Interview by Carrie Avery Moriarty

Welcome, Allyssa Painter, to BOD’s author spotlight. I am pleased to be interviewing you about your two book series, The Timekeeper Duo.

Thank you, Carrie. I am excited to be here and to see what questions you have.

I see in your bio that you are currently in college, studying to be an elementary school and special education teacher. I have to say this hits close to my heart, as my sister is a teacher. Have you always wanted to be a teacher?

No, I haven’t. I always knew I wanted to work with kids, but I went through several ideas before I landed on teaching. For many of my elementary and middle school years, I wanted to be various types of pediatric doctors. I also briefly considered social work, and still think I would do well with it if I didn’t teach. When I hit high school, I knew I didn’t want to be any type of doctor, and that I wanted to work with special needs kids. For a year or two, I wanted to be an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist for children with special needs, especially those with autism. Then I finally realized I wanted to teach somewhere around the end of my sophomore year or the beginning of my junior year. Now I am glad I chose it. Teaching is my passion and always has been. I just hadn’t really noticed it.

​Your book focuses on a time after the near destruction of Earth at the hands of humans. Did you have to do a lot of research to get facts to use in how this might come about?

Yes and no. I knew it was a possibility the way I wrote it because of the environmental issues we have had in the last few decades. I grew up hearing a lot about it in school so the idea wasn’t that far-fetched in my head. Where the research came in was when I actually got into details, like exactly what Pittsburgh would look like fiftyish years after the rain stopped (seen in the second book). As twisted as this sounds, I had to research what the acid would do to bodies left over and what would be left by the time Sage and Iris arrived there, as well as what the city would look like. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds either, because when you research the effects of acid on the body, you get acid drugs like LSD. So it took some digging and consulting with family members who know more than me about earth science and medicine and such to figure it all out.

The concept of a Timekeeper, angels (both those who have fallen and those who have not), demons, pacifists, and extremists is a very complex collection. How did you decide what types of characteristics were needed to tell your story?

This is kind of a hard question to answer because I don’t write like most other authors. I do not write an outline and say, “Okay, this happens, then this, then we meet her, etc.” I am one of those authors who just sits down and writes whatever comes to my head. I write a lot of it in my head before I start, and every now and then I’ll go against the natural flow of the story and say, “I think I need to have this,” but for the most part, the story just writes itself and I transcribe it. So I didn’t decide that I needed all these diverse groups. They just appeared in the story. The only thing I really planned at all was the Timekeeper and the Shunned, which came from a discussion with my high school sociology class. One day while we were waiting on the bell to ring, we had a short discussion about what it would be like to know exactly when you will die and how each of your decisions affected that, and whether it would be a good thing. It got me thinking, and it led to this series. To pull this off, I knew I needed an evil group that led to everyone knowing everything (the Shunned), and someone who wanted to change it (Iris) as well as the person who controlled time before the Shunned (the Timekeeper). So I did kind of decide on those. But even after I did, they took on a life of their own.

The main character, Iris, is a Timekeeper with special powers, which she uses in her quest to end the tyranny of the Shunned. While she has a very specific and rare parentage that she inherited her powers from, do you feel that average humans have the potential to possess something within them that could give them an edge in certain situations?

Yes and no. In the book, the average human could also have powers. It was simply rarer. Plus, there was a short time a year when everyone got to have powers. In real life, though, I think we know there’s probably not going to be people who can heal others, bend time, control the earth or water, or see the future. I do, however, believe that everyone has specific talents or characteristics that make them thrive in different situations. For example, my husband is great with people. He handles them so well. I, on the other hand, hate social interaction and tend to hide behind him. This makes him well equipped to handle a situation where a lot of people get out of control or something, maybe even a hostage situation. I could never do that. But I have other talents he does not. I think we all have something that can give us an edge in specific situations, and I think it is different for each of us. I just don’t think any of us can fly or do something else superhuman.

Iris and her team are often found in battle with those who want to keep them from their desired result. You did a great job of describing the fight scenes. Do you have any training in any sort of combat (martial arts, self-defense, etc.)?

Thank you. Not really, no, but I do read a lot of fantasy books with fight scenes, and I have several military family members who occasionally describe fight scenes to me. Mainly, though, I just pictured it all in my head and thought about what it would look like. If I had questions, I’d ask my husband, who is in the Navy and has several brothers who are very good in martial arts and self-defense. I also occasionally had help from a good friend of mine and fellow author, Jennifer Anne Davis. She is also a YA author who writes a lot of fantasy with fight scenes, and her kids are in martial arts, so through reading her books, discussing her kids’ competitions and her fight scenes, and occasionally asking about a specific technique, I was able to gain more information to make them seem more realistic.

​Do you find you identify with the main character, Iris, or do you feel you connect more with another character in your story?

I feel that every writer pours a little bit of themselves into each character. I don’t identify with any one character more than another, because I am like each of them in different ways. I definitely identify with Iris’s stubbornness, though. Ask anyone to describe me and I guarantee you’ll hear that word. Sara is very loyal, especially to Iris, because Iris is her family, and I would like to think that is something that is very similar to me. Sage is steadfast. He has his morals and his own thoughts, and he follows them no matter what, even if others don’t agree with them. In some ways, I am like that, though I do often wish I were more like him in that department. Zander is protective over his family, and Cassian is a good friend. Guinevere is judgmental and not all that friendly when it comes to people she feels are a threat, and unfortunately, I believe I am like that too. All of my character’s either have a piece of me, or a piece of a person I admire and wish I could be more like. I wish I could be more easygoing, like Silas, or open and childlike, like Delilah. So no, I don’t think I identify the most with Iris, but I do identify with her, as I do all the other characters.

Now that you’ve put out this series, what is your next project?

Realistically? To graduate. Haha. But as far as writing is concerned, I am working on a new series (I think it’s going to be a trilogy). It is a YA fantasy series (not quite dystopian, though there are dystopian themes, sorry guys.) I can’t tell you much about it yet, because I have no idea when it will be finished or if I will self-publish it or try to publish it traditionally. I am set to graduate in December, so this year is very hard and very big for me in my real-life, so I am focusing more on it than I am on writing. Don’t worry, though. I am writing and hope to have more news for you about this series sometime later this year. So keep checking for that. For now, I can tell you that I am about 2/3 through the first book of the series, and that the series is tentatively titled, The Valtina Chronicles. I can’t wait until I can share more with you.

I am so pleased to have gotten the chance to interview you, and can’t wait for the BOD family to dive into your world within the pages of The Timekeeper Duo.

Aww, thank you so much! It was a pleasure to speak with you today and I look forward to doing it again soon!

ABOUT ALLYSSA

Allyssa Painter is the author of the Timekeeper Duo. She graduated from Sissonville High School and attends Concord University for elementary and special education. She dreams of becoming an elementary teacher and continuing to touch the world around her through the novels she writes. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantastical adventures, spending time with her family, and capturing the world around her in photography and writing.

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Interview by Carrie Avery Moriarty

Welcome, Bridget Nash, to BOD’s author spotlight. I have to say I am thrilled to be interviewing you for your debut book, Players.

Thank you! This is so exciting for me. I found BOD while I was writing Players and it’s just really cool to be here as an author now.

In reading your bio on Amazon I see you’ve always loved writing, and that you worked in journalism. Do you prefer writing fiction or non-fiction more?

I definitely prefer writing fiction. I like making up the things that happen and taking things in the direction I choose. Even when it seems to me that my characters take over and write the story for me, I made those characters. They are mine. I might have a complex…ha ha! But, that’s not to say journalism isn’t interesting. Writing about events as they happen, being the person that tells thousands of people what went down, that can be pretty cool too. In journalism, though, I have to quote people verbatim, and in fiction I can tweak what’s in quotation marks until I feel that what the character said precisely conveys what needed to be said. I like that.

I was intrigued by the concept of your story. Can you tell me where the idea came from?

Players came from several different places in my head. I think the first ideas came from my love of the stage. Stage acting is such a specific talent. Screen actors can’t always do stage acting, but stage actors can almost always do screen acting. Even more than stage acting, I love the world of traveling players and that’s something that is basically extinct. Sure there are theatre groups, like Missoula Children’s Theatre from Montana, that travel and put on plays. But it’s not the same things as traveling players from Shakespeare’s era. Those Elizabethan traveling players lived their craft, and the idea of them traveling down dusty roads in wagons filled with props, rehearsing wherever they stopped, that creates this air of mystery around them that I love. So, Players started from a little idea of wanting to write a story about traveling players.

You’ve created an interesting utopian society within your book. Why did you choose to put your story right in the middle of this perfect world?

Like I said, I wanted to write a story about traveling players. Every time I tried to put my dark little group of actors in a setting, I wasn’t happy with it. The most obvious route would have been to write a period piece, but I scratched that idea right away because I wanted to bring the magic of traveling performers out of the dust-covered past. I played around the idea of having them in a huge, modern city, like New York City but I couldn’t seem to make that work out in my mind. So, I created a future society that mimics what we know today, where traveling players are no longer a thing of the past. I created a society where entertainers are outcasts but entertainment itself is an important distraction. And I use the theme of the stage to parallel the careful stage that is a utopian society. Things aren’t always what they seem. All the world’s a stage.

Your story follows a group of actors and writers who travel through the country putting on plays for small communities. Do you have any training in theatre? I only ask because you nailed several superstitions and ideas only those within the theatre world would understand.

I’m chuckling a little because my theatre training is limited to my involvement in Speech and Drama in high school. That is where I realized how peculiar a talent stage acting is. For those who were never involved in competitive speech, I’ll tell you that it’s not about standing up and giving speeches, although you do learn about that in Speech class. Competitive speech is acting. It’s very dramatic. You perform monologues or duets and I was really good at it. Well, except for the times I decided on my pieces on the way to the speech meet. Those times I was laughable. But when I applied myself, I was good at competitive speech and I loved it. I won awards. However, when it came to the drama part of Speech and Drama, it seemed like a completely different planet. Put me on a stage to do a monologue and I nail it. Ask me to act in an entire play? Choke. My motions were awkward, my dialogue unbelievable. I couldn’t do it. Because stage acting is a magic I don’t possess, but I love it nonetheless. So, to actually answer your question, my knowledge of the theatre comes from limited experience, appreciation, and research.

When the story ended, I was left wanting more. Do you have an expected release date for any follow up book?

When the story ended, I was left wanting more, too! I fully expected to write a standalone novel with a slightly ambiguous ending. I had planned to end with closure but one slight question. That question is, “Are all players liars?” However, when I got near the end, the story had already kept going beyond that in my mind. By the time I wrote the end, I already knew what was going to happen next. I have started the sequel. I’d love to finish it this year. I think if more people express that they want to know what happens next, the more I’ll be motivated to get it finished. But it is in progress.

Do you identify with a particular character in your story? If so, who and why.

The protagonist, Ryan, and I share one particular quality and that is second guessing decisions. It’s not an admirable quality in the least. But I tend to mull things over until I’ve driven myself half mad and still have no answer. Actually, I’m way worse than Ryan. But he lacks confidence in his own decisions and so do I.

There is a major puzzle within the story that Ryan, the main protagonist, has to figure out. Do you enjoy puzzles?

In theory, yes. In reality, I give up too easily. I always think I find hidden messages and meanings in things but when it comes to actually figuring out if I’m right…I’ll do it later.

Your other book, The Cabin, appears to be quite a different type of story, a mystery/thriller. Which type of story was more difficult to write?

Players was definitely more difficult to write. Players was also a lot more brainstorming than writing. The world of Players is much bigger in my mind than it is in the book. I know a ridiculous amount more about the society of UniState than is portrayed in the book. That’s a definite positive about getting to write a sequel. I’ll get to introduce more of what’s going on backstage in that society. For The Cabin, all I had to do was create a unique way to put someone in a survival situation. I didn’t have to build an entire world.

Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. I can’t wait for all of our BOD family to read your fantastic book, Players.

ABOUT BRIDGET

Bridget Nash lives in northwest Oklahoma where she was a newspaper journalist who received several Associated Press/Oklahoma Press Association awards for both writing and photography. She has a small portrait photography business and now stays home with her daughter, contributing to the news world on a freelance basis.
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Players is Bridget’s first completed novel since she was in eighth grade, but she swears if she ever finds that eighth-grade manuscript, she’ll burn it. Ever since she could hold a pencil, she has enjoyed writing as a recreational activity. As a child and a teen she could often be found outdoors with a notebook and pen, listening to the birds and the wind while making up her own worlds on paper.

When she isn’t writing or taking photographs, Bridget enjoys reading and watching sitcoms simultaneously. Her favorite sitcoms are Frasier, Friends and I Love Lucy. Her favorite books are Frankenstein, Jane Eyre and A Ring of Endless Light. She hates putting away laundry and doesn’t know much about cooking, but she likes to make her own kombucha and experiment with growing edible things like tomatoes, strawberries, and pumpkins.  She much prefers cold weather over warm and loves rain and snow, even though she prefers going barefoot over wearing shoes.
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Bridget lives in a very small Oklahoma town with a population of about 400, along with her husband; a daughter; two dogs, Trevor and Penny; a border collie who doesn’t think dog rules apply to him, Taban; a cat named Taylor Swift; and a fancy rat named Sheldon. There are also black widows by the water meter but she doesn’t name them and prefers not to think about them.

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Interview by Angie Taylor

Welcome, Tamara Jones, I’m so excited to feature you on the BOD blog and share with all our Bod members a little bit about yourself and your awesome writing.

I’m excited to be here. Thanks for having me!

For starters, will you please tell us a little bit about yourself? ​

The short answer is I’m a wife, mom, writer, and quilter from small town Iowa. The more complicated answer is I’m a delightfully married insomniac night owl who’s compelled to create, either by throwing bright fabric at a quilt project or slaughtering people on paper.

When did you join BOD, and what do you most like about it?

About a year ago, I think. I like that everyone’s crazy helpful and friendly, and we all like different types of stories. Whether it’s zombies, plagues, murderers, government collapses, or anything else, BOD’s there to help you get your book or movie fix!

From what I understand, you have a diverse artistic background. You studied art, so how did you become a writer? Have you always written or was it something that kind of just happened?

I’ve been writing fiction since I was about seven years old and wrote my first full-length novel when I was fourteen. So, yeah, it’s been a constant in my life, other than the ebbs and flows that seem to come with it. I’ll write like crazy for a while, then won’t write at all for a while, then write like crazy… I wish I was more consistently productive, but my brain works how it works.

As for Art, I’ve also been ‘artistic’ and ‘crafty’ for my whole life as well. People are often surprised that I actually can draw. I don’t draw much these days, I tend to dump my visual art expression into quilting, but I still sketch out characters, maps, and locations from time to time. When I went back to college after our daughter was born, I took some drawing classes for fun. Drawing class led to me getting a BA in graphic design with an emphasis in illustration. I worked as a graphic designer for about a decade before my first novel, Ghosts in the Snow, sold to Bantam.

How has your artistic background translated into your many writings?

I’m a very visual person, and I think that quality, more than the art, translates into being able to not only create visual things—like drawings, paintings, and quilts—but being able to set setting and character efficiently. I can identify the ‘telling details’ without spending a great deal of word count and can, hopefully, leave enough room for the reader to fill in the rest with their minds.

I have so enjoyed reading Spore. What a fun, freaky concept. Can you give us an overview of what Spore is about?

Spore’s about people who used to be dead, and the comic artist who tries to save them.
It’s also a story told from three distinct perspectives. First, we have Sean, the tortured comic artist who tries to help the spores despite his own crippling nightmares and family issues. Next, we have Mindy, one of the spores who just wants her life back, but her ex isn’t willing to let her have it without a fight. Last, we have Todd, a deputy trying to get to the truth of what happened to Mindy as well as why Sean’s nightmares are matching a murderer who’s snatching and killing children. All the while, the three stories interconnect and twirl together while the fungus spreads, causing more and more panic, fear, death… and more spores.

ABOUT SPORE: The dead are coming back. Ten naked people walk from a cemetery into artist Sean Casey’s backyard: ten Spore People who used to be dead. One, Mindy, stays with Sean while trying to reclaim her life, but her ex would rather she return to her grave. Sean struggles to protect Mindy and other Spores while battling his recurring-and worsening-nightmares. Meanwhile, the media feeds a panicked frenzy that leads both the hopeful and hateful to Sean’s front door. As the Spore fungus spreads, so does the fear. When mutilated children match Sean’s nightmares, he realizes his own worst terror may be closer than he thinks.

I have read a lot of zombie type books, and most of the time the zombie characters are so unbelievable. But that wasn’t the case at all in Spore. In fact you’ve created zombie characters with whom I sympathized and felt sorry for. Can you tell us a little about what inspired you to create your specific reanimated zombie-like characters in Spore?

I’m a bit of a science geek and I read a LOT. Several years ago, I read about a fungus that can spread for miles underground like a mesh. It sat in my head, stewing like those things tend to do, and one day I got an image in my head of a bunch of naked people walking into some guy’s back yard. I knew his name was Sean and he was an artist, but I didn’t know who the people were, only they were lost and he wanted to help them. As I twirled the idea around in my head a while, the fungal-mesh factoid in the recesses of my brain bubbled up and I decided the people used to be dead but weren’t anymore because the fungus replicated them. After that, I just followed along while Sean’s life went to hell and Mindy tried to get hers back.

Sean is such a fantastic focal character. I loved how he didn’t hesitate at all to help the naked people that just showed up on his lawn. He’s the kind of character that a reader wants to cheer along. Was Sean based off of a real person? And can you tell us about Sean’s role in Spore?

Thank you! No, Sean isn’t based on anyone, he’s just who he is. He’s complicated and troubled in some ways, a bright shining light of principle and justice in others, but mostly he’s his own flawed self. A good, if kind of screwed up, guy. He’s the main protagonist in the story, and I tried to have him face the things anyone would when a miracle (or plague) like the spores walk into their life. He was a great mirror (and window) to show both the good and bad in people, the hope and the fear, the desperation, the elation… I literally dumped it all on his doorstep.

I love strong female characters, so Mare and Mindy are two of my favorite characters in Spore. Do you feel a strong female character can influence readers, and if so how? 

I think any strong character, regardless of gender, can influence readers, but it’s especially fun to write strong women who are vastly different, yet still rounded and relatable. There’s a definite movement to give female characters agency in stories instead of making them little more than window dressing or arm candy for the men. While it’s very important for storytellers to do, in all honesty I didn’t really think about it until readers started pointing it out. Both Mare (Sean’s live-in girlfriend) and Mindy (one of the Spores) stepped onto the page as themselves – fully actualized people. While SPORE’s definitely Sean’s story at its core, he couldn’t have told it without the support (and no-bullshit-tolerance) of Mare. He, alone, isn’t strong enough.

Mindy, however, has the most growth, I think, as she moves from victim to independence. She, too, couldn’t have done it without Mare, so maybe Mare’s the glue that holds each of the two main protagonists together?

Spore is just one of many books you have written, which makes me excited to discover your other works. But from what I was able to research you have a special love for writing horror. Can you tell us about your other books and what draws you to writing horror stories? Do you have a favorite author that has influenced your love for horror?

I read a lot of mass-market-paperback horror as a teenager, from VC Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic to The Amityville Horror, to pretty much everything by Stephen King. I read it all, the good stuff and utter crap, but I suppose King is my favorite, especially The Stand. Carrie was the first horror novel I’d read, back in 1975 or so, so maybe that’s why I’m such a fan of Stephen King.

As for my other books, I have three forensic fantasy novels (serial killer in a castle stories, sort of, but they’re actually post-apocalyptic dystopian) titled Ghosts in the Snow, Threads of Malice, and Valley of the Soul. In each, the main character, Castellan Dubric Byerly, is faced with a string of murders and is plagued by the ghosts of the victims until he avenges their deaths. They’re all violent and gory, especially Threads of Malice. I also have three short stories available as ebooks – Fire, Endorphins, and Sid – all violent as well.

I’m not precisely sure why I enjoy ‘slaughtering people on paper’, but it is fascinating to research why people do such awful things to each other, and what turns a regular person into a psychopath, as well as what turns a regular person into a hero. With horror and similar fiction, I get to explore both extremes and it can be really fun.

Your bio says that you like to quilt. I’m a sewer myself and have made several quilts. How long have you been quilting/sewing, and what do you like most about making quilts/creating a work of art?

I started sewing when our daughter – now 26 – was about 6 months old. We were flat out broke and it was much cheaper to buy fabric at the dime store and make her clothes than it was to purchase them already made, so I taught myself how to sew. I made a lot of her clothes until she was about ten or so because I grew to love sewing, but it didn’t take long, maybe three or four months, before the leftover scraps started to become a problem. She was less than a year old when I made my first quilt from those scraps, a small Bargello wall hanging which she still has. The quilts rapidly became larger and more complicated, and I don’t sew clothes anymore, only quilts.

As for what I like best about it, I think it’s a combination of the high I get from creative expression as well as my favorite part of the process: the planning and cutting. It’s embarrassing how many quilts I have cut up and ready to go but haven’t sewn yet. I enjoy piecing quite a lot, but don’t really enjoy quilting the layers together. I can do it – and do it – but I generally send out larger quilts. I will quilt smaller ones myself, though. Also, I sew almost 100% by machine. I’ll do some embellishments by hand, and I hand finish binding, but that’s it. If my sewing machine won’t do it, I won’t do it.

Are there any last crazy or fun facts you’d like all of us at BOD to know about?

I was a role playing finalist in the 90’s at the RPGA invitational at GenCon, but I don’t game any more. My husband does, though, and we regularly have gamers in the basement playing Pathfinder or AD&D.

Oh, how fun. I’ve never really been in to gaming, but I know people who love it. 
Well, thank you, Tamara, for spending time with us at BOD and for sharing your time and talents with us.

Thank you, Angie, for having me! {{hugs}}

ABOUT TAMARA

Tamara started her academic career as a science geek, earned a degree in art, and, when she’s not making quilts or herding cats, writes tense thrillers as Tamara Jones and the award-winning Dubric Byerly Mysteries series (Bantam Spectra), as Tamara Siler Jones. Despite the violent nature of her work, Tam’s easygoing and friendly. Not sick or twisted at all. Honest.
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Tamara is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

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Welcome, Caroline Gill. I’m so excited to interview you and feature you on the BOD blog so that all of us can get to know you better. Thank you for joining us.

Really, I am so lucky to be a part of a group as loyal and strong as BOD. I want to thank you, Angie, for going out of your way to reschedule this interview three times as my editors realized I would have to cut the first 40 pages of the novel. There was a great deal of crying and rewrites as I tried to figure out how to follow their counsel. And my editing team was absolutely right. The book is better for the missing pages.

I always love hearing about authors’ writing journeys. Can you tell us how becoming an author came about for you?

When I was in high school, I read everything, as much as I could. I was raised on National Geographic, seeing the wonders of the wide world. Mostly, I wrote for school or I wrote in my journal. It wasn’t until my ten year HS reunion that it really hit me. My high school English teacher was there, asked me what I was doing, how many books I had published. When I said none, he got terribly upset. To see someone feel so passionately about something made me take a step back and wonder what I had misplaced. After all those years, he still had faith in my writing. So at first, I got out my keyboard and wrote for him.

I have so enjoyed reading Flying Away. Never have I read such a magical, fantastical dystopian story. Where did the idea come from?

I think writing a book is the same as drawing a picture, it begins with one stroke across a blank page. I had a dream of a little girl, staring out of a high window, perched almost like a sparrow up in a tree. Her big eyes staring intently down to the street corner, waiting for her father to come home. She was ferocious in her determination to be there when he came back home. And I could see, that within hours of her taking up that look out, the flies would ignore her intrusion as they danced on the windowsill.

I love Lani’s physical/spiritual connection with flies, other winged insects, and nature in general. I’d really love to know, why choose flies to be Lani’s helpers?

In fiction, I feel like magic is seen as this rare force, found in only the most special of objects, or to the most powerful characters, by birth or talent. Iolani waits. She listens and watches for her father with the stubbornness only a child can muster. And because of that, she sees the ordinary outside her window and there, on the windowsill. And because of her confidence and stillness, the flies see her. Magic for me is found in the ordinary. Anything can become magical if it is loved.

The cover art on and in Flying Away is so beautiful. Please share with us all about how you became an artist and what it means for you to be able to draw such beautiful images.

You are so kind. I have always drawn, with just as much skill as every other kid in my grade I think. I really pursued drawing in college, trying to show the beauty in every detail of a wrinkled face, or the feathers of an eagle’s wing. I did not myself know what Lani looked like, until she bloomed into being under my hand. I started the drawing, but she formed herself. It means so much to me to be able to share the images in my imagination. I am constantly surprised by what emerges.

As a new indie author, what has your journey been like getting Flying Away ready for publication? Who helped you along the journey?

I wrote Flying Away as a Nanowrimo novel in November of 2014. After my chapter was accepted for Prep for Doom, I began working with Your Elemental Solutions to make the book shine. They, along with Cheer, helped over and over to refine my odd story. I had initially had time jumps and chaos, they managed to smooth that out. Myra Lang, Casey Bond, and Amy Bartelloni were incredibly helpful as well, reading and cheering me on, even when the list of things to do overwhelmed me.

From what I understand you are a woman who wears many different hats. Can you tell us all of the awesome responsibilities you’re a part of? What’s your day job when you’re not writing or drawing?

I am at home right now, trying to make a dream come true of writing novels. I have also taught figure drawing and art classes at college. Most of my days are spent at the beck and call of my five children, who are all writing novels themselves. Their illustrations mark my walls. lol.

What has your experience been like being a part of BOD?

BOD is family. And the wonderful thing is, it keeps growing. We all rise to the occasion, supporting one another, cheering each other on. I think Rick Grimes would be proud.

What can you tell us about participating in creating Prep for Doom?

From the very beginning, the brainstorming was so exciting. And then the work on the disease details. It was so much fun seeing other people’s minds spinning new ideas. We had a post where we claimed certain viewpoints. They all went pretty fast. I was slow to write and so many viewpoints had been taken, I realized I would have to tell a story outside the main world view. One of the stories shared with authors was the CDC interview with the reporter, outlining the symptoms and stages of the virus. The scientist stated adamantly that there had been no sign of this virus in Ghana. So of course, I had to have it start on the very edge of Ghana, because life is snarky like that. ER Arroyo was such a gracious and organized collaborator throughout the submission and revision process. I feel like ER’s team spent so much time on that collection of stories. It is their work that makes the book flow.

Besides writing and drawing, do you have any other areas of artistic expertise you’re involved in?
​
Honestly, there are so many fields I wish I knew. I cannot sing, not really, nor dance and I love music. Can’t play any instruments at all. I can whistle, does that count? I really appreciate other’s skills in fields related to mine: design, interior design, formatting, book covers, gardening, pottery, wood working. The list goes on as long as there are individuals trying to express their imaginations. I am only one small voice in a much bigger chorus.

What about your education? I’ve been told you have quite a few degrees. Can you tell us how that came to be?

I was always told a university education was the key to opening doors, the key to the good life. And in some ways, I am sure that is true. It’s harder to see in the creative fields because so many people give up and take a job just to make a living. I paid my way through my last two years at UCLA and discovered employers weren’t impressed with the fine arts bachelor degree. I attended NIU and received an MFA in printmaking and metalsmithing only to realize art is all opinion. So many people I went to school with were great artists but many were not great teachers. So I thought I would get a sister degree, a Masters in Art History which has allowed me to teach in several community colleges in California. At the end of it all, I realized art is individual. It really is. And the ability to teach is a gift. I am pleased to teach others some of the things I have learned.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I am very excited and grateful for the response so far to Flying Away. I try to tell the story that has not yet been spoken, the journey not yet taken. And yes, I believe in Happily Every Afters, I really do. I have the battle scars to prove it. I hope you will trust me enough to come Fly Away…

ABOUT CAROLINE

Caroline A. Gill went to school at UCLA and NIU. She married the love of her life. Facing the world with children made her aware of how vulnerable they are. Weaving tales of courage, she tries to find hope. Living near the great California Redwoods, she finds a sense of the finite and infinite touching. The creative world is like that, especially when authors feel inspired. ​

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Interview by Angie Taylor

​Welcome, Casey Hays, to BOD’s author spotlight. It’s so fun to get to interview and feature you again on BOD in light of the release of your last book in the Arrow’s Flight series, Master. Thank you for joining us.

Hi Angie. Thank you so much for having me. I am honored to be here!

So, let’s get right to it. How does it feel to have reached the end of the Arrow’s Flight series?

Well, I have mixed feelings, actually. Part of me is kind of relieved that I survived the telling of this whole story! Part of me is already missing my characters. I’ve lived with Kate and Ian’s story in my head and my heart for so long that it’s going to be hard to move on from this. It’s the end of an era. But at the same time, I’m excited to begin working with some new characters.

When did you know you wanted to write a Christian Dystopian book/series?

Funny thing, when I first started writing Breeder, this was NOT a Christian series and it was also not Dystopian. I was just planning to write a good Sci-Fi story. But over time, pieces started falling into place to turn it in to what it became. Honestly, after Breeder was published, I still didn’t know that what I had written was called Dystopian…LOL. I had never heard of that genre. As far as the Christian elements, it didn’t take me long to realize that God was pushing me in that direction, and I had to decide if I was going to ignore his prodding to share the Gospel in this series or be obedient. I have to say I struggled with that for a while. And then, I just let it happen naturally. I am very satisfied with the outcome.

When you started the series, did you know where Kate and Ian’s stories would end up in Master, or did their stories evolve with each book?

They definitely evolved with each book. In fact, I know you’ve read the ending to The Archer. That ending was not in my mind until two weeks before I wrote it into the story. Also, I never in my wildest dreams envisioned Ian taking over as narrator in The Archer OR in a majority of Master. I’m telling you, Kate and Ian didn’t always keep me in the know!

I recently read an article about the importance of authors creating strong female characters. In what ways do you think Kate fits the mold of a strong female character?

In Breeder, Kate’s strength shines both physically and mentally. She endures a lot in that village of hers, and her rebellion and resilience play a key role in shaping her into the girl who has the courage to defy everything she knows and even leave the Village altogether. She’s a fighter, and in the later books, this is evident in several ways that I can’t share here without giving spoilers, so I’ll keep quiet. But with Kate, my goal was to create a healthy balance of independence and submissiveness to bring a well-rounded depth to her character. I wanted her to be strong when she needed to be, but to know when her weakness was attractive or necessary. Master contains loads of descriptions about weakness often being your only strength. Kate and Ian learn that lesson together, and it’s beautiful.

There is a paradox within religious based fiction between the message to love one another and help others to learn about God and the reality of characters being forced into violent actions. So I was wondering what your thoughts were on this subject in respect to the Kate’s role and the Eden Boys’ roles through the series.

Mmmhhh… this is a very hard question to answer because my characters don’t know God when the series begins. They don’t have anything to gauge their actions by except for their own innate desires and gut feelings. My story begins in a very pagan world where Kate has no knowledge of God. The series is not overly religious for a majority of the time, and it’s not until the final book that readers meet characters who are believers. Still, war has come to Eden’s doorstep, and the citizens have to gear up to defend themselves if they want to survive.

When it’s all said and done, you can love and help one another until you’re exhausted, and violence will still be a reality no matter what kind of book you write. Failing to depict this fact in a faith-based novel would be very unrealistic, especially for my main characters, who are just now finding faith. Knowing God doesn’t mean we always obey, but when we do, it’s rewarding. I think Claudia is the perfect example of this struggle in Master.

Also, keep in mind that God is not adverse to violence when necessary. He sent Joshua and Gideon and David into battle many times, and they taught about God by the sword, not by loving and helping others. God expects us to protect those who have been entrusted to our care when we can. And he expects us to defend ourselves, our integrity, our purity. He expects us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to forgive. He just expects us to do it in the right way at the right time and not in our own flesh. My characters struggle to do just that. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they don’t. And that’s being human.

One of my favorite subplots to the entire series is the Eden Boys’ powers. So, if you could have any superhuman power, which would you choose and why?

I really like the healing ability. That would be totally cool. But I’d also love to be able to fly.

What was the inspiration behind the cover for Master?

Plain and simple, there is no greater message than the Cross, and I knew from the moment I saw where this series was headed that I wanted that Old Rugged Cross to be smack in the middle of my final cover. If you look closely, you’ll see the broken arrow dangling from the center of cross? This holds a very special meaning that I hope readers pick up on as they finish the series. Especially pay attention to the last sentence of Chapter 27…. Hint, hint.

What was it like having your son do the cover art for each book? Did you tell him what you wanted, or did you give him an idea and let him go with it?

It was a love/hate relationship… lol! My son is a great pencil sketch artist, but he doesn’t really like to draw. So it could be very challenging at times, and I often went into panic mode that he wouldn’t finish the sketches on time. But he delivered… every time. I always gave him a guideline of what I wanted and let him go with it. Usually, I was pleased with what I got. My favorite of the three is still the cover for Breeder.

Out of Breeder, Archer, and Master, which book would you like to see in real life/live in the most, or the least if you could, and why?

Well, The Archer was far too nomadic for my taste. I like a roof over my head and knowing where my next meal is coming from. Breeder has its pros and cons, but I’d probably end up in the Pit. So I’m going to go with Master. At least, as the author, I know how that one ends. 🙂

If you could have any actors play the parts of Kate and Ian, who would they be and why?

Based on appearance only, I’d go with Victoria Justice for Kate and Luke Benward for Ian. Victoria is dark-haired with chocolate eyes, and Luke is a blue-eyed blond. They have the right look. Although, Victoria would definitely have to get a tan. 🙂

So, what comes next? Do you have any book ideas you want to tell us about?

Actually, I will be starting a series of novellas to round off the Arrow’s Flight series. The first one is titled “A Scent of Lilac” and will hopefully be out in June, right before I head off for UtopiaCon. This novella will be told from Mia’s point of view and be set in the Village following Kate’s departure. It’s going to be fun! I also plan to release a Supernatural Romance in 2017 based on the legend of the Phoenix. That’s about it for now!

Thanks so much, Casey, for sharing your talents with all of us at BOD. Congratulations on the release of Master! 

Thank you very much for having me! It’s always fun to talk about my favorite pastime!

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Interview by Angie Taylor
​
Welcome, A.S. Winchester—known as Addison Sharon Winchester to everyone at BOD—to this week’s ON THE BOD BLOG author spotlight interview! It’s a pleasure to get to know you.

Thank you! I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of sharing myself and my work with others.

For starters, can you tell us why you chose to be a writer and how long you’ve been writing?

I don’t think I ever chose to be a writer. The profession chose me when I was old enough to have an active imagination. I was the kid always telling stories and dragging people into typing up my work for me. I wrote my first full story when I was four years old, with the help of my mother and her typewriter. It was over ten pages long about a kitten getting stuck in a tree after being chased up there by wolves.

The idea to publish was something I always wanted to do, but was never sure I was good enough for. It wasn’t until I started sharing an early version of Terra: Genesis that I learned I had a story people wanted to read. The sheer number of people telling me to take it as far as I could pushed me onto the track I needed to self-publish my first book.

Is there one author who has inspired you the most, or is there one author with whom you’d love to go to lunch and ask a million questions about writing and life in general?

I would love to sit down with James Patterson and talk writing for hours. His series Maximum Ride had a big impact on Terra and my thought process. More than that, Patterson’s ability to cross genres and age groups intrigues me. It’s something I really wish I could sit down and discuss with him. He writes all the way from children’s books to adult books. I really never considered that to be something possible, and I would just love to pick his brain.

On that same note, your dystopian book, Terra: Genesis, reminded me of so many awesome dystopian books I’ve read, while at the same time being a unique story all its own. Can you tell us where you came up with the idea or how it morphed into existence?

Oh goodness… Terra: Genesis actually started as a first person, short story, romance. I have always been good at creating flawed and in depth characters as well as creating chemistry between characters. I always believed I should stick to something like chick lits and romance, but the sheer lack of “action” bored me. As a result, I started Terra (as it was once called) as a romance between Cala and Liam. However, the more I worked with Cala and the Program, the more the romance became a subplot. I became intrigued by the science fiction/dystopian world and desperately needed something more from it. After playing with the plot, it went from a first person, short story, romance to a third person, dystopian, six book series. I haven’t looked back since.

I especially loved the scientific/medical world in Terra: Genesis, and I’d love to know more about the process of developing a character who’s a cyborg. Can you expand on how Cala/Aleka came to be?

Honestly, I wanted initial shock value. When I created the first draft, I only sent out right up until Cala is blown up and that was it. The response was explosive (no pun intended) and exactly what I wanted. However, in choosing to blow her up, I had to figure out how to bring her back. I didn’t want it to just be that she survived magically. I wanted to traumatize her, change her, and make her something that would allow me to play with the universal question of ‘what makes us human’ and thus she became a cyborg. I strongly hold to the theory that I should push my characters to their breaking point and then see what they do. Will they break or will they persevere?

Aleka… Aleka was an experiment in and of herself for me. I absolutely love psychology and am extremely fascinated by how horribly it’s depicted in the media. I wanted to do something with psychology and Cala, because after everything she has been through, she was bound to have psychiatric problems.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is typically not portrayed correctly and I wanted to take the chance to portray it how I understand it. I was hoping to show how it can manifest and be in someone who has experienced severe trauma. However, I also understood I was taking a huge risk with her. Cala as a cyborg was a risk because she is so different, but Aleka… she’s unorthodox, violent, and unhinged. I fully expected people to not like what I did with her. But surprisingly she’s been the most demanded and quoted character.

One of my favorite parts of your book is when Aleka is first introduced. She’s terrifying, powerful, and has the ability to completely suck readers into the story. Was it hard/scary/fun creating such a character?

Aleka is absolutely terrifying to write. I spend my life focusing on the beauty and the positive in the world, but to get inside her head requires something very dark and scary. It’s always exhausting writing her. She makes me question everything about myself, my morals, and half the time I’m left feeling nauseous. I love it because I know her saying things like, “The best way to a man’s heart is through his ribcage” as she tears out a man’s heart, is a complete shock, but it leaves me feeling off.

I found it particularly interesting how you slipped in the issue of mental illness into Terra: Genesis is such a non-invasive/discussable way. What attracted you to want to address this issue?

Mental illness is a huge part of my life. I actually have PTSD, which has led to me having severe social anxiety, insomnia, night terrors, and adjustment anxiety disorder (severe anxiety brought on by little changes). I’ve struggled with severe depression, self-injury, and have attempted suicide.

Up until the last few years, I felt it was something I needed to hide and be ashamed of because that’s how the world around me has made me feel. But that’s just the thing… it’s not something I need to shy from.

I have PTSD from circumstances outside of my control as a child and it’s not something I should be afraid to talk about.

It severely bothers me how much stigma is attached to mental illness these days, yet so many people struggle with it. I wanted to put my own foot in the door and make it a thing in the Terraverse as a way to open people up. It worked. Through social media, especially Instagram, I’ve connected with a lot of young writers who struggle with mental illness, and I’ve given them someone to talk to who understands. As I said, I love helping people. And knowing I can help someone stay away from the ledge, brings me a sense of peace.

What attracts you to writing/reading dystopian works? In what ways do dystopian stories speak to readers, or what do you see is their relevance for today’s society and readers as a whole?

I believe dystopian stories reflect the fears of current society. I love the fact that dystopian stories look at our current society and accelerate some aspect of it into a possible end line. Terraverse wasn’t something I just magically made up. I spent a long time looking at population trends in relation to death trends, resource usage, planetary responses to people, current technology, and the fear of how little we actually take care of our planet.

That’s where it started… we aren’t taking care of the Earth. And then dystopian stories are the big “what if”? What if we don’t reverse what we’re doing? What happens to the planet? What happens to us as a species? They allow us to look down a path of a possible future and truly reflect on what is happening now, what footprint we’re leaving, and even what can we do to prevent it.

Now, can you tell us a little more about you? What other responsibilities/hobbies do you have, or how do you spend your time when you’re not writing?

I have cats… three of them. All of them are just about a year old and I’m owned by my cats. I wish I was joking. They’re like dogs in cat bodies and just want to be loved on as much as possible. Even as we speak, my big guy Falke is pawing his way up my back and meowing for attention. Anyway, I’m only recently starting to work through my social anxiety so I’m a massive homebody. I love to sit at home watching Netflix, reading, and there is almost always a cat on me or next to me. I also work full time as a nanny and occasionally take on work doing photography. I do enjoy the occasional adventure to the zoo, museums, arboretums, or just getting out in nature to take photos.

What’s your favorite book series of all time? Do you read books more than once or are you a one-time-read kind of girl?

This is a loaded question… I’d have to go with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympian’s series. I absolutely love the story by how the series started and I’m a sucker for Greek Mythology. I sway between being a one-time reader and a read many times girl. It really just depends on what the book is. I have a huge collection of books so I can always go back to one if I want or have them around for my future children to delve in if they want.

Do you have any funny or unique quirks/routines that help in your writing process? For example: listening to music vs. absolute silence, or eating/chewing gum vs. your favorite drink?

I always have to have music playing. I can’t have silence or else I overthink everything and anything possible. Music helps to direct me, but I’m so very awkward when I write. I’m a visualizer so as I go I’m picturing things that my characters are seeing and experiencing. I tend to look around, wave my arms, move, and so on as I would think my characters would react. I sometimes forget where I am. It’s why I very rarely write in public. I turn into the odd girl, waving madly with headphones in, sitting in the corner of Starbucks, that everyone stares at for small periods of times. I get very into my writing.

If you could go and do anything for one day, where would you go, with whom, and why?

This may sound ridiculous, but I think you caught me at a time where I’m homesick for my family in Tennessee. I’d love to go down to Newport where my family is, laugh with my brother and sister, spend hours talking to my mom, and just relax in the mountains. It’d be nice to sit and watch the sunset on the porch swing with my baby sister and her dog, Holly. It’s been forever since I have been able to go home.

And last but not least, how did you hear about BOD, when did you join, and what do you think makes BOD so fabulous?

Oy vey… I know I was in the group earlier last year and I want to say someone added me, but I’ve spent so much time around that I honestly feel like it’s been years. It’s like meeting someone and you feel like you’ve known them for a lifetime. I love BOD for its quirky people. Everyone has something they love within the dystopian world and that brings everyone together to support each other. The posts always intrigue me and the communication between people is impressive. We’re a family and I’m honored to be a part of it.

Well, thank you. It’s been such a pleasure to get to know you. And thank you for sharing your talent with us.

ABOUT A.S. WINCHESTER

Hello! My name is A.S. Winchester, but you can call me Addison or Addie if you would like. Winchester works too–people seem to get a kick out of call me by my last name. I’m a self-published author with my first book, “Terra: Genesis”, having been released July 28, 2015. I love all things writing and reading related with a special love for dystopian worlds and the science fiction genre. I’m an artsy and creative ambivert with a love for helping people. I work full time as a nanny and freelance in the writing field as I continue to build on the world of Terra and dabble in a number of other works I intend to one day publish.

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Interview by Angie Taylor

I’m so happy and excited to feature you, ER Arroyo, on BOD’s author spotlight interview. Especially in light of your recent release of Sovereign as an audiobook. I listen to audiobooks all the time. They are one of my favorite ways to become immersed in a story, so I can’t wait to learn about the process from book to audiobook. And I’m also excited to introduce narrator, Corinne Bupp. Thank you both for joining us, and for sharing your talents with us.

ER: Thanks Angie! Great to be here again. 🙂

Corinne: Glad to be here!

First off, ER, can you tell us a little bit about Sovereign?

ER: Of course. Sovereign was my debut novel. It’s a young adult dystopian/post-apocalyptic book that features a teenage girl named Cori. She’s trapped in a rigidly controlled colony of survivors and wants out, but she isn’t sure what could be out there. She’s been taught that the world was obliterated by warfare and the only people on the outside are savages.

When did you decide that Sovereign should become an audio story? 

ER: Honestly, just from seeing some BOD authors discussing audiobooks. It piqued my interest so I did a little digging. I didn’t know it was as accessible as it turned out to be. I’m so glad I went for it!

What was the process of making this happen, and what were some of the challenges to accomplishing this goal?

ER: It started with creating an account and opening up the book for auditions. I received, I think, around 30 auditions and nothing was really working for me. Then I came across Corinne and asked her to audition. I loved her audition and something about her voice just felt right, so we signed contracts within a couple of days.

I would say the biggest challenge we faced was the timeline of completing the project. We had a 60-day deadline and got a little behind right at the start. There’s surprisingly a lot of back and forth between author and narrator before it is finished. In short, it’s a lot of work! Especially for Corinne.

How did you go about choosing a narrator?  What was the process for even deciding who to audition?

ER: Basically, I listed my project on a site called ACX and then opened up for auditions. My project page included a brief script and an explanation of what I was looking for from the character. Narrators came to me, for the most part. I did search the site myself as well and I wrote a few people asking them to audition based on samples they had up from other auditions.

Ultimately, what made you choose Corinne to represent the voice of Cori?

ER: Lots of things, but basically it came down to her tone. I could tell from her audition that she would be able to voice Cori just right—not high-pitched, not too feminine, not too proper.

Are there any plans for making The Offering into an audiobook? Can you tell us about any other writing projects you’re working on?

ER: Corinne and I will be discussing The Offering in more detail here really soon. 🙂

Yes! I will be in an anthology called The Doomsday Chronicles coming out on February 19th. Aside from that, finishing up a couple short stories that are prequels to Sovereign will be my priority. After that, I think it’s time for a new novel.

Thank you, ER.  I can’t wait to experience Sovereign again in audio.

Now, Corinne Bupp, how fun to be a narrator! I have always wanted to narrate books, but my voice is way too whiny when recorded. So, I’m going to live vicariously through you. Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in narrating?

Corinne: Yeah! My background and degree is in musical theatre but it has been a dream of mine to work on an audiobook since 2009. While I was in college, I started working privately with a voice and speech professor with the sole goal of doing an audiobook. Since then I have been primarily performing onstage and not actively pursuing voice over. It wasn’t until this year, when I auditioned for E.R., that I really started to make that dream a reality.

Is it hard getting into character? How do you do it?

Corinne:  I love it. Most of it is intuition, analysis of the story, and the author’s tone. E.R. and I actually worked together a lot on the characters. We met and talked about other characters and actors that the characters of Sovereign were similar to or even sounded like.

What was it like working with ER?

Corinne: Great! She is so thoughtful and brought such insight to each character. She provided specific ideas for their relationships, backstories, and even their voices. We worked very closely throughout the whole process. 🙂

How did you feel when you discovered that the main character of Sovereign shared your name?

Corinne: I may have freaked out a little bit. I already get really excited when I meet another Corinne – especially spelled the same! Honestly, it made me want to be a part of the project even more. It just felt meant to be!

What was it that made you connect most with Cori? 

Corinne: Most of the way she handles her relationships felt very familiar. I think we can all relate to protecting ourselves by putting up walls, just not with such severity. That being said, her closeness to her father was probably my strongest connection to Cori.

What was your favorite part of working on this project?

Corinne: My favorite part of this project was definitely the character study. I just thoroughly enjoyed “being” Cori.

Can you tell us about any other narrating plans you might be involved in?

Corinne: E.R. and I are in talks for The Offering in the coming year! I’m very excited!

Oh, that’s exciting.  Both of you will have to keep all of us at BOD updated.

Thanks again, ER and Corinne, for spending time with us. Congratulations to you both!

SOVEREIGN AUDIOBOOK TRAILER

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/CqmTmKDSFbs”]

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Interview by Angie Taylor

Hey, all you fantastic BOD members, thanks for reading! Check out this week’s author spotlight! I’m very excited to interview P Mark DeBryan. Welcome!
​
Why, thank you, Angie.

I love learning about author’s writing history. So, tell us how or when you knew writing was what you wanted to do? 
​
It all came about rather inconspicuously. I sent a short story into an author who asked for fan fiction submission. That author was John O’Brien, a favorite of mine. He chose my story for a compilation of his A New World series in Untold Stories. Soon after that, he encouraged me to expand the short story “In For a Dollar, In For a Dime” (now free on Amazon) into a full-length novel, and Family Reunion was born. When I finished writing the short story, I thought to myself, This is what I want to do.

Family Reunion is such a fun take on an apocalyptic world. I especially love that all of your characters end up being family. Can you tell us more about this story and where you came up with the story?

I was scheduled to head to a long overdue family reunion when I wrote the short story. I didn’t really think it would get selected for use, and I didn’t ask for permission, but I based it loosely on my family. Then by the time I went to the actual reunion, John had published it in his book and it was passed around the family. They were all okay with it, or at least they didn’t yell at me or throw things at me. The characters, while based on my family tree, are not real. I make them do things that they may or may not actually do or say.

One of my sisters said, “Hey, we all understand, it’s a story; you are allowed poetic license.” The diversity of the family in the story, however, is very real. My parents raised all seven of us to be individuals, and then they were surprised when we all turned out so differently. The full spectrum of personalities of the characters in the book, and their place in the tree is about the only thing that is truly representative of reality. We fight and argue and can’t agree on the color of the sky, but don’t you dare think about getting in between us… lol.

A couple of your characters, Ryan, Max, and Lisa, seem to have a pretty fair understanding of weaponry, especially of guns. Is this knowledge from your own experience with guns, or did you have to research your artillery details?

A little of both, actually. I do own a few of the weapons used in the book, but others are some that I secretly covet. I guess it isn’t a secret any longer, is it? I did spend many hours trying to make sure that an informed reader would not be disappointed with my choices and use of these weapons. For instance, your use of “artillery” above would have resulted in many emails and possibly a few FB post. I did make one mistake in the identification of a particular weapon, but it was more an oversight then an outright mistake. Ted Nulty, my friend, and former Marine was nice enough to give me a heads up on it, and it was changed. If you have an early Kindle copy, you may find it. Right now, several people are searching through the book, trying to find it.

Since the power of family is such a strong theme in Family Reunion, who in your family would you want to face an apocalypse with and why?

Every single one of them. There are many reasons. Medical, there are several nurses in the family with decades of experience in the ER, OR, and Psychological health. Biology, there are several naturalist in the family with decades of practical experience in the wild. The character Parker is probably the best example of this. I would eat anything he handed me with confidence. Farming, there are a few professional farmers in the group and several advanced amateurs.

There’s also the fact that I believe this group has very few weak links. Sound minds will be a big factor in survivability. The biggest reason, I love them and don’t want to see them get eaten; however, just being together won’t guarantee that. Oh, and Sophie… she has a really cool Motor Coach!

Do you have any writing rituals that help you get in the writing groove? For example, do you have a favorite band or type of music you listen to that help you write, etc.?

My mom used to have a book open, TV on, and food cooking on the stove, while singing. I, on the other hand, must have quiet. No music, no internet, no interruptions! I love music, just not while I’m writing. Typically, the wife will have to yell my name loudly three times to bring me out of my writing zone.

What can you tell us about your future writing projects?

I have started writing the second book in the series. October was dedicated pretty much to promoting Family Reunion, but in November I will step back some and write a lot more! It will pick up where Family Reunion ended without much of a jump in time. Without leaving spoilers, that is about all I can say!

Where is your favorite place to read, and what kind of books are your go-to books?

The Jacuzzi! Before I started writing (heavy sigh) I could disappear to the Jacuzzi and be missing for hours. Any book, any genre, doesn’t matter, as long as it is fiction. I read TIDs all day at my day job (Technical Information Documents) so no non-fiction for pleasure. Currently, I have been binge listening to Sci-fi while I commute an hour to work, and reading a detective novel before sleeping.

Besides writing, what are some of your other hobbies and or day jobs?

I have a brand new grandson, so he will be my new hobby. I will have an adult beverage with friends occasionally, but strangely enough I don’t have much free time anymore. For my day job I manage a datacenter in West Virginia. Lots of blinky lights that must stay blinky in order for the world not to end and to keep “THE CLOUD” from disappearing.

Now tell us some fun random facts about you. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be, why would you go there, and who would you go with?

Hmmm, random facts. I had a crepe restaurant at seventeen. I raised a sheep in high school for 4-H his name was Beethoven. I was a three-sport letterman. I knew the Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot personally, and he got a ticket for driving with his head on when he was hurrying to meet me. I have owned three businesses throughout my life. I played bass guitar very badly for years (it was fun!). I worked as a program director for a summer camp in Wisconsin for a while. I think that is about as random as I can get.

Where would I go? The South Pacific somewhere—one of the cool little huts that is out over the water. I would go with my wife and sip fruity drinks and eat copious amounts of fresh sea food and read really cool books while baking in the sun. Or maybe I’d go hang out with Larry Sullivan; he goes all over the world. Who is he? Just a favorite Facebook friend who always posts really cool pics… haha! Yeah, the South Pacific.

If today was your last day on earth, how would you spend it and what would you want your legacy to be?

With my family. He was a good dad.

Thank you so much, P Mark DeBryan, for spending some time with us, and for sharing your talents with all of us at BOD.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark has always been a bit of a vagabond. Born in Washington, raised in California he joined the Coast Guard after high school. His first assignment after boot camp was as the driver for the admiral of PACAREA in San Francisco. After a short stay working at a LORAN station, he went for a cruise on a 378´ cutter in the Bering Sea, then onto aviation where he was a crewman of both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft in Texas. After four years in the Coast Guard, he worked security, first guarding MX nuclear missiles, then at a nuclear power plant in California. Eventually he went to college in Wisconsin, only to drop out after meeting his future wife. He went on to finish college at 36 and own a Miracle Ear franchise. He went into publishing for a short time before becoming an information systems specialist. He currently splits his time between West (by God) Virginia and Surfside Beach, SC.

​Website | Twitter | Family Reunion on Amazon

Interview by Angie Taylor

Welcome, Cameo Renae, to BOD’s author spotlight interview. It’s such a pleasure to have you with us!

Thanks so much for having me! I’m so excited and honored to be in BOD’s spotlight! Yay!

I love learning about our BOD authors, and especially how they became writers. What can you share with us about your author back story? Did you always want to write? Tell us how it all came to be for you.

I never really considered, or even thought I’d end up as a writer, although creative writing was one of my favorite subjects in middle-school. When we were asked to turn in one to two pages of a prompted story, I would end up handing in ten or more. Eeeek!  I found early on that writing was pretty easy for me, and my wild imagination was set free. My teacher was so impressed with a few of my stories, he asked my permission to share them with the high-school students. So, that was a pretty awesome boost to my self-esteem.

I didn’t start writing until my kids were almost in high-school. Then, I thought…I wonder if I still have it in me? I started with an online writing community where I wrote and shared short stories, many of which were prompted. I had so much fun and a lot of awesome feedback from fellow members, so I decided to attempt writing a full length novel. I started writing a children’s fantasy, but after a vivid dream, immediately switched and began writing In My Dreams, which became my debut. It’s been a crazy journey since that book.

What was your childhood like when it came to books? Were you a voracious reader when you were young? Did you have a favorite book or series that made you want to writer?

My grandma has always been a voracious reader. She actually had me writing words from books from the age of three or four. Some of my favorite memories were spending weekends at her house. She’d take me to the bookstore and let me pick out ANY book I wanted, then we’d go back home and read them. She’s almost 90 today and still reads every-single-day on her Kindle and is so sharp. She’s amazing.

My favorite series growing up was C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. It sparked my love for fantasy and reading, and I’m actually in the process of finishing that first fantasy book I started!

Do you have a favorite author, or authors whose writing and stories have really inspired you, or who you like to emulate? If you could spend an hour with any author in the history of time, who would it be and why?

There are so many amazing authors, that I can’t really pick a favorite. But Like I said above…CS Lewis sparked my love for reading, and made me want to write a fantasy story of my own. If I could spend an hour with any one author, I think I’d choose JK Rowling. Her stories are amazing, and she’s built quite an empire. I’d love to sit and listen to any advice from her. That would be amazing.

Tell us about ARV-3: The After Light Saga. I’ve read a lot of book with zombie-like creatures, but the Arvies in ARV-3 are some of the more terrifying I’ve read about it. I love the world building you created and especially the Arvies organized groups and intelligence. Can you tell us a little bit about this story and how you came up with such a thrilling apocalyptic world?

I love the whole zombie apocalypse genre, so I wanted to see if I was able attempt my take on it. It seemed like a really fun idea, but when I started, it became so much more. I didn’t want my creatures to be dead, so I mutated them. And I wanted them to be intelligent and have a seething hatred for all survivors who abandoned them on the topside. This made the After Light world even more suspenseful and horrifying.

There are also endless “End of the World” scenarios. After I’d read a true article on solar flares, and how close we’ve been to having our national grid knocked out, and the dangers it could cause, I decided to go that route. It added a very real fear into this story. While a solar flare has a high amount of radiation itself, I also added the nuclear power plants to compound the danger, and did a lot of research on that too. Hopefully they can get all plants to become walk-away safe, in case our power grid should ever go down!

I love strong, female heroines. And it’s especially cool when they have amazing fighting skills. Can you tell us about Abi? Is there anyone in real life who inspired you to create Abi?

I also love a strong female heroine, and wanted Abi to be one of them. She grew up in an underground bunker, and had practiced combat skills for thirteen years, but she’d never experienced the real horrors of the outside world.

I loved writing this in first person because we get to see how Abi deals with her fears. She is very afraid of the new dangers, but knows she has to be strong, not only to survive, but to help her family survive. What I love about her is that no matter what the situation, she always rises to the occasion. There wasn’t any person I based her off of. I just thought she was someone I would have loved to have been like if ever thrown into this situation.

Abi is an amazing marksman. Another great quality when fighting/running away from zombies. Do you have any experience as a marksman? Whether you do or not, what would be your weapon of choice to fight off the Arvies?

I’m definitely not a marksman, but I am a pretty decent shot. Whenever we played those shooting video games, with the fake guns, I could outshoot anyone. I guess I can give some credit to my distant relative…Wyatt Earp. (True story) My aunt did a genealogy report, because my great-grandmother’s maiden name was Earp.

I actually like going to the shooting range and hitting targets. My hubby owns a Glock 27 (our very own Hellfire) which I love to shoot. I actually am pretty good with her too. Watch out mutants! haha

What else can you tell us about Abi’s story in the After Light Saga?

In the latest book, Intransigent, we all get a closer look at Abi and her new “gift”. This brings an even greater dilemma and added suspense to the story. Because the government knows about her gift, they want her, and will do whatever it takes to find her and get her back. This puts her family, and everyone she loves at risk.

With every new installment we see new struggles and how Abi is able to deal with them. She is young, but she is also determined, and will do anything to save those she loves. That’s what I love most about her.

What other writing projects are you working on, or what can we expect from you in the future?

I have so many things on the back burner, and I’m already exhausted thinking about it. My poor brain is smoking, and it’s definitely not as young as it used to be. Haha At the moment, I’m working on a spin-off for the Hidden Wings Series, AND then Book #4 in the After Light Saga. Next year I’ll be starting a few new series, and will be writing the sequel to In My Dreams. So, I’ll be pretty busy.

What crazy, fun facts would you like us to know about you? Do you have other creative talents you’d like to share with us? What are some of your other responsibilities when you’re not writing? Tell us anything you want. 

When I’m not writing I love reading or watching movies with my family. I can’t wait until the next season of The Walking Dead!!! I started the Fear the Walking Dead episodes and ALMOST gave up after the first two episodes because every single one of them made me frustrated. I seriously wanted to jump into the screen and slap the crap out of them. But then…it started getting better, and I’m glad I stuck with it. Poor Nick need a bath and a hairbrush. I also love iZombie and Z Nation. Z Nation is frustrating too, but also funny. Wow, I do watch a lot of zombie movies.

As far as hidden creative talents = none. Haha

Thank you, Cameo Renae, we’ve loved getting to know you better. And thank you for being a part of Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans.

Thank you so much for having me! It was a pleasure. I love BOD!!!!

ABOUT CAMEO RENAE

Voted 2013 Break Out Author by Young Adult & Teen Readers.

Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved with her husband and children to Alaska.

She’s a daydreamer and a caffeine and peppermint addict who loves to laugh, loves to read, and loves to escape reality. One of her greatest joys is creating fantasy worlds filled with adventure and romance and sharing it with others.

One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe and ride away on her magical unicorn. Until then…she’ll keep writing!
​
HAPPY READING!

LINKS: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog

Interview by Angie Taylor

Thank you, Allyson Gottlieb, for being a part of BOD’s author spotlight interview, and welcome. I’m excited for all of us at BOD to get to know you!

Thank you so much for having me, Angie! I’m excited to be here, too. Let’s just hope you all like what you see—er, read. Hehe.

I’m sure we will!

So, why don’t you start off telling us a little about yourself. How long have you been a writer? When did you first know you wanted to write books? What kind of stories do you like to write?

I’ve been writing stories since I was seven years old. I first knew that I wanted to be an author “when I grew up” around age twelve. (For those of you who don’t know, I self-published for the first time at seventeen. And I’m nineteen now. Yeah, I got an early start in just about every way.) The ideas in my head cover just about every genre, except hardcore horror/gore because I’m a scaredy-cat, though you’ve only seen urban fantasy and dystopian from me so far. Real life kind of gets in the way of the writing and publishing, sadly.

How exciting to have started so young! Real life does get in the way, but it looks like you have plenty of years to write! 

So, what is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A couple years ago, I stumbled upon a quote that I love: “A reader lives a thousand lives before they die. Those who never read live only one.” What I love so much about it isn’t just that it applies to readers—which I totally am, of course—but how it applies to writers. Between my fingers, my brain, and a piece of technology, I have the ability to create whole new worlds into existence. I get to be several million different people before I die. Maybe it’s because of my early start, but I just can’t imagine doing anything else. (Not to mention, if I went around talking about all the different people in my head and I wasn’t a writer, I’d probably be locked up in the nuthouse by now. Ha!)

I love that quote! It totally sums up what I love about reading and losing myself in someone else’s story.

What was your favorite book or series when you were a child? What about as an adult? Have these book influenced your writing?

Well, like all kids of my generation, I loved Harry Potter, and that definitely nurtured my love of fantasy, and made me believe that it was possible to write something like that—with magic and monsters and secret worlds—and also have literary merit. Another series I fell in love with when I got a little older was Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series (is series still the right word at this point? It’s kind of a massive shared universe, between all the sequel and prequel trilogies, and I love all of them, even the ones that aren’t out yet, LOL). Her writing has some of the most beautiful and detailed descriptive imagery I’ve ever seen, and I tried really hard to be able to capture some of that in Finding North. Another thing I really admire in her writing is how she includes diverse characters without making their entire development be about their “struggles.” Someone is a friend, a brother, a son, and he also happens to have a boyfriend, for example. I believe strongly in the issue of diverse representation in fiction, and I only hope that I can do it half as well as she does.

Do you have a favorite band or type of music you listen to help you write? Or do you have some kind of routine that helps you get creative?

Well, it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve found music I can write to. For the longest time, I would get way too distracted by wanting to sing along to be able to write to music. Then I discovered this guy Sam Cushion, who makes “book soundtracks”—instrumental score based on popular YA books like Hunger Games and Divergent. So that solves the problem of singing along, haha. I love The Civil Wars (so upset that they broke up right when I was getting into them!), and they’re one of the few exceptions to my “can’t write with lyrical music” rule. I’ve been writing a lot to Kelly Clarkson’s new album (Piece by Piece) lately, too.

So fun! I’ll have to check out Sam Cushion. I have the hardest time listening to music when I write. It has to either be white noise or classical. So, I love learning about how other authors do it. 

I love stories that address genres in different ways. You do such a good job in Finding North of showing a dystopian world from the perspective of what could happen if moral decay were to become the norm. To me, this idea is a way more realistic dystopian world than say, zombies and such, etc. Can you tell us where your idea for Finding North came from?

My stepmom sometimes gets free rooms at Vegas hotels, so we would go there as a family a lot when I was in high school. Most people don’t realize that there’s actually quite a lot to do even if you’re not 21. No matter how many times I’ve gone, I still love walking around looking at all the gorgeous hotels. One time, I started thinking about what it would be like to walk down the Strip when it was totally deserted, like after an apocalyptic event, with only a few people left to wander around these crazy-cool hotels. Then I kept thinking about it, until eventually I had the basic set-up for the world and simple character profiles for the main players in the story. The rest is history.

That’s so interesting. I love that Vegas is where you imagined an apocalypse having such a drastic outcome. It would definitely be a sight to see the strip empty of all its activity.

Do you think that America could really fall apart as literally as it does in Finding North?

Maybe, depending on who wins the next presidential election. Ha! But for real, I tried really hard not to make the collapse of our modern society be political, even though it would have been so easy to do, because I’m just not that kind of person. There’s some politics in the series as a whole, because it’s kind of inescapable, but I’m not trying to make any kind of statement. As for the virus-wiping-out-most-of-the-population bit, well, all I can say is that it makes me view the H1N1 and associated viruses like that in a new way, hehe. (I actually remember reading this article about a year ago that predicted a new “viral plague” would be the most likely way the world would end, and going “called it.”)

Many post-apocalyptic books deal with human kind searching for higher meaning and purpose in humanity when faced with destructive and uncertain futures. This is a big theme in Finding North. Can you tell us why you think humans search for meaning when they find themselves calamity, and why this theme is important for Kat and Reynan?

Well, I think a lot of it is just human nature—most of us aren’t inherently pessimistic people, so we don’t want to think we’re going through a shitty time just because the world is inherently shitty. So depending on the person and their beliefs, they’re going to find their own way to rationalize what’s happening, and why, to find their own reasons to keep going. It’s funny, when you really think about it, dystopian scenarios are just a particularly intense or extreme version of real life, in that the characters are dealing with most of the same stuff we do every day, just some different circumstances. In book 1, at least, Kat and Reynan are kind of going through parallel journeys that make up different parts of the New Adult experience, I think. Reynan has spent his whole life up to now taking his father’s word for gospel, more or less, and now he’s starting to figure out who he is and what he believes in, separate from Alistair. While Kat is dealing more with the concept of loss, and love, that life goes on even when it feels like you’re betraying a loved one’s memory.

I love that, that dystopian scenarios are just particularly intense or extreme versions of real life. I agree.

Now tell us some fun facts about yourself. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done, or what is the craziest thing you’d like to do?

The only thing I can really think of right now isn’t all that “out there,” but it was pretty nerve-wracking in the moment, I can guarantee. I worked at an ice cream shop over the summer, and there was this guy who worked at the Wendy’s across the street that kept coming in for smoothies. We’d been sort-of flirting for about a week, and finally, I wrote my number on the side of his drink cup one day. And he actually texted me back! Things didn’t work out between us, because I was moving back to Boston in a month, but it was more like one of those things I did to say I did it, and to increase my confidence for the future.

You can totally claim that’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done. Putting yourself forward in any dating situation is scary!

What can you tell us about your future writing projects?

Well, I’m working hard on book 2 of the Compass series, which should be available in early 2016. I wish I could say it’ll be out sooner, but alas, real life gets in the way. I’m also working on a sweet NA contemporary romance that I hope to have out in the spring of 2016. Beyond those two specific projects, I’m just trying to finish up the Compass series (which will be three books, plus a novella that’s book 2.5) and also giving my attention to whichever set of characters screams the loudest.

Sounds awesome! We look forward to your new books no matter when they’re released. Thanks so much for spending time with all of us at BOD, and for letting us into your world as a writer.

FINDING NORTH

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ABOUT ALLYSON

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Growing up, Allyson was always the girl with a big imagination and even bigger dreams. A California girl by birth, she currently lives in Boston while attending Emerson College. She has a small addiction to Starbucks, eyeliner, and chocolate–and, of course, books. Visit her at www.allysongottlieb.com for the latest book news and fun extras.