When did you become interested in storytelling?

My interest in storytelling has always been with me. My earliest memory was around the age of three. I spent the summer taking my dolls (in the basket of my tricycle) over to my neighbor’s house. I would ask him to babysit my dolls while I went to work and when I picked my kids (dolls) up, I would tell long stories about my hard day working at the factory. As my interest continued to grow, my stories became more elaborate. In third grade, was called to the principle’s office after spending several recesses telling kids scary stories about an abandoned house across the street. 

What was your first book/story published?

My new book Blooming Into Life is my first book published. I may have started storytelling early but it took me half of my life to find the courage and stamina to form my stories into the written word.

What inspired you to write Blooming Into Life?

As a wellness coach working with women for the past several years, I began to notice how many women were measuring their self-worth by the number on the scales, the price tag of their clothes and the status of the social groups they belonged to. After taking a look at my own behavior, I realized I was doing it also and it was all in the name of acceptance. So, I decided to write a story about a woman searching for acceptance.

What character in Blooming Into Life is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I identify a lot with the main character Colleen. I grew up in a rural area like Colleen and moved to a city where I had to figure out how and where I belonged. I spent many years of my life measuring my self-worth by my exterior and had to do a lot of internal work to look at my self differently much in the same way that Colleen does in the book.

What is your favorite part in Blooming Into Life?

There are several parts that stand out so I’ll say “one” of my favorite parts is the scene where Colleen is listening to Johnny Cash sing “The Man in Black” – “The words struck her. She was the woman in black. She had worn black or charcoal grey since Lyla put her in the ‘until my weight is gone’ outfit. Her appearance did have a somber tone but, unlike Johnny Cash, she wasn’t wearing the dark colors for all the darkness in the world. She wasn’t bringing attention to other people’s misfortune. She was highlighting her own misfortune – as her dad would say, ‘wallowing’ in her own darkness. Suddenly Colleen felt suffocated by the clothes on her body. She wanted to peel them off and throw them out the window as she drove.

What was the hardest part to write?

I struggled writing the part about being on bedrest and the fears of losing her baby since that I pulled that from my own life experience. 

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’m a wellness coach in addition to being a new author. I love coaching and inspiring women in person and through my writing. So my ideal career would involve inspiring others to believe in themselves and to get out of their own way when it comes to reaching for their dreams. To give this a title, I’ll go with a coach, therapist/counselor, or teacher.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Now available from Escape Publishing (Imprint of Harlequin Australia) is the LGBTI speculative romance series "The Refuge Trilogy" by Annabelle McInnes.





The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her book series.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always been interested in writing stories. It is an innate drive for me. But, it wasn’t until the birth of my son did I release that I wanted to become a published author. I started the first draft of True Refuge, the first book in the Refuge Trilogy when my son was eight months old and having looked back.

What was your first book/story published?

Without Refuge, the prequel to the Refuge Trilogy was the first story I had published. The story was awarded a place in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Spicy Bites Competition. As a result, it was published in their yearly anthology. True Refuge, the first book in the Refuge Trilogy was the first full length novel I had published. It was released in September 2017 with Escape Publishing, the Digital First Imprint for Harlequin Australia.

What inspired you to write True Refuge?

The initial premise for the Refuge Trilogy was a simple notion; what does a good man do when all that’s left is decayed, destroyed or dead? That question drove the narrative and the characters through a post-apocalyptic landscape after a plague wiped out humanity. I have always loved science fiction and fantasy novels growing up, but I found the romance in those stories often lacking authenticity. It was later in life I discovered romance novels and I was drawn to writing speculative fiction concepts that aligned with romance tropes. I wanted to take my premise and ask how do those good men find love when compassion and empathy have been eradicated.

What character in The Refuge Trilogy is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Each of my characters represents a part of me. I would like to think that if the world were to be thrown into chaos tomorrow, that people like my characters would prevail. They represent humanity at its best. However, my characters are flawed like I am. They struggle, the second guess themselves, they bleed and they cry. But they love fiercely and passionately. They love with their whole hearts. They are brave, devoted and generous. I’d like to think that those notions came from small parts of me.

What is your favorite part in The Refuge Trilogy?

Now available on Kindle from Harmful Monkey Press is The Nightmare Room, book one in The Messy Man Series, by Chris Sorensen.

A boy in a basement, a man in a booth and a darkness that threatens to swallow them both...

New York audiobook narrator Peter Larson and his wife Hannah head to his hometown of Maple City to help Peter's ailing father and to put a recent tragedy behind them. Though the small, Midwestern town seems the idyllic place to start afresh, Peter and Hannah will soon learn that evil currents flow beneath its surface.

They move into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town—a house purchased by Peter's father at auction and kept secret until now—and start to settle into their new life.

But as Peter sets up his recording studio in a small basement room, disturbing things begin to occur—mysterious voices haunt audio tracks, malevolent shadows creep about the house. And when an insidious presence emerges from the woodwork, Peter must face old demons in order to save his family and himself.

The author has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk about his new novel The Nightmare Room.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always loved telling stories. My mother says that when I was little, I’d walk around with a stack of paper and a pen, plop down on the carpet and start scribbling picture books. I spent a book deal of my childhood in libraries (both our local library and the library on the college campus where my father taught) and in the movie theater. I studied acting in college and went on to pursue acting as a career in NYC. That came to a crashing halt when I was in a bus accident. During the year I took learning how to walk again, I turned back to writing. I’ve been writing ever since.

What was your first book/story published?

My first book was a middle grade story called The Mad Scientists of New Jersey. It’s about young Eddie Edison, the last of the Mad Scientists—a secret society that invented time travel, teleportation and a variety of other amazing things.

What inspired you to write The Nightmare Room?

I always knew I wanted to write a story about being an audiobook narrator (that’s my day job). I also wanted to see if I could touch upon my father’s death. He passed away seven years ago—I couldn’t bring myself to write about that kind of loss until now.

What character in The Nightmare Room is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Peter Lawson, my main character, is a close version of me. He’s trying to hold things together while dealing with a death in the family (and not always doing it so gracefully). Peter also has a lot of fears, unlike his wife Hannah. They’re a couple that seems a bit like oil and water, but it works—they prop each other up.

What is your favorite part in The Nightmare Room?

My favorite part of the story is something I can’t tell you about because it would give away the ending! I will say that mapping out a story’s structure is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. I spent a few years as a screenplay analyst and came to appreciate stories that were well-structured.

What was the hardest part to write?

Again, anything having to do with the death of a loved one is a difficult write. This is the closest I’ve come to examining that part of my life, so…yeah, that was the hardest.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be either a scarecrow or a magician. Not a lot of call for either in 2018. I’d say either illustrator or furniture maker. I’m pretty good with a pen, but I don’t know anything about making furniture. Would be fun, though.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Now available to buy on Amazon, BN, Kobo, iBooks, and Goodreads from Wild Thorn Publishing is the is the action-adventure The Last Line Of A Goat Story by Jonathan Doyle.

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Storyteller: When did you become interested in storytelling?

Jon Doyle: When I was about seven, my family’s TV set broke and we couldn’t afford to buy a new one. So my Mom would read to us every night from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books. I fell in love. Soon after, I wrote my first story about a lonely tiger, roaming around Africa, looking for his long lost family. Sure, I got the continent wrong, but a writer was born!

RCAS: What was your first book/story published?

JD: This one. I’ve never tried to get any other book or poem or short story sold. Though I do have a self-published novel floating out there in the ether.

RCAS: What inspired you to write The Last Line of Goat Song?

JD: My book is about a stutterer rendered mute. I had a terrible childhood stutter when I was a kid and wanted to write about that experience which so influenced my life. I don’t think many realize how difficult it is to navigate through life without having fluency. This novel also deals with illegal immigration. I worked in bars and restaurants for years, so I know many “illegals”. I refuse to equate that with “alien”. These are people and I wanted to show that Maggie, my lead, is complex and flawed and wonderful and deserves respect.

RCAS: What character in The Last Line of Goat Song is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

JD: William is the most like me. Obviously, because of our stutter, but also our reclusive inquisitiveness. Who’s least like me? Probably Anna. She’s a go-getter, a bit of a game player. She holds grudges. I love Anna as a character, but we’re not built the same!

RCAS: What is your favorite part in The Last Line of Goat Song?

Now available Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo is the romantic novel In The Heat Of The Tropics by Christina Elliott.

Amid a sweltering Miami summer, a serial killer is haunting the city. Reporter Ingrid Sorenson is assigned the story and her primary source is brusque detective Rick Gonzalez. The pair clash, but sparks of passion ignite. They risk their jobs to give in to their desire, but mistrust of each other’s career motives wedges them apart. Then Ingrid gets a tip that leads her into the killer’s lair. She and Rick must choose between saving themselves or rescuing their love.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was about five, I won a prize for “writing interesting stories.” I have no idea what I wrote at that early age. They must have been very simple stories with one-syllable words but they obviously impressed the teacher! I’ve always been a bookworm and that made me want to write books since I was little. In high school I discovered journalism and that became my career goal since it was about writing.

What was your first book/story published?

I had a short story published in my high school literary magazine when I was in 10th grade so I guess that was my first publication. Then there was a huge gap until about 2007 when I started writing creatively in earnest. I brushed off a bunch of dusty old short stories and submitted them to literary journals. The Internet made submissions much easier!

What inspired you to write In the Heat of the Tropics?

I love both gritty crime fiction and romances so to me romantic suspense is a great genre that combines both elements. I used to be a newspaper reporter in Miami so that was my obvious lead character, Ingrid, and knowing that reporters often clash with cops over big stories, that formed the basis for the romantic and thriller plot. It seemed a natural fit and I knew about both cops (having dated two of them!) and reporters.

What character in In the Heat of the Tropics is the most like you, and in what ways?

Ingrid, the lead character, is based on myself. She’s an intrepid reporter, heads off to follow a story wherever that may take her. She doesn’t get scared easily. She goes to interview prostitutes on the street by herself and follows a lead on the killer. I’ve done many such things myself. As a foreign correspondent, I was in a number of dangerous situations doing my job, although I didn’t realize they were potentially dangerous until I was in them or until afterward and I thought “what was I doing?!” It can be difficult for some to understand that mindset but many journalists have a strong sense of adventure, and that’s what drives Ingrid.

What is your favorite part in In the Heat of the Tropics?

Early date scenes are always fun because there’s a lot of quick, light banter in the dialogue, plus a lot of discovery about the characters. It’s flirtatious and fun, with a lot eyeing each other up and down in the heat of the initial attraction.

What was the hardest part to write?

Any action scene of violence is always the hardest to write for me. You have to choreograph the struggle, where various limbs are positioned, the feasibility of one character being able to do something against the other’s reactions. Not having done a lot of physical fighting I my life, I find these scenes tedious. Maybe I should take a boxing lesson or two!

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’d love to be a comedic actor. I took some acting classes some years ago and not only found them hugely therapeutic, but also that I have a knack for comedy. I find being zany and way out a huge release. It’s weird because I love reading, writing and watching drama, but when I act, it’s comedy all the way!

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?