Air Force One meets The Martian—with a dash of Knives Out—in this action-packed sci-fi thriller.

Imperium is the most expensive structure ever created. Once an orbiting laboratory, it is now a space hotel for the fantastically wealthy. But as the station preps for its first group of space tourists, Dr. Chloe Bonilla, Imperium’s resident biophysicist, finds herself questioning whether babysitting a passel of space glampers is worth the distraction from her research.

A private rocket delivers a rogues’ gallery of the world’s elite to Imperium: eccentric billionaires, callow tech bros, a sponsored Instagram influencer, and a seemingly saintly philanthropist. However, posing among the staff are members of a global terrorist group who call themselves the Reckoners, hell bent on upending the economic inequality of twenty-first-century Earth—and they have a bone to pick with these scions of the 1 percent.

As the Reckoners take control of Imperium and demand an $8 billion ransom from their wealthy hostages, it’s up to Dr. Bonilla to save them, and fast. Or the captives will be forced to exit the station—and there’s only one way out.

Joe Pitkin has lived, taught, and studied in England, Hungary, and Mexico and now teaches at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. His short stories have appeared in the Boston Review, Analog, Black Static, Cosmos, and other magazines and podcasts, as well as on his blog, The Subway Test. He lives in Portland, Oregon, in the shadow of a small extinct volcano.

Avis: Welcome to another edition of Your next Favorite Author! Today’s author writes SciFi and has several short stories published in journals and anthologies. I’m excited to introduce Portland writer Joe Pitkin! Thanks for joining us today, Joe! His latest novel Exit Black released February 5, 2024, and it’s one exciting piece of fiction! Welcome Joe! Readers are looking forward to meeting you and getting to know more about you and your writing life! 😊

            Our first question today:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Joe: I teach creative writing at a community college, so I meet a lot of aspiring writers. Much of what I end up telling them is some version of “don’t do what I did when I was starting out.” The biggest trap, I think, is to get too attached to the stuff you are writing when you are a beginner. That attachment can make it difficult to finish a draft (because oh, it’s too horrible! I just can’t bear to put more words into this crappy story!), or it can make one resistant to revision (because this draft took me two years to write and how dare you tell me to make my protagonist more relatable?) As I tell my students (a lot), I wrote many crappy pieces before I wrote a single good one, and then I wrote a lot more crappy pieces before I started writing good ones with any regularity. And, for that matter, I still don’t know anyone who writes good pieces all the time.

Avis: LOL! So true! I also teach community college creative writing, and I’m sure students got a lot out of your advice. Now that you have a book out, I’m sure you’ll be in high demand on campus! We always love our latest projects! 😊

            Our next questions is:

Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

Joe: I guess that depends on what you mean by reader’s block. I’ve never had a time when I couldn’t think of a book that I wanted to read. Right now, my TBR pile has 35 books in it, and I’m excited about all of them. Having said that, I have definitely sunk time into a book, found it disappointing, and had a hard time ginning up the energy to finish it. That feeling has certainly slowed me down, and there were times in the past that it really slowed me down because I felt an obligation to finish every book that I started. That’s probably a holdover from my school days and wanting to be a good student; I was probably in my late thirties before I started giving myself permission to abandon a book that I wasn’t enjoying.

Avis: 35?! I have a stack too, though, so I know the feeling. 😊 Reader’s block is kind of a strange idea for an avid reader to ponder, so thanks for your thoughtful response!

            Here’s our next question:

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Joe: I have some people-pleasing tendencies, so I bet if I knew what readers wanted from me, I would try to deliver. However, for better and worse (mostly better), I have no idea what readers want from me, so I generally just try to do my own thing in writing and hope for the best. ChatGPT can serve up a competently written story in a few seconds that is exactly what a reader asks for. I’m happy that (until ChatGPT really gets smart, anyway) I can write a more original story than AI is capable of.

Avis: You had to go there! I can honestly say that anything you write is going to be hands down better than a ChatGPT version! I think that writing the story you write is the best approach to take, and then readers can go on your journey and see the world in a different way! Great answer!

            Our next question is:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Joe: About half of the English department at my college is made up of creative writers—there is a line in Richard Russo’s Straight Man that goes something like “Every English teacher in America has an unpublished novel sitting in a desk drawer.” My best writing friends are my colleagues: about 7 or 8 of us have a writing group that gets together at a bar once a month to talk about one another’s work. None of us is a big name; it’s wonderful to come together as equals and encourage one another and provide a sounding board for people’s ideas. As English teachers, we’re all professional readers, so when one of them says “I like this; this is good,” that’s very encouraging.

Avis: That sounds like an amazing environment for you and your writing! English Instructors will see what’s working and what’s not. It sounds like the perfect critique group!

            Our final question is one I’m always interested in:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Joe: My first novel, Stranger Bird, was conceived as the beginning of a series. But after years of trying unsuccessfully to get it picked up, I moved on to other things in my writing, and since then I have generally kept to standalone works. I do have a short story cycle that I keep coming back to, stories that I imagine linking together after the manner of Edwige Danticat’s The Dew Breaker, but otherwise everything I’ve done over the last 15 years has been a one-shot deal.

Avis: I love the title Stranger Bird! I’m going to look for that one now. Short stories as a series count! I enjoyed reading Exit Black. I hope you have another one in the works!

            For more about Joe, see his social links below, and check out his websites! Please scroll down to read my review of Exit Black. It’s a fast-paced read that will make you think about space travel in a whole new light! Thanks, Joe! And we’ll see you all next time. 😊

social media links:

Instagram: @joepitkint 

LinkedIn: Joe Pitkin

web site link: 

Thesubwaytest.com

-or-

 Joepitkin.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Joe Pitkin’s debut novel Exit Black is a Sci-Fi rollercoaster of space adventure and solar eclipsing survival. Pitkin takes a luxury space expedition with a cast of billionaires, a crew, and the scientist who finds her bean sprouts grown in zero-gravity more interesting than her CEO boyfriend and sets a scene of stellar beauty as the backdrop for Exit Black.

Dr. Chloe Bonilla, a scientist abord the Imperium, a space station, awaits a CisLunar rocket filled with the first guests of a luxury two-week holiday in space with annoyance. The price tag of 89 thousand a mere drop in the bucket for most of them, she dreads having to entertain this group of people she shares nothing in common. 

Chloe refers to the guests as glampers, and their first outing a carefully supervised spacewalk. When the power goes out and the guests panic, Chloe and Dion are forced to pull them all into the airlock by hand. This is our first taste of what might go wrong on this expedition with non-trained space-travelers. 

Pitkin introduces each guest in a manner that brings them all to life, and as the story evolves and the opening gala unfolds, the guests display their party-animal selves, and we see them in all their decadent glory.

Orbital Ventures Corporation funds the project, and Tirzah Fowler is the manager of the hotel aspect of the space station. Chloe represents OSU in her scientific capacity, and she interfaces with the crew of Imperium, as well as the hotel staff. The guests arrive one at a time, and Pitkin enthralls us with the workings of the Chloe’s world enthralling us with his masterful world building.

His keen eye for detail is crucial, because, as Robert Burns notes, “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men . . ..” He builds a world that soon turns into a nightmare scenario in space, one that I hadn’t thought of, but one Pitkin mines for all the rich terror and gruesome delight that Sci-Fi fans and anyone who love a great story will engage with.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I do want to say that this story will enthrall you. Chloe’s resilience and determination strikes a huge note for strong woman protagonists in the genre of Sci-Fi/Horror. I’m thinking Aliens, but in Exit Black the monsters are human.

Joe Pitkin’s Exit Black will sweep you off your feet and keep you reading into the night. I couldn’t put this book down! Five-Stars.

Can the valiant knight win the coveted hand of his Viking Valkyrie?

Gabrielle is a flame haired, fire hearted French princess who dreams of becoming a Valkyrie warrior queen like her Viking ancestors from Normandy. Sent to Paris to learn the proper etiquette for a future French queen, she is called home to le Château de Beaufort for a forced marriage to a man she loathes when her father the king’s precarious health takes a sudden turn for the worse. 

Chivalrous, solitary knight Sir Bastien de Landuc suffers an impossible love for Gabrielle, the unattainable princess he can never have. Without a title of nobility, he is ineligible to compete in the tournament for her hand in marriage, despite his unparalleled equestrian skills and inimitable swordsmanship. 

Yet, Yuletide wishes for a wondrous winter solstice in the glorious Crystal Castle might make impossible dreams come true.

Can the valiant knight win the coveted hand of his Viking Valkyrie?

I am a former high school teacher and college professor of French, and I have always loved medieval legends such as Tristan et Yseult, which inspired my trilogy, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven. 

This novel, Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle, is a standalone story that is a spinoff of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy, with many of the same characters and also introducing new ones.

I love the northwestern region of France called La Bretagne (Brittany in English) and the medieval Celtic legends from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, birthplace of Merlin, the Lady of the Lake Viviane, and Lancelot. Many of these same characters are in my trilogy and Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle.

Avis: Welcome, readers, to another edition of Your Next Favorite Author! Today’s interview is with Jennifer Ivy Walker, who goes by Ivy. Welcome back, Ivy, and congratulations on another book! Ivy and I are old friends at this point, and I love learning new tidbits about her writing strategies and her latest projects!

            Let’s begin, shall we? Here’s the first question:

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Ivy: I wrote each of my two novellas in about a month. Full length novels generally take me three to four months, depending on research.

Avis: That explains how you have so many books released! You are fast! It takes me three-times that long! LOL! You are keeping your readers happy, though, with new work for them to devour. 😊

            Our next question is:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Ivy: I am friends with Laura Strickland, whose writing style I admire very much, and Michelle Godard-Richer, who signed her first contract the same month and year I did. We share a lot of ideas, frustrations, and encouragement as writers. I am also friends with John Anthony Miller, who helped me with background information about Germans during WWII for my novel, The Witch of the Breton Woods.

Avis: You have some talented friends! It’s good to surround yourself with people who know the publishing industry and how quickly it’s changing. It’s a constant discussion I have with my friends, and it’s so nice to have people who understand. 😊

            You have written a series with several books, so this next question is one I’m interested in! 

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Ivy: Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle is a stand-alone novel, but it is also a spinoff of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy, my paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan et Yseult, interwoven with Arthurian myth, Avalon, Druids, forest fairies, and dark magic.  

In addition to the above-mentioned works which are all related, I have also written two steamy contemporary novellas: Amour in Avignon—set in the sunny south of France during the world-famous Festival of Theater– and Flames of Flamenco, which takes place in Montmartre, the bohemian heart of Paris. Those two works are quite different from the medieval time period of my trilogy and spinoff story, Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle.

Another one of my upcoming novels, The Witch of the Breton Woods— to be published in the spring of 2024– is also a standalone work. It’s a WWII historical romance between a reclusive member of the French Resistance and the American paratrooper she heals while concealing him from the Gestapo and the French paramilitary collaborators known as la Milice.

I recently returned to the medieval setting of the enchanted Forest of Brocélainde (where my trilogy and Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle take place) with another novel that I just finished this month, A Celtic Yuletide Carol.

I am also planning another paranormal fantasy series featuring the children of the characters introduced in my The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy.

Avis: Thanks for that answer! It really showcases how prolific you have been in the short amount of time you have signed your first contract with The Wild Rose Press! I’ll be reading Amour in Avignon, so look for more from one of our favorite authors, Jennifer Ivy Walker, soon!

            See links to Ivy’s socials below, and scroll to the bottom for my review of Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle, another 5-star novel!

Social links:

Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22671046.Jennifer_Ivy_Walker

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/winter-solstice-in-the-crystal-castle-christmas-in-the-castle-by-jennifer-ivy-walker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenniferivywalker

Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Solstice-Crystal-Castle-Christmas-ebook/dp/B0CHG3ZQ8J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RKR1VJ3I44E0&keywords=winter+solstice+in+the+crystal+castle&qid=1698018313&sprefix=%2Caps%2C2491&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winter-solstice-in-the-crystal-castle-jennifer-ivy-walker/1144031968?ean=2940186024446

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bohemienneivy/winter-solstice-in-the-crystal-castle/

Jennifer Ivy Walker’s author web site link: https://jenniferivywalker.com/

Review by Avis M. Adams

Winter Solstice in the Crystal Cave, from the Christmas in the Castle series is another excellent fantasy/romance from Jennifer Ivy Walker. Walker continues the saga of courtly love in the kingdom of Finistère at the Chateau de Beaufort located in the Bretagne (Brittany) region of France. 

We meet Gabrielle, King Guillemin’s daughter, as well as Bastion, the third son of a Lord. He is the King’s Man of the Horse and Gabrielle’s personal knight and guardian, but when they fall in-love, they realize that they might as well live on different planets. She is a princess, and he is the third son of Sir Esclados Le Ros, Lord of the Chateau du Landuc. 

            King Guillemin is dying, but he wants to see his daughter married before he does, so he invites all the eligible bachelors to participate in a Yuletide Joust. The winner earns the Princess Gabrielle’s hand in marriage and become heir to Finistère. Lords who cannot fight can choose a champion, and the villainous Ugolin Cauchon selects his father’s best knight to fight in the tournament for him. He is assured of victory and the hand of the Princess, and as King, he can destroy Le Traité Maritime. This will allow the pirate activity he runs to operate without fear of reprisal. 

            Gabrielle knows about Ugolin’s lust for her, and so does Bastien. He would kill Ugolin before he’d let him win Gabrielle’s hand, but he feels that way about any man who would win the hand of his beloved, and Gabrielle feels the same. If she can’t have Bastien, well, she doesn’t know what she’ll do. 

            When King Guillemin invites his royal friends and some of the best healers in the lands, Gabrielle convinces to let her father have someone besides his personal physician diagnose his condition. Since his physician has only been on the job for nine months, King Guillemin agrees, and the healers discover that the only think the king is suffering from besides his gout is poison.

            Walker masterfully weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense, a love story that will have you turning pages to find out their fate. The fighting both with weapons and with intrigue are harrowing, and readers will be on the edge of their seats hoping this couple will get the love they deserve. This wonderful 5-star fantasy/romance will delight readers of Walkers other work, and new fans who find hours of reading pleasure.

The Perfect Breasts a short story about boobs!

Hannah Clein will always remember the day she went to a department store with her mother to buy her first bra as her last best day, “B.C.” before the cancer. She considered herself an ordinary child who loved challah bread, reading, and her family – often in that order.

            With a normal life in the rear-view mirror, we follow Hannah over three decades, as she navigates the tricky transition from girlhood to womanhood. All her life, she just wants to belong. Be normal.

In a tale that explores a women’s complicated relationships with her body, and the love of her life, we learn the psyche is a funny thing. What are the perfect breasts? And how does the loss of a loved one affect those left behind?

            The Perfect Breasts mixes family lore with imagination in a compelling tale of loss, longing, and love. 

I have published it on Amazon Kindle for breast cancer month, and all the profits will be donated to cancer research. All proceeds from every page read on Kindle Unlimited to every book bought will be donated to cancer research!

The Perfect Breasts — Amazon

Cara Bertoia grew up in a strait-laced Southern family, but she was always fascinated with casinos. In her twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, she drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. She discovered that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. Her mother highly disapproved of her working in a casino, “a place so bad it has ‘sin’ in the middle.” 

Eventually, she succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a hi-tech job in Boston. She also began working on her MFA in writing at Emerson. Her goal was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. She is always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense, and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe her novel will.

While in Boston she was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, she spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. She was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg.

Cara returned from ships with a very special souvenir, her Scottish husband Ray. They went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs, and now live in Hollywood, Florida, where she writes about her casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.

She loves to connect with her readers. Please send her a picture with any or her work. She will post those pictures to social media. 

Avis: Welcome to another author interview on YNFA! Today we have Cara Bertoia joining us for her second time with a new short story, “The Perfect Breasts!” Great to have you on the interview again, Cara! Welcome! Let’s begin, shall we?

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Cara: I believe that there are three traps for aspiring writers. The first is that their book won’t be good enough because there is some secret formula to writing a good book. So why even bother if you don’t have the formula. An easy way to disprove that is to look at any book you like, you will see that the reviews range from one star to five stars. There are many ways to write a book, and not everyone will like your writing style. 

Second is that you need to have an agent. In this day and age unless you are a celebrity or have connections in the publishing world that probably won’t happen, but that could be a blessing in disguise.  My first novel was self-published, and it did very well. The best part was that I got to keep all the profits. My second novel was published by The Wild Rose Press. You will find that there are many publishers who will accept manuscripts directly from writers. I am self-publishing my short story The Perfect Breasts because I want all the proceeds to go to breast cancer research. 

The third piece of advice is that they are uncomfortable with criticism.  As soon as you finish your novel convinced it is the best it can be you send it out to agents, and surprise- they all want to change it. Or you send out queries and the rejections follow shortly after. If you are lucky enough to get a book deal, the publisher assigns you an editor, and it seems like they want you to rewrite your book. Then once your book is out in the world the readers weigh in. It is said you aren’t a writer until you get a one-star review, at least they feel passionately about your book. Listen to every comment then decide if you think they are valid or not. The best advice I can give you is to develop a thick skin.

Avis: Great advice on all three points! Thick skin is a must, and the confidence to push past doubt! Great advice. I admire this story so much, and the fact that you self-published it so all the proceeds will go to cancer research is awesome! Let’ move on to question number two!

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

Cara: I think a big ego can hurt a writer when you are uncomfortable with criticism because you are sure that you have written the next great American Novel. But writing is just part of the job, and a big ego can help with the marketing. Trust me the author will be responsible for the majority of the marketing. 

            It takes a bit of ego to put yourself out there. You need to ask readers to review your book, social media influencers to promote it, you need to pitch yourself to book clubs, and local and national media. 

            I love to follow authors like Jeneva Rose on Tik Tok, her videos with her husband are fantastic. I have to believe it takes a healthy ego to produce such funny content. Although she might have a big ego, and I mean that in a good way, she also possesses the ability to make fun of herself. I love the videos she makes about Scott, her disgruntled reader. She writes good books but killing it on social media also helps sell books. 

Avis: I love how you answer this question and are so right on both counts! Not accepting critique is a problem, but being able to promote your work is huge! It does take a lot of ego and creativity to grab the attention of readers with so many books out there to choose from! Here’s our third and final question!

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Cara: All of my books need to stand on their own because I like to switch genres. My first novel Cruise Quarters was a romance about my five years working on a cruise ship. It is a novelization, but it tells the story of my whirlwind romance. I met and married my husband within three months. 

            My second novel Casino Queen is a thriller. I wrote it because I have worked in the casino industry for over two decades, and whenever I read a book or watched a movie about casinos there were always technical errors in it. I watched Croupier and there were five mistakes in the first ten minutes. I knew I could do better. I gathered all the stories I had collected over the years and wrote a realistic thriller. I knew I had succeeded in my goal when The Desert Sun raved, “The author pulls from real-life experiences to create a worthy piece of fiction. And her own life is a vivid kaleidoscope of adventure.” 

            Now I just released my short story The Perfect Breasts. I wanted to examine loss, longing and love. It is a raw story which I believe belongs under the women’s fiction genre. It was a story I was compelled to write for breast cancer awareness month. Sometimes there is a story you just have to tell. 

Avis: Bravo, Cara! You are so talented to write so successfully in different genres, and your short story is a real eye-opener for anyone who hasn’t experienced the loss of a loved one to breast cancer. For more information on Cara Bertoia and her work visit her links. There are also buy links so you check out her latest short story “The Perfect Breasts!” And finally, for a review of “The Perfect Breasts,” please scroll down. 

            Thank you for joining us today for our interview with Cara! Until next time!

Social Media Links:

• TIKTOK
• The Perfect Breasts — Amazon
• Cara Bertoia’s Blog 
• Twitter 
• Instagram
• Goodreads 
• BookBub 
• Facebook
• mailto:carabertoia@yahoo.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Author Cara Bertoia’s latest work is “The Perfect Boobs,” (oops! I mean Breasts) a short story about a daughter who watches her mother change from a healthy, vibrant woman to a victim of breast cancer. Hannah, a shy, unassuming Jewish girl, admires her mother’s strength and womanly figure, but like most daughters is mortified by her mother’s ability to embarrass her. 

Hannah’s journey begins precancer at a mother/daughter day at the local school. Hannah learns about menstruation, her changing body, and the hormones that come with puberty. She also notices the other moms’ jealousy over her mother’s beautiful, full figure. Hannah soon learns the hardest lesson of all, that her mom has breast cancer. She watches as her mother fights and wins the first round, but when the cancer returns the results leave Hannah without a mother and with heartache and loss.

Bertoia moves us through Hannah’s emotional journey with her mom and the progression of a disease. As she grows into her teen years and then college, Hannah develops into a full-figured young woman. She learns about her perfect breasts and the gene mutation that causes breast cancer. 

She learns that Ashkenazi Jewish women, of which Hannah is one, along with a few other ethnic groups of women have a higher incidence of carrying this gene, and she realizes all too well that her own body might be a ticking time bomb. As Hannah becomes more mature, her thoughts turn to testing for the gene. It takes a special man to finally help Hannah make the dreaded decision. 

Bertoia masterfully examines what it is to be the surviving daughter of a breast cancer victim. She explores the possibility of what it means to carry the defective gene. She develops a story and hero who is haunted by her mother’s death and how that informs her relationships with men and with her own body. 

Bertoia’s “Perfect Breasts” brings to light excellent information on the gene mutation that causes breast cancer. She fills a gap currently filled with medical brochures and health documents with a short story that draws readers in and helps them process through Hannah’s experiences what it means to be a survivor.

All the proceeds from the sale of “The Perfect Breasts” will be donated to cancer research. 

Will their second chance at love lead to someone’s final journey?

When Jack and Mary married on a cruise to Mexico, they had no idea the scene of their wedding would become the scene of a crime only a few hours later. After forty-five years in difficult marriages these two thought they had finally found their ‘happily ever after’. But when Mary’s abusive ex-husband, Vern, crashes the reception and lays an all too familiar hand on Mary, Jack threatens to kill him if he touches her one more time. Vern leaves reluctantly, but a few hours later, he is missing, and Jack is the prime suspect as all clues lead to Vern falling–or being pushed–overboard. Did Jack make good on his threat or did someone else have a hand in Vern’s disappearance? Take a trip on the Queen of the Seas with Jack and Mary Madison as they follow the path that could lead to someone’s final journey.

Jacquie May Miller published her first article at age eleven in her neighborhood newspaper, the Nosy Neighborhood News. And now many years later (not saying how many) she turned her love of writing into a book and is now a published author.

Jacquie’s debut novel, THE PRICE OF SECRETS, is a work of women’s fiction which explores the tenuous thread connecting family and a love left behind so many years ago. Secrets of the past will either break or strengthen that slim thread, but not without a price. If you like her first novel, the sequel (a mystery), DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN? is scheduled for release September 18, 2023. For a taste of her writing, Jacquie has created May Daze, a blog exploring the value of friendship, family and life’s little surprises. 

You will find her at www.jmaydaze.com where she has attracted a loyal following. 

Avis: Welcome to Your Next Favorite Author Jacquie! This is your second book with The Wild Rose Press, so congratulations! It’s also your second interview on YNFA, so welcome back! I have to say that I really enjoyed this novel, so let’s jump right in with questions, shall we?

What did you learn writing your first book that helped you write your second book?

Jacquie: I learned that an outline may be nice for some people, but it didn’t work for me. As soon as I started down one road, the characters took me on another path. I truly did not know how my first book was going to end until I got to the last few chapters. 

I used that same philosophy with my second book and was very happy to meet some new characters I had never imagined until they showed up on the page. Writing is an emotional journey guided by a cast of interesting people (yes, I know they are not real, but my imagination might disagree) who led me to an ending I couldn’t have written without them.

Avis: That’s so interesting and true! I find that plotting out some outline features will get me started! I love how your characters just introduced themselves to your story, those pesky, wonderful characters! Let’s move on to question number two: 

How did you decide on your characters’ names? Do any of them have significance in some way?

Jacquie: They say you write what you know. My protagonist, Jack Madison, is the personification of my dad, Jack May. He’s been gone quite a while now and although he had a relatively happy homebody life, I could tell he would have loved a little more travel and adventure. Taking him on a cruise and involving him in a mystery was my way of bringing him back to life. Some of the other characters were patterned after people I know (including myself – Jamie is me, for sure), but others are pure figments of my imagination. 

Oh, and the names were chosen for their similarity to the names of the people who inspired them. 

Avis: The story of name assignation is one that is always fascinating to me!I love that you brought your dad back and took him on a cruise! I loved Jack as the good-guy-hero of the story! Your readers will love him! Here’s our next question:

Did you start out wanting to write a series?

Jacquie: To be honest, I never thought I would write one novel, much less two. While the second is a sequel, it can easily be read independently.

Avis: I agree! Both books could be stand alone reads, but you do such a lovely job of dovetailing your characters from book one, that I’m sure many readers will go back for more! Here’s our last question!

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

Jacquie: I would tell her not to listen to people who told her to ignore her dream of becoming an author.   Although I put my aspirations on hold for many years, I’m glad I finally dared to believe in myself and follow that dream.

Avis: I’m so glad you picked up your pen as well! Your books are testimony that you are in fact, an excellent writer and author! Kudos to you!

            That is all for today, readers. For more information about Jacquie May Miller and her work please find links to her social and website below!

Social Media Links

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jacquie.m.miller/

Twitter:      https://twitter.com/JacquieRMay

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jacquiemaymiller/

Website

May Daze www.jmaydaze.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Jacquie May Miller’s latest novel, Do You Take This Man? Takes on a cruise, and we’re invited to the wedding!

Miller opens on the high seas, where Jack and Mary are at the altar. Everyone seems thrilled, but Robert, Mary’s oldest son who hasn’t gotten over her divorce to his dad, Vern. Unbeknownst to Mary, her ex is onboard, and once he makes his entrance, all bets are off! 

The honeymoon cruise becomes a crime scene, and Robert accuses Jack of murdering his father, but there is no body. Jack and Mary have found true love in their silver years, but will their marriage end in a prison term for Jack? Will Robert and Darlene win over the jury and convince them of Jack’s guilt in Vern’s murder? And what of Carmen? Will she keep her mouth shut, and finally there’s Gladys, Darlene’s mom and Vern’s lover of over thirty years. What role will she play in the trial?

Miller hosts a cast of characters that you will love to love and hate in Do You Take This Man! The plot is complex, and the twists will keep readers turning pages! I give this fun mystery/thriller/romance five stars!

Who wanted Butch Oldham dead? The list was as long as your arm, but who actually killed him?

Butch Oldham didn’t have an honest bone in his body. So, the question wasn’t who wanted him dead. The question was, who didn’t. Mermaid Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik finds colleague Queenie Levine standing over Mermaid CEO Butch Oldham’s bloody corpse nailed to a fabric cutting table with a big honkin’ pair of cutting shears plunged deep into his chest.

When the cops discover Queenie’s blood-soaked sweater, learn about her stormy relationship with the victim, and her public threats to make Butch pay for destroying Mermaid Swimwear by stealing it blind, Holly’s colleague shoots to the top of the suspect list. When Queenie is arrested, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a slinky, and nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent for revenge. 

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. 

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect. 

---

Avis: Welcome to another Your Next Favorite Author interview! Today’s guest is Susie Black, and I know many of you already know her from her fabulous Holly Swimsuit Series! I’m so glad to see so many books in your series now, and I’m delighted to talk with you about one of your latest releases! Your fans must be delighted, and new readers just finding you are in for quite a treat!

So, let’s get started! This isn’t your first time on YNFA, but still we have so many questions! Here’s our first one:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

SUSIE: The art of writing is a skill as well as a craft with techniques that must be learned. Like anything else, writing well takes practice to become proficient. Most aspiring authors don’t take the time to learn how to craft a story properly. 

Avis: I’ve heard that writing is like any kind of professional activity such as pro-baseball or pro-football, to use a sports metaphor! You need years of practice and coaching, and lots of training of that writing muscle to prepare for writing a publishable draft. 😊

            That brings us to question number two!

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

SUSIE: I come from the world of sales where to be successful you must learn that you are selling confidence in your ability to put the right product at the right time into the buyer’s store. In essence, you’re not selling a product, you’re selling yourself. So, if you don’t come across as someone who believes in themself, how do you expect anyone else to? I’ve discovered that writing and selling share a lot of commonalities. 

In both you’re telling a story that has a beginning, middle, end, and most of all A POINT OF VIEW. In my opinion, if you don’t have a big ego and exude that “can do confidence,” your writing is going to show it and fall flat with no emotion and the reader will not respond to a story that has all the excitement of reading the New York telephone book. 

Avis: Just a moment, everyone, I’m taking notes! Exude confidence, got it! It’s easier said than done for many of us, but your words are so inspiring and true! This is something I’m constantly working on. Thanks!

On to our next question.

What is your writing Kryptonite?    

SUSIE: I have two: Overusing certain words. Using cliches that can make the stories unintentionally dated.

Avis: I have so many echoes in my early drafts! I don’t even see them! Thank heavens for my critique groups!

            Ready for our last question?

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

SUSIE: Believe in yourself, trust your gut, keep writing no matter what, never let anyone step on your dreams, and most of all, don’t be afraid to fail. You will learn more from your failures than you ever will from your successes. 

Avis: I love your response to this question! As hard as it is to hear, it is the failures that teach us the most!

            That’s our last question everyone, and thanks for joining us for YNFA’s interview with Susie Black! For more information on Susie please see her social links below, and please scroll down for a review of Death by Cutting Table!

Contact Susie at:

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Susie Black fans rejoice! Another addition to the Holly Swimsuit Mystery, Death by Cutting Table, is coming soon. This one stars our favorite sleuth, Holly Schlivnik, of course, and she has burst out laughing on the second page because, yes you guessed it, someone’s been murdered!

            This time it is Mermaid Swimwear CEO Butch Oldham, and whoever killed him took the time to pin him like a butterfly from his coveted collection to the cutting table where Queenie Levine found him with cutting shears protruding from his chest. 

Queenie becomes the prime suspect in the murder, and Holly begins her quest to find the true murderer because there is no way, no how that her best friend murdered their boss, even if she was his spurned lover. 

            But who done it? Kelly, his soon to be ex-wife, whose short marriage to the fashion mogul will leave her penniless because of the prenup agreement? Or was it David, the demoted CEO, who lost his job to Butch, or Dick Green’s wife Mariana who hated Butch for putting her husband in prison?

            With a cast of characters rich in murderous potential, Holly begins her search, much to the chagrin of Detective Josiah Jones, who needs someone tampering with his crime scene like he needs another murder to solve. 

Holly enlists her best friend and Assistant Medical Examiner, Sophia Cutler, MD, also known as Snip. Both women know Jones will go ballistic if he catches them working on the case, but Holly insists, and Snip cannot resist helping her friend or aiding in proving Queenie’s innocence.

            When Holly finds herself in car trouble, then houseboat trouble, and not the kind that happens because something wears out but the kind meant to hurt her, she knows she’s on the right track. Soon threatening notes begin to arrive, but nothing can dissuade our hero. However, when the killer decides to get up close and personal, can Holly save her own neck, let alone Queenie’s? 

            This fast-paced summer read will delight Susie Black fans, cozy mystery lovers, and readers looking for a hilarious romp through LA and the swimsuit industry. Susie Black has done it again with another fabulously entertaining five-star cozy! 

When murder provides a welcome distraction…

On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up in a dumpster behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?

Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand. 

A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes. 

Avis: Welcome Jill Piscitello to Your Next Favorite Author! Readers will love your new release, A Sour Note. Very clever title by the way! I know readers can’t wait to find out more about you and your writing life, so let’s begin! 

Our first question is one that many new writers wonder about and hope to avoid! 

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Jill: Always ask a reliable friend or family member to read your manuscript before sending it out to potential literary agents and publishers. After proofreading multiple times, much of your book is memorized. Major and minor errors become easy to overlook because your brain automatically corrects the mistakes while you’re reading. Someone with fresh eyes (preferably an avid reader with decent spelling and grammar skills) will pick up a slew of items that require editing.

Avis: That is so true! I’ve heard that it’s impossible to edit and proofread one’s own work because we read over the mistakes. Having a good editor on your team is so important! Thanks for your great response. 

How about something more personal?

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Jill: Technology of any kind is my biggest distraction. I accomplish far more work if my phone is on mute in another room. Going down a winding rabbit hole of research is also one of the fastest ways to reduce my word count for the day. And last, but certainly not least, attempting a new social media post such as a book trailer or trying to learn a fancy new feature on my website is a huge drain on time. Sometimes these activities are worthwhile, but finding a balance is necessary and a work in progress.

Avis: Ditto! Technology helps make our lives easier, but it also draws us into interesting searches about butterfly migration that has nothing to do with our story! I like your idea of muting the phone. But then there is also the black hole of marketing, which takes up so much time, but is so necessary! What are busy authors to do? 

Here’s one of my favorite questions:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Jill: When publishing my first novel, I thought long and hard about using a pseudonym. Romance and cozy mystery authors often have short and sweet names. Piscitello requires a bit more work to spell and pronounce. My editor suggested sticking with my own name because it didn’t look like everyone else’s.

Avis: That’s interesting advice, and it makes a lot of sense. It is your work after all, and so satisfying to see your name on the cover! 

Here’s our last question:

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

Jill: Don’t wait so long, and don’t listen to people who say something can’t be done.

Avis: Great advice, and something I’ve heard so often at conferences and writing workshops! Don’t listen to the nay-sayers! I love Joseph Campbell’s famous quote, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.” This is so true for authors. 😊

Thank you so much for joining us today on YNFA, Jill! I look forward to reading more books from you, and I know readers will love The Sour Note!

Please scroll down for my review of Jill Piscitello’s A Sour Note, an uplifting cozy mystery!

For more information on Jill and to purchase her books, see her links below!

social media 

Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram  ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ BookBub

Purchase links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ ITunes ~ Google Books ~ Walmart ~ BooksAMillion ~ Indie Bound  ~ Kobo

author web site: 

Jill Piscitello’s Website

Review by Avis M. Adams

In Jill Piscitello’s latest cozy mystery novel, A Sour Note, we meet Maeve Cleary, a hero still in shock from the public reveal of her fiancé, Greyson Walker’s, infidelity with film siren Shannon Plum. Piscitello masterfully creates Maeve and a huge cast of realistic characters that leap off the page and into our imaginations as murder plays out on the quaint and cozy streets of Hampton Beach. 

When Maeve’s life implodes, she moves back home to lick her wounds. But how can she show her face in public again with her humiliation splashed all over social media? When she finally decides to venture out, she lands in the middle of Trixie Bell’s murder, and her friends Paige and Seamus become the prime suspects. 

Maeve knows they are innocent, but how can she prove it when she’s been sworn to secrecy? The other problem is how to narrow the list of suspects because who didn’t want to kill Trixie? Maeve goes on a sleuthing mission that soon puts her own life in danger, as she clashes with the local detective, Spencer Taylor, for messing with his crime scenes and tampering with witnesses. 

Piscitello plots a murder that only Maeve can solve, but Maeve is distracted by the man she loved before Greyson, Finn, her high school sweetheart. Add to the mix the good detective, and we have instant rivals in what Maeve doesn’t want—or does she? All Maeve knows is another relationship so soon on the heels of her humiliating and public breakup with Greyson is the last thing she wants to think about right now. Her focus is on clearing the good name of her friends who won’t come forward with the truth because of their own secret.

So, who killed Trixie Bell? Piscitello keeps us turning pages, as she unfolds a crime scene filled with clues and a cast of suspects that keeps Maeve searching and interviewing until she ends up in the hospital. But nothing will stop Maeve from finding the truth. Piscitello’s A Sour Note will satisfy murder/mystery, romance, and cozy mystery readers alike, along with anyone who loves a great read. This is book 1 in the Music Box Mystery series, so keep your eye out for more from Jill Piscitello! Five stars! 

Even death can’t stop one determined hermit.

After surviving a horrific attack by a dark fae, Theodora Edwards is happy to put the magical world of Fairie firmly in the past-until she learns the reason behind the abrupt disappearance of Farranen, the guardian of the gate. Unfortunately, her improvised rescue attempt ends in death-her death. As if surviving death isn’t weird enough, her magic takes on a life of its own and starts creating flawed ghosts. While struggling to control her magic, she’s forced to deal with a deadly band of pixies, amorous advances from the intimidating dark prince, and political upheaval in Fairie that’s left the entire realm in chaos.

Born and raised on the beautiful Canadian prairies, Everlyn prefers to spend her time outdoors with her family kayaking, skating, fishing, and hunting. She loves reading and writing about vampires, witches, fae and zombies that get to find their own version of happily ever after.

Avis: It’s my pleasure to welcome Everlyn C. Thompson to Your Next Favorite Author. Her paranormal/fantasy/romance novels are a romp through her imagination of the world of fairies, vampires, and lands filled with magic. 

Hi Everlyn! I’m so happy to have you on my blog, and I’m sure readers are excited to hear more about you as an author and what goes on behind the books you write. Here’s our first question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Everlyn: I do write under a pseudonym to keep my personal life private. 

Avis: That makes perfect sense. I know many authors who do this. Privacy is important, and keeping your professional and personal life separate is not easy to do otherwise! Here’s a question that is geared toward your approach to writing:

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Everlyn: I like to be original and write for myself. And there are so many different readers out there, that I’d never be able to give them all what they want.

Avis: So True, and good philosophy! We can’t please all people all the time, but I’m sure readers of your genre find a lot to love about your books and your writing style. Our next question is one I’m always curious about:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Everlyn: My best friend is an editor who dabbles in writing, so we meet once a month to talk about our WIPs and keep each other motivated. 

Avis: You are so lucky to be best friends with an editor! I love getting together with my writer friends and talking about writing, and it’s so true that to stay motivated and on track is to discuss your works and your ideas with friends and other writers! 

Your series The Grave Reaping Series has two books completed and a third on the way. The next question deals with writing books in a series:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Everlyn: I like to keep my stories limited to nice, neat series, where all the loose ends are neatly tied up at the end, and then I move on to another series that has no connection to the first. 

Avis: I like nice tidy endings, but I notice in your individual books you leave room for the next book to continue, which I also love! 

It’s been so interesting to get to know more about you and your writing, and I was very excited to read Grave Reaping Shrew! I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in your series, and I look forward to book three!             Readers can find links to Everlyn’s socials below, and to buy links for this and all of her wonderful books! 

Avis: It’s my pleasure to welcome Everlyn C. Thompson to Your Next Favorite Author. Her paranormal/fantasy/romance novels are a romp through her imagination of the world of fairies, vampires, and lands filled with magic. 

Hi Everlyn! I’m so happy to have you on my blog, and I’m sure readers are excited to hear more about you as an author and what goes on behind the books you write. Here’s our first question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Everlyn: I do write under a pseudonym to keep my personal life private. 

Avis: That makes perfect sense. I know many authors who do this. Privacy is important, and keeping your professional and personal life separate is not easy to do otherwise! Here’s a question that is geared toward your approach to writing:

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Everlyn: I like to be original and write for myself. And there are so many different readers out there, that I’d never be able to give them all what they want.

Avis: So true, and good philosophy! We can’t please all people all the time, but I’m sure readers of your genre find a lot to love about your books and your writing style. Our next question is one I’m always curious about:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Everlyn: My best friend is an editor who dabbles in writing, so we meet once a month to talk about our WIPs and keep each other motivated. 

Avis: You are so lucky to be best friends with an editor! I love getting together with my writer friends and talking about writing, and it’s so true that to stay motivated and on track is to discuss your works and your ideas with friends and other writers! 

Your series The Grave Reaping Series has two books completed and a third on the way. The next question deals with writing books in a series:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Everlyn: I like to keep my stories limited to nice, neat series, where all the loose ends are neatly tied up at the end, and then I move on to another series that has no connection to the first. 

Avis: I like nice tidy endings, but I notice in your individual books you leave room for the next book to continue, which I also love! 

It’s been so interesting to get to know more about you and your writing, and I was very excited to read Grave Reaping Shrew! I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in your series, and I look forward to book three!             

Readers can find links to Everlyn’s socials below, and to buy links for this and all of her wonderful books.

https://everlyncthompson.com

Instagram  

Goodreads  

Facebook  

TikTok 

Buy links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

Review by Avis M. Adams:

Everlyn C. Thompson’s Grave Reaping Shrew, Book 2 in the Grave Reaper Series, takes us back to the land of fae where Theo and her shapeshifter, Dog go in search of her guardian and answers to questions like who killed her vampire husband?

            Sound like a mouthful of adventure? Hang on to your hats because this book does “pass Go” and does “collect $200.” This not-stop paranormal adventure brings together beings that don’t usually rub shoulders, vampires, faeries, shapeshifters, and brings them together to fight the evil Faerie Queen we met in book one of the Grave Reaper Series.

            Theo accidentally receives faerie magic in Book One, and she’s still learning to control it with embarrassing and deadly consequences. When her ex-husband disappears and it looks like murder, she goes in search and is attacked and killed, but her magic, and the fact that she’d been bitten by a vampire herself, keeps her alive, and now she not only can’t control her faerie magic, but she must learn how being a vampire is going to affects her. The problem is that the folks who should know this answer don’t, and they’ve only heard of one other case like Theo’s. That person died.

Theo pushes on, though, because no one messes with her guardian and gets away with. Our saucy heroin must contend with Leif, the Dark Prince, who wouldn’t mind sampling Theo’s magic, and her guardian, Farranan, who left her heartbroken and alone. Ozzy the vampire/detective sent to work on her ex-husband’s disappearance, is as baffled by her magic and vampire blood keeping her alive as anyone else, but Theo has other people/fae to worry about.

Readers will fall in love with Theo as she talks smack to creatures, warriors, and royalty in this paranormal world. Thompson adds a level of humor that lifts the dark magic off the page and keeps us turning the pages as we root for Theo against all odds. Will she save her guardian? Will he reciprocate her feelings? Will she finally succumb to death, or will she morph into a creature with more power than ever seen before?

Thompson leaves readers biting their nails to find the answers to these questions and more. This action-packed series is on a roll and will appeal to paranormal/romance readers and those just looking for a strong female character who won’t take no for an answer and finds out the hard way how to answer the calling of her heart. This is a five-star read.

By Avis M. Adams

A mash-up of three children’s book classics tells Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy’s story if one were to become a psychiatrist, another a cowgirl, and another a detective. McElrath’s imagination is on fire.

When she was seven years old, young Alice Liddell went gathering mushrooms in the woods. After finding several beneath an ancient oak, she popped one into her mouth.

An hour later, a large, anthropomorphic rabbit came along, wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch, complaining about being late for some appointment. Alice later remembered following it down a dark hole…

Thus, Alice began learning early on about the psychoactive effects of particular plants and fungi. Now, 40 years later, psychiatrist Dr. Alice Liddell-Dodgson takes on two nine-year old patients who have had remarkably similar experiences. One is the daughter of a London investment banker. The other is being raised by her aunt and uncle on a wheat farm in rural Kansas.

Wendy Moira Angela Darling and Dorothy Gale are as different as two young girls can be, but they – as well as Dr. Liddell-Dodgson – have all experienced what she terms as ‘delusional psychosis.’ After a year of ‘Doctor Alice’s’ treatment and counseling, Wendy and Dorothy have accepted that their experiences in ‘Neverland’ and the ‘Kingdom of Oz’ were nothing more than visions, the product of extreme physical and emotional trauma – little different from Dr. Liddell-Dodgson’s own girlhood delusions of ‘Wonderland.’

But were they delusions?

What are the odd slippers Dorothy was found wearing the morning after a cyclone? Where did they come from and why does she refuse to take them off? And why does Wendy’s mother speak so strangely about old Celtic folk legends? What do they have to do with a buccaneer ancestor and a Lost Cause of two centuries ago?

Even Dr. Alice, a woman who has dedicated her life to science, finds herself confronting disturbing reminders of a manic-depressive haberdasher and a dangerously psychopathic monarch with a fetish for decapitation . . .

K.J. McElrath started writing professionally for search engine optimization firms in 2006, and thus has written about everything from insurance and litigation to diet pills and lingerie. His first published work of contemporary fiction was Tamanous Cooley, a modern-day take on Dante’s The Inferno with a Native American twist. 

Mr. McElrath is also a composer of numerous works for orchestra and winds as well as incidental music for theater and the score for a stage musical, The Adventures of Dex Dixon, by Pacific Northwest playwright and screenwriter Steve Coker. He is known for his witty song lyrics in the style of masters such as Ira Gershwin, Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer, et. al. Several sets of Mr. McElrath’s song lyrics appear in The Loves of Natalie Greenbaum, an LGBT romance series set during the Big Band Era and the Second World War.

Avis: Welcome to a new edition of Your Next Favorite Author! I’d like you to meet Kevin, K.J. McElrath, a friend of mine since graduate school, and a multi-talented musician, singer, performer, and author! He’s gifted, and I’m happy to introduce his latest work today, Three Lost Girls, the surprising story of three girls from the pages of our favorite children’s classics! 

            Shall we begin? Here’s our first question.

Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

Kevin: Only when the plot doesn’t hold my interest, or I don’t care about the characters.

Avis: Sounds like you move on to the next novel like I do! So, you probably haven’t had reader’s block! Our next question is about names:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Kevin: I’ve actually done that. I still self-publish some graphic novellas and comics under a pseudonym. 

Avis: Cool! You really are talented! Now I want to know the pseudonym! How about this question?

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Kevin: Depends. Most fiction, no – but non-fiction topics such as history, politics and society and science, I think detachment would be very helpful.

Avis: Good point! Non-fiction allows one to remain detached to a certain extent. Great answer! Here’s the next question.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Kevin: There’s my former spouse, Athena – she reads or listens to my material and always has helpful feedback. She is also a merciless editor. There is also a gentleman in Florida who writes under the name Staten Rall, with whom I share an interest in 19th-Century U.S. history.

Avis: Finding a merciless editor is a gift! Having other writers in our lives improves out own writing by leaps and bounds. Our next question always interests me.

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to 

build a body of work with connections between each book?

Kevin: I tend to favor book series. It gives me more opportunities to explore the characters, how they grow and change over time and respond to historical events and trends. Even when I do different series with different characters, most of my stories take place in the same ‘universe,’ and occasionally, these characters meet and interact briefly.

Avis: I can see that playing out in Three Lost girls. The historical facts you include really peak the reader’s interest. Ready for our last question?

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would 

it be?

Kevin: Stick to writing what you know. Don’t try to tell a love story when your 17. Life experience is necessary in order to write a convincing narrative. Also, if you’re setting your story in a different time period and/or place, be prepared to do a whale of a lot of research. Even if you change historical events and geographic locations (as Mark Twain did), it’s good to ‘know the rules’ so you can break them convincingly.

Avis: LOL! What great advice! These are words of wisdom that every writer could ascribe to! 

            It’s been great getting to know more about you as a writer and published author, and I look forward to seeing the next installment of this series! Yes readers, there are two more books that follow Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy on more adventures through the early to mid-20^th century!

            For more information about K.J. McElrath see his social links below and check out my review of Three Lost Girls below!

Kevin’s Social Links!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/891979061341607

https://www.instagram.com/kjmcelrathauthor/

https://kjmcelrath.com 
https://3lostgirls.com

Amazon: Three Lost Girls

The Review of Three Lost Girls, by Avis M. Adams

            KJ McElrath is releasing another novel, and this one is a mash-up of Through the Looking Glass, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan. McElrath uses his prodigious knowledge of history and historical events to infuse this mash-up with influences of the early 20^th century to the 1930 and 40s, and it works. 

            McElrath fans will revel in identifying the “Easter Eggs” he plants as the story unfolds. There is always a subtext to twist what our heroes know and understand, and there is always an exploration of economy, class, and gender roles and identity as the story progresses, so even though this could be considered a historical novel and retelling of these classics, it is also very current in its discussions. 

            New readers to McElrath might get lost in the long windup in chapters one and three, but hang with the story because once McElrath pitches the ball, the game is on, and this book becomes a fast paced and very enjoyable read.

            So let me back up a bit. Have you’ve ever wondered what happened to Alice to make her follow that white rabbit, or if Wendy’s flight with the fairies and Pan captured your imagination? Have you wondered how Wendy or Dorothy fared after their return from Neverland or Oz? Did you ever wonder how they resolved what happened to them?

            McElrath grapples with those questions and more and brings in a much older Alice as the guide and therapist to counsel Wendy and Dorothy. We meet psychiatrist Dr. Alice Liddell Dodgson in her practice at The Liddell-Dodgson Asylum for Juveniles in 1905. Wendy is her patient and Dorothy’s case has come to her attention. Dr. Liddell-Dodgson is well poised to help the girls deal with all of their issues, and the good doctor, as a trained scientist, will use her experiences and knowledge to bring both girls back from the trauma of their fantastic experiences, Alice begins in 1905 shortly after the inception of the talking cure in 1895, and continues her work with the girls into the 1940s. 

            The book moves between three points of view, Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy, and we see the experiences and the retelling of these favorite children’s tales retold through the eyes of Alice, a scientist, and Wendy and Dorothy as prepubescent children. By the end of the book, two young women have come to terms with their supernatural experiences in an interesting and unexpected way. 

            To say that this book is entertaining is an understatement. Readers won’t be able to put the book down, and the wonderful references to each of these time-honored tales raises the reading pleasure. I highly recommend this novel but be prepared to wade through the first several chapters. I promise, it’s worth the wait! This is a well-crafted and highly entertaining book, and I give it four stars.