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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The New Rules of Time Travel: 1938 The Deceiver?

Many of my ideas come from dreams. I have an active dream life. The dream that sparked the New Rules of Time Travel series had to do with a New Year's Eve party in a Chelsea loft. There was an EZ Bake oven, and we were eating half-cooked cookies from it. A virus tainted those cookies, mutated the telomeres, and caused kids to travel back in time.

The party happened back in the 80s. A friend’s little sister had an EZ Bake oven too. Riotous parties at lofts, that was a thing. This dream took a different turn though and got me thinking: what if you could only travel backwards in time? What would Gen Xers do if they woke up naked in the past?

The first book 1933: The Detective gave us a look at the perils of time travel. 1938 The Deceiver looks deeper into the personal cost of time travel and what it means to find your tribe.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The New Rules of Time Travel: 1938 The Deceiver, what would they be?

I always write with music on. I like to listen to the radio. Sometimes, I listen to a specific playlist, genre, record, or artist. Each character has at least one song that helps me tap into their rhythm. Maybe it’s a throwback to the David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf album from 1978, or maybe even before that when we learned in music class that each character had an instrument and a theme in the piece.

The love interests in 1938 The Deceiver are Douglas Mico and Sarah Williams. Douglas Mico, a commuter from the 1980s, has a few songs that follow him around in 1938. "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" is one. Not the original Louis Prima or the Benny Goodman versions, those rock, but the Brian Setzer version because Doug is a little more electric. Regarding the time Doug grew up in, as opposed to the time he phased back to, "Blank Generation" by Richard Hell suits Doug. If Sarah was in the 80s, Blondie’s "Rip Her to Shreds" would be her song. In 1938, Duke Ellington’s "Caravan" symbolizes her exotic personality.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like mysteries and adventures. Hard-boiled, capable, do-it-yourself protagonists with issues. I dig the classic noir detective books (Hammett, Chandler, etc.) My scifi has to have mystery and adventure in it. I loved the Expanse series because it blended these genres. The things I gravitate toward have a common darkness, or noir quality to them. With my writing, I look to combine genres and view them through a black and white lens with stark contrasts of shadow and light and as much irreverence as possible.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I’ve been on a non-fiction tear, finishing Scott Galloway’s new book-The Algebra of Wealth and Laura Belgray’s-Tough Titties. I’m half-way through Freud’s The Psychopathology of Everyday Life and Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen. Next on my list (if I don’t get distracted) is Crowley’s Diary of a Drug Fiend.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Writing is like time travel and each scene allows me to be someplace else, in another time, which I love. If I had to choose, it would be between the dance hall scene where Doug learns to swing dance and meets Sarah the second time and the scene where Doug, Sarah, Almondine and Jimmy hear the War of the Worlds radio broadcast and Jimmy thinks it’s real. It was great being in both those places and seeing what unfolds.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I wouldn’t call my habits quirky. Compared to other writers, I’m quite tame. I pretty much always listen to music when I write, and I often wear a hat. Oh, and then there're the electrodes I place on my skull to stimulate the imagination, but everyone does that... Right?

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

My grandfather, Julio deDiego, was an artist. A one-man corporation, he used to say. When he was dying of cancer, I went to Florida to visit him. I was around twelve. “In this life, Vicente, you have to have cojones,” he told me. Every time I have doubt, insecurity, or wonder why I should bother, I think of that.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope the readers have fun! But after that, I hope they reflect on choices. The choices Doug and Sarah make, the choices Lopez and Father Michael have made. Imagine if you traveled back in time. Would you make the best of it? Could you build a life and choose a family?

Vincent deDiego Metzo is the author of the new book The New Rules of Time Travel: 1938 The Deceiver

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Ship?

In 2010 my mom passed away. She was the sun in the solar system of my family, and I really struggled with losing her. Writing about Sam, a woman dealing with sudden tragedy and her own unexpected response to it, helped me navigate that time.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Fantasy has always been my go-to genre. That’s usually what I write. This was the first sci-fi story I’ve ever written.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Awakening Sapphire by Jonathan Hawker; Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Spoilers! 😀 There’s a scene at the end of the novel that was one of the first ones I wrote. I got a real kick out of it. Also, really any scene with Parker and Addy; I enjoyed their vibes.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Not sure if it’s quirky but I often like to write in longhand first. Mostly just to have some non-screen time. One of my cats, Harvey, usually snoozes next to me when I’m doing anything. Occasionally she offers suggestions.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

When I get stuck on things, I try and think of it like a stalled car. You can be in the seat, all ready to go, but it won’t move if you don’t try and turn the key. Sometimes it might take a few times to get the engine to turn over. But nothing happens if you just sit there.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That the joy of loving someone is worth the pain of losing them. Don’t be afraid of making new connections.

C.E. Ricketts is the author of the new book The Ship

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write She Brings Beauty To Me (The Medicine Man Book 4)?

This is book #4 in The Medicine Man Series, and the hero in this story was a young boy in book #3. In book #3 (She Paints My Soul), this young boy of seven showed such courage and knowledge for his age that I wanted him to have his own book…of course he is grown up in this story.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of She Brings Beauty To Me (The Medicine Man Book 4), what would they be?

It would be my inspiration for the plot of this story: Pie Jesu. The song is so beautiful I had to have a story to go with the song.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

It's the Romance genre in general, although I do prefer Historical Romance. But I also love to read historical accounts. And yes, Historical Romance is my favorite genre to write in.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Mostly I have research books by James Willard Schultz on my list to read. I find it difficult to read other romance books when I'm writing, and so I content myself with reading historical research books which are not dull in the least. They are usually full of true life adventure.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

There are several scenes that I loved because they made me giggle, as the hero teases the heroine. But, probably my favorite scene is the one where Stands Strong (the hero) first meets Czanna (the heroine).

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Well, I write with music in the background and usually the songs that inspire me are the songs for that particular book. Also, my feet need to be warm when I write…unfortunately, even in summer.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I think it would be that kindness to another is more important than anything else in a relationship, be it one's marriage partner or a friend. Kindness and generosity are probably more important than any of us realize, I think.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That people truly in love can work out almost anything if they really want to and if they keep trying.

Karen Kay is the author of the new book She Brings Beauty To Me (The Medicine Man Book 4)

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Butcher on Colfax?

I grew up in Denver. It wasn't until after my family moved away from there that I learned the story of my great-grandfather, who had been a butcher there in the early 1900s and got himself in lots of trouble over the years. I decided to use some of those true stories as the building blocks of a larger fiction about Irish immigrants to Denver at that time.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I prefer to read literary fiction. I can't say there's any particular genre I like to write, as I've only written two books—this historical novel and a love story about two wordplay enthusiasts who meet on Cape Cod while seeking respite from pandemic-induced isolation. That novel's title is Love, Literally.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

In my queue to read are: Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog; Kate Christensen's Welcome Home, Stranger; Dolly Alderton's Good Material; Mary Ellen Taylor's The Promise of Tomorrow; and Taylor Jenkins Reid's Forever, Interrupted.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Chapter 28 features a "pork war" between Emmett Kelly and Moshe Federman, the proprietor of the Jewish meat market next door. I had fun writing it, and I hope readers enjoy it.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Not so much quirky as pathetic or pathological: when I'm really in the thick of writing a book, I can sit and work on it for 12 or 14 hours at a stretch.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

How hardworking, ambitious, resilient, and enterprising most immigrants are.

J.T. Tierney is the author of the new book The Butcher on Colfax

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Dragon's Blood (Blood of the Covenants Book 1)?

The series was inspired by a dream I had many years ago. I can't remember exactly when, just that I wrote the scene down back then so I wouldn't forget it, even though I wasn't good enough as a writer back then to flesh it out properly. I kept dabbling with it as the years went by and my writing skill grew. Finally, I decided it was time to sit down and write the whole story. The problem was, that dream was of a scene in what became book four! Essentially, I had to write books 1-3 to find out how the two main characters got to that point!

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Dragon's Blood (Blood of the Covenants Book 1), what would they be?

For book one, I'd say that Sarah's theme song is "Your Light" from Lost Ember, and Ben's is "Hollowed Kings" by Ursine Vulpine. The full Dragon's Blood playlist can be found on my website at https://www.leahewelker.com/dragons-blood-book-one.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like to read light-filled fantasy with some danger, high stakes, lots of hope, morally good characters, and lots of romance. In other words, exactly what I like to write.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Funnily enough, a few career-development books, like Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. I've been thinking of starting Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Ha, without giving away spoilers, I think my favorite scene to write in book one was a scene toward the end. Let's just say hundreds of magical orbs of light are involved.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I like to find a music track that has the right vibe for the scene I'm writing; it's cool if the lyrics match, but they're secondary to the general mood of the track when I'm selecting the right one. Then I will play that track on repeat, sometimes for hours, until I'm done with the scene. (Which really messes with my Spotify end-of-year wrap-up, lol.) Incidentally, I like movie scores, epicore, videogame soundtracks, epic pop, etc.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

A lot of quotes and poems are inspirational to me, such as "If" by Rudyard Kipling or "Do It Anyway," but my personal philosophy can be boiled down to "Do good." Meaning "do good things." Serve, love, uplift, give hope, offer relief. Like Samwise Gamgee, I believe there's good in this world, and it's worth fighting for. My writing is one of the ways I fight for it.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I think one of the characters in the book says it best: "A leader is not always the person flying at the front, receiving all the glory, my dear. We need very few of those. What we need far more dearly are good people with brave hearts who see what must be done to help the ones they love, and who do it. Perhaps you may never be the former. But you are already the latter. And I am already so very, very proud of you."

Leah E. Welker is the author of the new book Dragon's Blood (Blood of the Covenants Book 1)

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