Joshua Lisec is an adventure-thriller novelist and author of The Phoenix Reich, first installment of the Max Meyers Adventure saga.

Joshua’s storytelling takes readers on extraordinary quests into the conspiracies and underworlds that haunt history. Told through the perspectives of relatable characters and interspersed with wit and insight, his epic novels illuminate the forgotten forces that lurk amongst us, forces that can only be confronted by those who struggle to rise from mediocre lives and embrace destinies that are nothing less than terribly wonderful.

Where were you born and where do you call home?

Dayton, Ohio, is the land from which I have come.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

The Phoenix Reich is the first installment of the Max Meyers Adventure series, an adventure-thriller saga featuring the emergence of a new kind of adventure hero. The Phoenix Reich is slated for release on March 30^th by DonnaInk Publications. For the scoop on the book, check this out…

When underachieving college student Max Meyers learns that the death of his father, a popular United States Senator, has been prematurely ruled a suicide, he sets out on a mission to learn the truth—a mission that leads him to uncover an international conspiracy dating back to the final days of Nazi Germany.

If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?

Great question! One of the characters does, in fact, get a chance to speak for himself. I don’t want to give away the ending of the book, but let’s just say that Max Meyers has the opportunity to set the record straight…and give credit where credit is due. No more spoilers for now…

What books have influenced your writing?

In my teenage years, I experienced an obsession with the classic fantasy works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The thought of writing stories that would inspire and enlighten millions of people drove me to madness. In that case, the madness took the form of having a go at novel-writing. Epic fail. Fortunately, I discovered thriller author James Rollins while working at a library in 2009. After devouring his novelization of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was hooked. I’d found my niche, and I’ve never looked back.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?

I am reading the eBook version of Timothy Ferriss’ The Four Hour Work Week to foster my passion for creative enterprise. I’ve also just started the paperback of Charles Brokaw’s The Temple Mount Code. Only recently has his work made its way across my radar, and I like what I see so far.

Are there any Authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?

Dan Brown. His next novel comes out May 14^th. Enough said.

Any advice for other writers?

Write what you love, and never stop writing. Writing the wrong thing is better than writing nothing. Eventually, you will find the path you are created to take. Sometimes, you have to exhaust all the wrong avenues before the right one makes itself clear to you.

Favorite toy as a child?

Anything and everything from the Toy Story franchise.

An early childhood memory –

I chucked chocolate cake onto the floor on my first birthday. Why I did that, I do not know. I just remember it was fun to be messy. Friends of mine who’ve seen my office say that I haven’t changed a bit.

What do you normally eat for breakfast, of do you skip it and get straight to work?

I enjoy savoring the world’s best breakfast—Weetabix with whole milk. Throw some eggs on the side and dump a nice, juicy glob of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce on those babies, and you’re ready to conquer everything writer’s block can throw at you.

What are 4 things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?

Accoutrements I find indispensable on a day out are my navy blue pea coat, newsboy cap, and gold-rimmed aviators. That’s only three, but it works for me. J

Sleep in or get up early?

My most productive hours are between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, so regardless of sleep schedule, I respect that time slot.

Laptop, desktop or old fashioned pen and paper for writing?

Laptop and desk, definitely. Every novel I never finished is written on scratch paper. The screen and keyboard are my friends.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews – the good and the bad –

I heard a marketing guru once say that any publicity is good publicity. Nobody wants to read a book that has only perfect reviews. What’s the fun in that? Sucky reviews serve their purpose. Keep it real, peeps. Remember that bad reviews can be good reviews, and good reviews can be bad reviews. Balance is the key. So be balanced.

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday?

I have my eye on Jerusalem at the moment for certain “literary” reasons…

One of your favorite quotes –

“I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it.” ― Toni Morrison

An actor or a book character you have a crush on -

I wouldn’t use the term “crush,” but let’s just say I consider the following actors to be unbelievably awesome… John Krasinski, Martin Freeman, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?

The Phoenix Reich is available for pre-order in print format exclusively from DonnaInk Publications. Here’s the product page: http://www.donnaink.org/#!product/zoom1bxf/211078321/the-phoenix-reich

Where can your readers stalk you?

My blog: www.joshualisec.wordpress.com
My facebook page: www.facebook.com/JoshuaLisec
My Goodreads author page: www.goodreads.com/JoshuaLisec
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThePhoenixReich

Nayes lives in Southern California but still considers himself part Texan by birthright. He was born in Houston and grew up in Dallas. His resided in California since the mid 1980′s but gets back to Texas as much as possible. His first two published novels–GARGOYLES and THE UNNATURAL.  When he’s not working on his next project, he enjoys relaxing and fishing at his family vacation home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Where were you born and where do you call home?
Lisa, I was born in Houston, Texas, but call Southern California home—for now.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?
My next release is THE LEARNER. THE LEARNER is about an alien from the dark side of the universe who visits Earth and falls in love with a human.

If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
NayéLi, the main character in THE LEARNER would probably ask me to get her rulers off her back so she can go about her business on Earth peacefully and secretively. She would also tell me she’s sorry the Green Bay Packers didn’t make the Superbowl—lol. (actually that’s me speaking)

What books have influenced your writing?
Lisa, I’m not influenced by any authors or books in particular—I read many authors in many different genres.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?
11/23/63—Stephen King. Ebook.  I’m also reading a talented indie author, Heather Marie Adkins—THE HOUSE. ebook

Are there any Authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?
Like I said I read a lot so don’t have any specific names—some are indie and others are traditionally pubbed.

Any advice for other writers?
If you truly believe in your project, finish it, no matter the feedback from other readers. Also—persistence, persistence, oh, did I say persistence.

Favorite toy as a child?
Probably not a politically correct answer but I loved my Daisey BB gun.

An early childhood memory –
Fishing on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin with my father.

What do you normally eat for breakfast, of do you skip it and get straight to work?
Couldn’t go without breakfast.  Cereal, toast, or eggs, juice or milk.

What are 4 things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?
Purse—no, just kidding.  Let me see—credit cards, clothes (can’t go out naked), sense of humor, and sunscreen.

Sleep in or get up early?
Depends—I can’t sleep I real late, but unless I have to, I don’t relish getting up when it’s still dark out either.

Laptop, desktop or old fashioned pen and paper for writing?
I write my initial drafts with pen and paper, then once the draft is typed by a transcriber I edit the manuscript on my computer.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews – the good and the bad – A necessary part of the business.
I enjoy reading my good reviews and the bad ones—well, I try to convince myself reading is very subjective. Right?

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday?
Antarctica.

One of your favorite quotes –
“Mr. Townes, you behave as if stupidity were a virtue.” From Flight of the Phoenix, the Jimmy Stewart version.

An actor or a book character you have a crush on –
There are plenty of intelligent sexy female actresses I could easily develop a crush on. Instead I just see their movies.

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
Ebook

And last, but not least, where can readers stalk you?
My blog
My facebook page
My Goodreads author page 
Twitter
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnesandnoble.com 
Website

A Pushcart Prize nominee and a semi-finalist for the MVP competition at New Rivers Press, Scott Dominic Carpenter has published fiction in a broad array of journals, some if it included in the anthology, Best Indie Lit New England. This Jealous Earth (2013) is his first collection of short stories. His debut novel, Theory of Remainders, will appear in May 2013. He teaches French literature at Carleton College (MN), and his website is located at www.sdcarpenter.com.

Follow him on Twitter

***

When did you first realize you needed to put pen to paper?

I’ve always been a writer of one sort of another. Creative writing started in high school and college, but then came many years of more academic prose. I returned to creative writing only five or six years ago, taking to it with the appetite of one long starved: I gorged on it. Writing is the way I make sense of my world, so I spend a lot of time doing it.

One of the most important aspects of any story, in my opinion, is description. Often either overdone or underdone, what is your best advice to writers on how to strike the perfect balance?

It’s tricky, isn’t it? I can’t claim to have mastered all the aspects of description, but I do try to follow a few principles. One is: let the verbs and nouns do the work. Whenever I see adjectives and adverbs gathering like mold, I try to scrub them out. With bleach and stiff bristles.

Another principle is to grant powerful descriptions only to worthy subjects. Not everything is of equal value, and one should reserve great images for important items. Otherwise the reader loses focus.

I find much of my inspiration in coffee shops, and many of the conversations and interactions I have witnessed there have proved to be influential in my tales. Has anyone you’ve ever witnessed become the inspiration for a character, or at least a particular part of a character?

Oh, yes. Most of my characters are composites of people I’ve met. A particular example is in the short piece, “Thrift,” which tells of a well-to-do woman who shoplifts. I was in a shop once when the manager confronted a woman. He’d caught her thefts on video and was going to call the police. The woman—snappily dressed, maybe forty-five—was unflappable and admitted nothing, but she offered (“of course,” she said) to pay for what they accused her of taking. I was fascinated by this encounter, and my imaginings evolved into this story.

Finding your voice in writing is one of the most important aspects of it. Some writers, myself included, wrote in a myriad of genres before discovering where our style was best suited. Is there a particular genre that speaks the most to you? Why? And how did you find it?

I’m a bit torn. I love wry humor, but I can also go for the lyrical, and often these two come together. I guess they create a special flavor that is my prose. That said, it’s excellent practice for writers to attempt different styles and voices; it trains you to write in the voices of characters and narrators. Often the style of an entire story is really the bouquet of different styles contained within.

Speaking of voice, when you write, do you find that you become the characters, or are you more of a guest at their dinner party where they share their story with you?

That’s a tough question. I’ve never been one of those people for whom characters take on a life of their own, for which I serve as their secretary. But I do feel that I adopt a different point of view—that is, that I see the world through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy, or a fifty-eight-year-old woman, or a forty-year-old man. It’s a kind of transmigration of souls. I find myself sympathizing deeply with my characters. It’s embarrassing, really. In the title story, “This Jealous Earth,” the character Cat is one of my favorites. I tear up every time I read those damn pages.

Tell us a little about your editing process.

It’s painful. It’s endless. It’s necessary.

Whenever I finish a story, I’m astonished: for once I have written something so good that it hardly needs a lick of revision! The next day, I’m tearing it apart and rebuilding it. I think revision is the most important part of the process, and I feel that one of my greatest strengths as a writer is that I’m stubborn and have stamina. I can force myself to revise. Thank God.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

There was one guy who obsessed over opening lines. It was kind of a Wallace Stegner approach, which says that you can’t write anything until you make that first line perfect, and afterwards, the whole story/novel/play/poem will flow effortlessly. In the trade, we have a technical term for that kind of advice: “bullshit.” If you’re waiting for perfection, you’ll never write a single page.

The best?

Though I hate to say it, the best advice I get (on a regular basis) is: “Do it again. Make it better.” It’s nice to hear praise, but praise doesn’t move me forward very much.

Another thing that it took me a long time to understand was the crucial nature of beginnings. Now, I don’t mean to contradict what I said above about the Stegner approach (I’m not talking about perfection here), but one does eventually need to lay out the premise and problem of a story set in the opening lines, in a way that asks important questions. That’s what hooks the reader. 

I’m especially grateful to the friend who pounded that lesson into my head (after many failed attempts).

For those writers who have not yet completed their first novel, what advice would you give them?

You mean, other than, “Run away!”?

Seriously, though, my advice would be simple. Be diligent. Yes, you need imagination, but the rare thing is craft, and craft takes time to develop. Read other books while you write, and see how other authors solve the problems you are encountering.

What is one book (besides one of your own) that you think everyone should read?

Tough call. But how about Paul Auster’s, The Book of Illusions?

If you could be interviewed by one famous person (besides me… ha!), who would that be and why?

How about an evening talk show host? In some countries (France, I’m thinking of you) there are whole television shows dedicated to conversations about literature. What if someone tried that? All right, maybe not during the fall sweeps, but still, sometime?

Can readers expect more from you in the not too distant future?

You bet. I have a novel called Theory of Remainders that is slated to come out in May, 2013. It’s the gripping story of a psychiatrist wrestling with trauma his own past. You can learn about it here: http://wintergoosepublishing.com/products/theory-of-remainders/.

And there are plenty of other projects in the pipeline. Readers who want to keep abreast of developments can check on http://www.sdcarpenter.com.

I’m a Kindle girl, myself. E-readers – love them or hate them?

Because I don’t want to be chained to Amazon, I prefer the iPad. No, it doesn’t have the feel of an old-fashioned book—and I miss having current titles lying around the house where I encounter them again and again. However, I do value having an entire library with me when I travel, which I do a lot.

Biggest problem in the publishing industry you see?

I feel the industry is narrowing its focus, seeking books that fall into a narrow band of tastes. They’re looking for economies of scale at precisely the time that electronic publishing and print-on-demand should make it easier to offer a vast array of niche titles. Pretty soon all we’ll have are best-sellers—which are often pretty formulaic.

Weirdest unknown fact about you (that you are brave enough to share)?

I once worked in a uranium mine. That was a little unusual.

Any other updates?

I’ll be doing readings from This Jealous Earth in a few cities in January, February and March. If readers would like to learn more about these events—or if they’d like to inquire about the my availability for book groups (sometimes I do Skyped visits), they can find all the relevant information under “events” at www.sdcarpenter.com.

***

Excerpt from the story “Field Notes” in This Jealous Earth:

One evening near the end of our vacation Mom placed in the center of the table a vat of macaroni and cheese with little frankfurters mixed in, the size and color of pinkie fingers. Dad greeted this dish with a minced oath, and she shot back with how, if he didn’t like it, maybe we should go out for a meal. Well, maybe he would go to a restaurant, he allowed, if that’s what it took to get a decent meal around here. Conversation lulled after that. Forks clinked against the bowls, accompanied by the sound of five jaws laboring at undercooked pasta.

Above my bed that night I made out the dark outline of the ribbon of flypaper as it twisted slowly on its string. Several black dots showed dimly, one of them still budging. I imagined myself in the fly’s situation—only able to raise one foot by pushing down and sticking the other. There was no way out of glue like that. He was a goner, fully exposed on the strip of tan paper, not even able to turn invisible.

An animal crooned in the distance outside, and a flap of metal creaked in the wind. Willy wheezed in the bed to my left, and Neil’s deep breaths rumbled in the dark to my right. Something was different, a hint of atmospheric disturbance, as though the barometric pressure had plummeted and a storm was brewing.

This Jealous Earth is available in print and eBook formats from MG Press.
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Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Mariam lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia with her parents as a child before they decided to settle in Germany. She attended school there and studied American Literature and Psychology at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, where she met her husband. She lives in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband, two sons and two cats.

When did you first realize you needed to put pen to paper?

I don’t think there was one specific moment. It’s something that grows in you, something like a melody you hear in the background for a long time, until one morning you open your eyes and there it is, loud and clear, and you know what needs to be done. When that moment comes it’s like the crest of a huge ocean wave, and the urge to sit down and write is overpowering, inundating, and you just have to do it. I remember quite clearly how I started to write The Distant Shore—my first real attempt at writing—and nothing else mattered anymore. It was much the same when I started the sequel, Under the Same Sun. That actually surprised me a little, and pleased me. I had thought it was a one-time thing. But the urge doesn’t go away.

One of the most important aspects of any story, in my opinion, is description. Often either overdone or underdone, what is your best advice to writers on how to strike the perfect balance?

Close your eyes and picture the scene. Then describe what you think makes the image perfect. Often the atmosphere is more important than, say, the color of the couch.

It’s like looking at a stage: what makes the scene work, how will its mood influence the action that’s going to happen there? Is the place you’re about to describe an echo of one of the characters?

Personally, I like to describe settings as seen through the eyes of one of the persons involved in that scene. This gives it a subjective feel and makes it more intimate.

Let’s take, for example, the chapter of “Under The Same Sun” when Jon first sees Positano, where they go to visit Naomi’s maternal family. They drive across the mountains, and suddenly he sees the ocean, and the green hillsides, and the little town plastered to the cliffs. You can write just that: he saw the town on the shore, and the ocean was blue. Or you write what he really sees: serenity, Mediterranean beauty, a place where he knows he’ll find a few days of peace from his busy life. There are layers to a setting. And it’s our job, as an author, to find them.

I find much of my inspiration in coffee shops, and many of the conversations and interactions I have witnessed there have proved to be influential in my tales. Has anyone you’ve ever witnessed become the inspiration for a character, or at least a particular part of a character?

There is one character who is based on a photo of a real person, and that would be Sal. He is based on the one picture I’ve seen of Tom Catalano, a music producer who has worked with Neil Diamond, Helen Reddy, and others. I always thought he did a really great job, and he is kind of cute . But my Sal is totally invented. He’s more homage to Tom Catalano

Finding your voice in writing is one of the most important aspects of it. Some writers, myself included, wrote in a myriad of genres before discovering where our style was best suited. Is there a particular genre that speaks the most to you? Why? And how did you find it?

Well, The Distant Shore was my first attempt at writing a novel. I didn’t feel like I was done with the characters from that book and my publisher wanted a series, so that novel has evolved into a trilogy.

I have no idea why I’m writing what my publisher calls “contemporary fiction / romance”. They labeled it after I’d written and submitted it. I didn’t find it. It found me. The story was there, and I wrote it. End of story.

Speaking of voice, when you write, do you find that you become the characters, or are you more of a guest at their dinner party where they share their story with you?

I’m one of the characters—most of the time. He is pivotal, and the other characters react to him. Why I prefer seeing the world as Jon Stone, and not his wife, Naomi, I don’t know. It’s funny because I made him a musician and her a writer, and one would think I’d feel a greater affinity to the writer-character.

I think the secret is that I really don’t know anything about writing. It just happens. And that’s the way Naomi writes, too. She shrugs her shoulders at people who ask her how she does what she does, and just goes on. Jon, on the other hand, is the person who struggles with his creative processes, who dissects and prods and pokes.

I used to teach theater and musicals, so I know something of that.

Jon is the one with the doubts and fear. He’s my alter-ego. I see his world through his eyes, most of the time.

Tell us a little about your editing process.

Editing? What’s editing?

No, seriously. The first draft of The Distant Shore had an epic 400K words. I KNOW! I had to edit it down to 136K, which eventually ended up in the printed version. That was a major editing effort, and it had to be done with lighting speed, too, because I had this publisher waiting for the manuscript, literally drumming their fingers on their desk. I think I did it in less than three weeks, and after that I sort of collapsed.

Now, I edit while I write. It’s not something I really love to do, but the innocence of that first novel is gone, and the little editing devil sitting on my shoulder watches every word I write really, really closely. As a result, I don’t really have to do a whole lot anymore when I type “The End”. Well, at least not until the real editing and polishing begins once my publisher gets the manuscript.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

Oh gosh… I don’t listen to writing advice aside from my editor’s. I have no idea!

The best?

There really is only one, and it comes, again, from my editor: “Butt in chair, write!”

I would add, “Read a lot!” Seriously, you can only learn writing by writing. By doing it. There are so many “writers” on Twitter who talk about writing all the time but don’t DO it. That’s like reading cookbooks but never trying to cook. You’ll not get a meal by reading recipes! You’ll have to use those pots and cook.

For those writers who have not yet completed their first novel, what advice would you give them?

Be patient with yourself. It takes a long, long time to write a novel, you might not finish it in a month, or even a year. Just keep plugging along until it’s done.

Finish one project before you start the next. And I mean that literally: END the story. Find an ending! This is not as easy as it may sound. I know people who have thirty, forty projects lying around, all of them started, none of them finished.

Sometimes I think there’s a fear of finishing something, because that’s the point when you have to start submitting it if you’re serious about it. And submitting might end in rejection.

What is one book (besides one of your own) that you think everyone should read?

Everyone? I don’t think there’s ONE book for everyone. I don’t know.

I can tell you, though, which books are my favorites, the ones I consider masterpieces:

Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, John Galsworthy’s Forsyte Saga, Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdottir, Naguib Mahfus’ Cairo Trilogy, and AlanGurganus’ Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells It All. I also love Sean Jeter Naslund’s Ahab’s Wife a lot.

If you could be interviewed by one famous person (besides me… ha!), who would that be and why?

Oy, what a difficult question! I really don’t know…I don’t think I know any famous people?

Besides you, of course!

On second thought, I’d really like a chat with a music star, like Bruce Springsteen, or Neil Diamond. I’d ask them about how they see the mix of fame, creativity and a private life. Oh wait, then I’d be interviewing them.

Can readers expect more from you in the not too distant future?

We’re celebrating the launch of my second book, Under the Same Sun, with this blog hop. It’s the sequel to The Distant Shore, and is book two in the Stone Trilogy. The third book is written and with the publisher, and the planned release is next summer. The working title of that book is Song of the Storm.

Right now I’m working on a new trilogy. It’s based in the same world as the Stone Trilogy but highlights other members of the extended family. The first one deals primarily with Naomi’s parents and how they suffer from the aftermath of 9/11. But you’ll also get to see Jon and Naomi again!

I’m a Kindle girl, myself. E-readers – love them or hate them?

Both.

When I’m traveling, I really love ebooks—so much more room in your bags for new things!

As an author, though, I have to say I really, really love print books. I’m not sure I’d really feel like an “author” if I couldn’t hold my own books in my hands. It’s a feeling that’s very, very hard to top!

My publisher tells me, though, that I’m selling more of the ebook versions of my novels than the paper books.

I guess there’s room for both.

Biggest problem in the publishing industry you see?

I have NO idea. For me, getting published was a breeze. See, I never submitted my first book to any publisher. My publisher found me on Twitter. One morning I woke up to find that black cat following me. That in itself was exciting enough, a REAL publisher, following me, a writing nobody! A short while later I posted page 99 of The Distant Shore on my blog. Moments later I got a message from Buddhapuss Ink, asking for the manuscript. It was so not ready to send, so I told them they would have to wait a few weeks. (Yes, I can hear your laughter! Now I know what a total no-no that is, but back then, who knew? They replied that they would wait, and patiently, but they didn’t, and kept asking. So I packed the entire, unformatted thing into an attachment and sent it off. I think there was no real synopsis either, and my idea of marketing my book was to “do anything but dance naked on tables”. Yes, that’s really what I wrote! A couple of weeks later I had my first book deal.

So, you see, I really don’t know about problems in publishing. I have no agent. I work directly with my publisher, and I adore my editor.

Weirdest unknown fact about you (that you are brave enough to share)?

I collect Starbucks City mugs. Is that weird enough?

Any other updates?

Not really. I’m waiting for the new Doctor Who season to come to Germany, hoping to be able to travel to the US again next year. And I’m writing, writing, writing. It’s basically all I do.

Oh! I’ve discovered a liking for Baroque opera! And it’s definitely time to turn on the furnace.

This was the second stop in Mariam’s Blog Hop celebrating the launch of her latest book, Under the Same Sun (Book II in the Stone Trilogy) which hit the Amazon.com bestseller list on its first day on sale and then sold out!

It will be back in stock soon, but while you’re waiting you can go to our blog and click the link to read the first two chapters, or you can leave a comment below about this blog post for a chance to win one of three copies of Under the Same Sun! You can get additional chances by following Mariam on every stop on her hop 

and leaving comments after each post. And hey, while you’re here, why not follow this blog. You won’t regret it.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 10/17, Mariam will be visiting Amberr Meadows’ blog. Join us there!

Check our blog for the full calendar and more details!

When did you first realize you needed to put pen to paper?

I started writing in earnest in 1997, although I had been writing prior to that. I wrote short stories in Chinese, regular diaries in both Chinese and English, and a number of research papers and never-ending dissertations. But one day in the spring of 1997, after I handed in that awfully long PhD thesis, I sat down and started typing The Same Moon, the book had been brewing in my head for as long as I could remember but didn’t have time for till then.

One of the most important aspects of any story, in my opinion, is description. Often either overdone or underdone, what is your best advice to writers on how to strike the perfect balance?

In my humble view, balance is relative. It all depends on which kind of books authors write and the kind of stories they want to tell. Every author has his or her own style, and if you have established a unique style, stick with it. There is no perfect formula to writing, and if there were, the books we read would be so boring, wouldn’t it?

I find much of my inspiration in coffee shops, and many of the conversations and interactions I have witnessed there have proved to be influential in my tales. Has anyone you’ve ever witnessed become the inspiration for a character, or at least a particular part of a character?

Oh yes, people I meet become characters, unwittingly, both to them and to me at the time. When I start writing, characters form in my head and it is then I know what kind of characters I want to build, and their characteristics become crystal clear – they are taken from people I know, whether it’s the way they look, they talk, they walk or even how they think, if I know them well. It helps me to create characters which are authentic and credible – it’s funny that often the characters I’ve created become more real than the people I based them upon, because I spend so much time inside those characters that I feel that I know them inside out, they are more than simply characters to me, not unlike a mother giving birth to a baby. When you think about it, authors often carry their ‘babies’ for nine months, or longer.

Finding your voice in writing is one of the most important aspects of it. Some writers, myself included, wrote in a myriad of genres before discovering where our style was best suited. Is there a particular genre that speaks the most to you? Why? And how did you find it?

Lisa, I am totally with you on this point. From what I have read from your writing, we are similar in a way that our books are, as you said, a myriad of genres. When I set out in writing my first book, it never occurred to me to write in a certain genre, as stories just poured out of my mind like a broken dam. There was no stopping till it was done and dusted. I had trouble when I was asked to categorize my book. In the end, I put it down as contemporary, literary fiction, but some readers commented that it read like a memoir, and others said that it could be called historical fiction, because it dealt with issues of particulars times in our recent history.

When I began the final installment of my Journey to the West trilogy, Land of Hope, again I allowed the stories and characters took over and did not set to write in a particular genre. I just had a compulsion to tell the stories of the people I have met in my current line of work, as a professional interpreter. I was a little surprised when one of my first reviews described my book as “a totally, captivating, and powerfully potent suspense thriller” (Amazon) – There is certainly an element of crime fiction in Land of Hope, and I’m thrilled to bits with the positive response I have received so far. My love for Scandinavian Nordic crime thrillers must have got under my skin – I’ve produced a suspense thriller without even realizing it How awesome is that!

Speaking of voice, when you write, do you find that you become the characters, or are you more of a guest at their dinner party where they share their story with you?

I became the characters, absolutely. I put on my ‘thinking hats’ for different characters, men, women, good, bad and evil, I imagine myself in their shoes – what would be my motivation? why did I have to do that? I LOVE entering the minds of different characters and ‘acted’ like them, so to speak.

For the life of me, I can’t act, far too shy to be an actor However, I remember one comment which I’ll never forget. During one of my many occasions an an interpreter in a police station, a guy from FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) said to me: “You’re the best interpreter I’ve ever worked with. Not only you interpreted quickly and fluently, you even sounded like the person you were interpreting for” – I was interpreting for a male, illegal immigrant who was selling counterfeit DVDs and got caught!

Tell us a little about your editing process.

Apart from it being boring ? After I finish my first draft – I try not to do much editing when I was writing, I go back to MS.  I guess I am quite lucky, in the sense that I already have the basic structure in my head before I put thoughts into words, so my final draft is often not too different from the one I started with. For Land of Hope, I used beta-readers, and I found that extremely useful – I did make quite a few changes due to their constructive comments. I also use an editor who tidy up my MS, ridding it off typos, and other errors. It pays to get my work to look as professionally as possible, even as an Indie author.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

Never had any. If I had, I ignored it and forgot about it

The best?

Just over a couple of weeks ago, I sent out a round robin to some on-line friends, asking if any of them would like to help me with promoting my new book. Shortly after, I received a reply from my friend Sandra Valente and she said: “You should create a badge and do a blog tour”. Not only that, she immediately created a fabulous badge for me and offered me a space on her blog. I think that’s the kind of advice I really needed and the practical help I could not do without! Thank you, Sandra, and you Lisa, for having me here talking to you .

For those writers who have not yet completed their first novel, what advice would you give them?

Keep writing and finish it the best you can.

What is one book (besides one of your own) that you think everyone should read?

Can I recommend three at once? It’s Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy – Modern literature at its very best!

If you could be interviewed by one famous person (besides me… ha!), who would that be and why?

Kevin Spacey, and I won’t tell you why, so keep guessing !

Can readers expect more from you in the not too distant future?

Most definitely – for those who have not read any of my books, go and get a copy of Land of Hope now It is my hope to turn my stories into screen plays for the small or big screens either here in the UK or in China. There are more stories in the pipeline, but my priority is to prefect my trilogy, so I’ll revisit The Same Moon and Trials of Life, with a view to bring out paperbacks in the near future.

I’m a Kindle girl, myself. E-readers – love them or hate them?

Love Kindle, and now my iPad. No going back!My paperbacks on my shelves are craning their necks in a very long queue at this moment in time . My recent orders from Amazon are all e-books .

Biggest problem in the publishing industry you see?

Too many authors and too many books, and I must admit that some books are just not good enough!

Weirdest unknown fact about you (that you are brave enough to share)?

One of the most exciting, also weird experiences I have had was to raid a Brothel with the Police in the UK – well, it was an unknown fact about me until you read Land of Hope- I did write about it in my most recent book, but not many people know about it, as I do not go around boasting about seeking a naked girl with her equally naked punter .

Any other updates?

Come and find me at http://www.junyingkirk.com/, where I regularly blog about my travels, fabulous food and books, and future projects.

Finally, I would love to see some of you the day after tomorrow, on the 18th of October when I will be spending time with the author of School of the Ages Matt Posner, where I’ll introduce to you a special character from Land of Hope.

Book Blurb: Junying Kirk completes her ‘Journey to the West’ trilogy with this inter-racial saga. A complex love story is interwoven through a tale of international crime, broken dreams, human trafficking and sexual exploitation. ‘Journey’ is just that, a merciless trek from the coast of Southern China to the drug farms in the heart of England, exposing worlds you never would have imagined exist.

Available on Amazon.UK, Amazon.Com, and on Smashwords

Today, it is with nothing but pleasure that I feature a beautiful woman, friend, and fellow writer, Marni Mann, who recently released the follow-up novel to her excellent debut. Marni wrote her way into my heart with her stunning and raw portrayal of the life of an addict in Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales. And to say that I am excited to dive into Scars from a Memoir, would be quite the understatement. Congrats, Marni!!

A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann, now a Floridian is inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. A writer of literary fiction, she taps a mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark, harrowing, and gritty journey. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, she’s scouring for chocolate, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children. Scars from a Memoir is her second book, a sequel to the highly regarded Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales: A Story of Addiction.

Your depiction of addiction is eerily accurate. When you write, do you find that you become the characters, or are you more of a guest at their dinner party where they share with you their story?

Nicole’s ¾ my protagonist ¾ breath mixes with mine. I hear her words over my own, her stories fill my dreams, her thoughts consume my brain. In order for me to really immerse myself in a project, I have to become the main character. That, and for a few other reasons, is why I write in first person. My stories are personal, emotional, and dark. And because I become the character, in a sense, I’m really writing their memoir.

One of the most powerful things I took away from Memoirs was that addicts are normal people. Normal people who just turned down a bad road. Normal people that could have been you and me. What do you hope the follow up novel, Scars of a Memoir, will teach readers (without giving away any big spoilers, of course)?

Addiction haunts and lingers. An addict doesn’t just get clean and then they’re suddenly cured and all thoughts of using are completely wiped from their brains. Sobriety is a daily struggle. This novel will expose Nicole’s battle wounds, her strength, fight, determination, but will it be enough?

You and I have discussed how we both prefer darker writing. When I write dark scenes, I literally hurl myself into the pits of despair with my characters. And, often times, doing so can be overwhelming for me as a writer and a person, because the emotions with which I then write are very real. So real that those feelings linger with me for days on end. Am I a complete weirdo (you can admit it if I am!), or do you find that in order to write about such darkness that you, too, have to submerge yourself fully into it?

From my answers above, you know you’re not alone. I find that when a writer completely plunges into their writing it’s a much more genuine piece. A good writer doesn’t have to actually experience the subject in which they’re writing about, they just have to make us believe that they have.

When going back to edit and re-read Scars, was there any particular verse which really surprised you and made you say, “Wow, I wrote that?” If so, share it with us?

I hadn’t heard his voice in a while. The dragon was back, loud and begging, clogging my mind. He missed the old Nicole, the one who sacrificed her body and morals to be with him. I rolled to my side and pulled a pillow over my open ear. It didn’t help. His screaming was on the inside, and he demanded I go downstairs, take one of the pills, crush it with a hammer, and sniff every speck. He lived inside that powder, and his touch could rub all my spots at once. He could show me the beauty behind the sun, the depth of water, the soft petals of a flower tickling up my arms. His words would be my lullaby.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

An agent once told me that dark fiction wasn’t selling ¾ and it never would again ¾ so I was wasting my time with a novel like Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales. She said I should focus on trending topics/themes and write with the current. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, I just don’t agree with hers.

Will there be more about Nicole or is this the finale of her story?

I don’t have a third book planned as of right now. I could be persuaded, though, if my readers demand a trilogy.

Where do you see the publishing world 10 years from now?

I think a lot of the changes are going to be seen in traditional publishing. Their process and methods are antiquated and their prices are really high. I think it’s going to take more than ten years for print to disappear completely, but eBooks will definitely dominate the market. With eBooks, tablets, and devices, I think that opens the possibility of having interactive reading, allowing the authors and their team to get really creative with the whole reading experience.

Any last updates for readers? Exciting new projects you are working on that you’d care to share?

This fall I’m going to be releasing YA versions of Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales and Scars from a Memoir. I think young adults could really benefit from Nicole’s story. I’m also working on my next novel, which is another dark literary piece that follows a young woman and how she copes after a horrific tragedy.

Connect with Marni on her website, Facebook, Goodreads, and follow her on Twitter.

 ~~

“I could make up a story to cover the last eight years, but the scars on my arms told the truth. So did my ankles, the skin between my toes, even the veins that had burst on my breasts. Did my battle wounds really prove I was a survivor? Or was I too damaged to be glued back together?” Nicole had only one skyline to remind her of the freedom she’d lost–a tattoo of inked buildings dotting the skies of Boston, crisscrossed by scars. Heroin had owned her, replaced everyone and everything she’d once loved. The past was supposed to be behind her. It wasn’t, but that was the price of addiction. Two men love her; one fills a void, and the other gives her hope of a future. Will love find a way to help her sing a lullaby to addiction, or will her scars be her final good-bye?

Robert James Russell, a proud Midwesterner, has known he wanted to be a writer since he was ten years old. A fan of well-placed stream of consciousness and stories that feature everyday characters and dialogue, Robert has a penchant for stories focusing on relationships in all their many forms.

In 2010, he co-founded the literary journal Midwestern Gothic, which aims to catalog the very best fiction of the Midwestern United States. It’s an area he believes is ripe with its own mythologies and tall tales, yet often overlooked. He currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The setting in Sea of Trees is definitely unique. Where did you learn about the Aokigahara Forest? Stumbled on an article by chance, actually, and just found myself obsessed with the place—why go here to kill yourself? Why these woods? Turns out these woods have a long, sordid history, and I thought it would be the perfect setting to a story. I mean, how could I not write about this place!

Do you have a desire to one day go there? (As a visitor, of course, not on a suicidal mission!) Absolutely! I’ve only been to Japan once, briefly, but I’m in the process of planning a trip in the next year-ish and Aokigahara is at the top of the list. And let me assure you: I absolutely do not plan on, and will avoid at all costs, finding bodies! Can’t handle it!

One of the most important aspects of any story, in my opinion, is description. Often either overdone or underdone, your writing has (and continues to be) an excellent example of how it should be done. What is your best advice to writers on how to strike the perfect balance? I think it just takes time…practice. But more importantly, I think it’s a matter of style. I think when most people start out writing (myself included), you want to just detail everything under the sun in order to make this world believable. Some people keep up this mode of thinking, and there are well-known authors who have a similar style that absolutely works (Haruki Murakami, for example). But, personally, I’ve come to learn that less is more (not TOO little, you need some substance)—I want people to be able to imagine a place, but not have it be so specific that it’s jarring if you’ve never been there. I think that can be detrimental to the reading experience. Again, just a matter of taste, I think.

Another trait I personally love in your writing is the honesty and realness in your characters. You’ve mentioned that you write at coffee shops, has anyone you’ve ever witnessed become the inspiration for a character, or at least a particular part of a character? Ha! Many times! Well, more specifically, I tend to glob onto conversations more than the actual people. I may watch body language, study how people are interacting, and, perhaps every so often, turn the physicality of someone at the coffee shop into a character, but more often than not it’s the conversations that I absorb from this environment. I think that’s where the realness of my characters come from—when I was learning how to hone and develop my voice, this is how I practiced writing dialog: I would go to coffee shops and literally transcribe conversations I overheard (obviously I deleted these afterward, since I didn’t want to share any personal secrets, ha). It’s probably while I still find these settings so invigorating.

I found the voice with which you wrote Sea of Trees to be intoxicating and darkly palpable. When you write, do you find that you become the characters, or are you more of a guest at their dinner party where they share with you their story? I think it’s a mix, really. I think for every character I initially insert a part of myself—ticks, idiosyncrasies—to make them believable, make it easier for me to glob on to as I start developing them, but I also include other factors that that may be unique to their person, such as culture, upbringing, that sort of thing. All of those will create very different characters, very different types of reactions, etc., which I think is important. If everyone was me, it’d be a very boring read, I promise you that. And once I get the skeleton of who these characters are in place, I just sit back and watch, listen as the rest of them form around that base, each different, distinctive.

Does the Sea of Trees readers are enjoying today differ greatly from your first draft or do you find that your stories evolve more in the plotting stage before even beginning to write them? Not too different, I’m happy to say! I had a plan in place initially, and I stuck to that best I could. I think it’s a simple tale, so it was easy for me to stay on target, not stray too far from that. I think I’m lucky (or not, who knows?), that when I initially conceive of an idea, it tends to be fairly finalized. Sure, dialog, some details may change here and there, but the bulk of it remains the same.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever received? “Write for your audience.” I think that’s just plain ludicrous. Write for yourself first, write what makes you happy. Sure, you may not write something seen by everyone in the world, you may not be famous and rich, but you will be much happier than forcing yourself to write to the whims of people you’ll never meet. I think it’s a disservice to the writer to forcibly pen something they have no investment in.

If you could be interviewed by one famous person (besides me… ha!), who would that be and why? Probably Cormac McCarthy—I’m a huge fan of his work (arguably one of the best American writers of the 20^th Century), so it would be amazing to be in his presence (plus he’s notoriously reclusive, so I’d feel honored he ventured outside to talk to me). Also, his early work closely resembled William Faulkner’s (whom I admire greatly), and this may be the closest thing to Faulkner I’ll ever get.

Runner-up: Bret Easton Ellis. Another of my favorite authors. Plus I think the interview would just be crazy fun.

Can readers expect more from Robert James Russell in the not too distant future? (Please say yes!) Yes! I’m currently seeking representation/publication for a new novel, and working on the first draft of a new new novel which I hope to have completed later this summer.

Where do you see the publishing world 10 years from now? I think just more in the direction it’s already going—digital first. Here’s my prediction: Ultimately—no matter how you feel about it—digital will replace hardcopy books, and most people will have eReaders or the like and to their reading that way. I think the entire publishing model will change drastically. I still think there will be big publishing houses, but I think it will be less “dastardly” to be self-pubbed—as is seen by segments of the general public. I think it’s a great alternative, and I hope it becomes less of a “thing” than it is now. I mean, really…who cares where something comes from? If it’s good, it’s good, right?

Any last updates for readers? Exciting new projects you are working on that you’d care to share? Besides what I mentioned already, I’m still actively involved with the journal I co-founded, Midwestern Gothic. We just announced our first theme issue, which we’re so excited about, and we have some big announcements coming up later this year—so stay tuned!

Connect with Rob on his website and follow him on Twitter.

~~~

Swirling mystery permeates Sea of Trees as Bill, an American college student, and his Japanese girlfriend Junko traverse the Aokigahara Forest in Japan–infamous as one of the world’s top suicide destinations–in search of evidence of Junko’s sister Izumi who disappeared there a year previous. As the two follow clues and journey deeper into the woods amid the eerily quiet and hauntingly beautiful landscape–bypassing tokens and remains of the departed, suicide notes tacked to trees and shrines put up by forlorn loved ones–they’ll depend on one another in ways they never had to before, testing the very fabric of their relationship. And, as daylight quickly escapes them and they find themselves lost in the dark veil of night, Bill discovers a truth Junko has hidden deep within her-a truth that will change them both forever.

SEA OF TREES, available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From the depths of Park Avenue in South Saint Louis, Missouri emerges one of the quintessential literary voices of the 21st century. The Pride of Park Avenue is Toriano L. Porter’s first published book. He is a former All-Conference football player at both Eureka High School in Eureka, Missouri and Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and a former minor league football All-American for the St. Louis Bulldogs. His work has appeared in publications such as the St. Louis American, St. Louis Evening Whirl, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Riverfront Times, The Kansas City Pitch, inBox Magazine, Playback STL Magazine, Central News Magazine, ENVY Magazine in Kansas City, http://www.stlhiphop.com and the Houston Press.

When did you first know you wanted to write a book?

Back in the fall of 1992 I was a freshman in college and I was sitting in a family living class bored out of my mind and began to piddle. Prior to enrolling in college I played on a high school football team that so underachieve that it really made me want to tell the story of how we never meshed as a team, and alas, I told myself then I’d write a book one day about that experience.

What do you know now that you wish you did when you first started writing?

I have no regrets or wishes that I’d done anything different. I feel my writing has evolved since the first day I walked into a college creative writing class with nothing but raw talent and a story to tell without a clue on how to tell it.

Are you a traditionally published author or indie?

Indie all the way.

If indie, what made you decide this route?

One, who has time for a pile of rejection letters and turn backs? Not me. I come from an environment that is not conducive to waiting on someone to recognize your talent. Which means, growing up in South St. Louis I’ve lost dozens of close family members and friends to guns, drugs and violence and I’ve taken the mantra that tomorrow is never promised. Two, I figured agents and publishers respond to numbers. A woman once told me something nearly a decade ago that I’ve never forgotten. She said a person is only willing to invest in you if you’ve invested in yourself and I firmly believe that. 

What was your biggest resource of information as an indie author?

The Internet without a doubt. I researched the pros and cons of going the indie route, sort out the best publishing companies to align with and also researched the drawbacks of going the indie route. Of all the negatives that I found going indie, they far outweighed sitting back hoping an agent or publisher would see the vision I had laid out for my project.   

How many novels have you had published, or is this your debut?

I’m currently working on my first novel as we speak. My first project, The Pride of Park Avenue, is a collection of personal essays, short stories and a few poems that I butchered before including them in the final manuscript. The final few pages of that book include a preview of the novel I’m working on now.   

What genre do your write in?

Yes, the million dollar question that I have not yet been able to answer. In all honesty my work is like an orphaned child with no home. If I could describe my strength I’d say I’m leaning more towards creative non-fiction more so than fiction, but if fiction then I’d say young adult novelist once I complete my first novel because I want to impact kids and young adults in a positive way.   

What made you choose this genre?

I’ve never chosen a genre; the genre chose me – or has yet to choose me to be honest with you. 

Tell us a little bit about your latest novel (or upcoming novel)?

The Pride of Park Avenue is basically a collection of inter-woven pieces that combine personal essays on love, loss and pain with short and flash fiction pieces centered on the pursuit of the American Dream and adds painstakingly written poems. The overall theme is triumph in the face of adversity in the quest for a better life.

Which of your characters do you most relate with?

In my fiction pieces I have characters that I’ve developed over the years that mimic the relationship I had with my best friend of 23 years Rory L. Watkins. He’s a featured writer in The Pride of Park Avenue.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

I was born and raised in the 3400 block of Park Avenue in South St. Louis. If you do a search of the local newspaper’s archives it would show that Park Avenue was a dangerous place to live during the late 1980s, early 1990s. I wanted to flip the newspaper account of my neighborhood on its head and project a different type of community; one with love, hard working people and the overall desire of the collective to be successful.   

Did you know the title before you started writing, or did it come to you later?

The working title was The Pride of St. Louis before I found myself during a trip to NYC in the middle of Manhattan wondering if I could sell a book in that city entitled The Pride of St. Louis. My answer was a resounding no. In fact I was standing on the corner of Park Avenue and 34th Street in NYC when I had an epiphany: Darn near every city in the United States has a Park Avenue. And from that epiphany came The Pride of Park Avenue and it all tied in to the theme of being proud of where I’m from.   

If you could use only FIVE words to persuade us to read your book, what would they be?

‘Sex, drugs, humor and pathos’ maybe or ‘Real-life American success story.’   

What do you find are the biggest obstacles to overcome when writing a novel?

Time, time and more time. I have the idea, I’m halfway through it, but I find the time to actually sit down and write a great American novel more time-consuming than I thought.   

For those writers who have not yet completed their first novel, what advice would you give them?

The best advice I have is to just do it. Write everyday, even if it’s just a sentence. Write everyday.   

What famous writer would you most compare yourself to and why?

Literature buffs who have read my work compare my style to Langston Hughes and James Baldwin because of the ability to relay to the masses the plight of inner-city Americans. Of course I’d never say that about myself, but coming from a third-party, I’ll take the comparisons.   

What is one book (besides one of your own) that you think everyone should read?

“What is the What” definitely and I’m reading this fascinating novel right now I’d have to recommend entitled “The Help.”   

What book are your currently reading?

The aforementioned “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. I have no idea who she is, but her novel is a tremendous read.   

eBook or hard copy, or do you not have a preference? I’m old school brick and mortar, but my book is available in both paperback and e-book form. Got to give the book readers the choice of which they prefer.   

Have any new and upcoming authors caught your eye?

I’d be lying if I didn’t say myself. No self-promotion or vanity or anything, but I’m competing with these up-and-coming authors so I can’t show any weakness right now and admit to checking for them or their work.   

If you were a superhero what would your name be?

I’d be Toriano Porter, father, son, author, journalist, motivator, role model. Super hero indeed.   

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I guess I’m a combination of the two.   

Have you ever thought of a great opening chapter and a devilish closing chapter but just can’t work out how to get from one to the other?

No never. I write in a more cohesive form so the story evolves. I don’t want to know the ending until I write it.   

Have you ever written a story where the antagonist made a better protagonist than the one you used?

Yes. A character named Cochise in some pieces contained in The Pride of Park Avenue. He is a maniac; a real-life sociopath in some ways – but his love for the protagonist sort of makes him the much-loved villain. Readers really see through his hard and rough exterior and see a genuinely compassionate person when it comes to the protagonist. He often comes off as a hero in the book.   

What kind of routines do you keep when writing ( i.e., exercise, food, chores, etc.)?

Music, no television and plenty of ice-cold beverages.   

What current project are you working on?

A novel with the working title of “James Cool (circa 1985).” It’s my labor of love. A seven-year work in progress.  

Can you share any of it with us?

It’s a coming-of-age novel told through the eyes of an 11-year-old baseball fan during the summer of 1985. All the kid wants to do is watch the St. Louis Cardinals try to win a World Series and see his mom and dad work out the differences they have as they struggle to make ends meet.

Tell us a funny unknown fact about yourself.

I was named after Michael Jackson’s brother Tito, whose real name is Toriano. An aunt was a huge Jackson 5 fan and Tito was her favorite and she suggested the name to my mom. Before that I was Eddie Hollins, Jr. for two days, which doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like Toriano Porter.

The Pride of Park Avenue

Combining cool, reflective narrative, free-flowing prose and authentic character dialogue, The Pride of Park Avenue is a collection of emotionally charged personal essays about life, loss and pain, character-driven flash fiction passages of love and betrayal, action-helmed coming of age short stories centered on the pursuit of the American Dream, painstaking, tragedy-filled poetry and insanely written gonzo blog entries that form one of the more daring works of the last quarter century.

Available on Amazon