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Interview with CD Haun, Author of In A Time Before

What can you tell us about your new release, In A Time Before?

The book is a time travel story about Ancient Rome that follows the protagonist after college. He uses money his grandmother planned to go to a charity, but he doesn’t care. During his visit to 21^st Century Rome, he meets a young woman who offers to show him around her city. However, each night, when he falls asleep, he awakens in 1^st Century Rome.

During his six days touring modern Rome, he experiences an increasing number of exciting adventures in Ancient Rome, which total nine days in that ancient time. The combination of the contemporary man and the ancient patrician modify many of his selfish attitudes. These changes lead him to take dramatic steps in the first century and open his eyes to the meaning of his life in the 21^st.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

As a kid in sixth grade, I caught the writing bug. From that moment on, I wrote every chance I had. First came English classes during which I mainly wrote sci-fi stories even when the teacher suggested other prompts. Then in high school, because of Latin classes, I began to create stories of battles between the legionnaires and barbarians.

Years passed, and after two kids arrived, I decided to write a novel. My first attempt was a knock-off of the Mouse That Roared and earned a stack of rejection slips for my lack of effort. For the next twenty years, I reverted to reading my original loves of sci-fi and Ancient Rome. Finally, after retiring from my third or fourth job, I wrote a sci-fi story. My librarian wife informed me that book might be a reasonable high school novel. My problem was I hoped she would call it “the great American sci-fi story.”

Then my wife suggested, “Why don’t you write a story about your true love…Ancient Rome.” So I did, and A TIME BEFORE turned out the book she described as “This is good.”

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

Probably not surprising for me, my top books are about ancient Rome. First on the list would be Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove’s book title HOUSEHOLD GODS. Also, a time travel vision of a woman who can’t stand her life and ends up as a bar owner in those bygone days.

The second would be any book by Steven Saylor concerning his ancient Rome characters. Then, at the same level, any book by Lindsey Davis. I own or have read everything she’s published in the genre.

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

I would have no difficulty in making a choice for this interview. Lindsey Davis would be my first guest. She wrote me a nice email wishing me well with the publication of my book. The first question I’d ask would be why she didn’t offer to read my book. Because I love her books so much, I wouldn’t even need her answer. I wouldn’t want her to stop writing more novels to take time to read mine.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The short answer is where the books take me. I begin with a brief idea and then write a two-page outline which expands to ten or twelve. After that, I do my research before I start. The problem is that the characters take on a life of their own. As a result, what is written bears little comparison to my original outline. That’s fun!

What is a typical day like for you?

My days now revolve around writing, reading books about writing, and researching for my next book. It also seems that every time I turn around, I stumble over an idea for another story. My future book idea file contains so many one-page outlines that I’ll need to live to one-hundred and fifty to finish them all. For example, we were in Venice, Italy, during the hundred-year flood. During our stay, I wrote three short outlines of stories concerning that amazing city.

What scene from In A Time Before was your favorite to write?

I guess this would have to be the final chapter where he bids goodbye to Melissa. The book wasn’t originally planned to end this way. However, somewhere during the writing, the characters took off on their own, and the direction changed. What happened in the story was a complete surprise to me.

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

Love one another and follow your passion.

CD Haun is the author of the new book In A Time Before

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Interview with K.C. Julius, Author of The Drinnglennin Chronicles

What can you tell us about your new release, The Drinnglennin Chronicles?

The Drinnglennin Chronicles is a classic epic fantasy series, replete with wizards, elves, young protagonists coming of age, sword & sorcery, romance, intrigue & betrayal. Although it's a world of my own creation, I set the tale in the equivalent of the late 15th century, and had a lot of fun doing extensive research on this period, including the costumes, arms, ships, conflicts and customs across Europe during this time. The story is told alternatively from each of the seven main protagonists' point of view.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

My mother was a journalist, and I've been an avid reader all my life. Although I enjoy many genres, I've always had a particular fondness for historical fiction and fantasy. The authors that most inspire me are Dorothy Dunnett, George R.R. Martin, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

Hands down, my favorite series is The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. Otherwise, I've read so many great books, it's hard to choose. I have very eclectic tastes ~ I love both Shakespeare and Harry Potter. Recent reads that have stayed with me are The Overstory by Richard Powers and The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, both of which deal with our wanton heedlessness as guardians of our planet. Books that I return to time and again? Dunnett's works, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Lord of the Rings.

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

If Dorothy Dunnett were still living, I'd have her on in a flash. I think like all readers who know her work, I'd ask about Lymond's son. As for a living writer, I'd say George R.R. Martin. I've heard him speak, and he'd make for lively entertainment. I'd ask him if he'd consider rewriting Dany and Jon's closing scene. 🙂

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I spent six years writing The Drinnglennin Chronicles, during which time the characters that inhabit my Known World became very dear to me. I loved immersing myself every day in a realm of my own making, and following Whit, Halla, Maura, Leif, Borne, and Fynn—at first young and untested—as they evolved and met the challenges that shaped their destiny. Often, they surprised me, and always, they kept me on my toes.

What is a typical day like for you?

I'm an early riser, and I follow a regular routine ~ yoga, several cups of tea, a long morning walk, a few e-mails and marketing tasks ~ then I settle to the writing. I write for around five hours, which are broken up with a few more walks.

What scene from The Drinnglennin Chronicles was your favorite to write?

The mob ball game in A Realm at Stake, the second book in the omnibus. It's a variation on a real game that's still played in some villages in the UK. The jousting scene in Realm was also fun, and although it's relatively short, I did heaps of research for it. I'm a rabid sports fan and watch a LOT of football (the beautiful kind), and the countless hours I spent on the sidelines cheering on and filming my son at football and rugby tournaments helped while constructing the mob ball scene.

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

Every day is a memory in the making ~ be present for it. The first poem I ever memorized, at the age of seven, was The Coin, by Sara Teasdale.

K.C. Julius is the author of the new book The Drinnglennin Chronicles

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Interview with Cornelia E. Davis, Author of Risking Is Better Than Regretting

What can you tell us about your new release, Risking Is Better Than Regretting?

My new release is part memoir, part adventure travel, and part reflections on challenges I faced in life. It was March 2020, and I was seeing the early reports of a new disease circulating in China. Instinctively, my intuition told me that I would not be going on this trip to Mongolia in September 2020, and I was feeling depressed. Then I saw this challenge on the internet about – write your next book in six months! And I thought, I could do that, especially as more and more countries started to close their borders and impose restrictions on their citizens. And so, in lockdown, I started to reflect on the opportunities that presented to me and how choice, chance, and change were inter-connected.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

As I got closer to retirement, I began to reflect on my life as a medical epidemiologist (disease detective) in Africa and Asia. What did I want to do in retirement? I had my “bucket list” of places I wanted to see before dying. But I had this deep urge to write about my experiences in smallpox eradication in India. It was this event that changed my medical focus from being a pediatrician in California to working overseas in international public health. I wanted my “smallpox brothers” to know what I faced as a Black, woman doctor up against the sexism and caste system in India in 1975. Since I was a junior doctor in the program, I needed to write this book quickly before the older, experienced smallpox doctors started dying off. And that’s how I wrote my first memoir- Searching for Sitala Mata, Eradicating Smallpox in India.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

Well, that’s a hard question to answer. I’m such an eclectic reader but here you go:

"The Lord of the Rings" (1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden
"Cutting For Stone" by Abraham Verghese

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

As the host of a literary talk show, my first guest would be Oprah Winfrey. I have always longed for one of my books to land on Oprah’s Book Club. So, I would ask her to reflect on her life:

Would she agree with the statement that “risking is better than regretting”?
Oprah has had an incredible life. Can she share one of her uplifting experiences?
Oprah opened a boarding school in South Africa for disadvantaged girls to educate and empower them. Why did she pick strengthening education versus, for example, providing funding to reduce childhood mortality which was high in the country?

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I write non-fiction books, and all have been memoirs. By writing a memoir it allows me to remember a time in the past, that played an important part in my psyche. If the writing is good, I can get in touch with those feelings and savor the moment, and then I get to share that moment with others.

What is a typical day like for you?

Unfortunately, nothing has been typical in the last year and a half in lockdown in Mexico where I retired. Normally, I do some exercise in the morning (2x/week with my trainer, and 2x/week walking for an hour). However, seniors were asked to stay indoors, and I could only go to my trainer wearing a mask and exercising outside in the garden. Then if I am writing a book, I write every morning for two to three hours. Usually, I have set a word count to attain. After writing I allow myself to go on the internet and answer emails or look at the headlines. But the covid-19 figures were so depressing, I stopped looking at the headlines. Before covid, I would meet friends for lunch once or twice a week. I am also active in The Lakeside Community Theatre so before covid, there were five annual plays, and I would audition and usually get a part in one play.

I found lockdown to be boring and zoom webinars just don’t replace seeing people face to face and interacting. I am so glad I was able to get vaccinated in March 2021 and slowly, restrictions are being lifted. But Mexico had difficulties getting the vaccines, which means masks and no indoor restaurants and bars in the foreseeable future!

What scene from Risking Is Better Than Regretting was your favorite to write?

There are several scenes in Risking that I enjoyed writing. The chapter about The Legendary Turkana Bus brought back many “first time experiences”! It was 1977 and the first time I was heading for Africa, the first time in Kenya and climbing Mt. Kenya! I was meeting one of my best girlfriends from medical school days. We were meeting after 8 years, and she was teaching in the Nairobi medical school. I had just finished working on smallpox eradication in India. So, the reunion was especially poignant after all those years. I was fortunate to live and work in Nairobi for ten years (2002-2011), but a lot had changed since 1977. So grateful to have experienced Kenya in 1977.

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

My tag line on my website states: One person can make a difference! It doesn’t matter in what arena you worked; it just matters if you helped to make it better!

Cornelia E. Davis is the author of the new book Risking Is Better Than Regretting

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Interview with Margaret Rodenberg, Author of Finding Napoleon

What can you tell us about your new release, Finding Napoleon?

It’s a historical novel that’s based in part on young Napoleon Bonaparte’s real attempt to write a romantic novel. In Finding Napoleon, the exiled, still determined emperor finishes his idealistic manuscript as he struggles against his British captors on remote St. Helena Island. A forgotten woman of history―Napoleon’s last love, the audacious Countess Albine―narrates their tale of intrigue, desire, and betrayal. To succeed with his plans, Napoleon must learn whom to trust. To survive, Albine must decide whom to betray.

NYTimes best-selling author Allison Pataki says it’s “in a league of its own and the writing is beautiful and poignant.” Finding Napoleon just won a “2021 Best First Book” Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I first heard about Napoleon when I lived in France as young teen with my U.S. Navy family. Decades later, when I learned he’d tried to write a novel about a young soldier who encounters love, war, and betrayal, I vowed to finish it for him. But to ghostwrite for Napoleon, I had to understand who he was as an ambitious young man and who he was in his final days when all the power was gone. For inspiration, I traveled more than 30,000 miles, including to St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic where he lived his final years in exile.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
The Thirteen Clocks, by James Thurber (my favorite book as a child)
Hamlet, the play by William Shakespeare
Cotillion, by Georgette Heyer (a perfect historical romance novel)

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

If I could invite a historical figure, of course, I’d invite Napoleon Bonaparte himself. I’d ask him to critique my version of his unfinished novel Clisson. If I had to choose a living author, I’d pick Margaret Atwood. From her, I’d find out the secrets behind writing fascinating stories that truly matter.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

When I am deeply immersed in my characters’ lives and the words are flowing non-stop, writing is the most intellectually and emotionally satisfying thing I’ve ever experienced. It fills up your whole being.

What is a typical day like for you?

Usually, the morning starts with connecting with readers: social media, setting up book clubs or events, reaching out to bookstores, updating my website and planning other activities. Plus, that’s when I take care of the business side of being an author. Then I break for a lunch with my husband and some exercise. The remainder of the afternoon, I fill with research and writing. I often continue writing after dinner. But I’m not tied to this schedule—if I’m inspired, I stop whatever I’m doing to write or I might decide in advance to devote the whole day to writing and take the evening off.

What scene from Finding Napoleon was your favorite to write?

Well, I must leave out my absolute favorites because they’re spoiler scenes! Instead, I’ll pick the one where the hero from Napoleon’s unfinished novel first meets his true love at an inn. It’s a charming, love-at-first-sight scene when a young, impulsive, naïve man bumps into an older woman whom he immediately idolizes.

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

Leave the moment and the world better than if you had not been there.

Margaret Rodenberg is the author of the new book Finding Napoleon

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New Mystery and Thriller Books to Read | June 22

Hold on to the edge of your seat as we hunt for clues and solve the case with these exciting new mystery and thriller books for the week! There are so many bestselling authors with new novels for you to dive into this week including Laura Lippman, Clare Mackintosh, Kat Martin, and many more. Enjoy your new mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. Happy reading!

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New Romance Books to Read | June 22

Looking to fall in love with some new romance reads? You’ll adore these exciting new novels! This week you can get your hands on books by bestselling authors Jessika Klide, Rina Kent, Hollis T. Miller, and more. Enjoy your new romance books and happy reading!

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New Books to Read in Literary Fiction | June 22

Literary fiction readers are in for a treat. This week’s latest releases list is full of intriguing reads you won’t want to miss! The new releases list includes so many bestselling authors like Lori Foster, CD Haun, Margaret Rodenberg, and many more. Enjoy your new literary fiction books. Happy reading!

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New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books | June 22

Set off on an adventure to new worlds this week! This selection of new science fiction and fantasy books will surely please! Science Fiction fans should be excited about the latest from bestselling authors Robert Roth, Megan E. O'Keefe, Ilze Hugo, and more. If Fantasy is what your library needs, you’ll be able to pick up the latest from Lydia M. Hawke, K.C. Julius, Raven Belasco, and more. Enjoy your new science fiction and fantasy books. Happy reading!

Fantasy

Science Fiction