Interview by Angie Taylor 

Welcome, Harlow C. Fallon, to BOD’s author spotlight interview. It’s so fun to have you. Can we start right off with you telling all of us at BOD a little bit about yourself? 

Thanks so much for the opportunity, Angie! Let’s see…a little about myself…Well, I’m enjoying a “retirement” of sorts. I’m a mother to five grown children, all with their own families now, some with their own kids (five grandchildren and counting). My full-time job for the past twenty-five years or so has been homeschooling. But I have a degree in English and Art with a concentration in Creative Writing. I put all that aside to raise a family and homeschool them. Now that I’m an “empty-nester,” I’m excited to be writing again.

It’s been so fun to be a part of BOD with you from the beginning. Can you tell us how you came to be involved with BOD and what you like most about it?

Little did I know when I first joined BOD a year ago that it would become the crazy, wonderful group it is today. My friend and fellow author Chrystalla Thoma was the one who introduced me to the group. She and I had been friends on another site, Critique Circle, since 2009, so I was excited when she invited me to join BOD. I knew right from the start that I had found a special place. Everyone is so friendly and supportive. The camaraderie is unlike anything else on Facebook. I love everything about the group. You and Cheer and ER are amazing in how you’ve cultivated an environment where everyone can feel encouraged, loved and supported no matter what. I’m not always as active as I’d like in the games and launch parties, but the great thing about BOD is that you can be just a little involved, or very involved – no matter what, it still feels like home.

BOD is a great place! I’m so happy to be a part of it as well. What can you tell us about your writing journey? When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was about ten years old. I’m also an artist, as most writers are, so I always struggled with whether I wanted to write stories or illustrate them. I also dealt with ADD as a kid (and still do somewhat as an adult), and so I often got distracted and lost interest in my writing, rarely ever finishing anything. In college I pursued creative writing, then went on to earn a Master’s degree in seminary and found an outlet for writing there through the seminary magazine. As I already mentioned, raising a family took precedence for the next several years, and it wasn’t until 2009 that I finally found some time in my life to pursue fiction writing.

That’s wonderful! I’m sure your life experiences as a mother and grandmother have shaped the writer you are. Did you have a favorite book or series you loved when you were a child or a favorite author that has influenced your writing?

I’ve always loved nature and the outdoors, so any books on that subject really caught my attention. My favorite book as a kid was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I also loved My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Later I discovered science fiction and I was hooked on that genre. I remember reading Alas Babylon by Pat Frank. It was my first taste of post-apocalyptic fiction and it blew me away.

Then I discovered Ray Bradbury. I devoured everything he wrote. I began to pay attention to his writing style, how he composed sentences, what he did that made his stories so absorbing. I wanted to write like Ray Bradbury. I also loved Frank Herbert. Dune is one of my all-time favorite novels. Those two authors probably influenced me more than any other.

Island of the Blue Dolphins was one of my favorites as well. And I’m so glad you became interested in sci-fi. I loved “All the Wild Places: The Elmwyn Journey, Book 1.” It’s such a perfect sci-fi/fantasy adventure story. Can you tell us a little bit about where you came up with the idea for this story and what readers can expect in Book 1?

All the Wild Places came from an idea that had been floating in my head for a while. It began with a weird question: How would I react if I found out my father was from another world? Crazy questions like that pop into my head all the time. What if…this, or what if…that. So I started writing a few paragraphs, which sparked more what ifs and led to more of the story. Everyone who’s read both books has asked me, “How in the world did you come up with all that stuff?” I think my head is just wired a little differently.

All the Wild Places is about a young woman who discovers her father is not from this realm, but from another realm called Elmwyn. All along she believes her father is insane but when two men show up with an outrageous story about her father, she’s forced to face a completely different reality. She ends up traveling to Elmwyn, and both books tell her story, her journey in that realm.

What can you tell us about your involvement with Prep For Doom? What was it like being a part of such a collaboration?

I loved my involvement in the Prep For Doom anthology. I wrote my story fairly early on, as the idea for it had formed in my head almost as soon as the announcement was made that there would be an anthology. The interaction with the other authors made it a wonderful experience. We all shared our ideas, snippets of our stories, our thrills and our worries, and as it all came together it only got more exciting. That’s what I’ll never forget about Prep For Doom. ER Arroyo was amazing in how she kept it all organized and kept us pushing forward, and Sara Benedict did a great job editing some of the stories too.

What else would you like us to know about your writing? What can you tell us about book 2 in The Elmwyn Journey? Are you currently working on any other writing projects?

In Book 2, The Reach of the Hand, Sulee’s journey continues in Elmwyn, and she finds herself facing challenges and the worst experiences, things she never thought she could endure. It’s really about her finding her own courage, about being able to look fear in the eyes and without backing down. She learns a lot more about the realm of Elmwyn, but most importantly, she learns about herself and her place in this new world. It’s not always pretty.

Outside of my Elmwyn Journey novels and the Prep For Doom short story, I also have a short story coming out next month in the Future Chronicles anthology series created by Samuel Peralta. My story will be appearing in the Immortality Chronicles. I also have another short story in an anthology coming out later in the year, but it’s currently top secret, so for your own protection, I’ll have to leave it at that.

You mentioned that you’re an artist. So, I probably already know the answer to this question, but if you weren’t a writer, what would you most like to be to express your creativity? What other hobbies or talents are you interested in?

Without a doubt I’d be an artist. I love to create art using a variety of mediums, and it allows me to get really weird if I want. I also love making jewelry. Outside of that, I love learning about edible wild plants and medicinal herbs and their uses. I figure it might come in handy when the zombie apocalypse hits.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? What’s on your bucket list of things you still want to do and hope to do soon?

The craziest thing I’ve ever done was catch water moccasins as a kid. I used to pry open their mouths and stare at their fangs. What was I thinking?!? How did I ever manage to do that and not get bitten?!? My guardian angel must have been working overtime! He probably retired after that. I never told my mom about my snake encounters until about ten years ago, and I swear I saw her hair turn gray right in front of me. But I confess, I still love snakes.

As far as my bucket list, I’d love to see the Grand Canyon, and I’d love to do that as part of a road trip across the US. I live in Michigan and my brother lives in L.A. I’ve always wanted to drive there, just to experience the parts of the US I’ve never seen (and also because I hate flying). I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen, but a girl can dream!

Yep! That’s crazy. I hate snakes, so that pretty much sounds like torture. But the Grand Canyon? You totally need to do that. Thank you so much, Harlow, for spending time with us at BOD and for sharing yourself and stories with all of us!

Thank you very much for having me, and thank you for all you do to make BOD such a fantastic group.

ABOUT HARLOW

Harlow C. Fallon grew up in a home where reading was always encouraged. With an artist father and a librarian mother, Harlow’s love of literature and art blossomed and flourished. She cut her teeth on the complex fantasy worlds of The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan, and later fed her imagination a steady diet of Edgar Allan Poe, John Wyndham, Ray Bradbury and Frank Herbert.

Today, her imagination continues to thrive. She channels her energies into writing, fueled by the curiosities of the world and the mysteries of the universe. Science fiction and fantasy are her genres of choice.

Harlow and her husband have five grown children, and have made Michigan their home for the past fifteen years.

Website, Twitter, Amazon, Prep For Doom

Thank you, Kate Corcino, aka Myra Lang, for joining us for BOD’s author spotlight interview.  I’m excited for all of us at BOD to get to know you better! First off, I’ve often wondered how authors come up with pen names and the reasons behind choosing a pen name. Can you tell us about yours?

Sure! I initially chose a pen name as a layer between myself (and my family) and the world…except I’m terrible at keeping secrets, so that idea ended quickly. But the name has huge personal significance for me. Kate was the name of my paternal great-grandmother, a woman who I resemble very closely, but who was kind and patient and sweet (basically everything I aspire to be and fall short of!). And Corcino is my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. My ‘Buela was definitely the matriarch of the family—tough and hilarious and loving, and very much the boss. So my pen name is a way to call down some of that feminine energy to me and my career while honoring the women who came before me.

That is so cool! What a neat way to honor them. Thank you for sharing. Tell us a little bit about your writing history. When did you know you wanted to be a writer, how long have you been writing, and what was the first story you wrote?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I’ve been writing just as long. The first real, formal story that I remember writing was in the fifth grade. I wrote an Anne McCaffrey fan fiction featuring Lessa and F’lar’s son F’lessan. Ha ha! Wow. It’s been a while since I thought of that. I should probably try to find it in my mom’s garage!

I had the opportunity to read Spark Rising in preparation for this interview. And I have to say that magical/paranormal dystopian stories are some of my favorite kinds of dystopian/apocalyptic stories. Can you tell us where your inspiration for Spark Rising came from?

Spark Rising actually just came to me. There was young woman with these strange powers living in an abandoned gas station in the desert after an apocalypse, and she just started talking to me. It wasn’t until I was three or four chapters in that I stopped and plotted out the story. It’s funny—I knew the gas station immediately. It’s a station between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM on the edge of Santo Domingo. My husband and I stopped there often when we lived in New Mexico.

What was it like being a part of writing Prep For Doom?  What did you learn from collaborating with so many authors? Tell us anything you’d like about the experience.

It was an amazing experience! I was initially afraid that planning for a project like this would feel chaotic, or that the authors would be in competition, but it was just a wonderfully well-organized, very organic coming-together of ideas. Everyone was supportive and enthusiastic. And I loved collaborating with Casey Hays for our stories—the moments in chat when an idea would come together, like the guitar pick, were gold! It was my first collaboration, but it definitely won’t be my last.

All of us at BOD benefited from the awesome experience you had with Prep For Doom.  I hope you and many BOD authors have another chance to collaborate soon. Besides Spark Rising and Prep For Doom what other stories have you written or are working on?

I have a collection of short prequel stories set in the same world as Spark Rising. It’s called Ignition Point, and it’s offered for sale on Amazon. I’m currently editing Spark Awakening, the sequel to Spark Rising. I’m also writing my first paranormal romance, which is different for me, but I’m all about new experiences. If you can’t have fun, why bother?

What other talents or hobbies are you interested in?

I love learning practical skills—I knit and I‘m learning to spin. I’m training away my “black thumb” and finally having success with gardening! I love learning about natural remedies. Modern medicine is amazing and certainly has its place, but when you start having to medicate away your side effects, it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate.

When you’re not writing, what does a typical day-in-the-life of Myra Lang look like?

Chaos! Ha ha ha! I’m a homeschooling mom, so I have my two youngest children at home with me full-time. We school in the mornings, and then they have outside classes in the afternoons, or we do field trips or projects at home. We love making things. They’re finally getting old enough that I can give them instructions and set them loose, so I have the ability to sit close by and write while they work.

That’s amazing! I have always admired people who homeschool. It takes a lot of patience and creativity. So, well done! Since it’s summer, do you have any fun vacations planned? If you could go on any vacation this summer where would you go, with whom, and why?

We just had a stay-cation because my husband’s time off happened at the same time my brother and sister were visiting from Virginia and Indonesia. My husband and I did go for a day-long trip through the back roads of New Mexico on his motorcycle, and we’re planning a trip to visit family in Houston soon.

If I could take my family anywhere…? That’s tough. I’d love to take them on a round-the-world trip so they could experience different cultures and have a sense of history and world communities the way I did growing up. I’d also love to throw everyone in a camper and start driving around the US. Maybe I can plan both someday!

Sounds like the realized summer plans and the future wishes would be perfect vacations! Thank you so much for spending time with us at BOD and for sharing a little bit about yourself with us!

ABOUT KATE

Kate Corcino is a reformed shy girl who found her voice (and uses it…a lot). She believes in magic, coffee, Starburst candies, genre fiction, descriptive profanity, and cackling over wine with good friends. She’s been a legal videographer, a teacher, and a law student, and believes in chasing dreams. She also believes in the transformative power of screwing up and second chances. Cheers to works-in-progress of the literary and lifelong variety!

She is currently working on the second book in the Progenitor Saga after the releases of Ignition Point and Spark Rising, the first books in a near future post-apocalyptic dystopian adventure series with romantic elements, science, magic, and plenty of action.

She lives in her beloved desert in the southwestern United States with her husband, several children, three dogs, and two cats.

Find Kate online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

SPARK RISING

Alex Reyes spent half a lifetime searching for the perfect weapon. He’s finally found her…

Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable, powered life in exchange for control of those lives, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls–those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power–don’t exist. Not according to the Council.

Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.

Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.

The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark. Together they will ignite a revolution that could topple a government conspiracy or push the world back into apocalypse. Good thing Lena Gracey and Alex Reyes feed on pressure–and the electricity.

Where to Buy: Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo

Interview by Angie Taylor

Welcome, John Hancock to BOD’s author spotlight interview. What a pleasure it is to get to spend some time with you and share a little bit about you with our fellow authors and fans at Band of Dystopian!

I’m honored and thrilled. BOD has been a very welcome place for me to hang out with my writer peeps and my reader peeps and those little yellow Easter peeps.

Tell us your writing story. When did you know writing was the world you wanted to live in?

As a boy I grew up in the late 60’s. I would ride my bike to the library, fill the front basket with the allowable number of books and read them all. They were my best friends — Asimov, Sturgeon, Dick, Bester, Padgett, Lewis, Wells, Verne.
I only knew then how much I wanted to read. Later on, I wanted to write. It wasn’t a sudden thing, it was a slow drenching fog of a thing. I loved English in school, although to be fair, I loved everything in school.

In college, I took creative writing and dreamed of getting published. But this was in the 80’s. The gatekeepers were stalwart and forbidding. I sensed that, from the visiting authors.

So I put that dream aside. For a long time.

In the early nineties, in a midlife crisis fugue, I tried again, I sent off a couple of stories to Asimov magazine, both rejected. Though one was a personal rejection, which I cherish. I was able to get a couple of stories in webzines, back before webzines were cool. But I put that dream aside. After all, I had a creative outlet, working as a graphic designer for newspapers, so that monster in my breast was being fed, somewhat. It shrunk, and only mewled it was hungry once in a while.

Then, the self-publishing paradigm happened. At about the same time, I temporarily had a relatively non-creative job. The monster grew larger and must be fed. I started writing a fantasy novel. I got a little ways and wondered if this was even a viable option. As an experiment, I collected what stories I had, expanded flash fiction I’d done and came up with some new stories, and packaged it all together, using only me. I wanted to see if I could do it. That became A Plague of Dreams.

whew! only the first question and I’ve written War and Peace. Sorry!

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

When I was very young, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. L’Engle. As a preteenager it was the golden age of science fiction: Bradbury, Asimov, Ellison. In college, it was Frank Herbert, Tolkien, Poe. Then, as an adult: Clive Barker, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Eddings, Tad Williams, George RR Martin, Terry Goodkind, Rusch, Mercedes Lackey, Ursula LeGuinn.

You cannot help but be influenced as a writer by those books you’ve read, even the bad books, because they teach you.

I love stories that address a genre in a different way. You do this so masterfully in “Roof.” Can you tell us where your idea for Roof came from?

Roof, like most of my works, starts with a dream I’ve had. I borrow either the mood, or feeling or outright details. I dream in complete plots most of the time.

The particular dream that was the kernel to get me started was this:

I dreamed I was scared to death, leaning against a parapet of a building, high, high in the air, and someone hopped over to rescue me. I clung to the architecture for dear life, afraid of falling, afraid not to fall. This other person grabbed my hand and leaped across to another building roof, taking me with them. Once I was there, they had a whole community of homeless people, laughing and singing. I looked over the roof and saw the city below, and realized I was no longer part of that world, that now I would live on the roofs of buildings. In the dream, we pole-vaulted across the roofs.

Of course, that’s just the germ of the idea, Roof is different a bit, and so much more of a story than that.

As far as genre: I read so many genres, that I just write a story, and don’t worry about how it fits into a genre. In fact, that’s the most anxiety-ridden part of publishing for me is deciding what category the book I just wrote falls into. And the blurb. I hate writing blurbs.

I love the idea that technology can be programmed to have personality and perhaps even souls. Where did your inspiration come from for giving your automatons such humanistic qualities?

Honestly, my character told me. As I was writing Peter, he told me an engineer wouldn’t be able to stand by something broken without trying to fix it. That is the soul of the engineer. When he was having humanity taken away from him, he had to find a way to be around humans, even if he had to make what wasn’t human, human.

Roof is full of technological computer jargon. Are these details from personal knowledge or did you have to do some serious researching?

It’s the world Peter lives in. I didn’t have to research because I did a short stint at a software company, I was Margaret (user interface) to their programmers. I’ve built a pc computer from scratch, to see if I could do it. I was one of the founders of MacOSXhints.com, although I don’t participate there now. Used to be there was almost nothing about macs and their operating system I didn’t know. Now I can’t because its more complicated. I worked on the first macs made, and was on the internet before it was the internet, due to knowing some of the right people. I’m ancient, and have lived through many things. I’m the sponge that absorbs it. Coo coo ca choo.

Also, the hidden computer language he invents is my idea, I don’t know if that does or will exist at some point. I don’t see why it couldn’t.

What can you tell us about your participation in the upcoming release of Prep For Doom?

I created 20 different personas and wrote the whole thing myself. I’M KIDDING!.

No, I was lucky enough to be part of the brainstorming phase, where the overall story arc was discussed by the wonderful ER Arroyo and others. I wanted to write a pocket story, one that kind of existed in its own little world parallel to the main story. I posted in a private chat the rough sketch of the story, they approved, I wrote it and sent it in, hoping it would be accepted (there are so many fantastic authors in BOD that there was no guarantee I’d get in).

Luckily, I think people liked my characters and the way they talk to each other, so it got in. I’m honored and humbled at the same time.

What has it been like collaborating with other authors on such a project?

Well, it was sort of like tying a necktie in the dark. You sort of kind of knew the barest hint of what other people were doing, and so you tried to mold your story in a way that would fit. Great credit needs to be given to Sara Benedict and again ER Arroyo for shepherding that all together.
I was honored to work more directly with Casey L. Bond, and include her main character in at the end of my story. That was a cool thing to do, and unlike anything I’ve done before.

Are you currently working on other writing projects you’d like us to know about?

Well, right now, I’m in the editing phase to have a story of mine included in the Immortality Chronicles, a Samuel Peralta project (you should check out some of his other Chronicle books). I’m trying to get a version of another of my stories published through a renowned horror publisher, we’ll see if that comes to fruition (fingers crossed). If it doesn’t through that method, I will certainly self-publish it as I think it’s one of the better stories I’ve ever done in that genre.

Plans, plans. I plan to have a sideways sequel to Crawlspace, which will start off a series based on Jack Banyan, psychic. I plan to title it “Banyan’s Law” and it will connect sideways to Crawlspace. I also have blocked out a Science Fiction novel that will be titled “Return to me, my beloved”. When I finish that one, I will try to send it through the traditional publishing route and see how that comes out.

I’m working on more installments of “The Utopia Syndrome,” micro short stories that I will ultimately package together.

I also have more stories in my head than I can tell, so keep tuned!

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

I’m a graphic designer by day, I love to play video games with my son (though he reminds me I don’t play enough) Otherwise, I’m a fairly sedentary person, I don’t rock climb or skydive (not anymore) and I can’t even ride rollercoasters (due to having my vertebrae fused in my neck). So the best thing, if I’m not writing, is sitting next to my lovely wife as we watch TV. (there’s another best thing, but we shan’t go into that)

Thank you, John, for your time, and for sharing your awesome stories with us at BOD!

Author Links: 

Website, Amazon, Goodreads, Dreamwood Tales Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Illustration Website

Amazon Links: 

ROOF – Sci-Fi Dystopian
The Utopia Syndrome – Sci-Fi Dystopian
Crawlspace – Horror
Three Magic Tales – Fantasy
Splintered Dreams – Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy anthology of stories
Amber
A Plague of Dreams – Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy anthology of stories

Interview by Angie Taylor

Welcome, David McIntyre to BOD’s author spotlight interview!  Thank you so much for spending some time with us and helping all of us at Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans get to know you.

Thank you for the invitation.  This is the first time I have given an interview as a writer. I’ve done many different things over the course of my career, teacher, pastor, missionary, and wilderness survival instructor, but writing fiction is relatively new for me and you are the first person to formally ask about it.

For starters, can you tell us how you heard about BOD and what attracted you to the group?

A year ago I knew NOTHING about indie publishing until a friend told me about how he launched his PA fiction under the name JT Sawyer and was having a great experience with it.

I have never done much with Facebook other than keep track of friends. When I decided to publish The Fall series on Kindle, I searched Facebook for anything related to the PA genre and found BOD.  I was immediately struck by the activity level and participation on the page.  People seemed to know and like each other.  It was like finding intelligent life, community.  True confession here…I have not been an avid reader of PA fiction for several years and felt very out of touch with people who were. I was searching for a place where I could get to know readers and so many pages barely have a pulse. Showing up at BOD was like going to a party where I didn’t know anyone and ending up playing beer-pong in the first ten minutes.

Tell us a little bit about your writing history.  When did you know you loved to write and how did it all happen?

I have always had an overactive imagination.  As a kid I was a role-playing game addict but always as the game-master not just a player. I was never satisfied with any of the pre-packaged games and ended up developing my own post-nuke game scenario that we played for several years.  During those years I read every PA series I could, The Guardians and Deadlands are two I remember quite well.

I didn’t start writing fiction until college.  As an elective, I took a course in creative writing and discovered that I had developed all sorts of muscles for character development, scene, and plot from years of running RPG’s and reading PA fiction like my life depended on it. The creative process was in place but that was the first time I had ever written anything down. The response in class and from guys in the dorm was very positive.

During my senior year, I started writing my first novel, Lyon’s Pride. I discovered how difficult it is to get it right. At this point, I was newly married and moved to Brazil to teach in an international school. Life turned into a wild ride and I set writing aside. That was 1992.

I started writing again three years ago with The Fall series. Like the pre-packaged role-playing games, I’m never satisfied with fiction. I’m not critical because I know how difficult it is, but I find myself suspending judgment often.  It’s fiction, that’s part of it and it does not stop me from enjoying other people’s work. For some reason, zombie stories generate the most conflict for me. I found myself mulling over how it would have to be, resolving the issues I had with various scenarios. It came to the point of “put-up or shut-up” and I decided to work those solutions into a story.

Is there an author or genre that has influenced your writing?

For most of my adult life, I have been involved in public speaking and an early mentor told me to find my own voice.  He told me it is essential to learn from others, but any attempt to copy them will obliterate that which is unique to me as a speaker. I believe that is true for writers. My writing heroes are Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck and I think I have read everything that Louis L’Amour ever wrote. Their male lead characters are unapologetically masculine without turning into caricatures.  Especially with L’Amour, his characters follow a type but don’t degenerate into stereotypes. I can only hope they have influenced my writing.

Do you have some kind of writing routine that helps you create your stories?  Are you an outliner or a pantser?  What works for you?

I write the same way I navigate wilderness. I know where I want to wind up and I break the trip down into visible objectives or waypoints.  I have to arrive at those waypoints to stay on course, but it doesn’t matter how I get to the next one. An outline is the ultimate buzz-kill.  Along the way, my characters come up with things I never would have thought of. I have a solid concept of the setting and the characters, their motivations and limitations.  I create problems for them and turn them loose to figure it out. I never say no to them for the sake of creating artificial tension.  If they have access to a simple solution, they are free to take it.  That just makes me find the real tension and force them to deal with it.

Now tell us about the first book in The Fall series.   I have read a lot of books that deal with zombies of some kind.  But your book approaches the idea from an angle that I found really believable.  Without giving away too much can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

Nothing makes me happier than to hear my premise is believable.

I used to tell my wilderness survival students, “You are the Boogieman out here.  Nothing in this jungle has a 16 inch steel tooth like you.” (machete) The idea of humanity turning against itself is a rational fear we all know by instinct. We don’t need superhuman, mutated powers to be the apex predator on this planet and we achieved that back in the stone-age. Human beings at their

worst are horrific.  We are capable of incredible brutality and aggression once our restraint system fails. I find an enraged woman with a crowbar far more terrifying than a rotting corpse with bad teeth. Why don’t zombies fall apart? How would such a thing propagate?

I settled on a viral pandemic with one easy symptom that would ensure it spread through everyone’s normal routine. It had to kill most, but not all, and there had to be a way to survive with your mind intact.  I have the disease pathology mapped out, but the survivors wouldn’t know how or why it all happened.  Discovering all that is part of the arc of the story.

In so many stories, the zombies become part of the weather, hot, dry, with staggering corpses. Characters run along glibly popping off headshots like they’re swatting flies. What if that wasn’t the case and humanity lost every time the characters were forced to kill? Rather than making the solution the province of some elite team in a military-industrial bunker, I made it simple and open source. They can affect change and have the ability to act. That moral responsibility, and the danger of acting on it, sets the tone for the story.

Can you tell us what comes next for Nick? 

The first three volumes, Scare upon the Earth, An Outstanding Debt, and Rest in the Shadow form an arc that introduces the main characters and welds them together as a family unit/tribe. The next three will also form an arc that takes them into a wider context and conflict. The last scene of Rest in the Shadow is the starting point for Volume IV and everything changes.

A survival situation will either make you sink to your worst or rise to your best. Someone said that we are all half ape and half angel. Rather than write yet another story of men reduced to animals I want to show Nick step up and face the situation like a man. Brutality is easy; cultivating what enables us to rise out of it is work. In his heart, every man wants respect as a warrior, king, priest, and lover (quoting someone there but forgetting my source). Nick has to step up in those areas.

Do you have any other stories you’re working on?

I’m planning six books in The Fall series, and currently working on Volume IV. I am developing a sequel series set in the future after The Fall ends. I am planning to do a rewrite of Lyon’s Pride, which is a sci-fi, off-world, wilderness survival story.  I also want to write non-fiction about wilderness survival.

Besides writing can you tell us about some of your other hobbies?

As I mentioned, I am a wilderness survival instructor. That has been a life-long passion. In 2000 I started the Per Ardua Wilderness Ministry using wilderness survival training as a backdrop for leadership development among the people I worked with in Brazil. In 2008 I co-founded the Mestre do Mato (Bushmaster) Survival School which opened up that training to paying customers.

I am a certified gun nut. ‘Murica! If it goes bang, I’m there, and yes I should tone that down in my writing. I’m learning the balance between accuracy and excessive detail. The more you know about a thing, the more you know that certain things matter, but not everyone cares. There is always the temptation to slip into teaching mode when fictionalizing a subject you teach. I have the same struggle when my characters are in a wilderness survival scene.

As a fellow Brazilian Portuguese speaker, can you tell us about the work you do in Brazil and how you became involved?

My (ex) wife grew up in Brazil.  We went there for two years (90-92) to teach in an English language school.  We later returned in 1999 as church planting missionaries and remained in that role until 2013. It was 15 years and a lifetime of experience, most, but not all of it good. That which doesn’t kill you just makes you change your shorts.

I am still involved with the Bushmaster school, which my partner relocated to Paraty on the coast of Rio De Janeiro State.  I hope to spend part of each year teaching there during peak season. I have permanent residency status in Brazil and it will always be a part of my life.

Are there any last crazy, fun, or insane things you’d like your fellow BODers to know about you?

I am currently in the running for a wilderness survival TV program, but since I signed a non-disclosure agreement with them, I can’t go into detail. This is my second run at such a thing. Several years ago, Discovery Brazil approached me for a similar show and I made it all the way to the final cut. I have no clue if this will happen or not.  They cast a wide net and narrow it down to a few individuals and it is a very fickle process. If I don’t make it, it will be due to a lack of talent, not a lack of trying.

If anyone is interested in my wilderness survival activities, I have a YouTube channel “Colhane” that shows what I do.

Thank you so much, David for sharing your time and talents with us!  It’s so fun for all of us at BOD to get to know you better.

Thank-you for the opportunity.  BOD is a great place to hang out.  It has been an educational experience and I hope to contribute where I can.

THE FALL VOLUME 1: SCARCE UPON THE EARTH

When a biological weapon wipes out 90% of the earths population and leaves the other 10% dangerously psychotic, Nick Harris slips through the cracks. He awakens alone in a world of savages intent to beat him to death for attempting to survive.

“Dead,” he said out loud. “It’s dead,” he lifted his eyes again. “All of it.” He caught his reflection in the rear-view mirror and gazed into tired eyes marked to bear witness. A quiet talk with Captain Bass returned to him. “When you are alone, when no one can see or hear you, when everything is stripped away and all the props are gone, that is when you discover who you are. Most men run from that their entire lives.”

Dave McIntyre grew up in eastern PA, near where this story begins. He has developed an interest in firearms, small unit tactics, and survival related topics since his early teens. During ten of his fifteen years living in Brazil he taught wilderness survival both on a not-for profit basis (Per Ardua Wilderness) and for paying clients at the Bushmaster Wilderness Survival School of which he is co-founder. Dave is also known as “Colhane” on YouTube. His channel showcases his wilderness survival activities in Brazil.

Per Ardua is Latin for “Through Difficulty”, it is also the McIntyre clan motto. The Fall series draws heavily upon Dave’s experience as a wilderness survival instructor. The most powerful lessons we learn in life are born in the midst of our deepest trials. When faced with crushing circumstances, those who allow the situation to drive them to their very best survive.

Interview by Angie Taylor

Thank you so much, TK for taking the time to spend with all of us at BOD!  BOD is already such a fun place, but it’s so lucky to have your funny, witty addition, so thank you!

Aw, thank you so much! I adore this group. I know when I peek at the posts, I’m about to be highly entertained. It’s a super fun place to hang out and just be myself.

Before we chat about your book(s), can you share a little bit about how you got into writing?  When did you know you wanted to be a writer, and how did it all come to be?

I wrote a short story for a school assignment in sixth grade, and that’s when the gears started turning. In high school, I wrote (terrible) poetry to deal with heartbreak and used it as an outlet for my anger. But, after I got married and had children, I left my journals unattended for over a decade. The first night after my husband and I separated, I paced the floor for hours because I didn’t know what to do. I was in my early thirties – I had no hobbies, no interests, and nothing of my own outside of my family. So when my “hats” were stripped off in 2009, I was vacant. I taught myself to play guitar and wrote a few songs, then I met a man who encouraged me to write. He bought me a journal, a pen, and a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. I devoured the book and started making notes in a journal. On July 4, 2009, I started writing Independence (Contemporary Women’s Fiction). When the kids went to bed, I wrote. At the park? I wrote. Five months and 142K words later, I finished the first draft and moved on to my next project. I’ve been writing ever since. (And, I still have that short story that I take with me when I speak at schools or author talks to show that you’re never too young to have a passion and never too old to rediscover it.)

Now tell us a little about your dystopian books.  Collapse is the first in the series. And it has the perfect back drop for the kind of stories BODers crave.  I love that it explores the possibility of a future America dealing with totally realistic issues that are kind of being experienced now.  Can you tell us more about it?

Collapse stemmed from an uneasy feeling I had when I filled out the 2010 census. As I dropped it in the mail, I thought, “I just put all my demographic information on one piece of paper and mailed it to the government. What would happen if they don’t use that information for my good?” Tess’s story line blew wide open. In the book, Tess is a forty-year-old widowed woman living in a small town in Missouri raising two teenaged daughters and working as a nursing home administrator. She’s just received notice that she’s been selected to participate in a government test program called REEP (Redistribution for Economic Equivalency) and may have to swap houses with a larger family. The same day, she’s notified that the government has cut all Medicare/Medicaid funding for nursing home residents and is ordered to shut the home down even though some of the residents have no family and nowhere to go.

So I had Tess, but I wondered how America got in this position to begin with. Enter Doug. Doug is a fuel truck driver whose job is in high demand since the Middle East cut off all fuel supply to America. This caused the powers that be to create fuel vouchers and allocation programs in order to better manage what fuel remained. Doug allowed me to show the devastation and panic brought on by supply trucks failing to deliver food and supplies to grocery stores. He also let me explore the non-heroic side of a character. He’s a good guy – a normal man with a good heart and kind spirit. I’m tired of Hollywood putting normal people in devastating, catastrophic events and having them all thrive. So what happens if you put a good guy in a bad situation, and he doesn’t handle it well?

The last character to form was Brenna, a ten-year-old girl from central Missouri who’s excited about her once-a-year free plane ride to see her dad in Richmond. Her story shows how rough things have already gotten in other parts of the country and sets up a large part of book two, Three Meals to Anarchy.

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

Collapse embodies some of my worst fears for the country. (Hence the series title, “The Yellow Flag Series.” A yellow flag means caution on a race track, sickness on a ship, and a penalty on the field.) When I wrote the first two books, no, I never thought any of it could truly happen. Over the last five years, though, now I’m a little unsettled. I wrote Collapse before I knew anything about ObamaCare or other policies that have since been enacted. Several of my readers have questioned if I have some kind of future-telling abilities, and every time I hear that, I’m sick inside. God, I hope this doesn’t happen to our country.

Besides your dystopian stories, what other stories have you written/are you writing?

I love to write Contemporary Women’s Fiction and Chick Lit. It gives me an outlet for my funnier side and lets me tap into that which I know well: failed romantic relationships and lifelong friendships. “An Afternoon with Aunt Viv” is a short story about a woman in her thirties that discovers one tantrum-filled conversation with her father twenty years earlier altered his life and happiness for the rest of his life. Independence is about Claire, a thirty-something mother of two who leaves her alcoholic husband and leans on her best friend, Brenda, a hot-headed, man-hating woman about to be rocked by love against her better judgment. My latest novel, The Breakup Mix, is about five friends (only three have voices in this novel) who are all in different phases of life (two married with children, two divorced, and one bitterly single) and keep each other grounded when the winds of the world are trying to tear them apart. This book is laugh-out-loud funny and “holy-where-are-the-tissues” heart-wrenching. I can say this as the author, because I experienced all this myself while writing this book. LOL

In addition to your own stories, what can you tell us about your involvement with BOD’s upcoming anthology?

Prep for Doom

I’m thrilled to be a contributing author in the novel, Prep for Doom. When the call for submissions came, I knew this was something I wanted to do, so I tabled The Breakup Mix long enough to work up a submission. I was elated when my story was chosen, but I was blown away when I read all the other stories and completely humbled to be included with these brilliant minds.

What has it been like to collaborate with other writers in creating such a unique project?

This has been an awesome experience for me. I’ve never done anything like this, and truthfully, I’ve never been fond of group projects. (It’s the Aries in me.) But this has been phenomenal. I think my favorite part was when we were all reading the first draft together and posting right and left about it then doing an author reveal. I’ve made some great friends and had a ton of laughs over the last several months.

Now share with us some fun, random info about yourself.  You have an infectious, humorous personality. Where did you get it from, and what do you do to always see humor in the world?

My whole family is quick-witted and full of life, so I have to give credit to genetics on part of it. Some people say I ate my twin in utero, and that’s why I have double the personality. (Thanks, sister.) I’ve always liked to make people laugh and find the humor in situations, but it really became an invaluable character asset after my divorce. I made a decision in 2010 that I could either laugh about things or cry and let the world overtake me. I was going through some really hard times and trying to figure out how to be a single career mom and homeowner and not be squashed by it all. So I started writing a blog called My Ms.Adventures to share my experiences and find the humorous twist so I could cope. It worked wonders for me and has become widely popular. And, I’m constantly having some crazy-funny stuff happen to me. I’m like a magnet to the unusual.

What is the craziest, or funniest thing you’d like all of us at BOD to know about you?

When I was a kid, I wanted to do character voices for Hannah-Barbara or Disney when I grew up. (Along with all the other careers I’d planned: attorney, journalist, waitress, etc.) I started mimicking the voices of people on television and developed a talent for various impressions. (Gizmo, Scooby Doo, Bungee, then later came Cartman, Linda Richmond, and several I just made up on my own.) It’s not uncommon for me to quote movies or bust out different voices during normal conversation- often it’s unplanned and unexpected to everyone, myself included.

Would you like to share about any future writing projects you’re doing, and give us a heads up of some things we can look forward to?

I’m currently working on book three in the Yellow Flag Series, which is due out this summer. (I hope.) After The Breakup Mix, I’ve had a bit of a book hangover and haven’t been able to write much for nearly two months. Having three other women take over your mind for seven months can jack you up, apparently. But, I’m plugging along and hope to launch late summer.

Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us and for making BOD a better place!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this group and for all the joy it brings me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share this side of me with you. Thanks!

ABOUT TK CARTER

Learn more about TK Carter on her website.
and connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

Collapse on Amazon
Collapse on Goodreads

Interview by Angie Taylor

Welcome, Christina L. Rozelle, to the BOD author spotlight interview!  I’m so excited to get to you know you better and to share all your fun details with everyone at Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans.

Thank you so much for having me! I fell in love with this place the moment I joined, and I’m super excited to be a part of such a great group of fabulous, like-minded people.

Can you tell us when you knew you wanted to be a writer, and what motivated you to begin this adventure?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, I think. But the moment it was set in stone was in sixth grade when we had to write mystery stories as a project and my teacher thought mine was so good that she asked if I’d read it for the class. I was so terrified, but I did, and when my class loved it and asked for a sequel, I knew it was what I was destined to do. Admittedly though, I wrote poetry and attempted short stories for twenty years before I tried my hand at novel-writing three years ago.

I love the world you have created in the Treemakers.  There’s a mixing of sci-fi with dystopian.  Can you tell us where you came up with the idea for the world building of this story?

The Treemakers is my first published novel, but it is my fourth finished novel (including the entire rewrite of The Treemakers). A lot of the ideas and themes from the story came from my first novel, The Butterfly Prophecy. Though that one wasn’t publishable, it spawned a whole mess of ideas that have been sprinkled here and there throughout other stories.

I watched a lot of sci-fi, dystopian/post-apoc, as well as James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Charlie’s Angels as a child growing up. I thank my dad for raising me right (lol), and I’m sure that all added to the world building as well.

To me, the sci-fi elements surrounding the portal room represent goodness in a world that is dark and ugly.  Does the portal room have any symbolic meaning to you?

Yes, definitely. Coming from a dark, rough road myself, I have firsthand experience with finding that light, hope, and thirst for freedom that exists in even the deepest darkness. I’m also a firm believer in magic through miracles, and that some things may not be explainable in the midst, but further down the road when you look back, you’ll see “the way the magic works.”

Joy is one of my favorite characters.  I love her story telling.  I also love that she is such a natural caretaker of those she calls brothers and sisters.  She also has an edge to her that makes her a great heroine.  Is there anyone in real life that she is modeled after?  Are any of the other character’s created from real people?  Who do you most relate to?

Joy and I do share a lot of qualities, but she isn’t modeled after me. My characters may take on characteristics of many different people, but for the most part, I like the freedom of letting them become who they are to become. Many of their qualities didn’t fully blossom until the second writing of The Treemakers. At that point I felt like I really knew them, as if they were real people. I love that.

What authors or people have most influenced your writing?

J.K. Rowling will always be my number one author hero, though her writing hasn’t influenced mine, necessarily. Our stories (before she was a kajillionaire) are similar, and she’s given me a lot of hope, as far as pushing forward, being true to myself, and following my dreams, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks.

I began writing my first YA novel in 2012 and had never really read much YA before that. My then eleven-year-old handed me The Hunger Games and I devoured the whole series in two weeks. After that, I moved on to Divergent, The Maze Runner, Prodigy, and The Host (not YA but still amazing), and those series fueled my determination to take this thing head-on. So, a big thank-you to Suzanne Collins, James Dashner, Veronica Roth, Marie Lu, and Stephenie Meyer as well.

If you could spend a day with one author, who would it be and why?

It would be a tie. I have a thousand questions for J.K. Rowling, and one for Veronica Roth: “WHY?”

Besides your book, if you had to live in a dystopian book world, which one would it be and why?

I’d probably go for the Divergent dystopian world. I have a serious (perhaps unhealthy…?) book crush on her character, Four. Plus, a deteriorated Chicago would be pretty cool to explore.

One last question.  When is the next book in The Treemakers coming out?

The audio version of The Treemakers will be available in May. Book two, The Soulkeepers, is expected to publish on September 3rd. There are three books planned for the series.

Thank you so much, Christina Rozelle for sharing your talents and self with us, and creating fun stories for all of us at BOD to get lost in.

Sixteen-year-old Joy Montgomery, daughter of Zephyr the Magnificent, the great magician, can only reminisce of better times. Before the Superiors. Before the uprisings. Long ago. Before the dying Earth ripped the family she loved away from her.
In this desolate dystopian future, the Greenleigh orphans are “privileged” with the task of building mechanical trees for Bygonne, so their world behind The Wall can breathe another day, and so the Superiors may continue their malevolent reign.
Lured by a yearning for freedom, tenacious curiosity, and hunger for adventure, Joy discovers hope and magic amid the misery, and power in her promise to care for those remaining, whom she loves enough to risk her life for. To save them, herself, and the boy she adores from the abuse and slavery by the Superiors, Joy must entrust the aid of an unlikely ally who harbors a dangerous secret.
With an intriguing stranger at the helm, Joy and the treemakers embark on an intense and terrifying, yet liberating quest for the truth about the existence of the forbidden paradise beyond The Wall.

THE TREEMAKERS

*Please note: This is the first book in the series. The second book will be available late 2015. This story is intended for mature young adult audiences and contains themes that may be disturbing and/or offensive to some people. If you find abusive, sexual, violent, deeply intense emotional, and/or character death events disturbing and/or offensive, this book is not recommended for you or your children. Though please keep in mind this story balances those events and sequences with love, friendship, integrity, strength, nurturing, hope, perseverance, determination, and the fight for freedom from bondage. This story is not intended for the weak of heart.

ABOUT CHRISTINA L. ROZELLE

Christina L. Rozelle is a mother of four currently residing in Dallas, Texas. She enjoys fiction that shines a light in the dark; has emotion, intensity, verve, depth, and truth. She writes what she’d love to read. Though her focus is currently YA speculative fiction, she dabbles in other genres as well, including adult speculative, fantasy, addiction/recovery fiction, and other general fiction.

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Interview with Angie Taylor

Thank you so much, Jon Messenger, for taking part in the BOD author spotlight interview!  It is such a pleasure for me and all our BOD members to get to know you better.

Thanks so much for the opportunity!  BOD is probably the only Facebook group for which I still get really excited when I see that someone posted something new, so of course I jumped at the chance to participate here!

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing history?  When did you know you wanted to be an author, and what has your journey been like?

I’ve always loved telling stories, ever since I was a child.  Of course, that usually translated to being a compulsive liar when I was a kid, but that evolved as I got older.  I tried my hand at writing for the first time in college in 2000.  I had a great story idea called Eyes in the Nuthouse.  It was about a man in LA who suffers a concussion and can hear the underpinnings of people’s conversations.  Everyone tells white lies to protect people’s feelings, but the main character heard what people meant to say instead.  It wound up driving him mad, hence the title.  It was an interesting concept for a story, but to be honest I was a terrible writer at the time.  I wrote about 100 pages in Eyes before giving up.  My girlfriend at the time said it was great, but clearly she was wrong.  I put it aside and never came back to it (nor will I, more than likely… if I did, it would require a complete rewrite from page 1).

I didn’t write anything again until I deployed to Iraq in 2007.  I had just finished reading a great scifi series by Walter John Williams and felt inspired.  Luckily I had a great support group with whom I was deployed and they pushed me to write.  I finished my Brink of Distinction series during that 15-month deployment.

Ooh!  I hope you return to writing Eyes in the Nuthouse someday.  It sounds like a fascinating story.  I’d read it.  I’m sure all of us at BOD would.  Speaking of which, it’s been so fun to see how involved you’ve been with BOD.  What attracted you to Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans, and what do you most like about BOD?

I have to say that I connect with the fans and fellow authors better on BOD than I do anywhere else (to include my publisher, just don’t tell them that).  The fans are engaging and their excitement is genuinely infectious.  Sometimes I feel juvenile when I get so excited about writing a chapter, but I’ve found the BOD authors share my excitement.  BOD welcomed me with open arms, going so far as to host my release party for Wolves of the Northern Rift, which turned out to be an exceptional event.

I’m so glad the BOD release party for Wolves of the Northern Rift went well.  I truly enjoyed reading it.  It has a Steampunk feel to it, but there are so many other genres built in as well.  Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for Wolves of the Northern Rift, and why you think BOD’ers will love it?

The origin of Wolves is actually a funny story.  It started out as a stand-alone sci-fi story, where aliens invaded the US and their weapons nearly tore the country in two (literally).  That was the basis of the titular Rift in the Wolves universe.  However, when I started thinking about how other countries would react to this alien invasion, the idea of countries closing their border became the premise for the Kingdom of Ocker.  It just made more sense to be more of a fantasy/steampunk series than sci-fi at that point.

Wolves is a mixture of genres and doesn’t really fit cleanly into any of them, which is what I love about the series.  It’s steampunk, sure, but it’s also urban fantasy mixed with paranormal.  There’s a touch of high fantasy thrown in for good measure, with hidden wizards and other fantasy staples.  At its core, however, Wolves is a mystery novel.

I totally agree.  The mystery element is one of my favorite parts about Wolves.  I especially loved Simon, who reminded me of Sherlock Holmes, and Luthor, who reminded me of Dr, Watson.  Can you tell us a little bit about Simon and Luthor and what they’re trying to accomplish in Wolves of the Northern Rift?

Simon is a Royal Inquisitor, part of a group of investigators who explore any reports of magic within the kingdom.  Luthor is his apothecary assistant, who has been traveling with Simon for the past couple years.  Simon’s wisdom comes from various life experiences and a multitude of common sense.  Luthor, by contrast, is the book-learned friend, who fills in the gaps of what Simon doesn’t inherently know.  However, they’re more or less brothers in all but blood.  In public, Luthor is nothing but polite, referring to Simon as “sir”.  Behind closed doors, though, they bicker like siblings.  Everyone who has read the book so far has commented on how much they loved the two men’s relationship.

Why don’t you tell us a little bit about the different genres you have written?

I started off as a science fiction author and figured I would write scifi until my dying breath.  Aside from the Brink of Distinction trilogy, I wrote a gritty and violent stand-alone book called Rage and had started another called Transcription Error.  However, when I got picked up by Clean Teen Publishing for Wind Warrior, I suddenly found myself writing a supernatural/paranormal story about elemental-wielding castes trying to stop the end of the world as we know it.  Book 4, Earth God, (and subsequently the end of the World Aflame Series), comes out in May 2015.

What kinds of books do you most like to read, and how do you think they’ve influenced your writing?

I try to read books in the genre I’m writing, to stop my mind from wandering, but I’m a scifi junky at heart.  Aside from the classics like Heinlein, Asimov, and Herbert, I’ve also found that the scifi turns out some exceptional indie authors as well.

Can you tell us where you come from, what other kinds of responsibilities you’re involved in, and anything else you’d like all of us at BOD to know?

I’m originally from London, England, but I don’t have an accent.  I left the UK when I was 3 and traveled around the world until I was 11, when we settled in the US.  I had been living in Tokyo until my father retired, at which point we moved to Smiths Grove, Kentucky.  If you don’t know where that is, you’re part of the 99%.

I joined the Army after college and have been serving for the past 13 years, which is why I now live outside Seattle, Washington.  The Army is my job and writing is still a hobby that I do whenever I can manage the time (which grows slimmer and slimmer every year).  Once I retire, I’ll become a full-time writer.  Aside from writing, I also do adventure races like Ragnars and Tough Mudders.

You have lived in so many fascinating places.  I’m sure they influenced your world building in some way.  Having said that, if you could create or make one of your stories a reality, what would your world be like, and what would your role be in it?

That’s a really tough one because in most of my books, I’m busy putting together an apocalyptic scenario.  In my scifi trilogy, it’s a galactic war.  In World Aflame, the Fire Caste is trying to destroy any remnants of humanity.

I’d have to go with Wolves in the Magic & Machinery world.  I love the Victorian era and the stiff-upper lip style of conversation.  I’m a huge fan of shows like Penny Dreadful; Wolves echoes its dark feel and the idea that there’s a world underneath the one everyone sees, a world that has to be investigated and managed by the Royal Inquisitors.  Hands down, I’d be an Inquisitor like Simon.  Even though magic is viewed as an infection, I’d probably have a more liberal view about whether or not magic’s as evil as the King believes.  That seems contradictory to the dogma of the Royal Inquisitors, but I wouldn’t be alone.  Read Wolves and you’ll understand what I mean.

Having read Wolves, I too would want to live in it’s Victorian/fantasy world.  Well, thanks again for sharing your amazing writing talent with all of us, and for letting us get to know you.

FIND WOLVES OF THE NORTHERN RIFT ONLINE

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Magic is an abomination. It spread from the Rift, a great chasm hundreds of miles long that nearly split the southern continent in two. The Rift was a portal, a gateway between their world of science and the mythological world of magic.

On the northern continent of Ocker, King Godwin declared that no magical monstrosity would be allowed within their borders. The Royal Inquisitors were formed to investigate reports of mystical occurrences and, should they be found, to destroy them.

Inquisitor Simon Whitlock knows his responsibilities all too well. Along with the apothecary, Luthor Strong, they’ve spent two years inquiring into such reports of magical abominations, though they’ve discovered far more charlatans than true magical creatures. When assigned to investigate Haversham and its reports of werewolves, Simon remains unconvinced that the rumors are true. What he discovers in the frozen little hamlet is that the werewolves are far more real than he believed; yet they’re hardly the most dangerous monster in the city.

ABOUT JON MESSENGER

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Jon Messenger (Born 1979 in London, England) serves as an United States Army Major in the Medical Service Corps. Since graduating from the University of Southern California in 2002, writing Science Fiction has remained his passion, a passion that has continued through multiple combat and humanitarian deployments. Jon wrote the “Brink of Distinction” trilogy, of which “Burden of Sisyphus” is the first book, while serving a 16-month deployment in Baghdad, Iraq.

Welcome, Tara Elizabeth!  Thank you for being a part of BOD’s author spotlight interview.  We’re so happy to have you and get to know you better.

Thank you so much for having me. I was very excited to receive an invitation to the group.

Let’s start off with a little introduction.  Can you tell us where you’re from, how and when you became a writer, and what interests you about dystopian writing?

I’m from south Louisiana – land of crawfish & southern hospitality. It’s been a wonderful place to grow up. Writing only came to me in the past five or so years. I’ve always loved reading, but I was so intimidated by the types of books I was reading. It wasn’t until I discovered YA that my imagination took off. The dystopian genre has endless possibilities – no boundaries. I love it!

What book(s) or writer(s) have most influenced your writing?

After reading Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy, I thought, I can do this. While her words are simple, she tells amazing stories. I love to read for entertainment, and Ms. Hocking’s works absolutely fit the bill for me. So, while I’m no wordsmith like Stephen King or Jane Austen, I hope that people love my stories.

My favorite YA author is Richelle Mead. I love the relationships she creates and her humor.

I’ve had the opportunity to read your book “Zoo.”  It’s a fascinating book.  I love the comparison you make between humans and animals in a zoo, whose lives are micromanaged by more intelligently advanced beings.  Can you tell us a little about the story and where you came up with the idea?

The story for Zoo came from visiting a local zoo with my then two-year-old son and husband. I’ve always struggled with my feelings about zoos. I know the benefits and enjoy going, but still can’t help feeling sorry for all the animals. The idea popped into my head while watching a cheetah pace its enclosure. I could feel its desire to run free on open land. It was heartbreaking.  I tried to put myself in his place. What emotions would I experience? Would I fight or accept my fate?

There are some definite religious overtones in “Zoo.”  Especially the concept that there is a god-like figure who is controlling our lives.  How do you think this concept most resonates with your readers?

That’s the first time I’ve heard that. Religious overtones weren’t intended, however, I think we all experience these types of controlling figures in our lives; whether they be religious figures, parents, bosses, etc… When faced with these people, we learn who we are.

“Zoo” isn’t the only book you’ve written.  Can you tell us about your Exalted series?  What’s it about?

After the fall of mankind, the Exalted became the protectors of the people. As an Exalted trainee, all Mena ever wanted was to be strong, to serve and to fearlessly protect the people of the United Republic of the Saved. All Exalted feel the same. In fact, that’s all they feel.

This trilogy follows Mena and her friends as they search for the truth of their world. There is fighting, love, friendships, loss… This series has everything dystopian lovers are looking for.

The third book in Exalted just came out.  What can you tell us about United without giving away what happens in book 1 and 2?

United has some great surprises regarding the characters. You’ll end up loving characters that you may have disliked and vice versa.

If any of your books were made into a movie which one would you like to see on the big screen, and who would you like to play as your main characters?

I love this question! Obviously, I’d love to see them all turned into movies, but I think Zoo has the most potential for the big screen. Claudia Lee from Hart of Dixie would be a great Emma. I love her sassy personality and soft look. I have yet to find my perfect Kale.

Are you working on any other writing projects, and if so can you tell us about them?

I am currently working on Rebel – Book 2 in the Enclosure Chronicles (Zoo). The book will follow Kansas’ story. We’ll get to see more of the future world.

What are some of your other talents and hobbies?  And when you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?

I have a degree in graphic design and work as a designer by day. I design all of my own book covers and some of my friend’s covers. Recently, I’ve really gotten into Crossfit. Mena really inspired me to improve my physical strength. I love feeling strong!

Time . . . When I’m not working, taking care of my kids, or going to the gym . . . Well, that pretty much takes up all of my time. So, when I have free time, I write.

Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing a little bit about yourself, and thank you for being a part of BOD!

Thank you as well! I feel so honored to be part of the group!

I hope you all enjoy my stories and look forward hearing from you. Make sure you follow my Facebook page for giveaways, updates, and fun posts.

ABOUT TARA

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

I write Young Adult Fiction, mostly Dystopian/Sci-Fi novels with a splash of Romance and a hint of sarcasm. I’m also a graphic artist, wife, mother, and Red Vine lover. I grew up in the Deep South surrounded by bayous, magnolia trees, crawfish and great people. My culture is a huge part of my life, and you can see some of those details in my writing.

It’s such an awesome opportunity to introduce to all of our BOD members the incredible authors among us! So, thank you, Drew Avera, for taking part in the BOD author spotlight interview. I’m excited for everyone to get to know you.

Thank you. I’m excited to be here and love being part of the group!

I love learning about when authors discovered they wanted to be writers. So, tell us, how or when did you know that writing was for you? What are your aspirations as a writer?

Growing up I didn’t enjoy reading, since my mother usually made it part of punishment for something. When my parents split I started getting into comic books. I watched Batman the Animated Series and the X-Men cartoon. My dad bought the comic books, provided I’d read them. He probably spent hundreds of dollars on my comic addiction. Eventually I got into reading real books. Ever since I was sixteen and read “The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast” by Peter David, I’ve wanted to write a book. It was a novelized version of a comic book. It took fifteen years later for me to write a book. But we can get to that later.

You’ve mentioned on BOD that you serve in the military. Can you tell us what you do, (without having to kill us) and how your current job has influenced your writing?

Absolutely, I’m an Aviation Electricians Mate First Class. Most of my career was spent working on electrical systems on the F18. It’s two parts awesome and one part anguish with deployment. I’ve seen some really cool stuff, but I’d prefer to be home with my family. My job is different now that I’m not working on Hornets any more. I don’t know how my job influences my writing, but I definitely use the personalities I’ve met in my books. But usually not in a good way. I encounter unpleasant people lol.

I love sci-fi, and I’ve noticed that your stories definitely have that feel to them. What are some of your favorite sci-fi mediums, whether books or movies, that have influenced your stories?

Like I said, I’m a huge comic book fan and I think that has influenced me most of all. If you notice, most of my books are short and there’s always some kind of action or drama happening in some way. Most comic books follow that kind of rhythm. I also love sci-fi influenced art, especially landscapes. Most are very beautifully done and I can imagine what those worlds would be like. But let’s not forget all the awesome movies coming out. It’s like a sci-fi buffet!

I totally agree. Some of the dystopian/apocalyptic sci-fi movies that are out or coming soon are incredible. Kind of along those lines, tell us a little bit about Exodus and how this story came to be.

When I turned thirty I looked at what I had accomplished on my dream list. Rock star? No. Comic book artist? Nope. Self-made millionaire? Lololololol…no. Wrote a book? Not even close.

So, with that list of potential things to accomplish I decided to focus on one. I eventually decided to write a book and began the painstaking task of writing one with pencil and paper. That was a travesty and I was ready to quit, but then I found a little something called National Novel Writing Month. I decided to give it a go as a last ditch effort. Twenty six days and fifty some odd thousand words later I was an author. What I didn’t realize was it would become an addiction. At least it’s not cocaine or heroin though, right?

As far as Exodus goes I’m not real sure where the idea came from. I was watching Falling Skies and based my character, Serus, off of the actor, Drew Roy. I guess I wanted a flawed superhero with a tortured past. Exodus is what I eventually created, lol.

I have read a couple of books lately that deal with law enforcement and government using their positions in an imbalanced way in order to achieve personal goals. Have any of the recent supposed imbalance between law enforcement and everyday civilians had an impact on the creative process of writing Exodus or any of your other books?

Truthfully I don’t like watching the news. I come up with bad enough ideas of what the future will be like without it. But I don’t live in a void and I hear about things. I think growing up in the Bible Belt and knowing about what Revelations said the future is supposed to be like, coupled with my own personal views, gives me enough to roll out about a hundred different futures without happy endings. It’s easy to see how people come to those conclusions when you look at how corrupt government is worldwide. It’s actually scary to think about.

Tell us a little bit about the other books you’ve written. Are they strictly dystopian/apocalyptic? What other projects are you working on?

Most of my books are dystopian science fiction. But I am also part of a multi-author urban fantasy series called The Twin Cities Series. We are doing a big push in February to bring in readers and recruit more authors into the series.

I’m also trying to wrap up The Dead Planet Series this year. It’s been a long road completing the series so I’m excited to have the trilogy done. After that I want to write a Batman fanfic and finish other projects.

Now tell us some fun facts about yourself. If you could write yourself as a character into any book series or movie, who would you want to be and why?

You know that meme that says to be Batman? Yeah…

That’s a pretty hard question because I’ve seen a bunch of movies with awesome characters. I think the only prerequisite is that I not die…that would suck lol.

Give us a list of things on your bucket list. What have you done already, and what do you still want to do?

I want to see the world and retire from the navy, live in the country, and be a full-time author. I’ve only seen parts of the world at this point 😉

Again Drew, thank you so much, for being a part of BOD and for sharing a little bit about yourself and your awesome stories with all of us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Drew Avera is an active duty navy veteran and science fiction author. After growing up in rural Mississippi, Drew joined the US Navy at the ripe old age of seventeen. It required parental consent and only ten days after high school Drew was in boot camp. It wasn’t fun, but it was a necessary obstacle that taught him how to commit and achieve something so challenging. After graduating in the summer of 2000 his career started as an aviation electrician working on F18s. Since then he has met his wife and had two awesome daughters, he’s seen the world, and he’s achieved one of the dreams he had as a kid; to be a published author.

If you’re into fast-paced, action-packed, science fiction thrillers; then look no further. Drew creates dystopian fiction for those who love post-apocalyptic worlds ruled by corrupt governments. Get your fill with science fiction thrillers with The Dead Planet Series. You can also find urban fantasy thrillers in the multi-author created titles called The Twin Cities Series. There’s a little something for everyone who enjoys speculative fiction, so have a look at Drew’s author page and pick up a few free dystopian short stories.

Thank you so much, Mara, for taking part in the BOD author spotlight interview! Our BOD family is in for a treat to get to know you.

Thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be part of BOD. It’s one of my favorite places to browse on Facebook!

What was the first book you read that made you know you wanted to be a writer?

Honestly, I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a writer. I first fell in love with reading with Romeo and Juliet in middle school, but at the time my love of the characters and the story fueled my passion for acting. It’s funny, because that drive led me to write stories on my own—the kinds I would want to see. But I never called myself a writer. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I sat down and wrote a book. That’s when I sat back and realized that I’ve kind of always been a writer, just never owned it until now. It was just something I did, something that was part of me.

Who have been your greatest inspirations for writing, and how have they helped you achieve your writing goals?

Jane Austen, as cliché as that sounds. Her story is just so amazing. A woman, in a time where women were meant to find a husband and take care of a household, who had so much passion for writing that she just had to do it, regardless of the consequences. And the stories she told still live on today, which just amazes me. On the fantasy end of things, I love Terry Goodkind and am way overdo for rereading the Sword of Truth series (and catching up now—there are more books! More Kahlan and Richard!!). His ability to build such a rich fantasy world with characters that are strong but also flawed and vulnerable just amazes me.

The Altar of Reality is the third book you’ve published and the first in a sci-fi dystopian series. Tell us a little bit about this book and where you came up with the idea.

Altar of Reality follows the story of sixteen year-old Madeline, whose epilepsy triggers an ability to slip between alternate realities. She doesn’t know she can do this, so she thinks she’s losing her mind as she flips back and forth between the life she’s always known and a reality where she finds herself in the aftermath of the Cold War turned hot.

Funnily enough, Neil Gaiman is tied to the inspiration for my book directly. A friend of mine took me to see his storytelling event when it was here in Columbia. The idea is that a group of people, along with Neil Gaiman, get up on stage and tell stories. Like sitting around a campfire. It was really amazing, but I digress. The emcee for the event told his story in bits and pieces in between the others. He spoke about his wife and their experience with her epilepsy. And at some point, he said, “What happens to her when she has a seizure? What does she see, even if she doesn’t remember it? Does she go somewhere else?” And the thought struck me: What if she went to another reality? Thus, Altar of Reality was born. I used some characters I had created when I was around 19 or so for a screenplay that I had been wanting to play with again. And then I wrote the book for NaNoWriMo, pitched it during the Twitter PitchMas event the next month, and got a contract with Curiosity Quills.

I love that you tie sci-fi with the dystopian genre. How do you think this genre is affecting the young adult writing/reading scene?

Thank you! Dystopian seems to be all the craze right now with The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and so many other huge hits out there. I think as far as genres go, the scene kind of comes and goes, so I’m not all that surprised to see dystopians as popular now. Personally, I love it. Reading is such an escape, and sometimes it is really great to read about characters who overcome the worst situations and persevere. That’s not an uncommon theme in literature, of course, but throwing in the brink of an apocalypse does tend to put things in perspective. =)

What can you tell us about what is going to happen to Madeline in the next book in the Altar of Reality series, and can you tell us if there is going to be just one obvious love interest for her? (That’s the question I really want to know.)

I can tell you that Madeline is going to be very torn in the next book. Without giving too much away, obviously she finds herself in a very difficult situation and surrounded by faces that used to give her comfort and a sense of security that are now potential threats. She doesn’t know who to trust, or if she can even trust herself. And she might be seeing that the Lord Commander isn’t as evil as she thought. It isn’t always black and white in a war or a time of struggle, and she starts to see that, which is very difficult for her. That doesn’t mean she can forgive him, though, even if she might find herself in a situation where she has to choose between playing the good dutiful would-be daughter or getting tortured.

As for the love interest, I think I wrote myself into a love triangle on accident. Austin was supposed to be a minor character, but now he has a POV in book two. But then again, Brandon will have a POV in book three. I might be just as torn as Madeline on this one. 😉

Why don’t you tell us about the other books you’ve written and do you have any other writing projects you’re working on?

My other series is a new adult fantasy series called Heirs of War. It’s very much a family driven story. The Duillaine are the ruling body of all the worlds, the four most powerful women born into the same bloodline and each representing an element. They’ve been fighting against a brewing rebellion for generations, and things are getting really bad. When the fifth is born into the next generation, it causes a ripple effect due to a prophecy about the five uniting all worlds as one. The five girls are sent away, and four are sent to our world with the protectors blood-bound to them. They don’t remember anything of this magical world or their real families. When the rebels discover them, they are forced to come back early and thrust into the middle of a world and a war they know nothing about. Zelene and Ariana are the twins, the two youngest, and they drive a lot of the story. They’ve never met and have lived very different lives—Ariana growing up in a normal and loving household (and a bit spoiled) picked out for her, and Zelene bouncing around from foster home to foster home when our laws prevent their shared protector from adopting her. Zelene is very much a solo act, so all of this is a lot to take in for her when she finds herself surrounded by relatives and people clamoring for her attention. She wants nothing to do with any of it and basically tells them all to screw themselves. But when she finds out she has a twin that has been captured… her priorities shift. She’s deadest on saving Ariana, and isn’t content to wait around for the current generation of Duillaine to get off their royal butts and do something.

The second book in the series (Heirs of War, Crown of Flames) came out in October and I’m hoping to release the third book by the end of this year. I’m also already working on book two in the Shifted Realities series, which I might call Fractured Minds. The two series keep me busy, but I have been discussing a superhero serial with a good friend of mine, so we’ll see. 😉

Now on to some fun facts about yourself. I love the idea that there are alternate realities that we could exist in. If you lived in an alternate reality, what would it be and which reality would you choose to stay in?

Definitely not the one Madeline lands herself in! I don’t know… When you hit 30, you kind of look back on your life and wonder “What if?” so I think I’d just like to skip through all of those possibilities and answer that question. What if I had moved to New York when I was younger like I always wanted to? What if I had pursued a career in acting? What if I had pursued a career in writing earlier? What if I dyed my hair blue? Those kind of things.

If there is one author or time period you could travel to for a writing conference, who or what time would it be and why?

I would want to bring Jane Austen here, really. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be a writer in her time, but I’d love to get a one on one with her. I’d love to one day attend BEA, or attend a conference with Susan Kaye Quinn. She’s such an inspiration, and always has an abundance of knowledge and experience to drop on you at any given second. (Can you tell that I Facebook stalk her from time to time? Hehe)

It’s been a pleasure to get to know your writing and getting to share your awesome talent with the members of BOD. Thank you so much for being a part of the BOD family!

Thank you ALL for being so amazing!

ALTAR OF REALITY

by Mara Valderran
Genre: young-adult, dystopian, science-fiction romance
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Publication: January 22, 2015
Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson at Gothic Fate

Sixteen year-old Madeline has struggled with epilepsy for most of her adolescent life, leaving her something of a social pariah. Things go from bad to worse when she wakes up from her first grand mal seizure in an extremely unfamiliar world but surrounded but familiar faces. Her hometown is in ruins, the aftermath of a Cold War turned hot.

Madeline isn’t sure what to believe. The brothers insist her memories must be of a dream life she created while in her coma. But when she returns to the reality she knows, they insist this war-torn world must be the dream. She doesn’t know if she’s truly caught in the middle of a brewing rebellion or teetering on the brink of insanity. As she finds herself flipping between the two lives, her heart becomes torn between two versions of the same boy and the lines between her realities begin to blur.

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ABOUT MARA

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Mara Valderran is an author of young adult and new adult books, but she’s more than just a madwoman with a writing box. She is an avid reader and fan of all things sci-fi and fantasy. She loves roller skating and movies, though typically not together. She hopes to one day meet Daniel Jackson from SG1, or at least the actor who played him. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, playing video games, or counting down the days until DragonCon.

Her debut novel, HEIRS OF WAR, has been met with great reviews and was featured on Wattpad in 2013, raking in over 600k reads. The series continues with the second book, HEIRS OF WAR, CROWN OF FLAMES, released in Summer 2014. Her short story “The Austenation” will is included in the Borderlands Anthology and she is looking forward to publishing her young adult dystopian ALTAR OF REALITY with Curiosity Quills Spring 2015.