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Vanessa Finaughty, author of Wizard of Ends
Are you a full-time or part-time writer, and how does that affect your writing? Part-time. It definitely slows it, and I have to spend a fair amount of time reading the last few paragraphs I wrote to refresh my memory before I can start writing each time, especially if a few days have passed. I…
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Raymond Maher, author of Trapped at Birth With Only One Way Out
Are you a full-time or part-time writer, and how does that affect your writing? I am a part-time writer. I feel it has both positive and negative effects on my writing. Sometimes stopping writing for other responsibilities seems to impede creativity. But I find having a life beyond writing is important for keeping me grounded…
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Khaile Emjey Esquivel (Lady Inkfinite), author of Ghost of Us
What inspires you to write? What inspires me to write are the people who need it. I believe that stories can reach people in ways that ordinary words sometimes cannot. There are readers who look for comfort, hope, or even just the feeling that they are not alone, and that is what pushes me to…
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Celest Fenton, author of Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle
Why did you choose to write in your genre? I’ve always loved mysteries. I devoured Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as a child. Then Victoria Holt and Daphne du Maurier as a pre-teen. Then my romance phase took over and I read quite a lot of bodice rippers as well as classic Jane Austin.…
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Jude Berman, author of Shot, A Dictionary of the Lost
Can you share a little bit about your latest book? My latest book is Shot: A Dictionary of the Lost, a collection of short stories about the epidemic of gun violence. It is organized like a dictionary, with one chapter for each letter of the alphabet. So, A for Anna, B for Benjamin, C for…
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Anup Dahal, author of The Unspoken Words
What inspires you to write? I write because silence hurts louder than any scream. Growing up in a culture where emotions are often buried beneath duty, expectations, and fear of judgment, I realized that many people carry entire oceans in their hearts, but are never taught how to swim. What inspires me to write is…
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Kay Hanifen, author of The Last Ballard
Why did you choose to write in your genre? I’ve always loved monsters and mythology and have used it to fuel my writing. In my high school freshman year creative writing class, we practiced writing horror for Halloween, and I just fell in love with the genre. The love became an obsession in 2020. I…
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Of Mothers and Daughters…
Years ago, a reader shared with me how much she appreciated the focus on motherhood in my stories. This caught me by surprise because I’m not a mother and hadn’t intentionally made motherhood a theme in my writing. But this reader’s comment made me think about the role of mothers in my novels, and I…
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R.L. Baxter, author of Blue Lunar & The Apex Grail
What inspires you to write? That’s such a good question! I am usually inspired by anything and everything. I may be inspired by a really good song, people and even random moments. Often times, I go through a little ritual of reflecting on all the interesting things that I experienced throughout the month, then I…
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Bobby Nash, author of In the Wind
Why did you choose to write in your genre? I am fortunate that I can write multiple genres, but the one I return to most often is mystery/thriller. I love them, both as a writer and reader. I have been fond of mysteries since I was a kid, inspired by Encyclopedia Brown and Scooby Doo.…
Waking Writer
By Berneta L. Haynes
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