What or whom inspired you to become a writer?

When I was in the second grade, my teacher had assigned us short stories to write as part of a new lesson plan. I became hooked right away. I wrote a tale about an elephant and his mother, then one giving human characteristics to food items, and several more. The goal was for us to write stories that we could bind with fabric covers and illustrate them ourselves. The teacher called this “publishing” them, and I think that I personally published at least ten.

What types of books do you read?

I like a good mystery, one that is character driven where the people are so dynamic that really anything is possible except the predictable. I’m reading two really great ones now, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and “Turn of Mind” by Alice LaPlante.

What well-known authors do you admire most?

Arkeepers: Episode 4: Guardians
By W.J. Madsen
Publisher: little m books
Pub. Date: January 26, 2012
ISBN: 978-0983048732
ASIN: B007AUJALI
Pages: 248

Review:

When there is a strange mystery to be solved, you can bet the Inspector Moustachio and Inspector Girl is there to solve the case. The brother and sister detective duo is actually an eleven-year-old Jake Moustachio and his eight-year-old sister, Alexa, along with their cat, Rex, and guinea pig, Sandy. They are the Keepers of the Universe, AKA the Arkeepers, who solve the mysteries of universe and battle the evil forces of the Deminion Darkeepers.

It is Halloween Night and there is chaos in the Moustachio's home. Jake and his friends are having an online Sphynx-3 video game marathon, while the doorbell keeps ringing with each new trick-or-treaters arriving for some candy.  Luckily, Grandma Moustachio is there to help their mother with the trick-or-treaters. Sounds like a great Halloween night, but Jake and Alexa are the Arkeepers, so they must drop everything they are doing to investigate a strange voice that comes from the other side of the magical magnifying glass. Of course, Rex and Sandy come along for the ride.

Arkeepers: Episode 3: Darkeepers
By W.J. Madsen
Publisher: little m books
Pub. Date: January 26,2012
ISBN: 978-0983048725
ASIN: B007AUJDI8
Pages: 220

Review:

Jake Moustachio and his younger sister Alexa are not your typically kids as they are the Arkeepers, the Keepers of the Universe, just like their grandfather. They are the ones that investigate the mysteries of the universe and try to stop the evil Deminion Darkeepers from taking over.

Jake and Alexa are summoned through the magical magnifying glass (made of Egyptian Crystals) to solve another mystery. Their cat Rex and Alexa's guinea pig, Sandy, come along for the journey, where they can speak English in the other world.

Awaiting them is Captain Snappy, who needs their help as his ship is in danger. It seems a wicked sea witch named Jezebel has been released from her seashell. She has unleashed her wrath onto the Seven Seas by swallowing the ships and dragging them to the Shipwreck Bottom.

I'm a little late with this week's post. I should just call it Monday Night Madness. I spent most the day with a bad wisdom tooth ache, which is somewhat tolerable now. No, it’s not an April's Fool Day joke like the pathetic YouTube shutdown. I was actually in pain for the majority of the day. I’m just now getting over a lower back injury and strep throat. Despite all my setbacks, I still have a positive outlook and I'm still continuing to get into shape (aka healthier). I've been too tired at night to write reviews, therefore I'll be writing the Arkeepers Episodes Two and Three tomorrow.

I'm surprised that I stayed awake through Dallas, Castle, and Bates Motel. Castle has been getting stale, but tonight's "Rear Window" was a treat to watch. Bates Motel keeps getting weirder and weirder, and Norman is slowly becoming Psycho!

It’s difficult to fit so much history and magical creatures and well, general exposition, in three hundred pages. If I’d left nothing out there’s a good chance Silver Hollow would have been closer to five hundred. For those of you who were curious and have asked, here is more of my original write up of the magic behind this world within worlds. 

Instead of the traditional outline, I wrote these little snippets about characters and people/places. The following is just a light portion of the bulk brainstorming.

The People

They choose to live with the old ways, contrary to what is popular or modern. Those outside the Borderlands often live in the cities, where they corrupt society at its core and abuse their gifts for their own merit. But those inside prefer to live in a way the rest of the world forgot. Each holds unique gifts like the angels in Amie’s last novel. Those in the Vale and Borderlands are forbidden to have contact with the outside world. Only a select few go into the cities for specific reasons, to protect their own interests and the interests of their own kind.

But as far as they’re aware, these people are not the descendants of angels. Their life lines are very long, though. It is difficult to tell their ages from person to person. Depending on the purity of their blood and the fullness of their power, one of their oldest can seem to be only thirty and be three hundred. For example, Uncle Henry was actually the younger brother but appeared far older than his younger sibling because he inherited more a gift for knowledge and learning than the Gifts.

Night's Darkest Embrace
By Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Pocket Star
Pub. Date: November 13, 2012
ASIN: B007QUU9JO
Pages: 122

Review:

Enter a world of Pureblood demons, Fallen Angels and partial demons, such as Mara, who traveled into another dimension called Nocturna when she was a child along with her cousin Gloria. Mara returned to her own world when she was twenty, but her cousin went missing.

Mara blames herself for Gloria's disappearance and possible death. She wants revenge by killing the Pureblood responsible for kidnapping them. She gets help from Raphael; he also originally helped her escape Nocturna. She is not a kid anymore and she will do anything to find her cousin.