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What can you tell us about your new release, The Star of Fate?

The Star of Fate is an urban fantasy thriller set in Melbourne, Australia. The story follows Lando Bailey, whose life hasn't turned out as planned. Through a mixture of bad choices and poor luck, he's hit rock bottom, and now all he wants is the chance to turn his life around, to change his fate. Then Lando comes into possession of a mysterious crystal ball, the Star of Fate, which belongs to the Moirai, the Greek Goddesses of Fate. The Moirai start manipulating his destiny, and he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, and a secret war between two cults. Hunted by shadow monsters, shaman and a demigod, Lando finds himself on the run from one Melbourne suburb to the next. As he confronts the forces aligned against him, he will have to reconcile his past mistakes and make peace with a future that he can't control.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I've always wanted to be an author. My friends and I used to create stories and characters at school. As a group, we've always aspired to write.

Before starting this book, I mainly wrote shorts stories or the first three chapters of various novels. The following advice from Neil Gaiman has been my guiding light to complete this writing project, and get past that dreaded fourth chapter. "You have to finish things — that's what you learn from, you learn by finishing things."

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

Hmm, tricky. I like so many different books for a variety of various reasons. Off the top of my head:

A storm of swords (A song of Fire and Ice book 3) by George R R Martin
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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

Probably Joss Whedon. I'd love to pick his brain on his approach to creating character and relationships that readers fall in love with.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Writing has forced me to read more and read outside my usual genres and exposed me to new authors and a greater appreciation of their work and style.

What is a typical day like for you?

I work a day job, and usually, need to walk both my kids to school. On the commute to and from work, I will write on the train for about 25-30 min each way. Once home, we get the kids into bed by about 8pm. After that, I either write or do admin for my writing business until about 9:30 pm. From then, I chill or unwind until bed.

What scene in The Star of Fate was your favorite to write?

The climactic battle at the end of the book was fun to write, once I found it. I wrote four or five different versions before I was happy with the ending, but when the final version came together, it was really rewarding.

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

Per ardua ad astra – Through adversity to the stars.

David T Myers is the author of the new book The Star of Fate.

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What can you tell us about your new release, Into the Fold?

I can tell you that “Into the Fold” comes out on September 10th, 2019. I can say that it is the longest book in the series thus far, and that’s a good thing. I can tell you that it continues the storyline from “Tower of the Arkein” and answers a few lingering questions. The book also introduces some new and interesting characters. The rest, however, is classified, and you must read to find out.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

There have been many inspirations to my writing over the years, but who or what inspired me originally? I am unsure. I have been writing since I was young and I honestly don’t recall how I originally became inspired. Perhaps it was traveling since a young age? Seeing the history of Europe through the lens of a child’s eyes or walking through the jungles of a Caribbean Island and listening to the sounds of the forest, may have played a small part.

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

This is always a difficult question as there have been so many good books written. There are obviously books that stand out in my memory. These are books that I’ve read at different times in my life and have truly enjoyed. In no particular order:

The Name of the Wind; Pillars of the Earth; Guns, Germs, and Steal; On Killing; and The Death Gate Cycle.

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

First, I’m not sure if you’d want me to be the host of a literary talk show. But I’ll play your game. My first guest? I’d probably want to pick an indie writer who’s had some success and pick their brain. It would be focused on everything from creation to marketing and how a measure of financial success and even a hint of fame, has changed their life.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

My favorite thing about writing is the creative process. It is inventing a new world, a unique culture, and making the characters come alive within this vividly real space.

What is a typical day like for you?

I don’t often have overly typical days. But, I’d say, like most people, it involves work, a home routine, and working out when times allows. Oh, let’s not forget writing! I do try to incorporate that whenever feasible.

What scene in Into the Fold was your favorite to write?

I think the scenes I enjoyed most were in Part 3 of “Into the Fold.” Finding the Sages of Umbra required puzzles, fun character interactions and a constant sense of tension.

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

There are a few quotes/mottos that will cycle through my head depending on the day and the challenges faced.

“I’ll get enough rest when I’m dead.” These are on days of great exhaustion.

“The only easy day is yesterday.” Similarly, but more of physical challenges, or high levels of stress.

“If everyone likes you or everyone hates you, you’re doing something wrong.” Just something my friend said recently that rings true.

Chase Blackwood is the author of the new book Into the Fold.

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What can you tell us about your new release, The Unfettered Child?

I could tell you a lot of things, like the whole story, but I won't spoil it here. What I can tell you is that I have received comments from beta readers about how believable Samara is as an 8 year old. One reason for this is that I modeled her behaviors off my own 8-year-old daughter. Another reason is that some of her experiences in the book mirror my own childhood experiences. My mother passed away when I was seven years old, and I very vividly remember waking up one morning and not remembering anything except who I was, where I was, and who other people were.

My wife thinks this is a form of mental block due to experiencing a traumatic event. Unlike Samara, I still don't remember anything before this time, except a few large events (my grandfather's viewing, getting lost in Disneyland, and the time my mother held me under the ocean waves because I was afraid to get in the water). Yes, sadly none of these memories were happy memories, but I've come to accept this, and my life afterward has mostly been good.

The next parallel in the story was Samara's relationship with Illtud. I had a very similar experience with a friend of my father's. Again, I won't go into detail, but those experiences helped me shape my protagonist into such a believable character.

The next character, Orin, was very difficult for me to write about. At first, I had a lot of difficulty connecting with the character, but then I started putting myself in his shoes. I would ask myself how I would act if I lost my family, what I would do to save them if I had the opportunity, and finally, how I would feel. Overall, these questions (and their answers) made the entire book difficult to write at times.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I've mentioned this many times in other places, and the answer is somewhat repetitive, but I spent countless hours as a child watching my father sit at the kitchen table scribbling away on napkins or in notebooks. It didn't take long for me to notice and pickup these interests.

However, I will go on to say that my father never published his works. In fact, his book never even left his journals. He always talked about it, but he never did it. I, too, was in danger of doing the same thing. It wasn't until my wife, who works as a freelance editor on UpWork.com, forced me to publish my short story, Assassin Marked, that I became a published author. That story may not have been my first choice for publication, but I'm eternally grateful to her for making me publish it. She is definitely my biggest inspiration, and my muse at times.

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

This is such a difficult question, since there are so many, but the ones that stand out to me are Firestarter, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I know this is technically three books, but "One book to rule them all, one book to find them, one book to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them"), Disclosure, Lord of the Flies, and The Mists of Avalon.

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

Stephen King. I would ask him how he develops his characters so well, even his secondary characters. That said, I would never be a host to a talk show. I'm terrible in front of a camera.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I really enjoy putting the stories that circulate in my head onto paper. Sometimes, I get an idea in my head, and it starts to blossom, and then I'll begin writing it. However, I think my absolute favorite part is after I've finished writing the story, and I go back on a second draft. It's during the second draft that the story really starts to take shape, and then during the edit, it's as though I'm putting the fine details onto a sculpture I've been working on.

What is a typical day like for you?

I spend my time with my family when I'm not working at my 8-5. Spending time with them is the best part of my life.

What scene in The Unfettered Child was your favorite to write?

I think I really enjoyed writing the ending. It's a bit of a surprise ending, and honestly, it surprised me as well when I wrote it. I had written The Unfettered Child maybe a year or two ago, and I never put an ending on it.

My wife had been editing a dystopian novel for a client, a how-to-get-scholarships guide, and a memoir for a Hatian hurricane survivor who came to America and became a senator's aide. I kept pestering her to find out when she could take a look at mine, knowing it was going to be a long time. When she finally said she was ready, I handed it in, but I still had no ending. I spent at least a couple weeks trying to think of an appropriate ending.

Finally, I had a start to my scene and started writing that, but it just kept going, flowing onto the paper and shaping itself. It was my favorite to write and the hardest to write, both mentally and emotionally.

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

I try to live every day doing the best that I can for my family. I try very hard to make sure that they are provided for. We are a rather frugal lot. "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Michael C. Sahd is the author of the new book The Unfettered Child.

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