[RKB Writes Interviews – A. Keith Carreiro]

Keith Carreiro is a multi-award-winning author, as well as a poet and classical guitarist with a lifelong addiction to storytelling. Mountain ranges and coastlines fascinate him, yet he still remains stymied in suburbia. Faith, music, family, friends, and two fur babies help sustain him.

He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His academic focus, including his ongoing research agenda, centers upon philosophically examining how creativity and critical thinking are gained, learned, used, and practiced in the literary, visual, and performing arts. He has taken his findings and applied them to the professional development of educational practitioners and other creative artists.

He is writing a planned nine‒book series titled The Immortality Wars. It is a sci‒fi, fantasy, and spiritual thriller based on Christian themes. The second trilogy, the Pilgrim, is currently being written. The first trilogy, the Penitent, was published by Stillwater River Publications in August 2019.

Keith is passionate about creating worlds infused with science fiction and fantasy. Throw in a little bit of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Lee Child along with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and he is happy to say that these writers are his heroes who inspire him to write stories that enchant, terrify, and hopefully entertain his readers.

You can follow Keith through his social channels:

Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

At a very young age, I fell in love with storytelling. The first stories I heard were told by family members who all had the riveting ability to tell me the events of their lives and our family history. I learned about what life was like for them in the Azores and here in America from the time my grandfather first immigrated to the United States in 1900. These stories took me back in time to the first half of the 20^th century. They were also steeped in the music of the islands and Portugal. My grandmother was a well‒known singer of a style of music called cantigas ao desafio, or song duels. Philosophical, sublime, insulting, and cutting straight to the heart or personality of those being singled out for ridicule, these desafios revealed the soul and spirit of the Azorean worldview.

Often, cantodores (singers) would visit my grandparent’s home, stay for hours at a time and music would spill over into our lives with much laughter and delight shared between the musicians, singers and listeners. A musical style called Fado (fate, destiny) would pour forth and the fadistas (Fado singers) present were some of the finest in our area, some even coming from the Azores and the mainland as well to visit with us.

When I was seven, some of the musicians let me join them. I played my American, classical guitar with their Portuguese instruments, consisting of a guitarra Portuguesa, a couple of steel string acoustic guitars, and one to three mandolins. I played this music until I was sixteen.

In the meantime, I became an avid reader and fell in love with the cinema.

These experiences instilled in me a deep love of telling stories. I began to write short stories and then turned to poetry when I entered high school. Years later, I did academic research and wrote about my inquiry into creativity and critical thinking. In 2014, after wanting to write fiction novels, I began writing The Immortality Wars, which is a sci‒fi, fantasy, spiritual thriller based on Christian themes.  These glimpses into life inspired me. I wanted to participate in unleashing the same kind of lightning in a spellbinding tale.

Describe your desk / writing space.

I have turned my living room into a writer’s retreat and office. I am surrounded by books, manuscripts, papers, and art work, as well as outlines of my story ideas that are placed on the two walls next to my desk computer.

Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?

After my teaching is over for the academic year, I usually begin writing in mid‒May throughout the summer and into October. My daily goal is to write a minimum of 500 words.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

Creating titles for my books usually involves inspiration: researching an idea that leads to a working title, a memory of a dream providing a suggestion for a title, something said in a random conversation, or something read that sparks key phrases. Listening to music or watching a movie sometimes unleashes word impressions that lead to options for book titles also. Sometimes, they seem to drop into my awareness fully dressed as if they are all ready to go out partying at the nearest library or book store.

What was the hardest scene for you to write? What types of scenes are your favorite to write?

One of the most challenging scenes for me to write in the Pilgrim – Part I was the one involving a character named Chén Liú. He is one of the greatest beings of his time. His levels of observation, intelligence, memory, physical stamina, fierceness, and combat skills brought him to the pinnacle of his race. He was the first out of one hundred of the most powerful and influential cyborgs to sign the Armistice between humans and machines in 2455 Old Earth Time. I wanted to have the reader see him in his adopted home setting, which is on an exoplanet called Aion that is located between the first and fourth quadrant on the Carina–Sagittarius Arm in the Milky Way. The machines settled on this spiral arm of the Galaxy, which is directly on the other side of the Galaxy from human settlement.

The types of scenes that I love to write are created as if I were a cinematographer. I see them as if they are being filmed. Sometimes I hear a musical score or piece of one that allows me to get a literary signature of a scene.

What inspired your book/series?

When I was a boy my parents let me go to the movie theater to see Ben‒Hur (1959). I was completely in awe of this film. I was completely immersed in watching a powerful human drama set within the time of Christ. I never experienced anything like it. From that moment on, I wanted to see if I could ever write something similar. When I was older I read J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954 – 1955). The same powerful response to Tolkien’s work that I had to Lew Wallace’s (1880) work of Ben‒Hur, as translated by director William Wallace onto the “big screen,” occurred.

In 2014, I felt I was ready to write, even attempt, such a story. I recalled the quote by Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” It is Clarke’s third law about the future.

I wondered what it would be like if I could somehow bring people from the 18^th century, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John and Abigail Adams, into the 21^st century. These folks are people from a fire and horse culture. What would they think of our present day world if they were taken to New York City, Paris, London, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, and Shanghai? Would they think of me as a mighty conjuror or wizard?

Then I thought, What would I think and believe if someone from the 26^th century brought me into their world? What would such a world look like? What would civilization become? What would happen to faith? To science? To people?

That scenario became the basis for the beginning idea of the series.

What are you working on next?

I am researching and story boarding the fifth novel, the Pilgrim – Part II.

What authors or books have influenced you to start writing?

J. R. Tolkien, Lew Wallace, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, T. S. White, Stephen R. Donaldson, Terry Goodkind, Frank Herbert, The Brothers Grimm, Lee Child, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and The Bible

If you had to compare your writing to another author which one would that be?

It would be an honor to be compared to any of the writers listed above, but Tolkien seems the best for the worlds he created as well as the story and beings he placed in his tales of Middle Earth.

Is there genre you’d like to write but never have?

There are at least two, one being a crime/thriller story, and the other being historical fiction.

Do you enjoy writing short stories or long form i.e., manuscripts? And why?

I enjoy writing both, but I am passionate about writing and concluding this series. For now, I enjoy writing manuscripts.

What advice would you give to unpublished writers?

I don’t believe I am at the point in my fictional writing life to give advice to other authors or even unpublished writers. However, I do believe it is important that we communicate with one another about our writing journeys, and that we consider advocating for those of our contemporaries who are also scribbling away in like manner.

In 1974, I wrote Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) a heartfelt letter about the impact his book, Theophilus North (1973) had upon me. Much to my delight and surprise, he wrote a handwritten letter to me. He advised that I surround myself with three kinds of people if I hoped to lead a fulfilling life. He believed it is important to be able to teach those who seek your advice and knowledge. At the same time, it is important to be with your peers in order to share the knowledge you have accrued with them. Likewise, it is important to be with individuals who have attained mastery of their art and work. We have much to learn from them.

I would like to apply Wilder’s concept of human flourishing to be the basis for sound advice to other authors and writers. It is one of the reasons I am glad that I am a member of the Association of Rhode Island Authors.

Do you have a new book coming out? If so, what’s the title and when?

Yes, I have a new book coming out called, the Pilgrim – Part I. It is the fourth book in a planned nine‒book series called The Immortality Wars. This series will consist of a trilogy of trilogies. The first is called the Penitent and the third trilogy will be called the Prophet. I will be releasing it on Saturday, September 16, 2023, in Dublin, Ireland where I am scheduled to be a key presenter at The International Dublin Writers’ Festival (15-17 September).

This novel is currently available in eBook and paperback versions on Amazon and Ingram.

[RKB Writes Interviews – Michael Jovin]

I was born in Brooklyn NY but raised mostly in Providence RI. I love to read anime manga, novels, play video games, and Sci-Fi and fantasy genres in movies and tv shows. My love of writing started in high school, and I carried it into college. Though I never majored in writing I took a lot of short story and screenwriting classes to keep up with my interests and explore different writing styles.

You can follow Michael through his social channels:

Amazon | Goodreads | Instagram |

Do you have a new book coming out? If so, what’s the title and when?

I am currently writing my second book in the Beyond the Forest Series called Remnants of LaRa. Hopefully it will be ready by early next year (February).

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

What inspired me to write was the stories in my head. I had and still have all these cool and interesting ideas for characters and plot that I want to put down and create new and interesting stories for others to love as well. I enjoy when people gather together in forums or social media and discuss the plot and lore of what they are interested in. It gives me motivation to write a great story where everyone is talking about it trying to find out what will happen next and why it moves them.

Describe your desk / writing space.

My writing space is all over the place lol, I write from my bedroom on my laptop, I write at work when I have downtime in from of my computer, and sometimes I can write a little on the go on my phone if I have some cool ideas. I try to write mostly in the mornings to early afternoons. Mornings are the best because you feel more refresh and the ideas are not crowed with daily routine stuff yet.

Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?

I try to have a routine as in the time of day I write, but I mostly write when I’m inspired. Sometimes something triggers it like reading something really good or sometimes its just my surroundings and what is going on in the world. My mind lights up and I continue my adventures.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

Honestly those are hard lol, but I kind of start writing and let the story create the title. I usually ask myself what is this about and most of the time the title comes about. Sometimes I come up with titles but after writing I end up changing it.

What was the hardest scene for you to write? What types of scenes are your favorite to write?

The hardest scenes to write are the dialogue scenes when nothing else is happening but the two characters talking. If you add another character it becomes easier because that third character has to pick a side sometimes and that makes it interesting and fun. My favorite scenes to writing are action scenes because you can make anything happen and your characters have to navigate through it all. I write the scenes and I watch as my characters go through them in my head and I just sit back as they amaze me.

What inspired your book/series?

The three things that inspired my book series are 1. Power Rangers, because they were my first superheroes and I enjoyed the team up aspect and loyalty between them in fighting with your friends to stop evil. 2. Star Wars, because I fell in love with that space opera and the roller coaster ride of characters, fighting, scenery, and storytelling. 3. One Piece, because no other story I’ve read has this much world building, story, and heart. The characters, the lore, the places and adventures, and last but not least the fighting and special abilities.

What are you working on next?

I am going to be working on a movie next after my second book comes out.  I’ve had this story I wanted to tell for a while now (10+ years) and now I’m starting to put things together for it.  I’m going to be working on the screen play and get things rolling eventually.

What authors or books have influenced you to start writing?

The books that I have really enjoyed and got me going were Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Stephen King 11/22/63, Ernest Cline Ready Player One, and Lois Lowry, The Giver.  I’m currently reading Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, and Jennifer Fallon, Lion of Senet.

If you had to compare your writing to another author which one would that be?

Before a few days ago I would have said no one, I kind of write in my own style, but recently I have seen some similarities from Jennifer Fallon.  She is 100x better than me, but I find myself looking at the way she uses her words and descriptions and I like them and could see myself going about it similarly.

Is there genre you’d like to write but never have?

I would say maybe horror.  I was a big horror fan growing up and I still like some horror movies and tv shows, but it’s a genre I don’t really get into nowadays so I probably wouldn’t do it any justice.

Do you enjoy writing short stories or long form i.e., manuscripts? And why?

I like short stories, that’s where I started and continued on to long forms of writing in script and light novels.  I like a quick story where you have to tell something compelling and interesting in a limited amount of space without it feeling like you left anything out.  I also like longer stories where it’s like take a seat, get comfy, grab your favorite drink and enjoy the ride.

What advice would you give to unpublished writers?

I would say if you have a cool idea or interesting story that has been brewing in your mind for a while, go for it.  Just write what you have so far and when its all on paper it will free up your mind to fill in the holes and make it better.  But first you have to release whatever you have in your mind and write it down; your story will motivate you to continue and maybe it will motivate others and your story will be in the forums and social media being talked about because they love it so much.

JC Brown is a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy author who loves to whisk her readers away on larger-than-life adventures into fantastical worlds. As a passionate wordsmith since Middle School, she enjoys nothing more than writing page-turning novels that capture readers’ imaginations with werewolves, magic, feisty heroines, and the charming hunks they fall for. From high-octane action and edge-of-your-seat suspense to pulse-pounding reverse harems, you’ll always find something to love in her books.

JC or as her family knowns her as “Mistress of Minions” currently resides in the New England area with her four wonderful goblins, a hysterical husband, and her supportive parents. When not dreaming up her next story idea, you can find her cooking Cuban meals or watching scary movies

JC’s next book, Poisoned Princess: A Dark Reverse Harem, Snow White Fairytale Retelling comes out July 1, 2023.

You can follow JC through her social channels:

Amazon | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookbub | Website

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

I am a mother of too many children and the wife to a giant toddler. Kidding. My husband is more like a preteen class clown. But he is supportive and makes me laugh. I have always been interested in reading and writing. I can remember the day I found my mom’s old typewriter in my grandmother’s attic, she let me keep it and that what I wrote my first story on. One that will never see the light of day of course, but it absolutely kickstarted my passion for storytelling. As I got older, I wrote fan fiction, and horror stories with my best friend. I write stories about crazy adventures and romance that couldn’t be possible in the real world. I wanted to write things that would help people escape like reading did for me.

Describe your desk / writing space.

My desk is a mess. It’s what I call organized chaos. But I rarely sit at my desk. I do most of my work on my laptop all over the house. My wonderful husband understands my need to move around and bought me a rolling desk. I wheel it all over the living room and kitchen, sometimes I even drag it out into the yard.

Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?

I wish. I hope to one day when my children are all old enough to fend for themselves and can leave me the heck alone. Right now, I try to write during the day while they are in school, or very late at night while they are all sleeping. It’s basically whenever I have time to write, I will try.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

That’s a good question and I’d love to tell you, my process. When I figure it out for myself. Really it is just completely random and sometimes it is a struggle because nothing feels right. I still have a few stories I haven’t published because I don’t know what to call them.

What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?

This one was a fairly easy question for me. Some of the hardest scenes I’ve written were in Asmodeus the Gift of Lust. You think from the title its just a nice, smutty, angel and demons’, enemies to lovers’ book but it is definitely much more. It touches on some heavy topics that even the scenes that allude to them are difficult.

Some of my favorites though would be all of the Meeting Scenes in the Sinful Seven Novels. The demons that represent the seven deadly sins all come together and have quarterly meetings to discuss their progress. Shenanigans often happen during these times.

What inspired your book/series?
The Obsidian Crown Series that the Poisoned Princess is a part of just came from my desire to make a spicy fairytale retelling. It is a reverse harem and I wanted to keep the theme of snow white and the seven dwarves so here we are. We have snow white and her seven sexy werewolves. There is no way I could fit all their own character arcs, romance arc and retelling arc into one book so a series is born.
The Sinful Seven Novels on the other hand was a product of my co-author’s mind. However, I will say that it is super interesting to have a series with overlapping time frames and characters, yet still be able to read them out of order if you so choose.

What are you working on next?
I have ADHD so I am almost always working on more than one thing at a time. Currently I am working with my co-author Lena Lane on Leviathan the Gift of Envy, the third installment in our Sinful Seven Novels. I am also working on a prequel of sorts to the Poisoned Princess for the Sigils and Spells anthology that is currently up for preorder.
My writing schedule is packed. When those are finished, I have another a short story in an exclusive anthology for a literary event I will be attending in July, and of course book two of the Obsidian Crown Series.

What authors or books have influenced your writing?
Well, I love Laurel K Hamilton. She is one of my favorite authors and I would say she is one of the reasons that I write. Before I decided to make the leap into self-publishing my big dream was to be published under Penguin Putnam Inc., like her. Some craft books that have really helped me along on my writing journey is Save the Cat writes a novel by Jessica Brody. I used to be a pantser but my ADHD would often take me on what I like to call “side quests” that wouldn’t further the actual main plot and often left me directionless. It helped me to plan a structure, a skeleton outline that even if I take a “side quest” I will always come back to the main quest.

If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
Silver City. I don’t even have to think about it. It’s crawling with werewolves and of course you know that I love all the shifters, especially the wolves. I’d be moving in hoping to find my fated mate. (That is of course, If I wasn’t already married to my very human fated mate already lol)

What is your favorite meal?
I love Korean food. My favorite meal is Korean Barbeque. You get to eat so many delicious things and it’s a great experience. But if you don’t count that it’s definitely Rabokki.

Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
Why Choose. Coffee is my go too beverage in the morning. Afternoons I drink different forms of tea and water all day. Usually during my editing though ill have a glass of wine because edits are never any fun.

Describe yourself in three words.
I am a self-described “Hot Mess Express”. Ha ha.

RKB Writes Author Interviews

Gledé Browne Kabongo writes gripping, unputdownable psychological thrillers. She is the Eric Hoffer, Next Generation Indie, IPPY and National Indie Excellence Award-winning author of the Fearless Series, Our Wicked Lies, Fool Me Twice, and Conspiracy of Silence. Her novel Winds of Fear was voted one of 24 Books to Read During the Coronavirus by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.

Gledé holds a master’s degree in communications and has spoken at multiple industry events including the Boston Book Festival, Sisters in Crime (SinC) New England Crime Bake and the Women in Publishing Summit. She lives outside Boston with her husband and two sons.

Her new book, Reign of Fear arrives May/June 2023.

You can follow Gledé through her social channels:

Amazon | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookbub | Website

Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?

I’ve always loved stories and reading. Growing up in the Caribbean, I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, as well as the Famous Five series by British author, Enid Blyton. Back then, I was around nine or ten years old and wanted to be a journalist, so I studied journalism in college and did some freelancing afterward. It wasn’t until 2005 that I was struck with the writing (fiction) bug.

Describe your desk / writing space.

My desk is L-shaped with lots of drawers. There’s also a ton of space for other stuff besides my laptop; a printer, piles of books, mugs, and a candle. I sometimes burn scented candles when I’m writing.

Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?

I used to write when inspired but figured that’s not a recipe for commercial fiction success. Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to stick to a routine, even if I don’t reach the word count I set for the day. Every little bit adds up. I’m also trying to embrace writing out of sequence.  I have a nasty little habit of abandoning the manuscript when I get stuck. Instead, I write scenes as standalones and determine where they best fit in the story later on.

How do you come up with the title to your books?

That’s a fun game I love to play. I write the blurb for the novel first. That helps me to think about the story holistically. The title also needs to align with the genre and give readers an idea of what the story is about.

Sometimes I will look up how many books already have the title I’m considering. The novel I released in 2021, Our Wicked Lies, was originally called House of Lies and I even had the cover done under that title. Then I remembered there was a series on Showtime starring Don Cheadle with the same name, as well as a few books on Amazon.  I changed my book title to Wicked Lies but the competition was still stiff so I added “Our” to the title and that’s what stuck.

What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?

The hardest scenes to write are the big ones that are crucial to the plot and will have a big emotional impact. I spend a lot of time figuring out how to approach those scenes because they’re multi-layered and have major repercussions for the characters and change the trajectory of the story in some instances.

My favorite scenes to write are the ones when opposing characters, i.e. antagonist and protagonist interact. What’s going on beneath the surface is just as important as what they say or do if not more so.

What inspired your book/series?

My Fearless series was inspired by my novel Fool Me Twice. My teenage character, Abbie Cooper, was also a POV character in that novel and I felt that she had so much more to say. Readers liked her so I thought it would be a great idea to build a series around her. Turns out that was a good decision. Some of the most gut-wrenching, emotionally brutal writing I’ve ever done is in that series. I won four book awards which was nice validation. Reign of Fear, the final book will be released in late spring of 2023.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on a standalone next, about three friends who are hiding bombshell secrets from their pasts. Someone is threatening to expose the truth unless they confess.

What authors or books have influenced your writing? I think there is a type of storytelling that has influenced my writing more so than particular books or authors. I like big epic stories with compelling characters and plot, multiple POVs, emotional depth and of course suspense. When I was in college, I read James Michener’s novel, Caribbean. That story stayed with me all these years because of the way it was skillfully told. Michener wove a fictional story using 700 years of Caribbean history— history I grew up studying— as a backdrop for a sweeping saga filled with compelling, larger-than-life characters, tumultuous history, romance, and intertwined destinies.

The paperback edition of the book is almost 900 pages in length and I devoured every page because the story was that powerful. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is another one of my favorites because of similar characteristics. That book almost reads like a thriller but again, the storytelling, compelling characters, multiple POVs, themes such as revenge, which is common in thrillers, and the emotional heft all resonated with me.

What is your favorite meal? I don’t have one, but I do like seafood and a good steak.

Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? – Coffee, black or tea but it has to be fruit-flavored. I love tangerine, peach and mint, although mint isn’t technically a fruit.

Describe yourself in three words. – analytical, curious, compassionate.