Now available from Magothy Publishing is the supernatural thriller The Ghosts of My Lai by JC Braswell.




When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always been interested in storytelling. Even at a young age I was pretty active in storytelling, especially making up fables for my parents when I tried to get out of trouble.

As far as trying to be professional, I would say about a decade ago. I started with a book titled Autumn of Man. Absolutely loved it. It snowballed from there.

What was your first book/story published?

It was a short story called The Lighthouse on Mermaid Row. The story eventually ended up being the foundation for five more short stories that formed my first novel, The Lighthouse Keeper. Mermaid Row was actually submitted to be part of an anthology for Scarlet Galleon’s Fearful Fathoms, but it wasn’t quite horrific enough. I decided to go ahead and release it.

What inspired you to write The Ghosts of My Lai?

It was after a conversation with a late friend of mine. He was a Vietnam veteran. One day we started talking in the gym. I’m not sure exactly how we got on the subject, but he broached the subject of his time in the service. Something really changed in his demeanor. There was a void there, a loss that only a soldier who has experienced war can understand. I wanted to explore that in writing.

I want to make clear that My Lai is not a book about war. Far from it. It’s about fear, survival, the line between man/animal, and redemption.

What character in The Ghosts of My Lai is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Putnam; 336 pages; $27; Amazon

The western genre in books and movies have become almost extinct in recent years. Department stores, like Walmart, carry very few western titles, which are mostly written by bigger profile authors.

I fell in love with the genre while I was in my early twenties after reading a Matt Braun novel. (I don't recall the title.) Since then, I occasionally read a western or two, and no I'm not referring to romance westerns.

Now available from Putnam is the ninth novel in the Cole/Hitch western series, titled Revelation. The series began with 2005's Appaloosa written by the late author Robert B. Parker. The book was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 2008. Three sequel novels soon followed. After Mr. Parker's death, Robert Knott, who co-wrote the Appaloosa film script, took over writing additional sequels in the series.

Revelation marks the ninth book in the series and the fifth written by Robert Knott. Once again, the series focuses on the territorial marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, who are  living in Appaloosa, New Mexico. After Augustus Noble Driggs and a few other convicts escape a stateside penitentiary just across the border from Mexico, Cole and Hitch lead a manhunt to find them. Of course such a mission sounds easy at first for the duo, but they quickly realize that there are more dangers in play here after one of the convicts kidnaps a woman.

As for Driggs, he's on his own mission to retrieve a stolen cache of gold and jewels and to get revenge on the men who betrayed him, but he'll have to outrun and outsmart the ruthless lawmen who are hot on his trail.

Available now from Dragon Moon Press is the fantasy adventure Slither by author Melody Steiner


When did you become interested in storytelling?

Apparently, when I was very young. I have a notebook full of sloppy kid handwriting featuring stories about rainbows. I don’t know why, but I was really fascinated with rainbows as a kid.

What was your first book/story published?

This one, actually.

What inspired you to write Slither?

The book came to me one summer while I was working as a student in a library. I was tasked with pulling old checkout cards out of the backs of the books. I still have a stack of cards with the original story written out on them.

What character in Slither is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Available tomorrow from genreCRAVE is Spellbound: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection.




When did you become interested in storytelling?

I have been interested in storytelling since the age of 3 if not younger and I started out making up rhymes that didn’t rhyme and telling stories only I found interesting. As I got older, I moved on to writing songs and poems, telling short stories through them and around the age of eight, I developed a love for script writing and stories told through plays and movies. That kept me happy for a good few years and still does, but when I discovered Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton around the age of none or ten, I also fell in love with the stories carved in the pages of a book where the characters and places are made in my imagination, different and delightful for each and every person.

What was your first book/story published?

The first book I published was a children’s story called ‘Shania Streep wanted to Sleep’ about a little girl who goes on a nighttime adventure trying to identify a strange sound that is keeping her awake. It is book one in a ten book series called Wanted, but I have put book 2, ‘Emma Creet wanted a Sweet’ on hold, to pursue my novels.

What inspired you to write At Water’s Edge?

I was watching TV one day, a long, long time ago and I suddenly got a scene in my head: the opening scene. I didn’t know who the girl in my head was or why what was happening was happening but I saw it clearly. I wrote the scene down and then eventually forgot about it. Years later, when browsing through my computer, I came across this opening scene and was hooked. It was like the story had been simmering in my subconscious over the years because suddenly I knew who this girl was and why things were happening and the story evolved from there.

What character in At Water’s Edge is the most like you, and in what ways?

I think the character that is most like me, would be Dezaray. Like her, I experienced the loss of a loved one at age thirteen and know how such a traumatic experience can alter such a young minds perception of life and their place in it. Like her, I believe there is so much more to the world and I am open to it. I also dream of magical realms and wouldn’t mind a Milo (Dezaray’s love interest) of my own.

What is your favorite part in At Water’s Edge?

There are quite a few little scenes that made me smile and gave me goosebumps whilst writing and I truly hope they do the same for my readers. I think my favourite scene… (this is always a tricky one) … would be the scene where Dezaray and Milo are in the woods being chased by an evil warlock because it starts out all heart pounding and terrifying but ends up being really romantic. You’ll understand when you read it, haha!

Finding the perfect gift your mom for Mother's Day each year can be a bit challenging, especially if you have absolutely no clue what to buy her; which is normally the case for me every May when I'm trying to come up with a new present for my mom.

Luckily, I got a chance to review a great gift for Mother's Day this year, called the #1 MOM Picture Frame made by Americanflat. 

The 8" x 3.5" scripture/picture frame is made from bronze metal and features a easel back. The scripture reads "#1 MOM" - with the photo area being inside the O. The frame can hold a photo approximately 3.5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. It comes with a clear glass to protect the photo.

The  #1 MOM Picture Frame retails for $14.95, but it can currently be purchased on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRHHSSN) for $9.99.

Another view of the frame!

Back view of the picture frame.

Available now from Limitless Publishing, LLC is the paranormal romance Her Black Soul, book three in the Dark Amulet Series, by A.J. Norris.