Dust Jackets: Conversations with Authors

Maggie Lynch interviews author David Starkey, a novelist, poet, and non-fiction writer. His most recent book is The Fairley Brothers in Japan. He is adept at combining humor along with deep emotional situations. He is most known for his poetry and served as Santa Barbara’s 2009-2011 Poet Laureate. David is also the Publisher and Co-editor of Gunpowder Press. Over the past thirty years, he has published eleven full-length collections of poetry with small presses and more than 500 poems in literary journals such as American Scholar, Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner and Southern Review. As an educator, he has written and edited a number of non-fiction books David is also a founding editor of the California Review of Books and the host of Santa Barbara’s Creative Community. You can learn more about him and his books on his website: https://davidstarkey.net/

In this episode I interview Children's mystery book writer, Sherrill Joseph. She is a retired K-12 literacy teacher. Her current work is The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, written for children ages 9-14. (Though I have to say, some adults will enjoy these as well) She has garnered multiple awards for these books. I won’t list them all but among these awards are: the Mom's Choice Book Awards, the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, and a Reader’s Favorite Book award. She says she has been inspired by the children she taught, and she uses her writing to stay connected with "kids who rock." Her stories present responsible, role-model children detective characters who provide readers with a fun mystery to solve and something to learn, while showing that being respectful and helpful citizens can be cool! She lives in San Diego, California, in a 1928 Spanish Mission Revival bungalow. Her inspirations for her series include her historic neighborhood, the Nancy Drew mysteries she grew up reading, and her unique brain which includes lexical-gustatory synesthesia. We we talk about during the interview. To learn more about sherrill, check out her website at https://sherrilljoseph.com

My special guest today is E. J. Russell. She as an author of at least 37 published books, including 5 series to date. She writes across several genres: romantic comedy, historical, paranormal mystery, paranormal romantic comedy, and supernatural romantic suspense. E.J. describes herself as a mother of three and a recovering actor who writes romance in a rainbow of flavors. You can count on high snark, low angst and happy endings. Reality? Eh, not so much. She lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole. You can contact E.J. and learn more through these connections. Website: https://ejrussell.com/ FB Profile: https://ejr.pub/ws-fb-profile FB Group: https://ejr.pub/ws-reality-ops Instagram: https://ejr.pub/ws-insta Twitter: https://ejr.pub/ws-twitter BookBub https://ejr.pub/ws-bookbub Pinterest https://ejr.pub/ws-pin

Alma Alexander has written more than three million words in more than 20 books, and countless short stories collected in magazines, anthologies, and numerous collections. She writes for both adults and young adults. Her novel, The Secrets of Jin-shei, has been published around the world in 14 languages. The heroine of her popular YA series, Worldweavers, is as American as Harry Potter is British. With her MSc in Molecular Biology, she has shone the light of science into the shadowy world of shapeshifters in the Were Chronicles. She was born on the banks of an ancient river in Yugoslavia, a country which no longer exists. She grew up in Africa when her father moved them there when she was ten years old. They lived in four different countries in Africa: Zambia, Swaziland, and South Africa. She later went to school in a castle in Wales, and has lived in several countries on four continents. An American man she met on the Internet asked her to marry him, promising her coffee in bed every morning. She agreed and then moved to live among the evergreens in the Pacific northwest with two cats as well as visiting deer and raccoons. Alma Alexander is a scientist by education, duchess by historical accident, and an author who has written more than twenty novels. Known as the Duchess of Fantasy, she is also a blogger sharing writing tips, and glimpses of both the mundane and magic of a fantasy author's life. This interview was recorded in Fall 2021. Due to numerous factors, I was unable to get around to finishing the production until June 2022. This interview is magical. She is one of the smartest, most original authors I’ve interviewed. A true writer's writer. She talks about her process, her life, what makes novels and short stories work. In some ways it was a master class in writing fantasy novels and short stories. At the time of this interview, her husband and partner had died six months before and she was still processing that grief and how to get back to writing. Fortunately for all of us, she has returned and since then has released the 20th Anniversary Edition of Changer of Days—the duoology as a single book as originally designed. On July 10th 2022 she released a memoir describing her and her husband’s meeting and their love story. I suggest hankies for this one. You can learn more about Alma and her books on her website at https://almaalexander.org She also hangs out on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, and if you want to hear from her regularly with patron-only content check out her Patreon option.

Award-winning author Laurence O'Bryan lives in Dublin, Ireland. In addition to having written 12 books to date, he is also an entrepreneur and owner of BooksGoSocial--a company devoted to helping authors get their books noticed and marketed. Most recently his company has created the first NFT Book Marketplace on the WAX platform. He is focused on helping independent authors connect with reader's interested in collecting limited special edition book creations. O'Bryan has solved the problems most readers or book collectors have with NFTs in regard to payment, security, assuring ownership, and making it so that ebooks can be resold by the owner. He's done all this on his Books Go Social NFT site, which offers NFT purchasers easy access and instructions while paying in regular currency (dollars, pounds, euros). His company also provides support both in the buying process and in the reselling process if needed. We talk about Laurence's own Book NFT offering, as well as the many other books he has created during his writing career. O'Bryan was born in Dublin. After going to England, he paid for his own courses and began rising at 4AM so he could study and work at the same time. He studied business, and then IT at Oxford University. Laurence was first published by a school newspaper, when he was ten, for a short story about aliens getting lost. Thirty-five years later, he attended an Authonomy workshop and not long after Harper Collins offered a three book publishing contract. The first of which, The Instanbul Puzzle, won the Outstanding Novel award at the Southern California Writer's Conference in 2007. Laurence has a great motto that has kept him going: "Not All Who Wander Are Lost – Níl gach uile fhánaí caillte." You can learn more about Laurence, his books, and his business at his author website, the booksgosocial website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Pinterest.

Today I'm doing something different. I'm doing back-to-back double-author interviews in celebration of Women's Fiction Day. This podcast is the first of the double-author interview shows focusing on the diversity of stories that make up Women’s Fiction. A reminder that Women’s Fiction Day is June 8, 2021. The Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association is planning an entire day of events, getting to know authors, some great deals on books and some nice giveaway prizes. To learn more, check out the link to the WFWA. I also have a full page of information on my website at: https://maggielynch.com/wfday2021. Let me introduce you to the two women I’ll be talking with today. ERIN BARTELS is the award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things—a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, winner of the 2020 Star Award from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association in both the debut and general fiction categories, and a 2019 Christy Award finalist—The Words between Us—a 2020 Christy Award finalist—and All That We Carried. Her short story “This Elegant Ruin” was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest. Her poems have been published by The Lyric and The East Lansing Poetry Attack. A member of the Capital City Writers Association and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she is former features editor of WFWA’s Write On! magazine and current director of the annual WFWA Writers Retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can learn more about Erin on her website: https://erinbartels.com LYN LIAO BUTLER was born in Taiwan and moved to the States when she was seven. In her past and present lives, she has been: a concert pianist, a professional ballet and modern dancer, a gym and fitness studio owner, a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, an RYT-200 hour certified yoga instructor, a purse designer and most recently, author of multi-cultural fiction. Her mother swears she was not a Tiger Mom to Lyn. Lyn came about her over-achieving all by herself. Her debut novel, A Tiger Mom's Tale, releases July 5, 2021. Already advanced reviews are stellar. Her second novel, Red Thread of Fate, is complete and set to release February 2022. You can learn more about Lyn and keep up with her new books at https://lynliaobutler.com/

This is the second of my back-to-back double-author interviews in celebration of Women's Fiction Day. We are focusing on the diversity of stories that make up Women’s Fiction. A reminder that Women’s Fiction Day is June 8, 2021. The Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association is planning an entire day of events, getting to know authors, some great deals on books and some nice giveaway prizes. To learn more, check out the link to the WFWA. I also have a full page of information on my website at: https://maggielynch.com/wfday2021. Let me introduce you to the two women I’ll be talking with today. LISA BRAXTON is an essayist, short story writer, and novelist. Her debut novel, The Talking Drum, was released in May 2020. Barely out a year, it has been racking up awards as well. In 2020 she won the Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Award and the National Association of Black Journalists Outstanding Literary Award. Already in 2021 she has been awarded the Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Urban Fiction. You can learn more about Lisa and her books at https://lisabraxton.com/ LESLIE LEHR is a seasoned writer and essayists. Her women’s fiction includes both fiction and nonfiction. Her critically acclaimed non-fiction book, A Boob’s Life, is currently being developed for a comedy series on HBO. Her novels include: What A Mother Knows, Life Goes On, and 66 Laps. Leslie has also worked in film production and has taught for ten years at the Writers Program at UCLA. You can learn more about Leslie's career and her books at https://leslielehr.com/

Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that eventually turn into yet another story. You can learn more about all of her books on her website. During the podcast we celebrate that her 50th novel, Stolen Butterfly, is releasing May 2021. We couldn't cover all of her work, but we do cover several series, and talk about her inspiration, her work ethic for writing and where she is going next. Paty is one busy woman keeping up with ranching, grandchildren, and still writing three to four books every year. If you love mystery I guarantee you will find something among her more than 23 titles. If you love romance, you will find the other half of her output there--both in historical romance of the old west as well as contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She hangs out on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and BookBub. And don't forget her website: https://patyjager.net where you can learn about all her books, any special events, and keep up to date with all new releases by signing up for her mailing list.

Melissa Yi is the pen name for Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes, an emergency physician with an active practice and an award-winning writing career. She has 25+ fiction titles crossing genres of science fiction, mystery, and medical thrillers. You can learn more about all of her books on her website. Her Hope Sze medical thriller series is the most popular and has been well received, with praise from major Canadian newspapers. The Globe and Mail hailed Human Remains, the fifth Hope Sze thriller, as one of the best Canadian suspense novels to read at the cottage, “a scarier-than-ever murder mystery." Human Remains was also the #1 mystery recommendation of CBC Books’ Holiday Gift Guide. Terminally Ill, the third Hope Sze mystery, will take to Ottawa’s stage in June 2021. Originally designed as immersive theatre, it will be recreated as an online experience given pandemic restrictions. Melissa was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada/Arthur Ellis Award for the best crime story in Canada and a finalist for the Derringer Award, which is for the best short mystery fiction in the world. Her stories appear in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. The Medical Post has served as a collection of Yi's popular articles recounting her own experiences as an intern and an emergency room doctor. The Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World and Other True Tales From the Energency Room. She took those experiences and also turned them into a one-woman show, “I Am the Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World,” which won Best of Fest in Ottawa and was a finalist for the Behind the Rideau Award. Melissa appeared on CBC Radio’s The Current to discuss the Staunch Prize, a feminist thriller award for which she was longlisted in 2020. A fierce physician advocate, Dr. Yuan-Innes spearheaded a COVID petition that gathered more than 200,000 signatures. She has since appeared on The National, Global News, CTV News, and in Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, Elle Magazine, and many other sources. Doctor-wise, Melissa has worked as far north as Ivujivik, Quebec (Inuktitut: ᐃᕗᔨᕕᒃ, north of 60; also the northernmost village in a Canadian province). Nowadays she runs codes in Eastern Ontario. Melissa is one powerful woman with more energy than anyone I've ever met. So buckle up for this fast moving interview. What does she do when she's not doctoring, writing, or advocating for health issues? She’s married to her high school sweetheart, with two loud and loveable children and a Rottweiler shepherd. She loves yoga, blading, intelligence, and random craziness. I can personally vouch for the "random craziness" part (big smile). She hangs out on Facebook, and Twitter (@dr_sassy).

Interview with USA Today bestselling author, M. L. “Matt” Buchman. He has 60+ novels in action-adventure thrillers, and contemporary and military romance. Also a prolific short story writer, he’s published over 100 short stories and narrated a lot of his own audiobooks. Publisher’s Weekly says about his Miranda Chase thrillers, “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” Three times, Booklist chose one of Matt’s books for their “Top 10 Romance of the Year” designation, and among “The 20 Best Romantic Suspense Novels: Modern Masterpieces.” NPR and B&N have chosen Matt’s books in the: “Best 5 Romance of the Year.” A thirty-year project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and he quilts. I think of him as a renaissance man one rarely meets in today’s world. Though we talk about his diverse career, we spend the most time on his Miranda Chase series and how he’s migrated from writing a contemporary romances to roantic suspense and now thrillers. But he’s not only writing thrillers. He’s still putting creating new stories in romance, mystery, and suspense. Learn more about Matt and his books at his website and at the Dust Jackets website with special pages for all of our interviews. You can also catch him on Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in further information or interviews, Matt has done a number of interviews around both his fiction books and his nonfiction. He has them all linked here on his Interviews Page.

Interview with fiction and nonfiction author, Joan Ramirez also known as J. L. Regen. Her nonfiction books for children have been a primary focus of her early career. Her wonderful book on autism, Jamie is Autistic, is available in Chinese, Spanish, and English. It’s designed to help children understand different ways of learning. Also published are two leadership books for students Go for It Leadership Handbook, and Let It Go Let It Flow Leadership. For adults, Joan has recently published The Write Rules, a writing handbook for ESL adults looking to improve their writing, presentation and communication skills. This book has also established the foundations of a new consulting and teaching business for Joan, helping adults where English is not their first language prepare written material to enhance their small business communication efforts. In fiction, Joan has written short stories that have appeared in online mystery and suspense publications. Her first novel, Secret Desires is now available. It is an adult coming-of-age story that looks at two people who have suffered loss and are struggling to find a way to start over. Learn more about Joan at her website https://joansbookshelf.com and at https://dustjacketauthors.com where you can access additional information and keep in touch regarding new podcast videos.

Interview with critically-acclaimed literary author, Fabienne Marsh. Fabienne is the author of four novels and numerous works of non-fiction. Her film credits have appeared on dozens of documentary films and she has taught writing at both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota. Marsh has served as a writer-consultant for Nickelodeon, HBO, Turner Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting (WNET and WETA). Her lighter works of non-fiction include Dave'sWorld, with co-author Michael Cader about David Letterman, and the coffee-table book, Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years, for which Marsh interviewed Candice Bergen, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and other cast members. Learn more about Fabienne at her website https://www.fabiennemarsh.com/ and at https://dustjacketauthors.com where you can access additional information and keep in touch regarding new podcasts.