Author Spotlight: Rick Chiantaretto—Complete with Interview (A Bearded Scribe Blog Tour)

About the Author:
I've often been accused of having done more in my life than the average person my age but if I were completely honest, I'd have to tell you my secret: I'm really 392.

So after all this time, I'm a pretty crappy writer.

I have two books published and a bunch half written (when you have eternity, where's the reason to rush?). I've been favorably reviewed by horror greats like Nancy Kilpatrick, and my how-to-write-horror articles have been quoted in scholarly (aka community college freshmen's) papers.

I enjoy the occasional Bloody Mary, although a Bloody Kathy or Susan will suffice.

Mostly, I just try to keep a low profile so people don't figure out who I REALLY am.

Connect with Rick Chiantaretto:

The Interview:

Autumn Jones: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
Rick Chiantaretto: Hi Autumn. Wow, you’re asking me to go back a very long time. I’m pretty sure the answer to that question would have to be The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree, but there are many I could name. I loved Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Matilda, and while he is known for being a children’s author, I found his books magical, with a touch of darkness. As I’m googling these titles now, I’m glad to see they are often included in speculative fiction categories!

Autumn Jones: Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?
Rick Chiantaretto: The Forbidden Game by LJ Smith would have to be it. I have owned so many copies of this book. My sisters and I would read and re-read them until their pages would fall out, and then make our mom drive us to the nearest Barnes and Noble to pick up a new copy. Julian’s race, his love for humans, and that insanely awesome ending have influenced many of my characters and plotlines. I know it’s a YA novel, but I can still pick it up and fall into the world LJ Smith creates in this series, and feel like I’m at home.

If you want a “love conquers all” story, The Forbidden Game is unlike any other.

Autumn Jones: Your main characters had distinct personalities and traits. Are they pieces of you? Were there any actual events or people that inspired any bit of the plot or characters in Death of the Body?
Rick Chiantaretto: I learned from my first novel, Façade of Shadows (now out of print), to not base characters on people you know. My editor for that book often circled entire scenes in red with the notation: “Characterization. YOU know why this person did such-and-such, but don’t forget your readers DON’T.”

Character motivation, because of my experience with that editor, became a big thing for me. I find that basing characters off real life people results in a flat character, because you don’t have to examine and pick apart the character’s flaws and virtues (or, if you do, that person ends up pretty angry with you at the end of the day!).

That said, all of my characters have traits I wish I had. I wish I had Nicholas’s confidence (and body! Ha). I wish I had Edmund’s wit, curiosity, and insider knowledge. I wish I had Xia’s loyalty and fierce ability to love without condition. I wish I had Linda Rose’s darkness… oh wait… maybe I do!

The actual story and plot was derived from two dreams that were so vivid and fit together so perfectly I couldn’t help but write them down (although I probably wouldn’t have needed to. I can still remember them clearly). I think Book Two will have a lot more of that ethereal dream/reality feel as we visit some of the other levels (hint hint).

Autumn Jones: After devouring Death of the Body, I pictured you locked away in a dark room, listening to Gregorian chants, and furiously scribing the next book onto a yellow legal pad for some reason. Instead of letting my overactive imagine run wild, tell me about your writing process.
Rick Chiantaretto: How did you know!? I have the monk robe and everything! And just to answer the question I know everyone is asking: Yes, I am naked under there…

Okay, okay. Actually, I tend to prefer to write in silence, but if I do have any music on, it’s usually Native American flutes (which I feel would bring in the same sort of feel as Gregorian chants).

I usually also write at night, and love to write while traveling (that airplane engine hum is the perfect static white-noise, but I’ve found I have a hard time writing in a car).

Usually I’ll just sit in the dark a bit, until the shadows start to take on a life of their own.

Remember that fog scene? I wrote that at 2 in the morning, and when I looked up and caught my own reflection in the glass of a nearby window, my heart skipped a beat. It was completely dark except my white face, illuminated in the glass because of the light of my laptop screen. That became the inspiration for the look of the “other people” who meet Edmund in the fog… translucent… backlit… hollow. You know what I’m talking about ;)

Autumn Jones: Did you initially set out to write a trilogy or was it something that evolved during the writing process?
Rick Chiantaretto: Oh this is funny. I actually had it planned as a series of seven (one book for each level). I think the readers will appreciate that I won’t draw it out that long, ha!

Seven was a little more than I wanted to bite off, especially if it turned out no one liked the series. I didn’t want to get stuck writing 7 whole books for three psycho crazy readers who might actually kill me or lock me in a room (you’ve read Misery, right?) if I had to abandon the project.

But a trilogy ended up working out. I had already planned how to access the 7 levels… and it was with the Three Deaths (Body, Spirit, Soul). So now, instead of writing one book per level, I’ll write one book per death. It was a good compromise, and it FEELS right. I wanted Death to be the star of the book anyway, so it ended up making better sense to lay out the books this way.

Autumn Jones: If there were 7 levels of existence (and I’m not saying there isn’t for the record), which one would you chose to live in/on and why?
Rick Chiantaretto: I’m super excited for Book Two, because I think the level of the spirit, the energumen’s realm, really resonates with me. It’s a dark place, filled with strangeness and magic that is very different, very cool, and very wicked.

It’s also a place that is completely from my waking imagination (it wasn’t inspired by the dream that the book is based on, but is the part that I had to create consciously to fill in the missing pieces that made sense in the dream but not in the waking world. I guess you could say that the dream came from my imagination anyway, but I don’t look at it that way, oddly enough).

I think it’s pretty cool that the most solid, urban, and realistic pieces of the book came from a dream, while the most dreamlike and ethereal pieces came from my waking mind.

Autumn Jones: What’s the best advice you could offer someone who’s looking to become a writer and publish their work?
Rick Chiantaretto: I love this question, and it is the answer that I got sitting at a table not 3 months before Death of the Body went to print: Publish now.

If you have a finished manuscript, what are you waiting for? Don’t wait for the big publishing contract that will offer you millions of dollars and movie rights. Those contracts are going to authors who already have a following, who were successful with a smaller press or in the indie market. Only a tiny tiny fraction of people get the opportunity to work with a big press without proving themselves FIRST.

And, you’re losing out on money, sales, and readers.

It is so easy to publish your work. Check out Kindle Direct Publishing and Createspace, sign up for accounts, and get yourself out there.

Stop holding back. Let the readers decide if your work is “good enough.” Stop judging it yourself (‘cause it will never be good enough for you).

Go. Publish. Now. (But hire a good editor).

Autumn Jones: What project(s) are you working on at the moment? And any sneak peeks into what’s going happen in Book 2 and/or 3 that you're willing to share?
Rick Chiantaretto: I am working on Death of the Spirit (Crossing Death #2). After that I’ll start Book 3, and then I have quite a few other projects planned, but don’t know in which order I’ll write the other projects. I have sort of my “quintessential” haunted house story bouncing around in my brain (which will probably be the first book written after the series), as well as an urban fairytale story about a female detective whose friends and family start dying around her in fairytale fashion.

As for peeks into Book 2, I think I’ve already shared plenty (probably too much!).

Autumn Jones: What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Rick Chiantaretto: You know what? I get people commenting all the time on the relationship between Edmund and Xia. I’ve had reviews and emails that say things like “Well, that relationship was pointless,” and “I won’t read the rest of the series because it’s OBVIOUS they won’t end up together” (emphasis mine).

I’m a little surprised no one bothers asking any questions around that subject, so I’ll answer a couple of those for you.

First: If you’re mad at me for that relationship, be prepared to be even more mad by the end of Death of the Spirit.

Second: Yes, the relationship is important. In fact, it is central and core to the story.

Third: Just because you can’t see HOW something will work out, doesn’t mean it WON’T, although maybe in a way that is different… maybe Edmund and Xia’s “happily ever after” isn’t typical (is there ANYTHING normal about the Crossing Death series?).

Four: Trust me, and stick with me. The ending… you, relationship doubters, will want to get there.

Autumn Jones: Seriously though, when will you be back in Utah so we can get together, eat a Café Rio salad (or burrito, whatever), drink some Jack Mormon coffee and have you tell me what the heck is going to happen to Edmund?
Rick Chiantaretto: I’m so mad I didn’t know you were in Utah before this! I think my mom would kill me if I didn’t come home around Christmas time. While I can’t promise with absolute certainty, there is a good chance I’ll be around in December.

I can’t wait to have coffee with you! I’ll bring Edmund so you can ask him some questions. But a word to the wise: be careful which spoon you choose to stir in your cream and sugar; something about that makes Edmund a little sensitive.

The Interviewer:

There was once a girl named Autumn Jones. She was born on Easter Sunday in a tiny, shoreline town in Michigan. Autumn’s formative years were spent in and around the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area. With a father in radio broadcasting and a former 4th grade teacher for a mother, communication and reading were a way of life. Books were not only a fun, free adventure, but a great way to learn about the world outside of small-town, Michigan, too.

After graduating from high school, Autumn ventured out west to Utah where she found wide open spaces, new faces and room to make her big mistakes. She worked for a year to establish residency and then attended Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University). After two years there, she transferred to the University of Utah where she graduated with a degree in Political Science and Communications. Autumn was planning an adventure to law school when she met the love of her life and decided to follow a different path that included marriage, government work, and having 3 children in 3 years.

Having once aspired to be the next great American author, these days Autumn’s favorite form of writing involves limited characters in social-media formats. Her sarcastic take on daily life as a mother and government employee is a creative exercise that keeps life exciting. During much of her late teens and early twenties the majority of her reading included books like Methods and Models: A Guide to the Empirical Analysis of Formal Models in Political Science. After having her first baby, her book log was full of things like In a People House. These days, she is reading anything she can get her hands on—from trashy novels like 50 Shades of Grey to YA Dystopian series like The Hunger Games. Autumn has a varied love of literature. Stories that entertain, provoke thought, and transport her to another location are a criteria these days.

When she’s not at work managing the office affairs of a child advocacy center (Employee of the Month, March 2010), driving carpool, and running a busy household, Autumn can be found curled up with her Kindle and surrounded by half a dozen books in various stages of read. Autumn is an avid fan of dramatic, prime-time television shows, musical theater, overpriced coffee, and sushi.

Author Spotlight: Ellie Di Julio—Complete with Interview (A Bearded Scribe Blog Tour)

About the Author:
Ellie Di Julio is a nomadic writer currently living in Hamilton, Ontario with her Robert Downey, Jr. lookalike husband and their three cats. Between nerd activities like playing Dungeons & Dragons or watching Top Gear, she enthusiastically destroys the kitchen and tries to figure out what it's all about, when you really get down to it. She also writes urban fantasy novels riddled with pop culture references and sexy secret agents.

Her first novel, Inkchanger, could easily be considered Forgotten Relics #0, and as such, rewards readers of the rest of the series, sort of like watching Thor before The Avengers. Her second novel, Time & Again with Kyeli Smith, has nothing to do with super powers or secret agents but is very cool nonetheless.

Connect with Ellie Di Julio

The Interview:

Joshua Allen Mercier: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
Ellie Di Julio: I actually didn’t know what it was until I’d published one and drafted another. The definition seemed so vague, and everyone talking about it seemed to already know. I felt a little left out. Reaching back, though, knowing that it’s basically any fantastical fiction and includes SFF, I’d have to tap Goosebumps as my first spec-fic. RL Stine 4 lyfe.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?
Ellie Di Julio: *groans* I’m so bad at this question! And once you start writing books, people ask it all the time. If I’m defining “favorite” as the book I’ve re-read the most often, then let’s go with Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. I cry every time, and Vimes is my spirit animal.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?
Ellie Di Julio: Hard to pin down. I grew up with a librarian dad and English teacher mom, so literacy was always important in our house; I have a rare distinct memory from childhood of “writing” my own books in blank ones Mom would bring home from school. As an adult, though, I will always point to Francesca Lia Block (fairytale magical realism) and Terry Pratchett (humorous worldbuilding). They’re the two authors that consistently inspire me to keep writing, if only so I can meet them in person one day.

Joshua Allen Mercier: What would you say is the most important lesson all writers should learn?
Ellie Di Julio: Get it out. You can edit a shitty page, but you can’t edit a blank one, you know? I get so many folks telling me they “want to write a book” and then follow it up with excuses. The best thing you can do for your writing—and your sanity—is to wordvomit it all out, then start cleaning it up. Butt in seat.

Joshua Allen Mercier: As an aspiring Fantasy author trying to shop his first manuscript, could you tell me what made you choose to self publish?
Ellie Di Julio: Impatience and control issues? Well, that’s certainly part of it, but I do legitimately believe in self-pub as the next expansion of the industry, and I want to be part of it. It’s not that I’m too proud/cowardly to shop a manuscript (though fear is in there somewhere); it’s much more that I love the idea that authors can put out the story they want to tell without a lot of gatekeepers and naysayers. The caveat, of course, is a lot of dreck is self-pubbed, but I’ve read some incredible work (like that of LeighAnn Kopans and Johnny B. Truant) from this new avenue, which bolsters my faith in the medium.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Of the entire publishing process, what would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?
Ellie Di Julio: I’m getting better at taking critiques, which is almost always the top of any writer’s list. You should’ve seen me when I got the beta reads for Inkchanger, oh god. Now that I’ve built up a (somewhat) thicker skin, though, the number one most difficult thing I have to endure is cash shortage. There isn’t much money in self-pub at my stage of the game, and things like artwork, editing, and promotion have price tags. I’m much more likely to have a meltdown because I can’t afford pay someone to work their magic than I am to lose it about a bad review. Having to constantly make concessions and half-ass or forego aspects of professional publishing is heartbreaking.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Was there a specific place (or combination of places) that inspired the description of Cora's dream house?
Ellie Di Julio: It’s essentially an amalgamation of the houses I lived in during my college years, plus the little comforts I’d want in my own someday-house. Who doesn’t want a slick kitchen, a book-lined living room, and a dedicated art space?

Joshua Allen Mercier: Do you have a favorite character (to write) from your series? If so, what sets them apart the others?
Ellie Di Julio: While Cora is lots of fun and is drawn heavily from myself, Jack is my secret favorite child. He’s broken but trying to heal, which gives him a lot of depth. At the same time, he has a wild-child past and a white-knight complex. There’s a lot to dig into.

Joshua Allen Mercier: What project(s) are you working on at the moment?
Ellie Di Julio: I’m eyeball-deep in wrapping the first (incredibly awful) draft of Forgotten Relics #2, as well as working on the monthly flash fiction for the newsletter crew. I’ve had a few collaborations floated out to me, but I’d rather not speculate on that until there’s something to actually say. Also, I’m toying with writing a serial based on the adventures of my parents in high school. There’s wedding-dress-wearing teens in graveyards with skulls, y’all.

Joshua Allen Mercier: You've collaborated on another title with Kyeli Smith. How did the two of you meet, and what was the collaboration process like for you?
Ellie Di Julio: Oh, geez. So, Kyeli and I met when we were both still working as life coaches (I know, I know). I was stalking her all over the internet, and vice versa, and we got to be online friends, then I made the trip down to Austin to hang out in person in 2011. We instantly bonded. Calls every other week, SXSW visits, inside jokes – the lot. Then after I’d published Inkchanger in 2012, she came to me to ask if I’d help her finish a NaNoWriMo book from three years before. A car accident had ruined her shoulders, arms, and hands, so she couldn’t type; she had basically a 30 page outline, but she needed someone to collaborate with to get the book done. I love Kyeli, and the story was fascinating to me, so of course I said yes.

Collaboration isn’t something that comes naturally to me, especially in creative projects, because I have an overdeveloped sense of control. But because Kyeli and I have such good communication skills, it went much smoother than I anticipated. We had a few back and forth conversations to annotate the outline and discuss creative direction, then I wrote the entire draft myself. She got a pass at changes, I took another, she got the final, then viola! It took us about three months. The entire experience changed my perspective of collaborating with other authors, and Kyeli is over the moon to have Time & Again whole and out in the world.

Joshua Allen Mercier: I'm not sure of the topic or in what capacity, but would you consider writing a guest post on The Bearded Scribe at some point?
Ellie Di Julio: But of course!

Joshua Allen Mercier: How do you take your coffee?
Ellie Di Julio: Ice cold (but no ice), full of cream and sugar. I realize this is coffee blasphemy, and I care not.

Joshua Allen Mercier: As a coffee addict, the fact that you drink coffee—regardless of how bastardized—is a plus in my book. (Makes it seem as though I keep a book of coffee drinkers, no? Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. Mwahahaha!) Anywho...What's your favorite color?
Ellie Di Julio: Blue. No, green! *is flung off the bridge*

Joshua Allen Mercier: Is there anything else that you would like to share with The Bearded Scribe's readers that I did not ask you (and you wished I had)?
Ellie Di Julio: I’m sorry, I can’t hear you—I’ve been flung off the bridge.

The Interviewer:

Joshua Allen Mercier is the Founder and Executive Editor of The Bearded Scribe, a blog dedicated to the broad genre of speculative fiction. He is a writer, a coffee addict, a self-confessed linguaphile and philologist, a proud bibliophile, and an unrepentant Grammar Nazi. He is also a professional mixologist (a darn good one, thank you very much!) with over twelve years of cocktail-slinging experience.

Joshua is currently working on two manuscripts simultaneously: half his time is spent doing the re-edits of his first manuscript, The Assassin of Aldarhaij (The Aesiranyn Saga), and the other half is spent dabbling with an untitled book of a new Urban Fantasy series.

When he is not working on the blog or writing, he enjoys singing, cooking, and spending time with his family. Joshua lives in the Atlanta area with his partner, Jeremiah, and their two chihuahuas, Bailey and Chanel.

Author Spotlight: Adam Gillrie (A Bearded Scribe Blog Tour)

Author Bio:

Adam Gillrie had the unique experience of being home schooled and turning out socially acceptable. His home schooling gave him eight hours a day to write but left him horribly behind in math. Do not buy a book by Adam Gillrie for his math skills.

After being home-schooled, Adam Gillrie was thrust into the public school system his senior year of high school. Sadly, his socially acceptable skills were not able to save him as he rode the bus.
High school ended and Adam majored in Creative Writing at the prestigious University of South Florida. It was here he gained a distinct hatred for Edgar Allen Poe (Sorry, Poe fans). After a year, Adam served a full-time mission for 2 years for his church, and—upon returning to college—he became a respectable Business Major.

Upon graduating, Adam did many of the respectable things a talented, socially-acceptable person does with their life. He started a family, had four wonderful children, and became astute at consulting.
Unfortunately, Adam s mid-life crises came early and he found himself leafing through the no-less-than-600 book outlines and short stories that he'd written during his home-schooled upbringing. Realizing he had made a terrible mistake being respectable, Adam quit his job as a famous consultant and locked himself away to rewrite his book, Silent Intrusion.

Three years—and many many editors—later, Silent Intrusion was complete. Remarkably, it rose to the top of its category on Amazon upon its release (which, of course, has gone straight to Adam's head). Adam is currently working on the sequel as he slowly makes his way through the 600 books he would like to publish before he dies.

The Interview:
Autumn Jones: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
Adam Gillrie: I’d have to say Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It was one of the first books that just took for granted many of the concepts of Science Fiction without boring me to tears trying to explain the technology.

Autumn Jones: Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?
Adam Gillrie: Ender’s Game is still my favorite book. I just love how Card captures the potential for children to do great things.

Autumn Jones: Which author—and/or book—inspired you to start writing?
Adam Gillrie: Believe it or not, Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October was instrumental in starting me down the writing path. I had written since I learned how to read, but that book convinced me I could do it. It didn’t hurt that he wrote me back when I wrote him. It wasn’t a long letter, but I treasured it for years.

Autumn Jones: Have you always felt the drive to write a book and share your stories? What are the biggest hurdles you've had to overcome to accomplish it?
Adam Gillrie: Yes, always. It’s what I’ve known I would do since I learned to read. My biggest hurdles have been the refining process. I have written Silent Intrusion from scratch four times. This is not an effective way to spend one's time—although the book is much better now than the first draft. I’ve learned how to better refine first drafts while working on Book 2, too.

Autumn Jones: Of the entire publishing process, what would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?
Adam Gillrie: The most difficult aspect is the final polish. It’s very frustrating to find a spelling mistake or an incomplete sentence when you’ve read through a book forty times. It’s also frustrating because of the sheer length of a book allows this to happen too easily.

Autumn Jones: Your main characters had distinct personalities and traits. Are they pieces of you? Were there any actual events or people that inspired any bit of the plot or characters in Silent Intrusion?
Adam Gillrie: Centrally, Silent Intrusion is about the bond between a brother and sister. My younger sister was always a bit wiser than me and looked out for me without me realizing it. I reflected a lot on our relationship when I wrote Silent Intrusion. I also am a complete mess when it comes to organization. So I feel Breaker’s pain.

As far as real events. The answer is Yes and No. In my research to write Silent Intrusion, I talked to many people that have had strange experiences, missing time, et cetera. I talked to people who worked in Area 51. Much of what I learned guided my book, but much I created myself.

Autumn Jones: Do you have a favorite character (to write)? If so, what sets them apart the others?
Adam Gillrie: Believe it or not, it’s Jane. You only get a glimpse of her in Book 1, but I have big plans for that little girl. I’m dying to finish Book 2 so I can get working on Book 4. I don’t want to give anymore away than that.

Autumn Jones: What project(s) are you working on at the moment? And any sneak peeks into Book 2 that you're willing to share?
Adam Gillrie: Book 2 is going to give answers. You will get to know who the shadows are, you will meet Mike, and you will start to understand what was going on with Jane in Book 1. I feel Book 2 answers a lot of questions I left open at the end of Book 1.

Autumn Jones: I picture dark rooms, old fashioned type writers, and Amy Winehouse playing. (I have been accused of having an overactive imagination.) Could you describe your writing process to the readers?
Adam Gillrie: I write deep in the woods on a loud clicking keyboard. I carry my clunky keyboard and laptop with me, find a comfortable chair, and lock myself away. I listen to fast-paced music while I type. I spend my free time running through the story in my head, trying to solve problems. I will write hundreds of pages before I start to get excited. If I’m not excited, the scene isn’t ready. I’ve got stacks and stacks of started chapters that didn’t make the cut.

Autumn Jones: One of the main themes in Silent Intrusion is the abductions. Would you ever hope to be abducted by aliens? How would you react?
Adam Gillrie: As a kid, I totally wanted to be abducted. I went so far as to try and create an obvious abduction opportunity. I laid out in my backyard on my trampoline and imagined it so hard that I was able to convince myself for a few days that it’d happened. Alas, it never did. If I was abducted, I would try and negotiate for technology. I know that sounds strange, but I have always loved gadgets.

Autumn Jones: I'm not sure of the topic or in what capacity, but would you consider writing a guest post on The Bearded Scribe at some point?
Adam Gillrie: Of course. The Bearded Scribe has been a lot of help to an often confused author such as myself.

Autumn Jones: Is there anything else that you would like to share with The Bearded Scribe's readers that I did not ask you (and you wished I had)?
Adam Gillrie: Nope. Nothing else.

The Interviewer:

There was once a girl named Autumn Jones. She was born on Easter Sunday in a tiny, shoreline town in Michigan. Autumn’s formative years were spent in and around the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area. With a father in radio broadcasting and a former 4th grade teacher for a mother, communication and reading were a way of life. Books were not only a fun, free adventure, but a great way to learn about the world outside of small-town, Michigan, too.

After graduating from high school, Autumn ventured out west to Utah where she found wide open spaces, new faces and room to make her big mistakes. She worked for a year to establish residency and then attended Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University). After two years there, she transferred to the University of Utah where she graduated with a degree in Political Science and Communications. Autumn was planning an adventure to law school when she met the love of her life and decided to follow a different path that included marriage, government work, and having 3 children in 3 years.

Having once aspired to be the next great American author, these days Autumn’s favorite form of writing involves limited characters in social-media formats. Her sarcastic take on daily life as a mother and government employee is a creative exercise that keeps life exciting. During much of her late teens and early twenties the majority of her reading included books like Methods and Models: A Guide to the Empirical Analysis of Formal Models in Political Science. After having her first baby, her book log was full of things like In a People House. These days, she is reading anything she can get her hands on—from trashy novels like 50 Shades of Grey to YA Dystopian series like The Hunger Games. Autumn has a varied love of literature. Stories that entertain, provoke thought, and transport her to another location are a criteria these days.

When she’s not at work managing the office affairs of a child advocacy center (Employee of the Month, March 2010), driving carpool, and running a busy household, Autumn can be found curled up with her Kindle and surrounded by half a dozen books in various stages of read. Autumn is an avid fan of dramatic, prime-time television shows, musical theater, overpriced coffee, and sushi.

Author Spotlight: Jon Bassoff—Complete with Interview

About the Author

Jon Bassoff was born in 1974 in New York City and currently lives in a ghost town somewhere in Colorado. His mountain gothic novel, Corrosion, was called “startlingly original and unsettling” by Tom Piccirilli (a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award) and “beautifully bleak” by international bestselling author, Jason Starr. In addition to his work as a writer, Bassoff is the founder of the crime fiction publisher New Pulp Press, which was called “genius masked as genre” by New York Magazine.

Connect with Jon Bassoff:

The Interview

Joshua Allen Mercier: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
Jon Bassoff: I’ve always been passionate about crime fiction and noir fiction, but I remember seeing the movie Angel Heart, and later reading the book (called Falling Angel) by William Hjortsberg. A very powerful experience for me, which showed some exceedingly creative things that could be done within genre fiction.

Author Spotlight: RS McCoy—Complete with Interview (A Bearded Scribe Blog Tour)

About the Author:

RS McCoy didn’t ever plan on being a writer. With a career teaching high school science, writing is the last thing she expected. But life never goes the way you think it will. 

While battling cancer, she picked up her laptop and let the words flow out of her fingertips like magic. One year later, her first published fantasy novel has been released on Amazon and her second novel is in the works. 

She is a wife, mother of one with another on the way, a scientist, baker, gardener, and life-long science fiction and fantasy addict.

Connect with RS McCoy

The Interview:

Joshua Allen Mercier: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
RS McCoy: Hmmm. I guess I’d have to call a toss-up between Asimov’s I, Robot and Tolkien’s The Hobbit. My dad is a major sci-fi guy, so I guess I was a little doomed when it came to finding a book to read. In middle school I really cultivated a love of reading, and my dad’s extensive sci-fi collection made it easy to find a good book.

Author Spotlight: Angela Castillo—Complete with Interview (A Bearded Scribe Blog Tour)

About the Author:

Angela Castillo is a Work-at-Home-Mom with three small children, Judah, Levi, and Celise. She was raised in and currently lives in the small town of Bastrop, Texas. She studied Practical Theology and Music at Christ for the Nations in Dallas. She has had many small works published in periodicals and one self-published volume of short stories and poems. She and her sister, Cherie Haines, own several online stores featuring Cherie's photographs and Angela's prose. In addition to writing, Angela enjoys singing, designing greeting cards, and walking through her town.

The Interview:

Joshua Allen Mercier: Which book introduced you to speculative fiction?
Angela Castillo: When I picked up The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, I was expecting Narnia—but in space. Instead I was hurled into a world of flying frogs and mysterious Elves. All three of the books were intense, terrifying and wildly beautiful. Then I read Till We Have Faces by Lewis, and my sheltered, Christian world was shattered. The book opened up so many new thoughts and ideas for me, deeper than I thought I was allowed to experience.


Joshua Allen Mercier: I am ashamed to admit that Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is the only work of his that I've read. I will have to check into the titles you've mentioned above. Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?
Angela Castillo: Oh goodness. I really, really love The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart. Every time I read it, I am there with the characters. I also love the The BFG by Roald Dahl.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors; I think I've actually read most—if not all—of his works. The BFG is definitely among my favorites (it's one of my Assistant Editor's favorites, too!), but I think the really magical one for me was Matilda. After reading it, I think I gave myself quite a few headaches trying to access my own telekinetic powers—unfortunately, to no avail. It's safe to say that I've even attempted to tap into them even in my adulthood (I think most of us have had that itching desire to slam a door in a bully's face without even having to touch it); I dare say, however, that I've had perhaps even less luck in doing so than I did as a child.

Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?
Angela Castillo: Probably Little Women. I loved Jo and her determination. She wrote herself out of poverty, and since I grew up in a large, very poor family, I thought I could do the same. As reality has set in over the years, my goals have changed a little bit!

Joshua Allen Mercier: I think a bit of every person raised in poverty has wished to overcome the odds and the stigma of the being classified as poor. Poor, unfortunately, has often be equated with failure. As a child, I, too, wished to write myself out of poverty. It wasn't, however, my sole reason for wanting to pursue the career. I love creating worlds and sharing the stories that happen within them. I still want to be successful, of course, but now I hope to have wealth in other ways that can't be measured by gold. Which leads in perfectly to my next question! As an aspiring Fantasy author trying to shop his first manuscript, could you tell me why you chose to self-publish versus traditional publishing?
Angela Castillo: This was a very difficult choice. Like most writers, I love that “American Idol” moment when you get that editor’s acceptance letter in the mail. Toby is a novella of 17,000 words. Most agents won’t even consider a book this length. Also, Christian Speculative Fiction is a touchy, complicated genre many editors shy away from. I decided to invest my energy into making my book the best it could be instead of trying to market it to the handful of companies that even consider the genre. One more issue was target audience. My main character is twelve years old, so most people would say I should target MG readers. But the philosophical ideas are geared more towards older children and adults, and some of the subject matter might be considered slightly violent for younger readers.

Joshua Allen Mercier: After reading your story, I would have to agree with you: though your character is young, he is still wise. Some often mistake naïvety and curiosity for stupidity; I see it as room to grow and learn, which Toby certainly does. Of the entire publishing process, what would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?
Angela Castillo: I made the decision to post my book to a critique forum. I thought it just needed a few tweaks and it would be ready. I was not prepared for the grueling, three month re-write that resulted, but I’m so glad I did it! It’s a much better book.

Joshua Allen Mercier: I finished my first manuscript in September of 2011; since then, I've literally been tearing it apart—into two separate books. The re-write has been difficult—is still difficult—but I think it's developing into a much better story now. Do you have a favorite character (to write) from your books? If so, what sets them apart the others?
Angela Castillo: Toby, of course! Many of his characteristics are based on my oldest son. He is loyal, sweet and curious, plus he has cat ears! I just want to pick him up and squeeze him, but he wouldn’t appreciate it very much.

Joshua Allen Mercier: It is clear, in reading The Amazing Adventures of Toby the Trilby, that you are passionate in your faith; do you anticipate that a religious theme will run through all of your future books, too?
Angela Castillo: It would be impossible to separate who I am from my writing, but I have several pieces of writing about different subjects. Many of the short stories in my first book, Hidden Pictures, are just fun stories and not faith-based. I have rough drafts for mainstream stories all over my house. Toby just kept beckoning to me and I had to finish writing it.

Joshua Allen Mercier: What project(s) are you working on at the moment?
Angela Castillo: I’m working on a few blog articles for our town’s information blog. I also have a sequel for Toby in the works.

Joshua Allen Mercier: I'm not sure of the topic or in what capacity, but would you consider writing a guest post on The Bearded Scribe at some point?
Angela Castillo: Of course!

Joshua Allen Mercier: Is there anything else that you would like to share with The Bearded Scribe's readers that I did not ask you (and you wished I had)?
Angela Castillo: I’m a little nervous about how this book will be received. The whole speculative idea of a child made from cat and human DNA is more controversial than some might realize. We all have purpose. We all have hope. There is a point to our lives and everyone needs love. This is the message I am trying to convey.

Joshua Allen Mercier: Your message is delivered very well in the book, Angela. Thank you for sharing it with the world, and thank you for agreeing to be a part of The Bearded Scribe.

Author Spotlight: M. P. Ness (Complete with Interview)

Welcome back, Beardies!

Earlier, I had the privilege to bring you a Book Spotlight on E.L.F Volume 1: White Leaves. Now, as part of the same blog tour, I’m excited to bring you the virtual chat I had with Mr. Ness.

deviantArt / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter

Author Spotlight: Megan Curd (Complete with Interview)

Greetings, Beardies!

A few weeks ago, I was having a movie night at home with my friend Anna, and the conversation (as it inevitably does when the two of us are together) turned to books.  Anna is the proprietress of Diamonds and Coal Book Reviews, and she had recently accepted an invitation to host Megan Curd and her novel, Steel Lily, on her blog.  Eager to get in on the action, I asked Anna to forward me the invitation, and Megan graciously accepted us as a last-minute addition to her blog tour.  Yesterday, we brought you the review; today, please enjoy Megan's Author Spotlight.  

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Author Spotlight: Rachel O'Laughlin (Complete with Interview)

Bonjour Beardies,

Yesterday, as part of our Blog Tour for Coldness of Marek, Elizabeth presented us with a wonderful Book Spotlight of this debut novel.  Today, I'm very excited to tell you a bit more about the author, Rachel O'Laughlin.

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Author Spotlight: Hugh Howey (Complete with Interview)

Afternoon, Beardies!

I stumbled upon a tweet from author Hugh Howey the other day, linking an amazingly heart-wrenching article written by his sister.  After reading, I promptly retweeted it, stating that we need more Mollie Howeys in this world.  I never expected to get a reply tweet from Hugh, who told me Mollie would love my Twitter handle (@beardedscribe—in case you didn't already know).  As fate would have it, Mollie judges Beard & Mustache Competitions, so she definitely Trusts the Beard.

On a whim, I decided to use the opportunity to torture an interview out of Mr. Howey; fortunately, no torturing was required, and Hugh told me to whip up a few questions and send them over in an email.  (Technology is amazing, n'est-ce pas?)

Though I have yet to read Howey's Silo Saga—I know, I know...shame on me and I should die a thousand deaths—the literary buzz it has received was (is!) too hard to ignore.  I know you're still hung up on me not reading Wool or its sequels, Shift and Dust (I can hear you huffing from here), but I can guarantee you that they are on my ever-growing To Be Read List—one that, I fear, will outlive me.  #readersproblems

But enough about me... onto Mr. Howey.

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