Book Talk / Author Q&A

By Elizabeth Milo and Christopher Stokum

We recently spoke with Steven Craig Barrett, author of the The Apocalypse Chronicles, the first book in the series of the same name.

WNW: You make heavy use of Christian imagery and narratives. Did other religions influence your story?
Barrett: Not really. The story-line of the first book as it relates to the Apocalypse, as well as other story lines of other books in the series, is based entirely upon the Christian belief system. However, my slant on how the end times unfold is a totally new take that, to the best of my knowledge, has never before been considered.

WNW: Did you draw on real-life experiences when writing any of the anecdotes in the book?
Barrett: In many cases, yes. While the majority of the series is, of course, fictional, many of the events, places, experiences, and people which the main character describes from his past are based on my own. Also, all the theories, viewpoints, etc. that are expressed through the primary characters are my own that I simply transpose onto them.

WNW: You’ve said that you intend this to be a nine book series. Have you planned all nine books, or are you designing the overall story arch as you write?
Barrett: Yes, the entire story line has already been planned out. The skeleton, if you will, of the story is complete.  Now it is just a matter of putting the meat on the bones.

WNW: Do you plan on continuing to include stories about the past and childhood in the rest of the series, or is that a device that you intend to use only in the first book?
Barrett: Yes, I intend to continue using that device.  In the way the books are laid out, the main character (the one ‘writing’ the books) brings you through his life, as well as what is transpiring in the world around him year-by-year (hence chronicles), in order to draw out a very detailed and engrossing account of his fate and the world’s as everything moves toward the coming apocalypse in a most surprising way. The past and the present connect in the final books as the story switches from past tense to present tense.  As the grit of the final days are upon him, the main character recounts events in real time, as opposed to the past-tense which is used leading up to the finale. However, throughout the series there will be many hints and suggestions toward what will be coming in the days of Revelation through the main character’s dreams, visions of his life, and other experiences and thoughts. As the series progresses, each book will have more and more material in it related to the Apocalypse and how the world is moving toward it.

WNW: What do you hope to accomplish with this book? Are there particular themes you want your readers to think about or consider?
Barrett: There are several themes that run simultaneously through the series: political, moral, and of course Christian, to name a few. The main character will use the events and experiences through which he takes the reader to illustrate social and moral dilemmas that we face both as a society and as individuals.  He will provide his take on them through a Christian prism, even though he may not have always viewed them as such. I have tried to touch on every emotion—good and bad—and every type of event—tragic or triumphant—that we have all faced in our own lives in a way the readers can relate to on a very personal level. While characters such as a wizard, vampire, or superhero have proven successful for other authors, I have attempted to create a character that every reader can easily identify with, and not one who we have to reach to imagine being.

WNW: A lot of the situations and crises that you describe in this post-apocalyptic world are actual issues that the current world faces today. Do you intend your series to be a kind of “wake up call” to the world?
Barrett: Yes, in part, many times the future can be accurately predicted by simply looking at the past and the present and making logical conclusions about where the present course of things might lead. While they are fiction, most of my theories, predictions, etc. about future events are based on those logical conclusions and assumptions, and very few are wild “out there” ideas like some apocalyptic-type stories portray. I try to keep the parts concerning world events (especially when talking about future events which are easy to take liberty in fictionalizing), as real and probable as possible to make the story seem more real to the reader and not just like crazy fiction.

WNW: You’ve really utilized the Internet in getting the word out there about your book. Have you enjoyed promoting your book through such a medium?
Barrett: Yes, though I have only scratched the surface of what the Internet has to offer. It has proven a valuable resource but a very time consuming one as well, especially with some of the restrictions placed on how fast I can promote through outlets such as Facebook. Nonetheless, it has been very helpful and productive in the pre-marketing of the book so far.

WNW: Where did the inspiration for your story come from?
Barrett: I have always felt the desire to write. I wrote my first book, a cheesy horror piece, back when I was 13. Of course, nothing came of it because I was only 13, but that was when my love of writing began. Over the years it has evolved and gone through many changes. I got the initial idea for this story about 20 years ago, out of the blue, and worked on it off-and-on over those years as the story format and title went through many changes. The very first draft of this story, other than the primary plot, was nothing at all like the end product. I have always had a fascination with the Apocalypse and wanted to write a story about it as well as a story that promoted God, which is what I hope this will do. While the series does have those elements, especially in the last few books, this is more of an epic drama meant to personally connect to every reader and not just a mindless story about meteors, earthquakes, plagues of locusts, and evil government conspiracies.

WNW: Are you concerned the religious nature of your work will alienate some readers?
Barrett: I have had that thought. I am aware that there is a deep, spiritual premise behind the series, though I try to avoid being “religious,” as it were. I have attempted to incorporate these elements into the story subtly and fluidly so as not to make the reader feel like they are being preached to at any given time, but rather simply reading an intriguing story.  But the messages I hope to share are still being planted, just not in an intrusive manner.

For more information about Steven Craig Barrett and his Apocalypse Chronicles series, please visit his Facebook page or his SterlingHouse Publisher page.

By Christopher Stokum and Sarah Schiavoni

We recently spoke with Marlis Day, author of the Margo Brown Mystery series (Why Johnny Died, Death of a Hoosier Schoolmaster, and The Curriculum Murders) and The Secret of Baileys Chase, the first book in the Adventures in Bailey’s Chase young adult book series.

WNW: How was your experience at Printer’s Row (June 12-13 this year)?
Day: It was truly a great experience. I not only got to know other Echelon authors, but I got to meet so many Chicago-area readers. Next time, I will remember Chicago’s reputation for being cool and windy and take a jacket.

WNW: In the Margo Brown series, the detective is a school teacher. How much did your own experiences as a teacher influence the development of your character?
Day: Honestly, Margo Brown is very much like me in my earlier teaching days. Of course, she’s smarter, prettier, and much braver than I.

WNW: Did you have any other fellow teachers in mind when you were developing this character?
Day: No, but I did pattern Margo’s sidekick, Roxie, after a fellow teacher and friend. Every school has one quirky teacher—funny and original. Mine was a science teacher named Sandy. I asked her if I could use her as a model for Roxie and she said, “Oh, what the hell.” I’m sure she thought my big book idea wouldn’t fly. But it did and Roxie remained faithful to Margo through all three books.

WNW: Did any of your experiences in the classroom work their way into your Margo Brown books?
Day: Absolutely. I had my own “Johnny Benson”—a boy neglected but bright, who didn’t die but was actually reared by an inept mother who tied him to the clothesline as a toddler, so she could to go town. He didn’t talk because no one talked to him. When he entered school, teachers thought he was mentally retarded and put him into special education classes. He soon learned to talk and read and surpassed the other children. His grandmother took custody and his life improved but he was still damaged by his early years. Always overweight and awkward around his peers, he smiled and lived in his books. Now, he’s working on a PhD in physics at a major university.

WNW: What prompted the move from adult books to young adult books?
Day: After teaching and reading to middle-grade children for over 30 years, I retired from the classroom. I missed the children. I decided if I wrote some middle-grade novels, I could visit classrooms to read and discuss the books with children. And I did. I visited 26 schools last year.

WNW: What have you been able to explore in young adult books that you weren’t able to in books for adults?
Day: The wholesome purity and innocence of children.

WNW: How is writing a mystery for young readers different than writing mysteries for adults?
Day: In some ways, it’s harder. You have to think like a child. My characters are 10-13 years old and I have to ask myself how they would respond.

WNW: What young adult authors have influenced your most recent writing?
Day: J.K. Rowling’s books swept the nation and I agree that they are delightful. However, a majority of the main characters, aside from Hermione, are boys. I wanted to write a book about strong girls. Girls with super powers. Girls who take on the world and fight bullies, injustice, and crime. There is a boy, Newt, who is a neighbor and best friend to the girls. Newt is a boy genius but has no super powers. He goes along with the girls and gives advice, sharing many of their adventures. They can’t tell him of their powers or they will lose them. It’s hard for them.

WNW: Do you plan to work solely on young adult books or do you plan to write more adult books?
Day: People ask me to write another Margo Brown book, but I don’t know if I will or not. I have one in my mind but nothing on paper. I had planned for Sparky’s and Grey’s adventures to be a two-book set. It is finished. So at this point, I have not decided.

WNW: Since you’re retired and your children are grown, you don’t have to worry so much about balancing your writing career with other activities. What sort of writing regime do you follow to make the most of your time?
Day: I’m a morning person, so I do most of my writing during the morning hours. During the rest of the day, I often think of stories and plots to write later. I keep my eyes and ears open for ideas. I have written two short stories, one a mystery and one a Christmas story for children. I’m hoping Echelon Press will publish them as E-Shorts. It’s true my children are grown, but my life is still so busy. I have four grandkids who love to visit us. We have ponies and horses, a lake and woods. I love to be outdoors in my garden. I mentor a child at the elementary school and volunteer at the local community center. I organize the town’s annual dog show and also the annual haunted house on Halloween. During the summer, I meet and read with children every Wednesday morning. My husband and I love to travel. This is also my life. Writing a book is a lot of work. I blog on two sites and tweet almost every day. I have five books in print (soon) and attend book festivals and conferences. I have lots to do! Aarrrgggghhhhh!

For more information about Marlis Day and her books, please visit her website or her Twitter page.

By Sarah Schiavoni and Christopher Stokum

We recently spoke with Brad Parks, author of Faces of the Gone, the first book in the Carter Ross Mystery series. Faces of the Gone is about Carter Ross, an investigative reporter who finds himself faced with discovering the true story behind a gory quadruple murder in the city.

WNW: As a journalist [with The Washington Post and The (Newark, NJ) Star-Ledger], you covered a quadruple murder in New Jersey which proved to be influential when writing Faces of the Gone. Have other real life news stories worked their way into your stories?
Parks: When have they not? One of the great things about being a journalist was the wealth of subject material thrust on me. Meeting strange and wonderful people, learning new things, seeing new places – that was all in a day’s work. And it’s become the bedrock upon which my fiction is built. I steal bits and pieces from my reporting days and stick them in my novels all the time. The second Carter Ross novel – while not based on one crime in particular – draws heavily on reporting I did about the subprime mortgage scandal. Oh, and, of course, political corruption (there’s just a little bit of that in Jersey).

WNW: Looking at your website, we can see you have quite a sense of humor. How do you incorporate your humor into gritty crime stories?
Parks: I wear one of those arrow-through-the-head jobbers and write while sitting on a whoopee cushion. Pfffft! Okay, seriously now folks… Actually, that’s just it. As a human being, I’m just serially incapable of being serious for long stretches. So, especially early in a book, when the plot is still taking shape, I find myself taking my characters on little humorous side trips that, while somewhat germane to the story, are really just there for entertainment purposes. I think it helps that my characters are newspaper reporters. Newsrooms are dens of gallows humor. A story about the most awful disaster imaginable can be breaking and it doesn’t take more than about five minutes for someone to crack a joke about it. I suppose it’s a coping mechanism of some sort. That, and we’re just wiseasses.

WNW: Looking through your cast of characters, it seems as if you have characters that are stock on the surface but are actually more complicated than they initially appear. Did you intend to play with stereotypes in this way when you wrote the book?
Parks: Whoah. That’s deep. Can you send a copy of this to the New Yorker so maybe they’ll consider me for their next 20 Best Writers Under 40? (See what I mean about not being serious?) But, actually to answer the question, quickly: Yeah. That’s exactly what my characters are. I know there’s a school of writing – I think it’s out in Iowa somewhere – that says your characters should never, ever be stereotypes. But I think people often start out as stereotypes when you first meet them. They only get complicated when you get to know them. Plus, sometimes the hooker really does have a heart of gold.

WNW: Between your website, articles and interviews, you do a lot of promotional work. How important to you think this has been to the success of your novel?
Parks: That’s a very nice way of calling me a whore, isn’t it? That’s okay. I’ll take it. To quote my father, the former typewriter salesman: Nothing happens until somebody sells something. I know some of my fellow writers bemoan it – because, what, it’s beneath them or something? – but I think of the promotional stuff as being part of the modern author’s job. So you can either gripe about it, which doesn’t change the need to do it; or you can accept it and embrace it, which is what I’ve done. Mostly, I think I do it for survival. I love being an author, and I know I’ll only get to continue doing it if my sales numbers are good. Plus, the broader my audience becomes, the more I get to share my words. And that’s the reason I became a writer in the first place.

WNW: Compared to journalism, what is your relationship with your readers like as a novelist?
Parks: It’s much, much more intimate. There is a one-on-one aspect to the author-reader relationship that doesn’t exist in journalism or other forms of media. If you’re reading an article in a newspaper, what you’re really seeing is a collaborative effort. The story may have been pitched by one editor, modified by another editor, molded further by the reporter, then changed altogether as it goes through the editing process on the back end. The same is true in, say, television or movies: The story is a combination of a screenwriter’s words, a director’s vision, an actor’s interpretation and so on. Not so in novels, where it’s just you and me, the reader and the writer. And we’re both equally important players, because, sure, I tell the story, but it only comes alive in your imagination as you read the words and turn the pages. So there’s a shared experience there. And, yes, I enjoy the hell out of it. Just today (I’m writing this Thursday, June 24, 2010) I had a conversation with a woman in my local coffee shop who told me she read my novel twice and enjoyed it more the second time because she wasn’t just racing through to the end, but really savoring some of the details. Hello! If I heard that every day for the rest of my life, I’d die a happy man.

WNW: Do you think you preserved any kind of readership in your move from journalism to fiction? Have you received feedback on your book from former readers of your newspaper articles?
Parks: I’d like to think so, in the same way I’d like to think that someday I’ll have six-pack abs and be able to dunk a basketball. But the reality is I’m soft in the middle and can barely touch the rim. In the same way, I think most newspaper readers ignore bylines – to the point where I had neighbors, who knew I worked at the newspaper, come up to me and start telling me about this interesting story they read. And I’d be like, “Uh, yeah, I know, I wrote it.” There have probably been a few people in The Star-Ledger circulation area who picked up the book and thought the name “Brad Parks” sounded vaguely familiar. But only in my fantasies are there large numbers of people out there who have been devouring my every word across multiple media. And I think if you asked any other newspaper reporter-turned novelist – Michael Connelly, Laura Lippman – they’d say the same thing. Readership-wise, you basically start fresh as a novelist.

WNW: How do you balance the work involved in being a novelist and a stay-at-home dad?
Parks: Two words: Reliable daycare. I’m amazed by parents of little ones who can write during naptime or in the evening after the kids are in bed. I can’t. I have help. I also have an incredibly supportive wife and in-laws/parents who pick up the slack when I’m on the road. It really takes a village to raise an author… uh, child.

WNW: What has your experience working with a large publisher like St. Martin’s Press been like?
Parks: How could I not love it? I know we’re all supposed to be moving toward this democratic utopia where we’re all self-published on e-books and there are no gatekeepers and the readers make buying decisions based on the quality of the work itself and blah-blah-blah. But, in the meantime, being able to throw around the name St. Martin’s Press – and its crime fiction imprint, Minotaur Books – has really opened doors for me. At risk of sounding too crassly commercial, it’s a brand that really means something to people. And I actually believe that as the publishing world gets more confusing – and there are more people going it on their own across more platforms – having someone like St. Martin’s Press in your corner becomes more, not less, important. And, sure, there’s a bit of that little-fish-big-pond thing going on. But it’s an awfully nice pond.

WNW: What opportunities have you encountered as a novelist that you did not as a journalist?
Parks: I’m not sure it qualifies as an “opportunity,” but it’s still a little weird that people are actually happy to see me. When I was a journalist, it wasn’t unusual that I would end up talking to people on one of the worst days of their lives. Something bad had happened to them or to someone they loved, and there I was to ask them all about it. I got a lot of doors slammed in my face. Funny, that hasn’t happened once at a library or bookstore signing.

WNW: What, if anything, do you miss about working in the newspaper business?
Parks: The immediacy. In my old life, when I wrote a story, it was in the newspaper the next day (or online within the hour), and readers would be reacting to it – to love it or hate it – almost instantly. I remember one Valentines’ Day, I wrote a story about a man who loved to dance with his wife and kept dancing with her across 60 years of marriage. She died in the end, of course – hey, I didn’t say it was a happy story – but really it was just a tribute to a beautiful partnership that lasted a lifetime. I got into work the next morning and already had 27 voice mails, and the calls kept coming in all day long. I knew immediately that story had touched people. Now? I’m just putting the finishing touches on a book that will be out in 2012. And I’m about to start writing a book that will come out in 2013. By the time people get a chance to react to a particular passage, I may or may not even remember writing it. That said? I wouldn’t trade my new life for anything. I’m enjoying it way too much.

For more information about Brad Parks, his book Faces of the Gone, and his upcoming books, please visit his website or Twitter page.

By Sarah Schiavoni and Christopher Stokum

WritersNewsWeekly recently spoke with Cathryn Louis, author of Sunrise on the Pier, published in eBook format on Smashwords. Sunrise on the Pier is the tale of Gabrielle Winston, an intelligent business analyst, and the discoveries she makes that thrust her into the middle of a war among ruthless, ultra-rich industrialists.

WNW: You’ve clearly blended your passion for writing and technology into this piece. Do you worry that people with little knack for technology might get lost in the jargon?
Louis: I'm trusting that people are adventurous and would like to try something different. I use the language of technology to establish that Gabrielle is an accomplished technologist. Then as soon as the story allows, I give the reader a visual - the 'downward spiral graph' - to capture the essence of her discovery. As for the rest of the book, I think the terms I use are familiar to many people.

WNW: What writers have influenced your work? Are there any that also include modern technology in their novels?
Louis: I think it's likely that every author I've read has had some influence on my work. Everyone from YA authors such as JK Rowling and Meg Cabot, fantasy authors such as JRR Tolkien, George Martin and Gail Z. Martin, as well as a wide variety of other authors such as Katherine Neville, Stephen L. Carter and Judith Krantz. As for novels with modern technology, of course, I've read almost every Jack Ryan novel by Tom Clancy and I'm a big fan of Robert Ludlum's earlier work. The Materese Circle is still one of my favorite rereads.

WNW: By mixing it with a plotline, your book presents technology in a less imposing light, especially for someone unfamiliar with it. Was this one of your goals in writing the novel?
Louis: That sounds really good! I ought to just say yes and claim that I meant to do that. But the reality is that for a long time, I've had a scene in my head where the people I've named Gabrielle and Jarin (the J pronounced as a Y sound) met at a breakwater fence on a cove somewhere. I felt driven to build a story around it, and technology is what I know best. I have to say though that the way the fence scene played out is not even close to what I started out with. I originally saw it as the end of the book.

WNW: You published your book in eBook format, which seems to be a testament to your love of technology. What made you decide to publish it in this format?
Louis: Being in software development, I get immediate feedback on what I write. I finish a project, give it to people to use, and they either rave - or rant. Sometimes it's both! In any case, I know fairly quickly what to change and what to keep. So when I finished Sunrise on the Pier, I gave it to family and friends, and I also wanted feedback from people who had no interest in sparing my feelings. So I had a dilemma. I have a very demanding day job, and a family. My daughter is involved in all sorts of activities that involve time and travel. There's another book in my brain that is trying to get out. With all of that going on, how do I establish the contacts to get my book in front of an agent? I also had to ask myself if Sunrise on the Pier was a once in a lifetime thing, or whether I am going to be a novelist. Once I decided I'm an author for life, I took the chance to publish it as an eBook this past April. My goal was to get it in front of an audience as quickly as possible. I would dearly love for it to be a hit. But even if it isn't, publishing it has helped me learn so much already. Being able to say I'm a published author has given me the confidence to pursue opportunities to get it in front of readers. Best of all, I still have time to write.

WNW: Do you plan to publish your book in print format?
Louis: Of course! First, I'd like to see how much of an audience it gains as an eBook.

WNW: Since you’re self-published, did you ever wish you had help from a publishing house, especially in the editing process?
Louis: Absolutely. Now that I'm learning the business with Sunrise on the Pier, I'll be in a far better position to pursue those relationships with my next novel.

WNW: How did recent economic issues influence your book?
Louis: Significantly. The book is about the actions that various fictional people took prior to the real event of the stock market meltdown in 2008. I recently read Michael Lewis' non-fiction work The Big Short. It details the events leading up to that meltdown. I was surprised and pleased to see that even though the meltdown isn't the main plotline in Sunrise on the Pier, what is there tracks with his reporting.

WNW: How do you think working as a technical writer has affected your fiction?
Louis: Believe it or not, technical writers make notoriously poor novelists. We are trained to KISS (keep it short, stupid) and use bullet points. I had to learn how to give feeling and depth to my writing. I guess you could say that the effect was that I knew I needed help and got a writing coach. I would never have written anything I felt that someone might want to read without his help.

WNW: Are you working on any new fiction now?
Louis: Yes I am. Skye Pointe and its surrounding area live in my mind. The story that I'm now writing is also about people in that area - and there's a murder. It's unclear yet whether or not the characters in Sunrise on the Pier will make an appearance in that novel. If they do, it will be as minor characters.

Cathryn Louis spent much of her career in the technology industry. She began building chips and computers before riding the dotcom wave into software development. She currently writes desktop and web applications but has worked on fostering a writing career as well. In Sunrise on the Pier, she hopes to have combined her passions for technology and writing into an entertaining piece. For more information about Ms. Louis, visit her Twitter page or her blog. If interested in reading Sunrise on the Pier, please view her book on Smashwords.

By Sarah Schiavoni and Christopher Stokum

WNW recently spoke with Lauren Hammond, author of the forthcoming novel Love Sucks, from Punkin House Press. Love Sucks is the story of Cara Jones, a young woman living in 18th century England who is turned into a vampire. The novel follows Cara over many miles and hundreds of years, from England to the United States, as she struggles to accept her new life and searches for love.

WNW: We’re seeing more and more books, movies, and television shows centered on vampires. How does your book add to this vampire trend? How is it different?
Hammond: You know, this is a question I get asked a lot. As far as being part of the trend, it’s a book about a vampire, and vampires are a hot commodity right now. The thing I feel that sets this book apart from the others is that it’s more of a character growth novel. The readers can follow Cara through a journey, a journey of what life as a vampire is like through her eyes. I honestly believe that growth of Cara’s character as you follow her through her years of life.

WNW: What do you want your readers to get out of this novel?
Hammond: I’d want them to put themselves in Cara’s shoes. I would want them to wonder what they would do if they were in her situation. What would they do if they woke up buried in the ground in the middle of nowhere, not knowing who or what they had become?

WNW: You mentioned wanting to be a positive role model to young writers in your bio—how do you try to do this in your novel?
Hammond: I do truly aspire to be a good role model. I think I display this in the novel because I, like Cara, had no one to guide me through this process. But your life is what you make of it. Cara has choices and in a lot of ways, the good choices she makes overpower the bad ones. Also, sometimes in life, you are dealt fatalities, and even though you feel like giving up, you can’t. I think that’s a positive message for young readers. No matter how many obstacles Cara has to overcome, she doesn’t give up hope. And I think that should teach the younger readers to keep believing in themselves with whatever goals they set for themselves.

WNW: What other genres have you written in? Do you prefer the fantasy/sci-fi genre?
Hammond: Well, I’m a screenwriter as well as a novelist. I have written, whether it be a screenplay, poem or novel, in just about every genre. I honestly don’t have a preference. If I get an idea for a literary piece, I see the character, and the words begin flowing from my brain to my fingertips. I usually formulate a genre later.

WNW: Why start your novel in the 1700s and not in modern times? What is the appeal beginning in that time period?
Hammond: This is a character growth novel, and you follow the main character from her beginning as a vampire, which is in the early 1700s, to her second awakening in the year 2010. The whole point of beginning it then was to see what obstacles she had to overcome to make it to the present day.

WNW: What has the process of getting this book together been like? Was it smooth-sailing or did you struggle along the way?
Hammond: I would have to say a little bit of both. I originally wrote this as a screenplay first back in 2007. Then after a year, I went back to it and decided it would make an excellent novel. Trying to get something published is never easy; it takes hard work, passion, and dedication. And it also takes the right person to believe in you and your writing. I have definitely received my fair share of rejection letters. But I have always had belief in myself. After all, it only takes one person to like your work, and then you are on your way.

WNW: How do you plan to promote your novel?
Hammond: I actually have a publicist through my publishing company. Her name is Rebecca, and she is absolutely amazing. The best way any writer can promote themselves is through word of mouth. Rebecca is putting together a blog tour for me, sending out press releases, and putting together some interviews. I also have a fan page on Facebook, a Twitter account, and a blog.

WNW: Based on your experience with this novel, what would you do differently with your next novel?
Hammond: Well, my next book is already written. There little things you pick up along the way that you might decide to change. But overall, there is nothing major that I would change about my writing. I am who I am, and I write from the heart.

Lauren Hammond completed her first novel, wrote her first screenplay, and was awarded the Editor's Choice Award and Best Poets and Poems of 2007 for her poem “Summer Days” at the age of twenty-two. She briefly attended classes at Children's Literary Institute for writing. Lauren continues to write novels, screenplays, and short stories, and she aspires to be a positive role model for young people. She currently resides in Ohio, with her husband Samuel. For more information about Ms. Hammond and her work, visit her Twitter page or her blog.

By Christopher Stokum & Elizabeth Milo

Peter Damian Bellis refuses to be pigeonholed. He is a unique blend of scholar and writer, combining an English professor’s encyclopedic knowledge of literature with an artist’s organic view on creating art. Not surprisingly, Bellis’s style reflects his dichotomous up-bringing where he benefited from both the academic influences of his father, and the story-telling traditions of his grandmother. Bellis graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in English Literature. Over the course of his career he’s worn many hats, including but not limited to high school English teacher, college English professor, policy analyst for the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board, Workforce Development Specialist for a non-profit agency, inn keeper, and chief bottle washer. His most recent work, The Conjure Man is described as “part myth, part fable, part satire, and part coming-of-age story.” You can find out more about Bellis and the book at http://www.conjureman.net/.

WNW: Your father was an English professor. Where did he teach?

Bellis: My father taught English at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, MD, St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, and St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN. His area of expertise was 19th century and early 20th century American and English literature; his dissertation was on Moby Dick, which means that from a very early age I was surrounded by great literature.

WNW: Where did you grow up? How has this affected your writing?

Bellis: Most of my childhood was spent in a small town in Minnesota. In Minnesota my life alternated between diving into Huck Finn style adventures (it seemed we were always getting into trouble of one kind or another), and reading great books. My father would pay me a quarter for every book report I turned in to him, and I remember earning upwards of $3 a week some weeks.

But my education was not limited to reading alone. Every summer we lived with my grandmother in Pensacola, Florida, and it was during those summers that I entered the world of oral storytelling. Every afternoon I would sit on a bench outside my Uncle Walter's Funeral Parlor, and I would watch the old men squatting on the sidewalk, chewing on grass stalks. I would listen to them tell stories about the war or nights spent hard-drinking or some "sumbitch" who stole someone's car and drove off to Mobile. These were the stories during the day. Every evening we sat out in the side yard and listened to my grandmother tell stories, and the pitch of her voice would rise and fall with the sounds of the evening. I learned to write from my father, but I learned to tell stories from my summers in Pensacola.

WNW: You have a fairly extensive list of canonized authors as your influences. Who do you think has influenced your work the most?

Bellis: You can find echoes of everyone I have ever read in my work, or at least I can find those echoes, but in terms of my approach to storytelling, particularly my belief that all story is rooted in a strong, almost mythic sense of place, I feel the closest connection to Twain, Faulkner, and Gabriel García Márquez.

WNW: When did you first encounter magical realism? What did you find so engaging about it?

Bellis: You could say that my first formal encounter with what is called magical realism was Gabriel García Márquez. But that is not quite precise. American literature was grounded in the very beginning in a cultural ethos that embraced the supernatural, the mythic, the legendary. We did not separate that aspect of our lives from the everyday routine. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, the Brer Rabbit stories, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill (and other tall tales) -- all of this was part of our oral storytelling tradition. Our great writers pulled from this tradition. Hawthorne was simply the first to weave the magic of this folk culture into a complex social, political, and moral tale, The Scarlet Letter.

For me, magical realists do a better job of capturing the essence of what it means to be human than do psychological realists more concerned with what it means to be contemporary. Too many of our "literary" American writers seem to have forgotten that the role of the writer is to reinterpret the myths of our culture and breath into them new life, and hence new meaning. The writer is the shaman, the bard, the mystic who uncovers for us the truth about our relationship to God and the world and each other. If this role is neglected or forgotten, then we are robbed of an understanding of our very soul, and that is what I think has happened in America.

WNW: Parts of your book have a very colloquial tone. Would you say that is a definitive part of your style, or was it simply a tool for this novel?

Bellis: For me the voices of the novel are the voices of the novel, which is to say the voices chose. Tone, narrative perspective, viewpoint, all come from listening carefully to these voices. Indeed, my job as a writer was to listen to what those voices had to say and to capture what I heard as best as I could. So where do the voices come from? That is more difficult to say. For me, each story is a gift from God (or from Jung's Over Soul, our collective unconscious, if you prefer). I believe as writers we need to be aware that every story is a gift, every story has come into our hands and no one else's, and the only thing we are supposed to do is to sit with each story long enough to bring it to the world. If we sit long enough, we will capture most of it, never all of it, but most of it, enough of it - and then we birth it and move on to the next gift.

WNW: You have a very spiritual view, for lack of a better term, of writing books. What has shaped your beliefs about writing books?

Bellis: When I was six years old I told my father that I was going to be a writer, and then, of course, I wrote nothing for the next twenty years. But I read everything, science fiction, fantasy, the classics, mythology, boy’s books, westerns, detective novels – and each book spoke to some part of me. Then I went to Northwestern University to study English Literature; I felt that if I were going to write great fiction, I better first become a student of great fiction. So for twenty years I was preparing myself to write by listening to the voices of story tellers. When I finally sat down to write (and this was in the days of typewriters) at the age of 26, the words began to flow quite easily. They still do. They always do. But when I think about where the words come from I cannot always say. I sit and listen to myself, to the voices that seem to swirl around me. While writing The Conjure Man, which was the first thing I ever attempted, I felt at times as if I were detached from myself, that something was writing through me. So to answer this question, all I can say is that the progression of my life, lived in a sort of communion with books, has shaped my understanding of the writing process. All I do is sit down and open myself up to the words, and if I have enough time, I can hear the voices, and the words flow.

WNW: Where did you get the idea for your novel?

Bellis: I was teaching high school in Florida and the summer was almost over and we were visiting friends at the beach and we went down to the water where the St. John's river rolled into the sea, and there it was, the beginning of The Conjure Man, right there in front of me. Three little boys were scrambling after crabs, and their mother, a big woman with elephantine legs, was hammering away at them with words, telling them to stop wasting the chicken heads and get those crabs in the bucket, that was going to be dinner. It was an extraordinary scene, and I couldn't get it out of my head. That evening, as we ate our own freshly caught crab dinner, the novel began to unfold. I spent the next two years following the threads of the story and writing what I hoped was going to be one of the greatest books ever written

WNW: You seem to be borrowing from various religious and mythic traditions. Which myths have had the most influence on your work?

Bellis: I did not begin with any particular notion in mind about the nature of religion or myth. However, I did feel that the story was on some level about the prophet Elijah passing on the spiritual torch to the next prophet. I was also reading about the Manichean heresy when I started the book (the Manicheans believed that the God of the Old Testament was in reality the devil and that Christ came to deliver us from this false god) and so throughout the book there is some degree of uncertainty about whether or not Thaddeus is of God or of the devil. But these ideas are merely undercurrents, whispers, echoes, for the story is about transformation, the transformation of Thaddeus, and the transformation of Kilby. And because all such stories of transformation have their roots in the archetypal myths identified by Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and others, The Conjure Man is mythic in both texture and impact. So I was not borrowing from any one particular mythic tradition; I was embracing them all. Thus, in spite of the setting and the dialect, the story goes beyond black and white and so moves the reader beyond black and white and so what you experience is the humanity of these people, of their pain and their sorrow, of their joys, however limited. You have the essence of what it means to be human, and that once again brings it back into the mythic realm.

WNW: You said you’ve been “sitting with” The Conjure Man for 23 years. Have you been sitting with other projects at the same time?

Bellis: I am currently working on nine novels, all in various stages of completion, as well as half a dozen outlines of other books, and one screenplay. So yes, I have been sitting with these other works for a number of years as well. But The Conjure Man was the first. I also have three completed one act plays (one premiered in Chicago, the other two are seeking premiers), two completed novellas and one half completed, maybe 3 dozen poems (mostly sonnets), and a few essays scattered about.

By Sarah Benjamin

At some point in every writer's career comes the moment when the spotlight is ready and waiting. No longer can you sit in your house in your pajamas and be the starving artist. You need to clean up – maybe get a haircut? – and put on a nice outfit and step in front of an interviewer. Maybe you don't want to, maybe you do. Either way its a necessity that helps you reenter the world at large and promotes the book that you poured your heart into. SterlingHouse author, Kevin Cooke (Pact of Stone: Quest of Cheyenne), has already had a few such experiences. He appeared in an interview at his local news channel in Colorodo and then made another appearance on Fox News. In a recent interview with WNW, he was gave some great insight and advice on the experience.

WNW: In regards to TV interviewing, how do you prepare yourself for the questions?

Cooke: The interviewer generally gives you a heads -- up on what they will ask. Since most newscast interviews are only about three minutes long, you need to prioritize and get your points across quickly and concisely.

WNW: It's great that you have the opportunity to talk about your passion of writing and your books. I wonder what other satisfaction you draw from sharing your work with an audience?

Cooke: The imagery of Maletoc, the Dark Castle in my series, The Pact of the Stone, is a very powerful reminder of the power of negative or positive thinking. With each bad thought and every wicked deed, bricks of pure evil are created and used in the castle’s construction. I am hopeful that when this becomes mainstream, it will be another important tool for people to use toward their personal growth. This would be very satisfying for me, and every interview brings us a little closer to realizing this possibility.

WNW: Does this experience help you with your work?

Cooke: It is a very big part of our work as authors. To write a book and sit on your hands doesn’t cut it. We believe in what we are doing, so we must promote it. That means getting involved with the media, and embracing it as an endorsement of our efforts.

WNW: How does this experience reflect on how you interact with fans at book signings, etc.?

Cooke: Tomorrow I’m interviewing with Fox, and the next day I’m signing at Borders. So, the interviews are a wonderful venue for getting the word out. When people see you on the news they tend to take you more seriously. It gives writers a professional approval that gives the viewers a sense that we are to be taken at least somewhat seriously.

WNW: What was your most memorable moment during this process?

Cooke: I think the most exciting moment was getting word about the first interview. I felt that I was on track, and I also felt vindicated. Writing is putting yourself out there, with no promises, just hopes and dreams. To get the first interview was extremely empowering for me.

WNW: What advice would you give to a new author facing his/her first interview – either on TV on on radio?

Cooke: Have your ducks in a row. Know where you want to go, and what you want to convey. For TV, the bright lights can pin you back in your chair, if you let them. The professional talking heads make efforts to lean into the lights, as if the lights weren’t there. Watch your newscasters and see how they perform. Try and emulate their body language, and positioning. I would also have practice interviews, with friend or spouse before going on.

1. Do you think there is a stigma associated with books dealing with the mob? How is Red Money different?

"I don’t believe there’s a stigma, since there have been several books, movies and TV series that deal with the mob, including some released during the past few years. The Italian Mafia may be a bit overworked, which is why I decided to focus on the Russian Mob.

Red Money is, I believe, unique in that it is centered on ordinary and innocent people who are violently and traumatically impacted by the Red Mafia – through a series of killings that take away loved ones – and decide to creatively do something about it and get back at the those who have caused them so much pain and suffering. The mobsters are made out to be what they are – ruthless profiteers and killers. Thus, a classic good versus evil scenario is crafted, but one in which the good are not afraid to resort to some evil in pursuit of their desire for revenge."

2. What advice do you have for writers just starting out in the business? What was the best piece of advice you received when you began writing?

"The answer is different, depending on whether we’re talking about non-fiction or fiction. I started out in non-fiction, and my advice here is to be thoroughly knowledgeable in what you are writing about, work through the fine points of your subject matter by yourself, and compose your message clearly without too much clutter. With regard to fiction, my advice is to take the time to learn what it takes to write a blockbuster novel (including but not limited to, character development and focus, point of view, big scenes and a strong ending) and work on these key elements. I read a book on this subject to implant the major ingredients in my writing. Finally, for either genre, my advice is to outline before writing."

3. What is the future of Red Money? Is there a sequel in the works?

"Hopefully, the future of this novel is a movie – on the big screen, DVD or television – due to reactions from some readers that the story should make for a good film. We’re starting to work on that.

At this time, there is no sequel planned. My next two novels (one is completed/ scheduled for release in 2009 and another is almost done) are mysteries. The central character is a retired New York City detective who desires peace and tranquility, but can not seem to avoid situations that draw him into crime related investigations."

4. What books have most influenced your life?

"First and foremost is the Bible, which apart from its spiritual impact, is a collection of writings of different styles and substance; thus, providing a small library within its covers. Another source of influence, due to my business background, has been Fortune Magazine, the reason being its ability to uncover and report on relevant topics and events in the business world, cutting across many segments. As far as fiction is concerned, my favorite authors have been Grisham and Ludlum, with no particular favorites regarding individual books."

5. Red Money has many great, well-rounded characters. Who is your favorite?

"The statement is appreciated, which implies that I internalized the point made in question #2 about character development. My favorite in this novel is Sophie, the heroine, who exemplifies the Teddy Roosevelt admonition of “speak softly, but carry a big stick”. Her mate, Andrei, is a close second. Together, they are a protagonist team."

John Morganelli is the author of the book The D-Day Bank Massacre, published by SterlingHouse Publisher. Mr. Morganelli is running for Attorney General in the state of Pennsylvania, and is currently District Attorney in Northampton County, PA.

1. What came first? Politics or writing?

Well, I was elected DA in 1991, so that came first. My book, The D-Day Bank Massacre, was the result of my work as DA prosecuting murder cases.

2. How do the two careers help each other?

Writing is fun. It is a diversion from what I do every day as a prosecutor. I don't think they are interrelated except to the extent that the DA job is where I get the material to write.

3. Do you plan on writing any more books in the future?
Maybe. It is hard work!

4. As a candidate for Attorney General, what are some of the issues you think voters are most concerned about, and what is your stance on them?

I am a big believer that it is our job to protect communities from violent criminals. We need to be tough on the career, violent criminals.

1. Is this event going to be the first time you have met with the patients, parents and staff of the hospital since writing House of Miracles?

As a member of the Family-Centered Care Committee at the hospital, I have stayed in contact with a number of people on the staff as well as some of the parents of patients of the hospital. It is the ongoing dedication of staff members and the unwavering support of the parents that inspired me to write the story. I am still in awe of the dedication and the love that goes along with the day-to-day life of a children’s hospital.

2. What would you like people to know about the hospital that they may not already know?

Personally, before my son was sick, I had respect for the work of the staff at WCHOB, but that respect is greatly enhanced when your own child is in a life or death situation. Parents in the community, most likely, won’t ever face such a powerful problem, but I wrote House of Miracles for them also. I want them to know about the jewel of the medical community that is right there in downtown Buffalo.

3. How has writing House of Miracles changed your life?

Every single time I write something, I am truly searching for a life-changing experience. During the writing of House of Miracles, I was completely taken by the dedication of the staff at the hospital. Normal people complain if the coffee isn’t perfect – the staff at the hospital toils day-in and day-out in real human conditions where a mistake might mean the end of someone’s life. To see the light that went on in the staff member’s eyes when they talked of true compassion – My God, it was certainly life changing! I certainly do a lot less complaining about the little things that go wrong on any given day.

4. Do you feel that the people you write about in your stories have become a part of your family? What type of relationship do you see having w/the hospital in the future?

The staff members and the patient families that I have met through the years have grown to be important members of my life – yes, almost family-like. I am genuinely pleased to see them on a monthly basis. I have written things down so that I will never forget the happiness in my heart, or to thank those dear to my family and me.

5. Your son’s miraculous recovery is chronicled in your book, Counting on a Miracle. How is he doing today? What is his involvement with the hospital like?

Jake is doing great. He is a happy, healthy boy who loves sports, video games and playing with his brothers, Matt and Sam. He doesn’t recall much about his surgery, but he realizes that the people at WCHOB saved his life and our family. His favorite thing to do is to sign copies of Counting on a Miracle alongside of me. Perhaps we can get him out for this leg of the tour!

After his son's miraculous recovery at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, NY, Mr. Fazzolari set about writing a book that would reveal and explain the medical miracles performed at the hospital every day. This book of true stories about staff, patients and their parents is an engrossing look at the way a hospital functions to save young lives. Readers will shed a tear or two and come away moved and enthralled at the courage and determination of the extraordinary people so beautifully chronicled in these pages.

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