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Author Interview: Mort Stump

5/24/2015

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Meet Mort Stump, Author of Alyssa's Story

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BBB: Tell us about yourself:

MS: I am a farmer and teacher form southeast Pennsylvania and are of German and French Huguenot stock. I am married with five children and three grandchildren. I have been active in church, as a school board member, and as a township official for many years. I enjoy hunting, gardening, and many sports.



BBB: What inspired your book?

MS: While working a part-time third shift job in an assisted living center, I listened to late night talk shows that had guests such as economists, futurists, and political analysts. It became clear to me that our country would run into serious trouble if it continues on its current path of spending more than it takes in and being a nation of consumers instead of producers. Additionally, it appeared that God might be withdrawing his blessings from our country as we turned from Him, made other things our idols, and adopted more worldly ways.

My first idea was to create a ministry where people could come and seek help as our economy would deteriorate. Maybe a list of resources that they could use to help pay the bills or keep their homes when they lost their job for example. It then occurred to me that many of those resources were government run and funded and that the government would be in no better shape than we would be to handle bad times, so why bother?

Instead, I decided to write a story that would prepare my fellow citizens for what might soon be happening. I started blogging the story in November 2006 and ran out of written material
(Chapter 21) around February 2008. But people who had read those first chapters told me that others needed to read this story and that I must make it a book. They prodded and encouraged me and eventually Alyssa's Story was completed and published.

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BBB: Tell us about your main character:

MS: Alyssa Stump is an eleven year old daughter of a farm couple in Pennsylvania. She has three older siblings. She narrates the whole book, chronicling conversations, events, and other activities that occur before, during, and after the collapse of the US dollar. She has a close relationship with her family members, especially her father. Also with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a particularly annoying neighbor boy her age. She is very loving and compassionate, possesses a fair amount of common sense, has a good work ethic, and learns to put up with and even join in the teasing and wit evident in her community. She grows stronger through the whole ordeal, exhibiting courage in difficult situations.

BBB: What are you currently working on?

MS: Currently, the next story is only conceptual, but it involves a 119 year old man being interviewed in 2063 by a college student who desires to know how things were back in the beginning of the first two-three decades of the 2000 millennium. Things like the first African-American President, the first woman President, the way the educational system was fixed, how the government's fiscal crisis was solved, scientific, agricultural and technological developments, and how a revival occurred in the country that brought it to greatness again. Again, it is only conceptual - not enough on the note cards to start writing.

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

MS: When you google "Mort Stump", I am usually the first eight to ten hits. There you can find another interview, longer biographies, story summaries, and my blog: ainnStoa , where I can respond to readers' inquiries

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Author Interview: AR Simmons

5/22/2015

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Meet AR Simmons, Author of the Richard Carter Series

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BBB: What inspired you to become an author?

ARS: Odd. This question should have an easy answer. The truth is I can’t put my finger on any one thing. Or maybe it’s that each time I’m asked, I think of a different thing. Start with this: I always loved reading. As a child, I read everything I could get my hands on. It was only after college, however, that I first thought, “I can do that.”

When I left my Ozark home to serve in the army, I saw a wider world and met people from all over my country, people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, people with a different set of “assumed truths” from mine. Stories are about people, right? Relationships are what we are all about. Challenges, crises, and life itself change those relationships. I wanted to spin mystery and suspense stories with real people in them. What is more real and engaging than fallible, flawed people placed in extraordinary dilemmas and doing extraordinary things? That is what I wanted to write about, and that is why I write. 

The short answer to your question is: I love telling stories.


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BBB: What books have you written?

 ARS: Bonne Femme was my first. From the relationship of Richard Carter and Jill Belbenoit sprang the Richard Carter series. Cold Tears took the stories from Michigan (the setting for Bonne Femme) to my native Ozarks. Below is a complete list of the series so far. The Daughter will be released in March, 2015.

Full list: Bonne Femme, Cold Tears,  Canaan Camp, Secret Song, The King Snake, Call Her Sabine, Devilry, Road Shrines, Cold Fury, and The Daughter.   



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BBB: Tell us about your main character, Richard Carter.

ARS: “No one ever goes into combat and comes back the better for it,” explains ex-Marine Richard Carter, and that perhaps explains him. Scarred by his experiences in Somalia and suffering bouts of depression and flashbacks, he dismisses the idea that he is suffering PTSD. Despite that, he is an optimist when as he says, he “has his head screwed on straight.” You might characterize him as “bipolar.” Let’s do away with labels. All his problems stem from an incident in Somalia. Others might say it was something that happened to him. He will have none of that. It was something he did—something he cannot forgive himself for.

All that aside, Richard is an amalgam of naiveté and disillusionment. He no longer thinks the world can be fixed or that good always triumphs. Yet, he still wants to make a difference, make things better. His nights are darker than his days are bright, until Jill Belbenoit. We cannot understand Richard until we know her because she embodies everything he once aspired to be. He is, of course, in love with her. Why wouldn’t he be? Jill is confident, poised, and beautiful. Although almost five years younger than he, she is smarter, more knowledgeable, and certainly more intuitive.

In Bonne Femme, Richard becomes obsessed with protecting her from a danger that only he sees. This is perfectly consistent with another of his character traits. Richard is an old fashioned “benign chauvinist.” He thinks that a man should protect and respect women, and that any man who harms a woman is “not worth a damn.” Take him for what he is: a man of deep convictions who tries to live according to them.


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BBB: What are you currently working on?

ARS: I have plotted and written scenes for The Journey Man, (Book 11). It is a mystery/psychological thriller that takes place ten years after Bonne Femme. A tag line might be: “You can’t kill your past.” I plan to release it in 2016.

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

ARS:
 The best way is to visit my website www.bluecreeknovels.com . There you can find all the books listed, covers, blurbs, links to Amazon looks inside, posters, and a group of short blog posts, “Evolution of the Series.”  The reader can also communicate directly via the email link below (checked daily), or they can leave questions in my website guestbook.


Here are my other links:
Twitter: AR Simmons @ arsimmons_rcn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arsimmons.books
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7232223.A_R_Simmons
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/arsimmons  
Author email: mrsarsimmons@gmail.com


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Author Interview: Amarie Avant 

5/19/2015

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BBB: Tell us about yourself.

AA: Though I’m ironically afraid of scary movies, my books veer toward the darker side of romance and love. ‘Happily Ever After’ has always been a hard pill to swallow  since my day-to-day clients deal with depression all the way to suicidal tendencies. I write to separate myself from reality and I enjoy creating character’s who are fully developed.

My favorite pastime besides writing a good story is being nosy. To me, ‘the life’ is just sitting back and watching. Then of course, I must know what moves their actions. I’m all about the “why’s” of life, having a B.A. in psychology (and Child Development), and a Masters in Counseling. Oh, and just a bit more about me, I love coupon shopping at high-end department stores, TV shows, and movies. And I’m dyslexic.

BBB: What has been your greatest reward in writing this book?

AA: Simple. Learning about me. There’s nothing better than learning that I can finish something I’ve started. Writing a book is time consuming and knowing when to “chuck it out in to the world” for others to enjoy is just as hard.  

BBB: What inspired your series, Fear: Falling in Love with an Alpha Billionaire?

AA: Well, I thought it would be just one book, but here I go falling in love with the characters. It may be the dyslexia in me but I’ve learned to live with complex creativity. 

BBB: Tell us about your main character.

AA: I have two main characters. My alpha male, Victor D’Ross, Duke of Arlington. Six foot even, hypnotic, icy blue eyes and a British accent to boot. Victor is rigid in his ways. He is royalty so of course he has an aura about him that commands attention. But you must read the story to learn more about Victor because he first presents as very aloof.

My doll, Luxury Whitson is a sweetheart. She’s 4 foot 11 and owns a florist shop in Brooklyn, NY. On the outside, she is easily persuaded having dealt with the heartbreak of losing her mother, her closest friend. When she meets Victor its life changing and so very dangerous. 

BBB: What are you currently working on?

AA: I’m working on Fear III the finale. This series will have elevated across the three books. The drama and tension have begun to climax, now it’s time for a thrilling ending. In addition, I’m attempting my first ‘straight’ romance, meaning I endeavor toward not being placed into the box of only being able to write romantic-suspense. 

Now, please check out my books, I’ve put my all into everything from the stories to the book covers. Find me Amazon  Goodreads  Facebook  Twitter feel free to strike up a conversation. And for the love of all things holy, I strive off of knowing your thoughts of my work.



Book Blurbs

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22 year old Luxury Whitson is a romantic at heart. Yet this florist only grasp at love is listening to a customer's sentimental story while he purchases a beautiful bouquet of roses for a significant other. When Lux crosses paths with Victor, his presence commands her attention. From a tailor-made suit that drapes over 6 feet of muscles to aqua blue eyes that hold her siege, Lux falls fast. Victor exudes sex, and a plethora of other emotions. The most intense one being... fear. 

Victor has a strict policy: work now, play later. With a sharp and twisted mind for murder, this billionaire doubles as a hitman. Victor always takes assassinations seriously until meeting Luxury, the daughter of his next mark. Now he has a new challenge. Tame Luxury and keep the Whitsons' alive.... 



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Luxury's sole desire is to love Victor, a man that cannot love her. She once feared him. Mysterious and dark, Victor's cerulean eyes hypnotized Luxury's mind and commanded the drumming of her heart. The Duke has claimed her. Victor will keep Luxury against The Queen's order.

As the palace echoes with footsteps, the English dare to whisper the horrible truths. Suspense crescendos along with intoxicating sex.

The beast has made it clear who Luxury belongs to and how much of him he will allow: Money. Sex. Nothing more.

The stakes are high. Now fear... love.



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Author Interview: Eli Kale

5/14/2015

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Meet Eli Kale, Author of Faces of the War Collection: Unguarded & Resistant

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BBB: Tell us about yourself. 

EK: I am a historical fiction author living in Ohio with my wife, Sarah, and our pets, Nika and Zazu. My real name is Mike Pratt but I write under the pen name of Eli Kale. “Eli” is an anagram of “Michael,” and “Kale” is a name I’ve heard in various stories and movies, except spelled with a “C.” I changed it to a “K” to be a little different. I thoroughly enjoy reading about the Second World War and learning more about it, as well as the Cold War era and espionage intrigue. In my spare time outside of writing and working my day job, I listen to music (and am always on the lookout for new artists to listen to), watch war movies and dramas, exercise when I can, play the occasional video game, and spend time with family and friends. I have traveled quite a bit, having gone to Europe five times in the last decade. I enjoy watching and playing European football, and I’m always up for a good laugh. I like to try to live life by the philosophy that we only get one chance here, so it’s best to make it worthwhile!

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BBB: What books have you written? 

EK: My first major writing effort manifested itself in the form of Resistant, my debut book that released in April 2014. It follows Rienne, a young French girl caught up in the Nazi invasion of her home city and country, and what she does in reaction to that. Unguarded, my second book which released in January 2015, follows Oliver, a college-aged London boy who finds himself swallowed up by the events of the London blitz and its aftermath. I am currently writing my third book, the title of which won’t be revealed until the summer. All of these books (as well as two more that are planned) are part of a project of mine entitled The Faces of the War Collection. It is a collection (not a series) of stories set during the Second World War that follow a handful of characters. These stories are not related to one another, so reading any book independently of any others is ideal. I also have an ongoing short story project in the works, entitled The Short Story Collection. I use this for writing outside of my larger projects, and also to provide readers with new and different content in between the releases of my other books. This collection is (for the time being) only on the Kindle. 

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BBB: What inspired your Faces of the War series? 

EK: In college, I wrote a short story for an English course that eventually wound up getting published in the university’s literary magazine. From there, I used my passion for WWII history to fuel my writing ideas, and I ended up planning a collection of stories. For each book, I tap into historical facts and anecdotes to help inspire the characters I write, but the actual names and specific events that take place in their lives aren’t real. That’s where the history leaves off and the fiction takes over, and that’s what makes writing historical fiction fun for me.  

BBB: What are you currently working on? 


EK: I am currently writing my third book in the Faces collection, which I’m planning to release sometime at the end of the summer, barring any impediments in my personal life. I’m also working on the second short story volume in that collection, which I’m hoping to release early this summer. I also have other projects in the planning and brainstorming phase, which is very exciting! 

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


EK: Readers can check out my website [elikaleauthor.com] which has all of my project details and other important information, as well as my blog. I post every Monday and include details about my writing life and my current progress. I also couch writing tips and advice in my updates. As for social media, I’m on Twitter [@Eli_Kale], Facebook [elikaleauthor], Instagram [eli_kale], and also on Goodreads and the Independent Author Network. Most important of all, they should subscribe to my newsletter that gets emailed every two weeks. There, I include more details than I do in the blog posts, as well as fun facts, Q&A sessions, and other interesting information about me and my work. Lastly, I have recently expanded my platform to YouTube, so subscribing to my channel will get them videos every Friday. 

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Author Interview: Marti Melville

5/8/2015

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Meet Marti Melville, Author of The DeJa Vu Chronicles

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BBB: Tell us about yourself.

MM: Marti Melville is an American novelist and screenwriter known for her debut novel series, The Deja vu Chronicles.  The Déjà vu Chronicles has been written for feature film production with the first screenplay, Midnight Omen, as a winner for the Life Fest Film Festival 2015.  These screenplays are available for option.  Marti’s fourth book in The Déjà vu Chronicles series is currently in development and scheduled to be released in 2016. She is owner of Midnight Omen Productions, LLC, an entertainment and media company dedicated to promoting excellence in entertainment through the production of quality screenplay, poetry and novels.

Marti is currently co-writing a medical thriller also due to be released in early 2016. Marti continues to write novels, introducing the idea of fictional probability linked to historical events. Before Marti found her true calling as a successful author, she had long established her career in the medical field, specializing in Emergency nursing. Marti spent several years working between Utah and California in various ER’s,as a Mobile Intensive Care Nurse and medical personnel for the 2002 Winter Olympics — all this while raising her five children as a single mother. She has a background in dance, music and acting as well. 

Marti currently resides in Southern California.


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BBB: What inspired your book, Midnight Omen?

MM:
At the time I began writing, I had two sons deployed to separate wars.  They were both in dangerous areas that did not allow their mother to sleep well at night — instead, I decided to do some research on a Welsh family name.   During that search, I found the story of Captain John Phillips, the pirate, and decided that his story was better than fiction.  So, I decided to write it with my own “twist.”

BBB: Tell us about your main character.


MM:
Kathryn is an average girl with above-average strength, although she does not realize it initially.  We meet her in a present day Emergency Department where she discovers (serendipitously) that she lived a previous life as a young woman who had been kidnapped by pirates.  As she visits that previous life, she meets Seth - a rogue youth who is also captured by pirates - and together, they are besieged by the supernatural, haunted by 18th Century marauders, and chased by mythological deities over the high seas.  But when faced with their life on board an 18th century ship, they learn their survival depends on the events they share as Caribbean pirates.

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BBB: What are you currently working on?

MM:
I am currently writing the fourth book in the Deja vu Chronicles series (Cutthroat’s Omen: A Crimson Dawn) as well as writing the screenplay adaptation of Onyx Rising (book 3 in the Deja vu Chronicles) with my writing partner.  I am in the process of beginning a horror novel that will be completed after the series.

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

MM: Please visit my website: http://martimelville.com/ or find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martimelville and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marti-Melville/439584276116480?fref=ts for the most current updates on The Deja vu Chronicles and the screenplay adaptions for the series. 

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Author Interview: Donelle Dreese

5/5/2015

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Meet Donelle Dreese, Author of Deep River Burning

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BBB: What inspired you to become an author?

DD: I've always been creative and involved in the arts. I still have poetry that I wrote when I was very young. What inspires me the most is reading great books.  I find narrative very seductive.  It's hard to explain, but I hear it, narrative that is, and it always compels me to write. I was also deeply involved in music when I was younger and that music background informs all of my work.  Writing is another way of singing.  


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BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book, Deep River Burning? 

DD: 
Deep River Burning is very loosely based on the underground mine fire that destroyed the small town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. I grew up near Centralia and the memory of the town that was burning from beneath made a significant impression on me.  I first wrote a short essay several years ago about the town called "The Memory of Trees," which was published in an environmental journal, but then characters began to emerge in my mind and I knew I wanted to fictionalize the story into a novel. 

BBB: Tell us about your main character. 

DD: Denver Oakley is a young woman who is faced with enormous loss. In the beginning of Deep River Burning, she is eighteen years old and still struggling with her identity and direction in life. Then she is forced to confront an environmental disaster in her hometown. She has a strong sense of justice and fairness, but doesn't always know how to channel it. She wants to connect with other people, but she is also intensely independent. Her journey is ultimately a spiritual one as she works toward healing herself and discovering who she is.


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BBB: What are you currently working on?

DD:
I am currently working on a novel about a young woman who is on a journey to uncover the truth behind the "ancestor syndrome" in her family, and to heal the trauma that has been passed down through five generations of women. She is placed in the position to save someone's life, but ultimately realizes she must save her own. I am also working on a poetry collection. This collection is, in part, a poetic rendering of the voices of environmentalists and environmental artists, including Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall and sculptor Isaac Cordal. It is a project that is still evolving and transforming.


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

DD: Readers can learn more about me and my work by visiting my website, donelledreese.com, and by following me on Twitter: @donelledreese.


 


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