And talking about Association of Rhode Island Authors (in full disclosure I’m on the board), ARIA’s Writing Academy had our first class and it went well. So well, we’re doing 2 in May! The first class instructed by ARIA’s VP, Tabitha Lord. The class is on May 11th at 7pm via Zoom.
The second class is by J. Michael Squatrito, Jr., he’s ARIA’s President and the class will be in-person on May 25th at 7pm.
Television News:
Well, The Mandalorian finished it third season, Bad Batch finished up their second and third season of Picard nailed the landing even if I have nitpicks about who survived the finale. It’s funny they tried to stay away from the fan service for two seasons and look what happened. They turn into the fan servicing skid and they nailed it. I think this is why Discovery took so long to find itself as a show not for the fan servicing but finding people who liked Star Trek.
The Diplomat on Netflix is worth watching if you’re missing on West Wing-type of show that doesn’t slow down so the audience can catch up.
Silo on Apple TV on May 5th is based on book series written by Hugh Howey. If you’re into sci-fi/post apocalyptic and if you haven’t read the Silo series, I’d suggest tracking it down. The trailers look great and a lot of A-List stars.
Reading News:
I finished up Lockwood and Co. and enjoyed the series. I’m guessing from the lack of news of season 2 on Netflix means no season 2 but you never know, one can hope. It’s unfortunate that with all the attempts to create a Buffy-esque show on Netflix, Lockwood nailed it in the first episode, having a thought out universe helped.
Free Comic Book Day is upon us on May 6th just in time for the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie. May sure to support your local comic book store!
Rhode Island based psychologist, J. L. Doucette is the author of the Dr. Pepper Hunt Mysteries. Her new novel, On a Quiet Street, is the second in the series following her award-winning debut, Last Seen. After earning a doctorate in counseling psychology from Boston University she moved to southwest Wyoming. The stark landscape of the high-desert, where a constant wind stirs crimes of passion, is the setting for her psychological mysteries.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I have always loved stories and the beauty and effectiveness of words to convey meaning. The first adult book I read was Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I was moved by the insight the book provided into the character’s internal experience. I wanted to be able to do that.
Describe your desk / writing space. My desk is in front of a large window that overlooks a river. On the desk I have lots of small mementos of Wyoming the setting for My mystery novels.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired? I write most mornings. I used to be a night writer, but the timing switched organically for no particular reason I can point to. I like morning writing it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I feel more alive on the days I write in the morning I think because of the mental boost from being creative.
How do you come up with the title to your books? The titles, Last Seen, On A Quiet Street, and Unknown Assailant are all terms I read in newspaper reports of murders.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write? In my last novel there are two love scenes because the relationship between the two main characters progressed to that level of intimacy. These scenes were hard to write because I wanted them to convey the various levels of intimacy experienced. My favorite scene was in the first novel, where one of the detectives visits the crimes scene, which happens to be on the top of a mountain, and he is confronting the desolation of the landscape and the corresponding desolation of the crime.
What inspired your book/series? True crime stories which I then altered and amplified into fiction I am drawn to rime with strong psychological context.
What are you working on next? Book 4 in the Dr. Pepper Hunt Mystery Series. The working title is Innocent Bystander, which begins with an infant kidnapping.
What authors or books have influenced your writing? Tana French, the Irish author The Dublin Murder Squad Series and Jane Harper, the Australian suspense author. author. They both create ensemble characters that develop through the series.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live? A tropical island in the 1930’s
What is your favorite meal? Steak Frites
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? Coffee, wine
Describe yourself in three words. Curious. Persistent. Resilient.
Novelist and historian Diane Josefowicz is the author of Ready, Set, Oh, a novel published in 2022 by Minneapolis-based Flexible Press. A novella, L’Air du Temps (1985), is forthcoming from Regal House in 2024. Her fiction and essays have been widely anthologized and have appeared in Conjunctions, Fence, Dame, LA Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is also the author, with Jed Z. Buchwald, of two histories of Egyptology, The Riddle of the Rosetta (2020) and The Zodiac of Paris (2010), both from Princeton University Press. She lives in Providence, RI.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
The summer I was thirteen, I wrote a novel from start to finish on a yellow legal pad while hiding out from the rain—it was an incredibly wet summer—at the Cranston Public Library on Sockanossett Cross Road. What I loved—and I want to be absolutely honest about this—was the way those finished pages felt, their heft and texture. I’m left-handed, so writing in ink results in a smeary, messy page, and I loved that too. In my family I played the role of the unfailingly steady person, the reliable producer of good grades and athletic accomplishments. I wasn’t supposed to have an inner life, to respond in any authentic way to anyone or be unpredictably moved by anything. The page was one place where I could be freely imperfect, even messy. I threw those pages away because I didn’t want anyone to know I’d written anything.
Describe your desk / writing space:
I work at my grandmother’s make-up table, which I inherited after her death. It’s a delicate piece of furniture with thin legs and ball-in-claw feet. I’ve got my own office, with a wall full of bookshelves and a separate work table where books and papers tend to pile up. I’m usually working on a few things at once, and the projects are organized over there.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I write in notebooks, so I can jot things down when I’m out and about. I try to write every day, and I make a point of getting a few hours of dedicated writing time into just about every weekday. I sometimes write on weekends, but I like to keep those days free for reading and doing other things that don’t involve screens.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
My publishers have titled most of my books so far. It’s a marketing decision.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
They’re all hard. Most of my writing happens through intense revision.
What inspired your book/series?
Ready, Set, Oh is a novel that takes place in the late Sixties in and around Providence, Rhode Island. It’s about two families in very different economic circumstances and what happens when two of their children become seriously romantically involved. The Vietnam war threatens one of those children, who is vulnerable to the draft; the other character gets in trouble because she’s pregnant and can’t get the abortion she might otherwise want. They’re in a terrible bind, both as individuals and as a couple, and the story unfolded naturally from their struggle inside this crucible of history and circumstances. I should add that I spent my early adulthood getting a PhD in history of science at MIT. One of my professors told me this: “The five years before your birth are the site of your biggest historical amnesia.” So I had thought a lot about that period, the late Sixties. I wondered what I could actually know about it. My parents had many fights about the meaning of those times; weirdly, so did all my professors. It was as if they were all trying to deal with some huge ongoing invisible trauma. So this struck me. Then, when I began writing Ready, Set, Oh, it was 2003, and the US was slipping into what was, to me, a very questionable and poorly justified war in Iraq. There was a lot of talk, too, about Vietnam, especially as the first casualty reports came back. I realized that war had informed so much of my life and yet, I had spent almost no time interrogating this, thinking about it. But I’d just had a baby, and her arrival sort of drew a line under my ignorance. I was worried about her future while being newly confused about the past. The book came out of those feelings.
What are you working on next?
L’Air du Temps (1985) is coming out next year, and that’s a story of a teenager named Zinnia Zompa who is stuck in a Rhode Island suburb in 1985. Weird things are happening—a neighbor is brutally murdered, everyone’s going crazy trying to make their lawns as green as possible, and Lincoln Continentals are parked in every driveway despite the skyrocketing price of gasoline. Zinnia’s just trying to make sense of it all, and along the way, she has a few adventures. I’m also finishing a revision of a novel about the housing boom and the beginnings of the opioid epidemic of the early aughts, though I would not necessarily say that on the jacket cover. Remember when everyone was in the business of “flipping” houses? There was so much manic energy around that, so much attention paid to it. And yet, behind and beneath it, there was also this wildfire of addiction and despair. How did that happen?
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
I went to Brown in the 1990s, when the creative writing program was deeply imbued with the fabulism of Robert Coover, Angela Carter, Rikki Ducornet. These were my first teachers. At MIT I worked with Anita Desai, whose sharp eye for narrative structure helped me clarify the difference between good storytelling and kinds of history I had been reading and writing. I love the moody Europeans: Péter Nádas, Bohumil Hrabal, Stefan Heym, Claudio Magris, Eugen Ruge. As far as contemporaries go, I’m a huge fan of Daisy Hildyard and Helen Dewitt.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
I would live in Paris, where I spend part of every year.
What is your favorite meal?
Potato chips and Chardonnay. I don’t have this very often, for obvious reasons, but it is my favorite.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
I once met a powerful businesswoman who made a fantastic recommendation: For dessert, always have coffee and another glass of Chardonnay.
Errick Nunnally was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, he served one tour in the Marine Corps before deciding art school would be a safer—and more natural—pursuit. He is permanently distracted by art, comics, science fiction, history, and horror. Trained as a graphic designer, he has earned a black belt in Krav Maga/Muay Thai kickboxing after dark.
Errick’s work includes: the novels, BLOOD FOR THE SUN and LIGHTNING WEARS A RED CAPE; LOST IN TRANSITION, a comic strip collection; and first prize in one hamburger contest.
The following are some short stories and their respective magazines or anthologies: PENNY INCOMPATIBLE (Lamplight, v.6, #3 and the Podcast NIGHTLIGHT); JACK JOHNSON AND THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE OF THE GALAXY (The Final Summons); WELCOME TO THE D.I.V. (Wicked Witches); A FEW EXTRA POUNDS (Transcendent); and A HUNDRED PEARLS (PROTECTORS 2: stories to benefit PROTECT.ORG). Eventually, Errick came to his senses and moved to Rhode Island with his two lovely children and one beautiful wife.
He is currently working on a novella and a novel. The novella is currently under wraps, but the novel is The Headless Woman, sequel to All The Dead Men and that’ll be it for the Alexander Smith novels. For now.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I’ve always been interested in stories. My earliest memories are my mother reading comic books like Fantastic Four and Hulk to me, the Lee/Kirby stuff. My curiosity was primarily focused in illustrative storytelling such as comics and cartoons. I ended up with a lot of action figures like Micronaughts and Marvel heroes. I needed multiple characters to play out the stories that kept popping into my head. My mother and grandmother were very crafty, so none of the toys I had remained in their “universe.” I’d recreate all sorts of costumes and tools, and create new characters. Some of that stuff stuck with me for so long, those ideas made it into Lightning Wears A Red Cape. I think, like most genre writers, the first inkling that I might write a novel came from reading Fantasy and Science-Fiction. Horror came later, mostly through those genres.
Describe your desk / writing space.
Essentially any flat surface where I can be left alone for an hour or two! To be honest, I have a desk in the basement, half surrounded by bookcases and my other stuff that I use. It helps to have the things I can’t let go of around me. Just items of interest from writing utensils, notebooks, novels, dice, lava lamp, little things my kids have made, the list goes on. I do try to keep space on the desk, however, I hate complete disarray.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I wish I had a writing routine! I write when inspired, yes, but also when I have time. My responsibilities to family, home, and work chew up quite a bit of time. I write whenever I can, basically. And it has been that way for years now. The upside is developing the discipline to write when needed.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
No idea! I do enjoy a punchy title or phrase. I think I’ve been mimicking the movie-style of titles, generally keeping it between two and four, relatively short words. Trends change and rules get broken, however. The working title for my novella is rather long!
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
In general, I think scenes of deep despair or loss are the most difficult. Especially when it comes to kids. For instance, two of the most recent were in the anthologies The Bad Book and Fright Train. The former involves the main character’s mother having her teeth taken and why. The latter is witnessing the final breaths of a mother and daughter. In the Alexander Smith series, the hardest scenes to write are Alexander’s inner-dialogue when he’s suffering mental collapse, particularly when they’re triggered by loss—losing his mind, his daughter, his lover.
What inspired your book/series?
Alzheimer’s and dementia. Memory loss, overall, along with Black and Indigenous trauma. Both of my grandmothers and one of my aunts suffered through memory loss in their twilight years. I used to get these elongated postcards with missing children on one side. There’s also the inequity of attention when BIPOC kids go missing. Mix all of that with my love of thrillers and werewolves and my loathing for cultured vampires… This all came together in a comic I painted, around 1996. I collaborated with a friend at school to develop the idea as a comic but we never got beyond plots and sketches. The idea stuck with me for over a decade after that, until I wrote the novel as a challenge for myself when I was laid and unable to find work for a couple of years.
What are you working on next?
Two things: 1) A coming-of-age novella set in 1970s Boston during the aftermath of Civil Rights and COINTELPRO, the heyday of music, at least one explosion, an illicit bookstore, and the possibility of having an alien mother. 2) The third book in the Alexander Smith series which explains much about where he was going (New Orleans) when he ended up in Boston at the start of the series, the origins of weres and vamps, demigods, a zombie henchman, two undead alligators, sorcery, voudon, etcetera, etcetera. The usual stuff.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
David Gerrold (most of his books), Kim Harrison (the Hollows series), Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim), Walter Mosley (Easy Rawlins and others), Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson), Lilith Saintcrow (Jill Kismet), a stupid amount of comic books, and whatever else caught my eye along the way.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
Kauai, probably.
What is your favorite meal?
That’s a moving target, but I’d reckon an all-beef hot dog is a constant!
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
Assam tea, usually. Red wine, beer, and cocktails. I can’t bear the flavor of coffee. It tastes like perverted chocolate, and I love chocolate.
Doctor Strange 2 Electric Boogaloo – Gets an A for getting Raimi back in the directing chair. A for the cameos that have already leaked. A for the horror-vibes that I think my audience wasn’t prepared for. It gets a D for not sticking the landing. The stingers are coming up with characters I need to look up on Wikipedia, Elementals did the same thing.
Top Gun: Maverick – Go see this on the biggest screen you can find. Loved it.
Lightyear: – I want to see this but the fact it’s PG and school is out. I may wait even though the designs look awesome. The art book is already out, btw.
Jurassic World 2: Bringing back the original cast and the new cast. The reviews have not been favorable.
Television News:
Night Sky: Amazon Prime – looks fun haven’t watch it yet.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Paramount+ – Awesome.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Disney +
Ms Marvel: Drops Friday on Disney+.
Umbrella Academy: Season 3 on Netflix in late June.
The Boys: Season 3 on Amazon Prime.
Stranger Things Part 2: On Netflix in July.
She-Hulk: Drops in August on Disney+
Andor: Drops in August on Disney+ 12 episode for season 1 and 12 for season 2 that ends just in time for Rogue One to begin. I have hopes this will introduce characters from Rebels.
Whew. This reminds me of September in the before times when the new network shows would drop and my DVR would be full by the end of the week.
Book 2 Update
I think I found the problem with book 2 and that means dumping 27k words. We’ll see what happens..
I told myself if I watched an episode a week there wouldn’t be a lull between Parts 1 and 2 of season 4. Alas, I was week and watched it all. It was perfect.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Episodes 1-3 have been great due to a character that wasn’t in the trailers just steals the show. Then we get to episode 4 and there’s just some bad directing in the last 5 minutes which I hope was just a goof.
Art by Paul “Wexal” Way
Book 2 Preview Scenes
The prologue, chapters 1-4 for book #2 has been posted to Wattpad. I’ve been posting scene previews to my monthly newsletter first then once the chapters are done I post them to Wattpad.
I should note, these previews haven’t been edited so there are most assuredly spelling and grammar errors
eBook Giveaways!
Help out an author, read their book and post a review of it!An awesome collection of YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy eBooks are available in the month of June!A great selection of ebooks for the month of June!
eBook Spotlight!
If there are any authors on the mailing list that wish to have their novel in the spotlight or are part of free book giveaway, it’s best to go through StoryOrigin and I’ll get it into the next email that goes out July 1st!
The Batman: (HBO/MAX) I’m happy to report that Matt Reaves got it right. Great soundtrack. Great movie. There’s no stinger scene at the end of the credits.
Doctor Strange 2: Electric Boogaloo dropped this week with Thor 4 arriving in the July slot. After the last tv trailer, the spoilers started to drop so I’d suggest staying off social media until you see it. I enjoyed it and I’m happy to see Sam Raimi directing again.
Television News:
Outer Range: Amazon Prime – They’re dropping 2 episodes per Friday of this show. It’s Yellowstone meets Lost. I liked the first episode of this more than Epic’s From. Altho, the season finale was stuffed to the gills and should’ve slowed down.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds – Paramount Plus – They’ve posted the opening credits for SNW and it’s next to perfect except for the fact they called Enterprisean it and not a she. I think after 4 years of Discovery finally finding itself, SNW knocked it out of the park for a season premier. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrived on May 5th.
Stranger Things – Netflix – Season 4 trailer. Season 4 is split in 2. May 27th for part 1 and July 1st for part 2. Oddly enough. Part 1 drops on the same date as show about some old hermit…
Obi-Wan – Disney+ – Trailer. 2 episodes drop May 27th since they moved the premier.
Book News:
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi– I’m not a big Kaiju fan. I enjoyed Pacific Rim, hated the sequel, enjoyed Godzilla, the sequel didn’t really work, I enjoyed King Kong but the G vs. KK was a bit much. So, I’m happy to report that KPS by John Scalzi is a fun read that I finished in a day. Go out and find it. I recommend anything Scalzi has written, he’s a great author.
Braking Day by Adam Oyebanji – I read the preview and thankfully it dropped into Libby Library app. If you like generational ship shenanigans then this should fit in your wheelhouse.
RKB’s Picks
Moon Knight is..um, something about Egyptian avatars and gods and um, I haven’t a clue and I’m loving it just for the fact you have F. Murray Abraham as a voice. If you’re looking for a Marvel series that has no connections at all to Marvel then this is your show.
Farscape. It’s a name synonymous with Sci-Fi Fridays before Sci-Fi Channel became Syfy. It wasn’t Star Trek or Star Wars, more like Buck Rogers meets Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (and for good reason since Henson was involved). It’s on Amazon Prime, go watch it all and enjoy the breath of fresh air.
Book 2 Updates
The When Riders Crosleigh word count bar:
57829 / 120000 words. 48% done!
I took April off to try and work on Last Crosleigh Standing during Camp NaNoWrimo. I think I fixed some problems.
The prologue, chapters 1-4 for book #2 has been posted to Wattpad.
I should note, these previews I’ve been posting haven’t been edited so there are most assuredly spelling and grammar errors.
eBook Giveaways!
An awesome collection of sci-fi eBooks are available in the month of May!A collection of sci-fi ebook box sets available in the month of May!New release! Project Charon 1. 99c!
eBook Spotlight!
If there are any authors on the mailing list that wish to have their novel in the spotlight or are part of free book giveaway, it’s best to go through StoryOrigin and I’ll get it into the next email that goes out June 1st!
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write? I always wanted to write, but my real-life job precluded me from spending enough time in that creative realm. When I retired in 2011, I devoted my energy to writing my first novel, Chocolate for Breakfast. Now I endeavor to write one book a year. It’s an optimistic goal, for sure.
Describe your desk / writing space. I have written books by hand in a spiral notebook! I think I wrote the bulk of two novels that way. When it’s time to type, I’m usually in front of my desktop computer with the massive monitor (for my old tired eyes), or, if possible, I go to the computer room at my local library and work uninterrupted for three hours.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired? I don’t believe the “rule” that a writer must write every day. Life happens! If a certain phrase strikes, type it into your phone. I write when I can.
How do you come up with the title to your books? Ah, that’s an interesting question. The title of my first novel, Chocolate for Breakfast, actually came to me one night when I couldn’t sleep. I got up and wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it! The next two books in the series needed to have the word ‘chocolate’ in the title, so that was a little easier. For my novel Bits of Broken Glass, I took the title from a fragment of a James Taylor lyric, because the song it comes from figures into the story. Sometimes I brainstorm a few titles and bounce them off a couple of trusted friends.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write? The hardest scene was in my first novel. I accurately depict the way my character Bernadette discovers that her father has died. This was word for word the way I found out. So, I relived it all, some 30+ years later. Second hardest was the sexual assault scene in my recent novel, The Summer of Princess Diana. My favorite scene to write was probably the ending of Villa del Sol because I had been struggling with the ending, and when it dawned on me, I was so joyous that I could make it work that I rushed to write it.
What inspired your book/series? Every book I’ve written has a kernel of truth in it, even if they’re novels. So the “Swiss Chocolate” series was inspired by my junior year abroad in Switzerland. Much of what goes into my books comes from what’s inside me; I just make up a lot of the other stuff.
What are you working on next? I recently returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain and am dying to include some of that in my new novel!
What authors or books have influenced your writing? Anna Quindlen, Elizabeth Strout, Claire Cook, Catherine Ryan Hyde. I respect and admire all of them.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live? Well, Switzerland – as long as I had plenty of money.
What is your favorite meal? Even though I’ve been trying to stay away from carbs, I could eat pizza every day.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? Coffee in the morning, tea throughout the day. Not much of a drinker anymore, a glass of wine with a good meal or an ice-cold beer in the summer!
Describe yourself in three words. Curious. Optimistic.
Tim is a fantasy and science fiction author looking to share his wild ideas with the world. He has been an avid reader for his entire life and has always enjoyed writing, whether it be a technical report for work or a fictional story.
He lives in New England with his lovely wife & adorable son. He is an automation engineer by day and enjoy using his skills to volunteer with several youth robotics programs.
His next title is a dragon romance novel, titled ‘The Dragon in the Lighthouse’. It’ll be out in Summer 2022.
1. Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I am a husband, father, mechanical engineer, and lifelong lover of all things literary. I’m usually reading 1-2 books, writing 1-3 stories, and desperately trying to escape our busy world by disappearing into the woods of New England. I love building LEGOs with my son, playing the occasional video game, and spending time with my family.
My inspiration for writing comes from my experiences in the world coupled with my love of fantasy and science fiction. When I’m out on hiking and camping trips, I tend to take in the scenery around me and try to imagine exciting tales which could happen there or happened in the past to make the scene look the way it is. Especially if it involves dragons.
2. Describe your desk / writing space. My desk is an old black sheet metal construction that I liberated from the dumpster bin at work. It’s covered in a variety of in-progress projects, bills to pay, and random tomfoolery which should have been put away by then (wip Magic: The Gathering decks, miniatures to paint, or random 3D printing projects).
3. Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired? My writing routine would be described as ‘haphazard’ at best. As I work a lot of hours, have a 6 yo, and try to escape the house into the woods to hike as often as possible, I tend to avoid my laptop when I can. But I enjoy writing while I eat lunch and after my son goes to bed. So, I don’t write consistently at the same time every single day, but I have consistent time periods where it does happen, when it happens.
4. How do you come up with the title to your books? I typically bulletize my story until I’m comfortable with ~75% of what will probably end up happening and then dive in without a title. While I type, I let the ideas/concepts simmer on the backburner and try to think of eye-catching words from the bullet list which might look nice sitting on my bookshelf. I then come up with 2-5 names and check out the Internet to see if that book name already exists or is something close.
Sometimes I sort things out and determine the name right away, and sometimes I end up changing it even after editing is complete.
5. What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
My hardest scene to write was probably a drawn-out battle scene at the end of my third book. It involved a real-life mountain top with features that I wanted to get right, several dragons fighting with multiple humans mixed in. There were a lot of moving pieces and it was hard to get everything just right and make sense when read back.
My favorite scene to write was probably the ending of my first book. It involves a battle between the MC in a helicopter against a dragon on Mount Washington. Between the players and my love of the hiking area in question, it was really neat to work through and bring to life.
6. What inspired your book/series? My series was inspired by two things: my lifelong love of hiking in New England and a trip that I took to Iceland during a semester abroad in college. I was camping on this island off the southern coast of Iceland inside the crater of an old volcano and the beginnings of the tale came to me while I laid there in my tent. I didn’t end up actually starting the story for another decade afterwards as I was pretty afraid to start a book. I’m now working on my 6th book and wish that I had started sooner when I first had the idea.
7. What are you working on next? I have the concept drawn up for a monster hunting SFF story set in the present time/world. It’ll focus on a strong female character who needs to work through her day-to-day life while also ridding her town of creatures trying to kill her and everyone she loves. It’ll probably feel like a mix between Buffy and Ready Player One.
8. What authors or books have influenced your writing? My writing has largely been influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien, John Scalzi, and numerous Star Wars novels over the past several decades. I love science fiction, fantasy, and especially stories which blend the two. If you can toss in some good action scenes, character development, and make me fall in love with the MC, then I’ll get hooked.
9. If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live? If I could live ANYWHERE, it would probably be Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. If I had to say here in this reality, it would probably be in central/northern Vermont.
10. What is your favorite meal? My favorite meal really depends on the day. Sometimes I love a good, juicy slice of brisket off my smoker paired with a nice salad and cornbread, whereas sometimes a simple grilled cheese will hit the spot. If I wasn’t worried about destroying my GI tract and gaining weight, I’d probably eat buffalo chicken dip and corn chips all day.
11. Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? I have a love/hate relationship with coffee but rely on it to survive. However, I do enjoy a good raspberry green tea when it’s cooler out. If I had to choose between wine or beer, I’ll typically go with wine (Riesling or Pinot Gris), but a Gin & Tonic with Bombay Sapphire really hits the spot.
12. Describe yourself in three words. Lost but focused.
Pete O’Donnell is the writer, creator, and performer of Ill-Advised Stories, a children’s story podcast full of free and funny tales. He is a graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a member of the society of Children book writers and illustrators.
He makes his home in Rhode Island and the town he works in as a firefighter and EMT inspired the setting of his first book the Curse of Purgatory Cove about a boy and old man claiming to be a pirate.
He’s been telling stories about alien invasions and talking trees since first grade and loves diving into the worlds of science fiction writers such as Arthur C Clark, Issac Asimov and Greg Bear.
He draws a weekly comic strip at webtoons called Sparkie and Spaz about a ten-year-old space explorer and his cranky Robot companion. Their entire first novel is available to listen to at Illadvisedstories.com
He recently released two new books, the first installments in a seven-book series called In The Giant’s Shadow. Book one is called The Stars Beyond the Mesa and Book two is The Ocean Beyond.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
Storytelling has been a lifelong obsession, ever since I spun a tale to my uncle about talking trees. I was seven and it was long before I’d ever heard of Treebeard. I’m dyslexic, so reading and writing were difficult skills for me to learn, but I’ve always loved telling stories and my father was willing to write them down for me.
Describe your desk / writing space.
I have a small desk that I hardly ever work at, but where things collect, starship models, figures and pictures, anything to keep my imagination going. I also draw a webtoon and create illustrations for some of my books and that’s when I have to clear the desk off. My couch is where I usually write, though I find I have to move around throughout the day to keep working.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I try to write any day I’m not at the fire station and I start early, around 5:30 am, working until my kids are up. I’ll come back to it as the day goes on, often tweaking the work. I’m useless at night as far as writing goes but try to use that time for drawing.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
I like it to be the period at the end of the project so I never title anything until the first draft is complete, plus I often find the title reveals itself in the writing.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
One of the main characters in The Giant’s Shadow is blind. It happened to her fairly recently, so I find it necessary, when I write any scene from her POV, to think differently, to consider what you can’t see and how someone would use their other senses to navigate a strange, alien landscape. It’s required a great deal of research and careful consideration.
The scenes I enjoy writing the most are with a character named Amita. She’s witty and intelligent with a fun amount of attitude and she also befriends a large alien which is a childhood fantasy of mine.
What inspired your book/series?
In the Giant’s Shadow started out different from the final product. When I was a teenager, I wanted to create a science fiction version of the original Robert E Howard Conan stories with a ronin type warrior who sold his services to various governments. I spent a great deal of time dreaming of different alien landscapes and building the worlds. As an adult the series became more inspired by Harry Potter and many of the thriller novels I’ve read. I know that sounds like a weird mix, but I like the idea of creating a puzzle box and having characters a reader can identify with in the middle of it trying to solve the mystery with them.
What are you working on next?
I’m deep into the first draft of book three. There are revelations coming that I think readers will find intriguing as the middle of this series quickly approaches. I’m certainly looking forward to having a first draft that I can massage into an exciting novel.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
The world building of Isaac Asimov with his Empire, Foundation and Robot novels was something that opened my eyes to what a long view science fiction could take. Books like the Dune series and the Ender novels did this as well. Michael Crichton was my first dive into techno thrillers, a close relative of Sci-fi but with more consideration to pacing. I tend to read a wide variety in an attempt to increase my skill as a writer, which includes going through a number of classics like Hemingway and Steinbeck.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
I’ve always enjoyed the hopefulness of the Star Trek universe and really, with holodecks, you can choose to pick a thousand other places to experience as well.
What is your favorite meal? Ahi Fish Tacos and an ice cold cerveza.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? Coffee is a necessity but I enjoy tea as well. Beer, cold and preferably Mexican.
Describe yourself in three words. Loyal, Imaginative, Curious.
Born in a small town of the smallest state, Rhode Island Joseph Mazzenga knew he was a writer by the third grade. When his creative simmer turned to an imaginative rage, he embarked on a voyage with no anchor and no horizon. He stepped aboard knowing that this journey will be for the rest of his days. He still looks to the stars to find his way. The navigation can be plodding but the bearing is clear. Joe is now a full author, by way of children’s literature, Science Fiction, Non-fiction, and Urban Fantasy. Ever pursuing the itch that he can’t possibly scratch, he is constantly stretching his boundaries, honing his craft and fighting mortal enemies such as avoidance and procrastination at every turn. Whether it is a beloved stuffed seal, a hard-nosed orphan stuck on the raw streets of a future time, or a pre-apocalyptic vampire turned human, he is fantasy intermingling with the future. Joe continues to live with his wife and beloved son in Rhode Island, center of the creative universe.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
Truthfully, as a kid who had cancer, my imagination was my safe place, and I began writing at an early age. Writing can be cathartic, and the avenue of Fantasy was a safe place to be – to be ultra-strong, impervious to everyday stresses and to save the day when no one else could…who doesn’t love that?
Describe your desk / writing space.
I converted a model/hobby desk into my writing space. Every slot has pens, pencils, figurines to watch over me and pictures of wolves against the desk wall. Oh, and it is covered in stickers a la the old steam trunks of yesteryear.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
The routine is whenever the inspiration hits. I have to write when inspired if nothing else, make notes in a journal. I have dozens of “treatments” for stories that I dip into.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
The title usually hits first just as the inspirational scenes occur. Then it will morph as the book carries on, until finally, the title is settled on – usually by half way into the story.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
I don’t know if I have had the hardest scene yet. They’re all hard. If I have to pick a genre, then Romance may be tough especially if you are a male trying to have a female POV.
A favorite go to scene, always has to do with a tense, prepare for battle type of buildup scene. I love the rhythm of the buildup before the action really hits the reader.
What inspired your book/series?
I love anti-heroes and I think the reading world needs more female inspiration. Growing up a comics kid, heroes need to not be those perfect “super” people. People are flawed and so should our heroes be.
What are you working on next?
Book 2 of the Bloodline Series – Demon’s Child.
Resurrection – The Last Vampire
Not My Time – Lost Witch
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
I was always a comic kid who followed the beat writers like Alan Dean Foster. But I also was inspired by the classics from Tolkien and Asimov.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
In this world, I’d love to be in the badlands looking for dinosaur fossils. In fantasy, I’d love a totally tech-city where it rains all the time.
What is your favorite meal?
I love food so it’s hard to pick but, being a pescatarian the choices get strange. I’ll go with eggplant vegan cheese parm. Go ahead – mock me.
Stranger Things –
Moon Knight is..um, something about Egyptian avatars and gods and um, I haven’t a clue and I’m loving it just for the fact you have F. Murray Abraham as a voice. If you’re looking for a Marvel series that has no connections at all to Marvel then this is your show.
