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Angela Henry is the author of the new book The Silent Sister

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Interview with Liezl Stylo, Author of Keep Calm & Bollocks On

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

Keep Calm and Bollocks On was born somewhere between exhaustion, motherhood, and the realisation that so many women are quietly struggling while pretending they’re absolutely fine. I wanted to write the book I wish someone had handed me when I became a mother - something honest, funny, irreverent and completely free of the pressure to have it all figured out. Motherhood can be beautiful, but it can also be chaotic, lonely, overwhelming and utterly ridiculous. And somewhere between the nappies, expectations and endless advice, women can lose sight of themselves. So I wrote about the messy reality of being human - the moments we don’t put on Instagram, the identity crises, the exhaustion, the humour and the small victories. It’s essentially my way of saying: you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep going. And occasionally say bollocks.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

For the exhausted mother: I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor. Because, frankly, sometimes survival is the achievement. For the woman having an existential crisis: Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine. For letting go of the guilt, expectations, and things that no longer fit. For the woman finally remembering who she is: Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield. Because there is still so much life left to write. And for me, the author: Tubthumping - Chumbawamba. I get knocked down, but I get up again. It felt almost offensively appropriate.

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

I’m drawn to memoir, autobiographical fiction, and anything that tells the truth about being human without taking itself too seriously. I love books that make me laugh and then quietly punch me in the feelings five pages later. It’s very much the same territory I love to write in. I’m fascinated by people - our contradictions, our terrible decisions, our resilience, and the ridiculous things we do to convince everyone, including ourselves, that we have our lives together.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

1. The myth of the perfect mom 2. Kind Companion. My TBR pile is less of a pile and more of an ongoing hostage situation. At the moment, I’m craving books that are beautifully written but still have something real to say - particularly memoirs, women’s stories, and books that explore identity, motherhood, relationships, and the wonderfully complicated business of being alive. I’m also the sort of reader who will happily abandon my carefully planned TBR because someone recommends a book to me with the words, “You HAVE to read this.”

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Many! My favourite scenes were the ones where I could take something that might ordinarily feel heavy or uncomfortable and find the absurdity and humour hiding inside it. There’s something wonderfully liberating about writing the things we’re all thinking but rarely say out loud. Those were the moments when the book really felt like me - honest, a little inappropriate, occasionally chaotic, but ultimately hopeful. If I can make someone laugh at something they thought they were the only person struggling with, then I feel like I’ve done my job.

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

My biggest writing habit is that I need absolute silence - which is particularly hilarious given that I’m a mother. So I tend to write whenever I can steal a moment, usually with a cup of coffee nearby and approximately seventeen interruptions. I also have a habit of writing down random thoughts, phrases, and observations the moment they occur to me. My phone is essentially a graveyard of sentences that may one day become something brilliant - or may remain evidence that I should probably sleep more.

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

“Life is too short to take yourself too seriously.” I believe we should laugh at ourselves, say the thing, make the mistake, get back up and keep moving. And, naturally: Keep calm and bollocks on.

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

That you are allowed to be a work in progress. You don’t have to have motherhood, womanhood, relationships, work, or life perfectly figured out. You are allowed to be exhausted, ambitious, confused, hilarious, angry, hopeful, and completely overwhelmed - sometimes all before breakfast. Stop waiting to become the “perfect” version of yourself before you start enjoying your life. You are already enough. Keep calm. And bollocks on.

Liezl Stylo is the author of the new book Keep Calm & Bollocks On

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Interview with Sal Casamassima, Author of Cafe Brulot

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

The real answer to this question resides with my first book, Black Velvet, which is now part of the Theo Holmes Murder Mystery Series. The inspiration behind my second book, Café Brûlot, is to create the series and continue the development of my characters. Black Velvet, however, is where it all began.

In my prior life as an attorney, my writing experience was confined to drafting legal documents, and I never wrote anything resembling a book. Following my retirement, I frequently annoyed my daughter by expressing a latent desire to write a mystery novel. In an attempt to stop my endless banter, she told me to put up or shut up by taking on the NaNoWriMo challenge—completing a 50,000-word novel in a month. I failed, of course, to complete the required word count, but was bitten by the writing bug and trudged forward to complete my first book. Having survived the experience, I decided to move forward with book #2, Café Brûlot.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

Black Velvet’s title is a song that’s directly connected to the crime being solved in the book. The song is an homage to Elvis Presley, first performed by Alannah Myles. You can check out the great Myles video of the song by going to the video page on my newly launched website, SalCasamassima.com. Scroll down and you will see the YouTube link to her video. It will serve as a prologue to Black Velvet.

Café Brûlot is not a song (it’s a great coffee drink). However, if the book had background music, it would be filled with New Orleans jazz and electric Cajun Zydeco. Because Café Brûlot is loaded with references to the delicious Creole and Cajun food of South Louisiana, the song I’d pick to best represent the book and its characters would be the Hank Williams classic Jambalaya (On the Bayou). I can taste the jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filé gumbo just listening to the song.

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

The two questions are a bit in conflict with each other. All but the most talented authors select a genre in which they are capable of writing a book. I might be able to dabble in science fiction or horror, but I could not write a romance novel to save my life. Although I really like most literary fiction, I am excluded from writing in that genre since it implies exquisite character development, artistic prose, and deep, meaningful themes—stuff reserved for the likes of Steinbeck and Hemingway. So, I stick to a genre that I can do without embarrassing myself.

To answer the first question, I’m genre-agnostic. One litmus test I have is that great books often translate into great movies or plays. Think The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, The Exorcist, The Godfather, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Old Man and the Sea, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump, The Shining—the list is endless. These great books and the movies derived from them crisscross multiple genres. They are all great reads.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

All Sherlock Holmes books, regardless of whether I’ve read them before. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is probably turning in his grave because I had the audacity and chutzpah to write murder mystery novels about Sherlock’s great-great-grandson, Theo Holmes, without reading all of his Sherlock books. I also need to revisit Agatha Christie’s classic mysteries, as one of my characters is the fictional president of the San Diego Agatha Christie fan club. I do not want Miss Marple coming after me with one of her sharpened knitting needles.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Ooh, this is a tough one, as I have several favorites. In answering the question, I’m eliminating all scenes that might be spoilers to anyone reading this interview. I’m also tightening my interpretation of the question, because it doesn’t ask for my favorite scene, but rather my favorite to write. I therefore selected a scene from each book that I personally experienced.

In Black Velvet, Holmes illustrates what triggers a serial killer by showing his Minpin dog, Loofy, attacking a toy Meerkat. This scene is based on my dog, Zuzu, being triggered by the same innocent Meerkat. You can see this scene in action by going to the video page on my newly launched website, SalCasamassima.com. It’s video #13, and you will see my cute little dog turn into a killer.

In Café Brûlot, my favorite scene derives from the title of the book and my personal experience seeing this drink being made at the great New Orleans restaurant, Commander’s Palace, which is also featured in the book. The making of this drink merits its own video that you can also see on my website video page, next to the Alannah Myles video. When this drink was made for me and my daughter, the restaurant suddenly became silent. All eyes were fixated on this mystical concoction as the flaming orange rind and sparking cinnamon cloves put on a show. By the way, the drink is simply delicious.

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

A huge one. Although my background and personality might lead one to believe I’m a plotter, I am not. I’m a hardcore pantser, meaning I write my books by the seat of my pants—totally ad lib. I begin writing my books without a final script or outline in mind. I know how the book starts (with a murder), but I don’t have a clue how the mystery gets solved.

I have conversations with my characters, leaving it to my protagonists to solve the case for me. I’m their stenographer and simply type what they are speaking or thinking. That’s why I mainly use present tense. This approach sounds loony, but it is an antidote to writer’s block—something I never experience.

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

This question prompted me to come up with a motto. Think big, have fun, and challenge yourself. Life is short, so don’t waste time sweating the small stuff.

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

Holmes's lack of bias. He’s genetically incapable of judging anyone by their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other feature over which we humans have no control. His focus is solving crimes and doing so as quickly as possible. When he hires Delaney Watson, who is trans, as his assistant, she believes she’s totally unqualified for the job. Holmes sees her through a different lens and recognizes her great instinct and intuition. and interpersonal skills. He hires her for the content of her character. What a novel idea.

Sal Casamassima is the author of the new book Cafe Brulot (Theo Holmes Murder Mystery Series Book 2)

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Interview with Jeffrey L. Kohanek, Author of Spellcaster Ted

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

When reading another author’s LitRPG title, I came up with an idea: What if a group of four friends from our world were sent into one of my fantasy worlds, the world of Wizardoms? After all, I have 21 novels set in that world, so there is an expansive list of characters, places, and history to work with.

Three of these friends in the story are fans of the Wizardoms franchise. They convince their friend, Ted, to join their DnD-style Wizardoms gaming session, and that’s where things go sideways. They are each sent into the world of Wizardoms, Isekai-style, as the character builds they created. There, they must complete quests, level up, and gain loot, all at the whims of a deranged AI dungeon master.

As for Ted, he’s a total fish out of water who knows nothing about the world he was dropped into, doesn’t understand his magical abilities as a spellcaster, and is desperate to just go back home. That’s all part of the fun.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

I am going to cheat on this one. This book has a bunch of theme songs.

Among his various magical abilities, Ted is a bard. He takes real songs from our world and alters the words to mold them to suit the spell he is casting. In the first book alone, readers will encounter songs like Eye of the Tiger, Safety Dance, Cool Change, Demons, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Getting’ Tipsy, Heroes, and more.

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

I’ve been an epic fantasy reader since I was a preteen. I am also a lifelong gamer. I don’t know why it took me so long to write a LitRPG series, but now that I’m doing it, I am having a blast. LitRPG combines many of the things I enjoy. However, since the main characters come from our world, their POVs needed to be written like an urban fantasy story that is set in an epic fantasy world. It’s a good thing I wrote my first urban fantasy series last year, so I was all geared up for this approach.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scenes to write are the humorous ones. Rather than focus on a specific scene for this response, I am going to choose a character: Rhyllinor, the sentient war hammer. This hammer is bonded to one of the four main characters, a fun-loving and boisterous dwarf named Clegg. He is the only one who can hear the hammer talk, and that hammer also happens to be female. A jealous female. The two of them argue frequently. Strangers think Clegg is insane when they see him in a heated discussion with his weapon. Their banter is great fun to write and creates hilarious situations.

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

I RARELY write at a table or desk. In fact, I am usually planted on a chair in my living room with one or both of my French Bulldogs beside me. I also write in airports, on planes, in hotel rooms, and wherever I get the chance. I am not easily distracted when writing, so all the noise and chaos around me just fades away as my characters take over.

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

When readers close Spellcaster Ted, I want them to smile. I want them to look back on the story as a fun one. Most of all, I want them to be eager to read the sequel tale, Tednapped, which releases in January 2027.

Jeffrey L. Kohanek is the author of the new book Spellcaster Ted

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Interview with Brogan Thomas, Author of Ink Witch

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write about a woman who had already been told her story was over. Elenora failed the Games at sixteen, lost the magic that should have defined her future, and has spent decades being treated as though that failure determined her worth. I love writing underdogs, but I especially love older heroines—women who have lived a little, been knocked down a few times, and are no longer particularly interested in behaving themselves. Ink Witch grew from that idea: what happens when a woman everyone dismissed discovers that perhaps she was never powerless at all? Then I gave her a kidnapped dog, because apparently I wanted to make her really angry.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

For Elenora, “Labour” by Paris Paloma. There’s something about its anger, exhaustion, and refusal to keep quietly carrying what everyone else expects of you that fits her beautifully. For Cáel, I’m tempted by “Take Me to War” by The Crane Wives. He’s controlled, diplomatic, and very good at appearing reasonable—but there’s considerably more going on underneath. And Mina, Elenora’s Belgian Malinois, obviously requires her own soundtrack. Probably the Mission: Impossible theme.

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

I read everything at an alarming pace—often a book a day—but urban fantasy is my forever favourite. Luckily, it’s also my favourite genre to write. Give me magic hidden inside the modern world, supernatural creatures, impossible problems and a heroine having a spectacularly bad week, and I’m happy.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Mostly pre-orders! I keep checking release dates because I’m terrified I’ll miss one. My actual TBR stays oddly small because I tend to read books as soon as I get them. I’m not very good at saving books for later.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The kennel rescue. Elenora has spent years surviving by being practical, careful, and very good at her job—but someone takes her dog, Mina, and suddenly all bets are off. I loved writing Elmo to the point where patience gives way to absolutely not. There’s magic, danger, a slightly ridiculous escape, and a Belgian Malinois who is considerably less impressed by the drama than everyone else. It captures so much of who Elenora is beneath all the armour she’s built around herself.

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

I write late at night, usually curled up on the sofa with my laptop on my knees, and there’s almost always a cat or dog nearby. Occasionally on the laptop, which is less helpful. I’m definitely a night writer. There’s something about the house being quiet and everyone else being asleep that makes my brain decide it is finally time to cooperate.

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

Be kind. You never know what someone else is dealing with. It’s very simple, but I think the world would be a much nicer place if we all remembered it more often.

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

That it is never too late to reclaim the parts of yourself you were taught to make smaller. Elenora is a middle-aged woman who has spent most of her life believing that one failure at sixteen decided who she was allowed to become. I hope readers finish Ink Witch remembering that being overlooked, underestimated, or written off doesn’t make you insignificant—and your most extraordinary chapter doesn't have to happen when you are twenty.

Brogan Thomas is the author of the new book Ink Witch (Arcane Magic Book 1)

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