Q&A with Stephen Paul Sayers, author of A Taker of Morrows

What’s your new novel, A Taker of Morrows, about?

It’s about a man who’s visited by a stranger, who tells him he’s got twenty-four hours to live. You see, deaths are scheduled and schedules must be kept. In his desperate attempt to stay alive, he discovers the world isn’t what he thought it was, that it’s actually a battleground between the forces of good and evil from the afterlife, a place where ‘caretakers’ protect earthly souls and ‘jumpers’ prey on them…and now he’s become the prey. And if he’s to keep himself and his family alive, he must straddle the boundary between worlds and face the secrets of his past.
 
In a broader sense, it’s really a story about the nature of life and death, and the eternal price paid for what we carry in our souls.

What inspired you to be a writer?

I never set out to be a writer, but after a challenge from my daughter, Kaylee, I decided to write her a novel. I figured I’d write something for her, give it to her some holiday or birthday, and it would collect dust on her bookshelf. But when I started writing, a switch turned on inside me, something I’d never felt before, igniting a passion I didn’t know I had. It helped me finally figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up.
But more importantly, it has solidified a real bond between my daughter and me. She’s an amazing writer who has a full length novel under her belt at age seventeen. We now have this shared thing we do together. We talk about story ideas, read each other’s work. She gave me this great idea in A Taker of Morrows that became a key to the series in my opinion. So, she’s my inspiration.

Why do you write in the genre that you do?

My brother and I watched horror movies all the time when we were kids. I think the 70s and 80s were a golden age of horror movies – and we got really into it. That’s also when I discovered Stephen King, and I read just about everything he wrote. That was my base, and no matter what different literary roads I may travel, I always veer back into the genre. Even the horror books I read today transport me back to childhood and reignite those feelings again.

What do you enjoy reading and who are your favorite authors?

I have so many authors I love reading in so many genres. I grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King and Peter Straub, so I got a good horror base. I’m also a big fan of a new generation of horror writers, Joe Hill, Paul Cornell, J. Lincoln Fenn, and Paul Tremblay, so I definitely get my fill. I also love writers of suspense and thrillers, especially Jo Nesbo, Dennis LeHane and Randy Wayne White. I’ve recently discovered Melissa Lenhardt’s “Jack McBride” mystery series, which sort of borders on chick lit, and yet I really like it. So, bottom line, I read just about anything.

What do you hope your readers will take away from your work?

Horror and thriller fiction should be entertaining, number one. I want readers of my work to feel as if the time spent between the pages was a good investment. If they can escape from their world for a few hours, connect to my characters, and feel like they’ve made some friends they’re going to miss when they turn the final page, then I’ve done my job. 

On a lighter note, what are the top five things on your bucket list?

Hopefully, I’m not in ‘bucket list’ territory yet, but here goes:
        1. Cage dive with the Cape Cod great white sharks
        2. Stroll across the Abbey Road crosswalk
        3. Drive to Graceland in an RV
        4. Own a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 convertible
        5. Gain the advantage over my Gibson SG

 

Interview with Skye Warren, Survival of the Richest

I’m Skye Warren, New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. And I’m excited to be here today chatting about my brand new release SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST!

Can you tell us what Survival of the Richest is about?

It’s a sexy love triangle about an heiress and the two billionaires who want her! We meet Harper St. Claire when she’s still a teenager and has a love-hate relationship with her stepbrother. Only when she’s a grown up does she fully come to terms with her desire for him… but that’s when she meets another man who’s determined to claim her himself. SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST is about the love and money and finding what you want while risking everything you have.

What made you decide to write a love triangle?

I love a challenge, and a true love triangle in which both men are viable options is something I’ve never written before. It made perfect sense for Harper St. Clare, an heiress with complex feelings toward men in general—that she would seek a man who isn’t emotionally available for her and be lured by a man who is forthright in a way she’s never met before. Only once she’s let herself surrender to love itself will she overcome her past, which is why she needs a love triangle story.

What was the hardest part about writing Harper’s story?

The essence of writing a love triangle is that half of the readers will end up disappointed, if they want the man who isn’t chosen! However it’s also part of the allure of the book… unlike a book where the ending is determined, both the journey and the final destination are unknown. It’s not for readers who are faint of heart! Or authors who like to please their readers, which I usually do!

I hope you love reading SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST!

An heiress without a cause.
Two billionaires determined to claim her.
And a war fought on the most dangerous battlefield--the heart.

"What an incredible book! Survival of the Richest has everything -- Skye Warren's beautiful writing, a sexy, compelling story; intricate characters, and a provocative love triangle that will captivate you until the very end." ~ New York Times bestselling author Nina Lane

My story starts with a plunge into the cold water of Manhattan's harbor.

A strong hand hauls me back onto the deck of the luxury yacht. Christopher was supposed to be my enemy. Instead he protects me with fierce determination.

That should have been my happily ever after, but then Sutton appeared--ruthless and seductive. He doesn't care that my heart belongs to someone else, because he's determined to win. No matter the cost.

It's an impossible choice, but I can't have them both.
 

Q&A with Shalini Dua, The Secret Lives of Royals

What was your biggest inspiration while writing your book?

All of my travels, early history lessons from schooling in London and pop culture.

Which character in your book was most challenging to write about?

Alex and Connor. I was as torn between them as Olivia is.

Which authors have most influenced your writing?

Sophie Kinsella, Lewis Carrol, Emily Brontë, R. M. Drake, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Sylvia Plath

What is your favorite scene in your book?

When Alex and Olivia discover the castle together. I love that they recapture the love they had when they were younger and pick up where they left off.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Always a writer. And someone who got to travel for work.

What is your favorite book of all time?

It’s a toss up between Alice in Wonderland and Wuthering Heights

Describe your writing style in three words.

Haphazard, coffee-fueled, madness

Any recent works that you admire?

Anything by R.M. Drake, Nikita Gill and Atticus
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

What is your writing process? 

I drink lots of coffee. Assemble my snacks. Make a playlist. Surf the internet. Wander around the house. Plan a vacation. Think of several errands that just can’t wait. Eventually sit down to write just as I’m supposed to be going to bed. 

Guest Post by Maddie Dawson, Matchmaking for Beginners

I come from a family of outrageous storytellers. If everything I was told as a child was true, it’s a wonder that there isn’t an entire wing of a penitentiary somewhere dedicated to just my family members. We’d have had to hold our family reunions there.

Some examples: My newly married grandmother shot her young husband with a pistol when he scared her by coming home unexpectedly from a business trip in the middle of the night, and—BAM! Missed him by this much. He lived, but they got a divorce anyway, and two marriages later, she ended up with a man who had stolen somebody else’s identity and lived his life impersonating a wealthy businessman while he bilked thousands of people out of their life savings. Nice.

That’s just for starters. There’s also the story of Aunt Murtis who put a pillow over her husband’s face when he was dying of something or other. My aunt who, as a toddler, squatted down in the street as a big Mack truck came barreling toward her—but, haha, she was fine. She just squatted down and the truck tires missed her. And then there was the Air Force pilot who fell in love with my mother while she was married to my father, if you please, and stole a jet to fly over our house at a very low altitude. And, blah blah blah, the great-great grandfather who was said to have owned Cape Canaveral, but lost it in gambling debts.

True? One never knows, not with my family. I don’t think they even know.

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It’s perhaps no wonder I grew up to be a fiction writer, aka someone who tells lies for a living. I was the quiet one, you see, listening and watching, taking it all in. It wasn’t until I grew up and moved away that characters started showing up in my head that were like the people I’d grown up listening to: people who were maybe a little bit crazy, a little bit brave, and who inhabited a world they were the champions of. They have much more daring than I have, these characters (and my relatives)—and yet at their center, as they are breaking hearts or having their own hearts broken, they are like me, yearning to make a connection, to be heard and loved for who they are, and to pass along their passion for life.

I run into traces of them whenever I write. A whiff of my grandmother (the one with the shotgun) showed up for my newest novel, Matchmaking for Beginners, becoming 85-year old Blix: a hellraiser who discovered her own, unrewarded talent for matchmaking and magic, and who wasn’t a bit scared of dying or worried about stirring up some love and trouble wherever she went.

“Hi, Grandmom,” I said. And she said, “Please. You know I hate that name. Call me G.G. for Glamorous Grandmother.”

Q&A with CJ Golden, One Petals at a Time

Parts of your book are a series of emails that you sent to friends and family during the time of Joe’s hospitalization and recovery. What made you realize that you needed to share it with the world in a book?

Oh, my, that sounds a tad frightening, doesn’t it – sharing it with the world?  But all that I had learned and shared through my writing was being read and embraced by my readers.  They were with Joe and me every step of the way and, knowing they were there and caring kept me going.  It felt so good to have them all in my world as I went through this very personal tumultuous time. One Pedal at a Time grew out of their comments and, quite honestly, requests that I put my writings in a book for others to benefit from. My journey was similar to so many others’ and, therefore, the lessons  I had brought to light were helpful to them. We need to know we are not alone in our circumstances; especially times of duress.

You have studied and practiced Taoist principles, how were you able to use these as you became an unexpected caregiver for your husband?

Quite honestly, I did not recognize those principles specifically as they carried me through my caregiver journey.  It was only when Joe was stronger and life as it had been was peeking through the clouds, that I sat and thought about the Tao.  The principles that I had followed – and do throughout my life – are Tzu-jan, which means that “stuff happens”. Life takes the twists and turns it is supposed to take and we cannot undo that.  

Then Wu Wei comes in and we are taught we must acknowledge that which has happened for, without doing so, we cannot work our way through to the other side. Basically, in today’s terminology, I suspect that all would be explained as “You can’t change or ignore what has happened - so deal with it!”

Tao also teaches us Te, that reminds us we are each unique with our own set of skills.  Those skills are what we put in to play when we need to, well, “deal with stuff.” Along with our skillsets, we also have weaknesses that need to be acknowledged and dealt with.  Either we can try to strengthen those weaknesses or, if that cannot be, we must never put ourselves down for them. In my case, my strengths took over while those skills I did not have, I recognized had to be delegated to someone else.  In this manner I continued to learn and do the best I could possibly do for Joe.

Your book is not only a book about caregiving, but a true love story. Please explain the importance of sharing that aspect of your book as part of Joe’s (and your) recovery.

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I do believe most everyone enjoys a good love story, but I did not set out to write that as the mainstay of the book.  It evolved, much as our journey evolved. To not share that part of our relationship with others would have been to leave out, I believe, the most uplifting part of our story.  

There are so many out there caring for loved ones; spouses, parents, children, friends.  The job is difficult, painful and can cause rifts in relationships. I think it is important to show them that, with the right attitude (I’m sorry if that sounds pedantic, and Pollyannaish) feelings of remorse can be turned into a stronger love as, together, caregiver and patient work through their trials - with an attitude of understand and caring.

The quote that stays with us comes from a plaque that hangs on the wall at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston:  

“You get bitter or you get better.  It’s that simple. Take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a stronger person, or allow it to tear you down.  The choice is yours.  Choose wisely.”

Joe and I chose to become stronger people – individually and as a couple and a “team.”  I’ve since had many people share with me that their caregiver journey has created a stronger loving bond between them and their patient.  

Our love story is real – there was no way I could not share it.

In your email section of the book, your tone is very positive, was there a point where you felt hopeless or angry? How do you handle those kinds of feelings when your closest friend and confidante can’t help you with them?

I made a point of adding something positive to each email I had sent out.  I think, retrospectively, I needed to do that to bolster my own torn soul. Of course, I wanted those who cared to find something upbeat in my words.   I knew they were with Joe and me in spirit and it needed to share it all – the pain and the positive.

As for me feeling hopeless and angry; of course I did.  There were days when I had to leave Joe’s side so I could sit in the caregiver lounge and cry.  Or call a friend and rant. Or – forgive me for this admission – take a handful of Ativan in order to continue on. (On those days I had someone driving me home, or I was staying in Joe’s room overnight).

My closest friends and confidantes were able to help me – I remember sitting in my living room one morning, absolutely shattered and, after texting two extremely close friends, finding them coming to my home to allow me to babble and blubber on; to cry and scream; and they listened and they held me and I was able to pull myself together and get to the hospital.  

But I could not live in the negative and somehow found a way to continue on with hope and optimism.  It wasn’t easy. But it was necessary to do so, or I would have not been able to continue caring for Joe.  Or myself.

What are 3 pieces of advice you could give to someone who has just been thrown into the caregiver role?

1. Educate yourself about your role: learn about the illness which has struck your loved one; learn about the “cures” and side effects; learn to talk with the medical staff and become a part of their team.  Take what I call, a course in Hospital 101. You cannot be a bystander and wear blinders. You’re learning much under fire, but it will help you help your loved one immeasurably.
2. Recognize that you must MUST care for yourself.  I did not and the result was a woman (me) who was emotionally and physically exhausted, and on the brink of not being capable of caring for Joe in any capacity.  Seek counseling and guidance. Listen to people who tell you to take care of YOU. They are right!
3. I love Joseph Campbell’s quote:

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

The life Joe and I had planned was wonderful for as long as it lasted.   Now we live another life – but still with each other – and we are thankful for what we once had, and grateful for the life we now have together.

I hear so many caregivers bemoaning the new life that has been handed to them; they want their old life back.  But, this, now, is their life. And, as Campbell says, it must be accepted.  That is also the Tao – here you are, your path has been altered, find your unique strengths and create a new life.

Musings on The Moment Before by Jason Makansi

It’s a debut novel. 
It’s easy for me to forget that, since it was ten years in the making. But I hope readers don’t forget that. I’ve been writing and publishing short stories for almost twenty years and technical, professional articles and books for forty. I’ve spent a lot of time in my life reading debut novels, especially from women authors. They are far from perfect. I’ve come to appreciate them as much for suggesting where the author is heading or how the author arrived at later works.

It had an auspicious start.
On my first date with the woman I proposed to six months later, I proclaimed “I’m never getting married!” In 2009, while attending The Sewanee Writers Conference, I had told anyone who would listen that I was a short story writer, and not interested in writing a novel. Six months later, I started The Moment Before. So there you go.

I like to think of The Moment Before as a string quartet.
Chamber music isn’t as familiar as orchestral, even to those who appreciate classical music.The Moment Before has four main characters, and I think they interact similarly to musicians playing chamber music (similar to small jazz ensembles too). The quartet analogy is consistent with one of my favorite review quotes on the novel: “The beauty of [The Moment Before] is in its intricate depiction of the coming together of three people to save a fourth.” I’m an amateur musician. I play viola, among other instruments. I can see the two violins and cello coming to rescue me.

It fills a gap in contemporary political-cultural dialogue
The political experience of Americans born here but of Middle Eastern heritage, and all its geopolitical implications, is rarely a theme in American novels. The Moment Before tackles this head on.

It’s a love story!
In the end, The Moment Before is bounded by love, the enduring love between a father and a daughter, the complicated love that emerges between the protagonist Cheryl Halia Haddad (aka Holly Chicago) and the small-town lawyer John Veranda, as well as John’s deep affection for his Illinois hometown, Saluki.

It has a dimension as dark as a black hole.
I didn’t realize this until the very last read through. The one character who emerges NOT betrayed or disillusioned by the institutions/organizations they serve in is Father Moody. Is he “pure evil” as some readers have pointed out, or is he more complicated than that?  I’ll leave that judgment up to you.