahiti he tries to make the best of what has evolved because he wants things to turn out great.

BBB: What other books have you written?

MD: A Wind In Montana – Awarded the 2011 Bronze Medal in the eLit Awards in the Young Adult/Juvenile category

The Inn of Fallen Leaves – Finalist in the 2015 Best Indie Book Awards in the Contemporary Literature category.

BBB: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?

MD: I think that the escape to an exotic locale in the midst of a crime mystery is what readers will like most. The characters are odd and mysterious so trying to workout everyone’s motivation will help with the enjoyment factor.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book cover?

MD: Well, there is sailing at the heart of the book so we wanted a yacht on the cover. Add in that there’s a crime with some mysterious characters and we thought that having a rough sea surrounding the yacht would help portray what the reader can expect inside. It’s not smooth sailing.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

MD: I’ve just completed the first draft of my fourth novel so I’m at the start of revisions on that project. Once I have my revisions complete I’ll offer it to my publisher, Book Trope, and we’ll start the process of getting it to the readers. It’s a mystery where you know who the murderer is in the first quarter of the book. The rest of the book is the mystery of how the protagonists deal with crime and how it could change their future.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

MD: My web page is www.pensmithbooks.com. It has some additional author information and excerpts from all of my books.

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Author Interview: Stephanie Gresham

1/27/2016

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Meet Stephanie Gresham, Author of the Broken Pieces Series

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

SG: I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee with my two sisters. I have always loved reading. I never thought in a million years that I would be an author, but that changed in 2014. I have an addiction to sweet tea and Hershey Kisses. They are actually my writing fuel. I am a Paramedic and have been in EMS for six years, but I'm currently back in school for Surgical Tech but I'm thinking about switching to Nursing. I attended my first book signing in Biloxi, MS in March of 2015 and I also got married on the same day.

BBB: What do you think readers will find most appealing about the Broken Pieces Series?

SG: I have been told that my series deals with real-life situations. That it gives the reader all the feels and makes them feel like they are in the story.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book cover?

SG: My PA is my cover designer, so of course she read the books. When I signed with Booktrope Publishing, I told her that she had free reign and she came up with an amazing design!

BBB: What are you currently working on?

SG: I'm currently working on Chief. It is a romance suspense that includes a hot firefighter!

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

SG: They can find me on Twitter and of course, Facebook.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorstephaniegresham
Twitter: @authsgresham

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Author Interview: Dorothea Jensen

1/24/2016

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Meet Dorothea Jensen, Author of A Buss From Lafayette

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

DJ: I just turned 70, but am still going strong. For a number of years, I was a singer/actress in amateur and professional companies. (As a mezzo, I usually lost the hero to the soprano.) I have been having fun putting all my old skills to work with video blogs, audio recordings of songs from the stories, audio book recordings etc.

I earned a BA in English at Carleton College and an MA in Education at the University of New Mexico. I have one husband, three kids and six grandsons (whom I put in my Izzy Elf stories). I have lived all over the U.S., as well as in Holland and Brazil.

People often ask me how a “woman of a certain age” has learned to create/maintain book trailers, YouTube channels, websites, blogs, Pinterest, Bublish, Google+, Twitter accounts, etc. I tell them I do it the same way I learned my way around the many places I have lived: I get hopelessly lost and stumble around until I figure out where I am.

BBB: What inspired your book, A Buss from Lafayette?

DJ: I met an elderly woman whose great-grandmother was one of the little girls who presented Lafayette with a posy when he was touring the U.S. in 1824-25, for which he apparently “bussed” her (a playful smacking kiss). That buss was passed down in my new friend’s family, and she passed it along to me. I then learned that General Lafayette came right by my house in June, 1825, on that same tour. This all piqued my interest about Lafayette and the immense part he played in the American Revolution. After years of research, I wrote a story about a troubled teenager who lives in my little town in New Hampshire at the time of Lafayette’s “Farewell Tour”.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

DJ: Clara Hargraves, 14, lives on a farm in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, during the early 19th century. She has a couple of big problems. First of all, she has a stepmother, "Prissy" Priscilla, formerly her spinster schoolteacher aunt, who keeps trying to make her act like a proper young lady. Secondly, she has red hair that makes her a target for teasing. Clara, however, has a secret plan she hopes will change this.

In June,1825, Clara’s town is abuzz because General Lafayette, hero of the American War of Independence, is about to visit their state. In one eventful week, Clara learns a lot about her family, herself, and, most of all, about Lafayette and his huge and vital role in America’s Revolutionary War. She also just might find that her problems are not quite so terrible after all.

BBB: What other books have you written?

DJ: The Riddle of Penncroft Farm; Tizzy, the Christmas Shelf Elf; Blizzy, the Worrywart Elf; Dizzy, the Stowaway Elf; and Frizzy, the S.A.D. Elf. All have won awards, I’m happy to say!

BBB: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?

DJ: As one 11 year old “previewer” said, “It’s like getting two stories in one book! I got to learn all about Clara, and to learn all about Lafayette, too.”

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book cover?

DJ: I wanted it to echo the current cover for The Riddle of Penncroft Farm. Something like 130,000 copies of that story have sold over the years, so I hoped that making the covers similar would lead people to pick it up. Besides, as soon as I saw the redheaded girl’s photo, I knew she was Clara!

BBB: What are you currently working on?

DJ: I am working on a story called A Scalp on the Moon, that takes place in 17th century Massachusetts at the time of King Philip’s War. (Superstitious English settlers there at the time who were worried that there might be a war with the native population swore that they saw “a scalp on the moon” that portended terrible trouble.) I’m also trying to finish another of Santa’s Izzy Elf books (which are illustrated modern Christmas stories in rhyme) called Bizzy, the Know-It-All Elf.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

DJ: Go to my website, www.dorotheajensen.com. It has information about my work, and also links to all my social media. I particularly recommend visiting my blog (http://dorotheajensen.blogspot.com/) and my Bublish.com account (https://www.bublish.com/author/view/5755) for background information etc. about my books.

A Buss From Lafayette is available for pre-order at the following links:
Paperback Edition from Publisher
Paperback Edition from Amazon
Kindle Edition from Amazon
Paperback Edition from Barnes and Noble
Nook Edition from Barnes and Noble
Kobo edition

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Author Interview: Kenneth Eade

1/23/2016

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Meet Kenneth Eade, Author of Killer.com

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

KE: I practiced law for over 30 years before embarking on a second career of writing political fiction. My books are fictional, but qualify for the label "faction" as well, because they each have a strong message to send about an issue that I consider to be important in our time. The issues that have been covered include tolerance, police brutality, civil rights, bank fraud and genetically engineered food.

BBB: What inspired your book, Killer.com?

KE: The phenomenon of the Internet and how it has affected daily lives has, like any other technology, had its good and bad impacts on society. One of the negative impacts has been the ability of bullies to use the Internet anonymously to attack a wider audience of victims with more intensity and power. This has actually resulted in teen suicides. I thought it would be interesting to craft a story where a group of cyber bullies hires a killer anonymously online. Little did I know, but there are sites on the "Dark Net" that purport to offer such services. "Killer.com" is the fifth book in a series of legal thrillers.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

KE: The main character is lawyer Brent Marks. He has paid his dues for over 20 years of practicing every kind of law you can imagine just to pay the rent and keep the doors open, and now he has reached a point in his career where he can take on cases of social importance. Brent always has a cause to champion when he takes on a case, and sometimes it gets him in trouble.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

KE: It's called "Absolute Intolerance'" the story of a gay couple who are the victims of a hate crime. It is the sixth installment of the Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

KE: They can visit my web site, www.kennetheade.com or connect through social media:

https://twitter.com/KennethEade1

https://www.facebook.com/KennethGEadeBestsellingauthor/

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Author Interview: Dorothy Dawson

1/22/2016

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Meet Dorothy Dawson, Author of The Banesville Series

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

DD: I'm the mother of three very interesting little girls, a sucker for rescue pets, an autism advocate, (my middle daughter is severely autistic) a business owner and an author. I'm definitely a country girl... one that is afraid of spiders and snakes. I have a degree in communications and writing has always been my first love. My husband and I run our business and write together as well.

BBB: What books have you written?

DD: To date, I have 8 books available.

The Banesville Series, which consists of:
The Love Of Lydia Monroe
The Initiation of Briar Reeves
& The Reckoning of Rebecca Thorne,
Willow's Grace
Earthborn
House at Whispering Oaks
Granted
Distant Thunder

Five of these are set in the small town of Banesville, located right inside my head.

BBB: Where do the ideas for your stories come from?

DD: Everywhere! But, when I began writing, the ideas came from all the paranormal legends in the rural town I call home.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

DD: Currently, I am bouncing between three different works in progress. I look forward to sharing some about that very soon!

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

DD: On Twitter @authorddawson and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dorothy-Dawson/1459470681007095. Hope to see you there!

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Author Interview: D.P. Prior

1/21/2016

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Meet D.P. Prior, Author of Legends of the Nameless Dwarf Series

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

DPP: I was born in Eastbourne in the South East of England. I’ve worked as an actor, musician, mental health nurse, and personal trainer. In 1999 I served a five month postulancy with an order of friars in Australia. Since 2009 I’ve been an editor of fiction, and I’ve been a fulltime author since 2012. I grew up reading Sword and Sorcery and Heroic Fantasy, but these days I rarely read fiction, unless I’m editing it.

I live with my wife, two children, and four cats on five acres of snake-infested swampland in Florida. When I’m not writing, I’m training with globe dumbbells, campaigning against the fire ants, or watching MMA (purely for research, of course).

BBB: What inspired your book, Carnifex?

DPP: I wrote a short story called The Ant-Man of Malfen about seven years ago. It was published in Pulp Empire, and soon afterward, readers began to contact me asking for more stories about the main character, the Nameless Dwarf. I capitulated and wrote what became The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles. This book was a runaway success. Since 2012, it has consistently outsold all my other books put together, and it enabled me to work fulltime as a writer.

However, in spite of the title, The Complete Chronicles wasn’t a complete story arc: it focuses on one period of the Nameless Dwarf’s life, after some particularly tragic events, which he is now trying to atone for.

Readers started contacting me, saying how much they would love to read about all the events that led to Nameless being stripped of his name, and then they wanted to see what happened beyond The Complete Chronicles. I resisted for far too long, as I couldn’t face delving into the Nameless Dwarf’s past: it was just a little too dark in places.

But in early 2015 when I was signed by an agent, we discussed which books to focus on and came to the conclusion the Nameless Dwarf was my most compelling character. That was when I bit the bullet and set about writing his origins (Carnifex), and then taking the story up to The Complete Chronicles and beyond.

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

DPP: Carnifex Thane is a soldier in the dwarven city of Arx Gravis, which lies at the foot of a ravine. He’s the son of a common miner. His mother, Yyalla Thane, died giving birth to him – she was given the choice of saving her baby or herself by the surgeons, and her decision was typical of Yyalla, the former Marshal of the Ravine Guard, and a self-effacing hero.

Carnifex is frustrated by the humdrum life in the ravine. For a thousand years, the dwarves have been afraid to act in the world above, because of one cataclysmic mistake in their distant past.

But the fate of the dwarves coalesces around Carnifex, who has always been told by his father he is the future hope of the race. Others have heard a different prophecy, though, one in which Carnifex is destined to commit such atrocities that he will bear the worst shame a dwarf can suffer.

Besides the inexorable workings of fate, Carnifex has more mundane concerns, such as the inkling that his feelings for his lifelong friend Cordana Kilderkin might be deeper than he suspected, and yet he may have left it too long to make his intentions known.

Carnifex is a complex character who suffers from crippling bouts of depression in between patches of elation. He has a passion for heavy lifting and even heavier drinking, and he’s a ferocious warrior, a trait he inherited from his mother. There are those who believe that Yyalla Thane’s veins flowed with the blood of the Dwarf Lords.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book cover?

DPP: The book cover is the artist’s interpretation of the opening scene of Carnifex, which foreshadows the tragic events toward the end. Mike Nash painted the image, and has interpreted the themes of the story brilliantly, even down to the shattered glass of the window, which serves as a metaphor for Carnifex’s interior journey. I first worked with Mike Nash back in 2009 when he produced the artwork for the cover of my first novel, The Resurrection of Deacon Shader. He’s also the artist for Sword of the Archon. Over the years, Mike has become one of the most sought after fantasy artists, and I’m very fortunate to have had him work on Carnifex and the fourth book in the series, Return of the Dwarf Lords. At the outset, I sent Mike some idea of the themes I wanted to get across, along with the opening chapter. The rest was all him. He has a genius for creating an extremely focused image that contains, in ways I could never have foreseen, all the key elements I hoped to convey.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

DPP: I’m working on a fantasy novel called Snaith and Moonshine (Sorcerers of the Weyd Book 1). It’s very much rooted in the relationship between the two principals, Herrick Snaith and Tey Moonshine, childhood sweethearts who are both horribly maimed in an accident. Following this, they are of no use to their clan, but of inestimable worth to the local sorcerer, who couldn’t be happier things have turned out the way they did. I aim to finish this by the summer, when my agent will pitch it to publishers.

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Author Interview: Jennifer Lesher

1/20/2016

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Meet Jennifer Lesher, Author of Raising John

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

JL: I’m an author, armchair philosopher and non-sufferer of fools and I grew up in rural Indiana. I always knew I wanted to travel and write. After graduating from college in the Midwest I worked for a year on Alaskan fishing boats, to pay off student loans. This led me to Seattle and a fruitful career with a large software company. In my downtime I started writing – working on the craft and learning to push past my internal editor and just keep laying down the words on the page.

After a decade of working at a desk, I realized I really like airplanes and left the software company to pursue certification as an aircraft mechanic.

So, now I’m a writer who fixes airplanes for a major airline. Or, I’m an airplane mechanic who writes books.

When I have the time, I love to travel. I have been to countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, including a trip overland through 4 countries in eastern Africa. In my at-home spare time I mountain bike, play classical piano, and lift weights.

I live in Seattle, Washington.

BBB: What inspired your book, Raising John?

JL: I grew up with an alcoholic father. Later in his life he developed the habit of going out at night to play pool and driving home drunk. My siblings and I tried to stop this from happening, and the “what if” of it haunted me. Raising John started from that “what if” and became a story of a man who found his way out of addiction and into a meaningful life.

BBB: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?

JL: The emotional punch. Readers get attached to the characters and then feel with them as they go through upheavals and tragedies.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

JL: A sequel to Raising John. Without giving too much away, it’s about John’s journey to find his father, who is a very peripheral character in the first book. Working title is Finding Home.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

JL: By visiting my website: www.jenniferlesherauthor.com.

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Author Interview: Debora St. Fleurose

1/20/2016

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Meet Debora St. Fleurose, Author of A Girl Named Rebecca

BBB: What inspired you to become an author?

DSF: I like to think my love for reading and books had inspired me to become an author. I'd always been a storyteller as a child; whenever my sisters and I played with our Barbies, they looked to me to set up a setting and plot. In second grade, that was when I discovered my love for writing. We'd been talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up, and I'd been discouraged because I wanted to "make books." I didn't think it was an actual career choice! That was when my teacher told me that I could, and that changed my whole life. That was when I decided to be an author.

BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

DSF: The idea wasn't an idea so as much as a release. I was going through a tough time, and I remembered the old age advice: "Write what you know." So I started typing out a story closely related to my life. It was to help me get through my tough times and remind me of my goals, and that's how I came up with a "A Girl Named Rebecca."

Tell us about your main character? Rebecca Josephine Parker has a lot in common with me. The only exceptions would be that she is quieter, shyer, and also more insecure. She's unsure of who she wants to be. She is a version of me as a kid.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

DSF: Currently, I'm a publishing intern. I'm also working on several stories, all unfinished. I am, for the most part, trying to write what I am passionate about, as well as trying to put some of my greatest fears and insecurities out on paper. "A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. "—Sidney Smith

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

DSF: They follow me on Twitter: @DFleurose or visit my website http://dfleurose.wix.com/debora. I love to keep my readers updated!

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Author Interview: Krysten Lindsay Hager

1/19/2016

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Meet Krysten Lindsay Hager, Author of True Colors, Best Friends Forever?, and Next Door to a Star

BBB: Tell us about yourself.

KLH: I’m a book addict who has never met a bookstore I didn’t like—I love to read. I’m the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series and the new YA Star Series. I write about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, celebs, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors and Best Friends…Forever? as well as in, Next Door to a Star. I have two new books coming out in 2016: Landry in Like (Book 3 in the Landry’s True Colors Series) and Competing with the Star (Book 2, the Star Series.) I’ve lived in Michigan, South Dakota, Portugal, and now I live in southwestern Ohio.

BBB: What inspired your book series?

KLH: A teacher of mine told me I should write the book I wanted to read and I thought back to all those great young adult and middle grade books I read growing up. I used to turn to books when I was having a difficult day at school dealing with friends or feeling like I didn’t fit in. I wanted to create a character that was like me and wore her heart on her sleeve, dealt with insecurities and went out trying to find her tribe—where she fit in versus where she wanted to fit in. Both Landry (the Landry’s True Colors Series) and Hadley (Star Series) have those traits. I also wanted to add humor to the books because I always loved books that could make me smile.

BBB: Tell us about your main character(s).

KLH: Landry Albright is the type of girl who wants to wants to stand out, but also wants to fit in. In the beginning of the first book, she has to deal with frenemies who pretty much unfriend her when she advances in a TV reality show modeling competition without them. She has to step out of her comfort zone and find friends who she can be herself with and find her “tribe.” She is an introvert who wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn’t like confrontation, but as the series goes on, you see her getting advice on how to deal with frenemies and being yourself.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

KLH: I just finished the third book in the Landry series, which will be out early 2016 and is called Landry in Like. I am finishing writing the sequel to Next Door to a Star, which was my YA book that just came out in September. I had so many people wanting to know what happened to Hadley, that I began working on the sequel and it should be out in early spring next year. It’s titled: Competing with the Star, and deals with Hadley who is a teen living next door to a former teen TV star. Hadley always felt invisible at her old school and has moved to a beach town and made new friends—including Simone, the TV star. The new book will follow with Hadley and her new boyfriend, Nick, and Hadley will find out that Simone may be interfering with Hadley and Nick’s relationship.

BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

KLH: You can see what I’m up to on my website and all my social media pages here:
WEBSITE: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Krysten-Lindsay-Hager/e/B00L2JC9P2/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

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