Born in Queens and raised in Jersey, voracious reader and now published author. I live in Central Jersey with my husband, daughter and bulldog.
Interview with Author – Lisamarie Chorowiec
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Interview with Author – T. L. Cooper
T. L. Cooper began weaving storytelling and social justice at a very young age when she attempted to save a groundhog’s life by creating an adventurous and full life for him in her stories while sitting on her grandpa’s knees.
Throughout her childhood, she wrote stories casting her classmates and herself as heroes and villains. Sharing her stories taught her words hold power as she watched the reactions of those around her.
She often explored teenage angst, friendship, and the choices she and her peers faced as she maneuvered high school.
By the time she started college at Eastern Kentucky University she’d developed a keen interest in human behavior and motivation, so she studied Corrections and Juvenile Services and Psychology. Her written work continued to explore human interaction and motivation.
After college she worked as a counselor with troubled teenagers, a project coordinator, a registrar assistant, and a temp before becoming a full-time author.
She has traveled extensively throughout the world feeding her passion for meeting new people and discovering both the similarities and the differences in the way people live.
Her work has been published in magazines, anthologies, books, and online. She has authored books of poetry, books of short stories, and a novel. She also writes three blogs, Write with TLC, Reviews with TLC, and Vegan Cooking with TLC.
She has served as Master of Ceremonies of a writer’s conference, taught classes and workshops, and moderated panels. In addition, she has participated in poetry readings and media interviews.
Her work continues to explore both the strength and the vulnerability that are interwoven into relationships large and small.
When she steps away from the keyboard, she enjoys yoga, meditation, hiking, golf, cooking, and interesting conversation.
Currently, she resides with her husband and three cats in Albany, Oregon.
Interview with Author – Katie Licavoli
Katie Licavoli is an aspiring writer who split her time growing up between the DFW metroplex and a small town in the “thumb” of Michigan. She has since lived in various states. I guess you could call her a bit of a vagabond.
When not typing away on her latest writing projects she enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, practicing improving her yoga moves, or diving into her latest read (… preferably alongside a good cup of tea.)
Katie currently works as a part-time librarian, part-time freelance writer in Kansas with her husband and 20-pound orange rescue cat named M.G. She has a small collection of published short fiction and creative nonfiction, and in April 2019 she released her debut New Adult Novelette Vengeful Hearts with BTGN out of Washington.
Interview with Author – Arnittress Dowdy
I am born and raised in New York just minutes away from New York City. I consider myself to be a writer, poet and author. At a young age, I fell in love with poetry. I was amazed at how you could express your feelings, create a scene and tell a story through poetry. Soon after discovering poetry, I read her first romance novel, Once Is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann. In 2007, my first novel Dreamtini was published. Shortly after Dreamtini’s release I stepped away from writing. I returned in 2018 and released Dreamtini the 2nd Edition, followed by Pieces of Me and Simply Me; both, are a part of the Intimately Me Collection.
When I am not writing, I am most likely trying to keep up with my two young sons.
Interview with Author – Mary Gant Bell
Mary Gant Bell began her writing career about fifteen years ago to give voice to the ideas rattling in her brain. She started with genealogy books and later Christian fiction romance novels. She married a man who craves adventure. Together they parent one daughter and a gaggle of attention-seeking cats. When Mary is not writing, she quilts or cleans seashells from her latest trip to the beach. She never learned to cook, so don’t show up at dinner time. She’d much rather chase her characters from chapter to chapter than preheat the oven.
Interview with Author – Kayla Krantz
Kayla Krantz is a proud author, responsible for a number of fantasy novels, and is fascinated by the dark and macabre. Stephen King is her all-time inspiration, mixed in with a little bit of Eminem and some faint remnants of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. When she began writing, she started in horror, but somehow drifted into thriller and fantasy. She loves the 1988 movie, “Heathers.” Kayla was born and raised in Michigan, but traveled across the country to where she currently resides, in Texas.
Interview with Author – Jennifer Priester
Jennifer is self employed as an author, publisher, artist, and photographer. She enjoys all forms of storytelling and probably spends a little too much time in fictional worlds. Much of her free time is spent reading books, watching tv and movies, and playing video games. She also has many other hobbies and interests as well. Some of her other hobbies include; building jigsaw puzzles, riding her bike, spending time outdoors, listening to music, and daydreaming. Jennifer is a former bowler and horseback rider. She does still go bowling for fun sometimes, but not enough for her to consider it one of her active hobbies. Jennifer loves animals and has had many pets throughout her life. Although none of her pets have been unusual, they have all been very unique. She’s had a rabbit that she taught to play dead, a dog that would do anything for a blanket, a bird that liked to hang upside down from her swing, and a fish that would let her pet it. Several of her pets were adopted from animal shelters, beginning with her second rabbit. Jennifer grew up with, and still has, a highly misunderstood anxiety disorder called selective mutism, which leads people to believe those with it choose when not to talk when that’s not the case. She also has social anxiety disorder, so she is a big supporter of mental health awareness.
Interview with Author – James Blakley
James Blakley was educated at Missouri Western State College and Washburn University. While at MWSC, he was a local and national award-winning columnist and section editor of “The Griffon-News.” Blakley worked 10 1/2 years as a page and as an Assistant Librarian for the River Bluffs Regional Libraries of St. Joseph, MO. He currently lives in Topeka, KS where he worked for The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library; several years in clerical and customer support capacities for international computer companies, such as EDS and HP; and information-gathering and analysis for numerous local, state, and federal agencies.
Blakley prefers reading history, current events, and allegorical fiction, and runs the gamut cinematically. And besides writing in his spare time, he is an avid pro sports fan who enjoys playing men’s fast-pitch softball.
Interview with Author – J.R. Wirth
J.R. Wirth is an award-winning author and native of Southern California. Raised in Azusa, he now hails from San Bernardino. J.R. is recognized for his extensive work in the helping field. He is a licensed psychotherapist with a long list of accomplishments, including a 15-year stretch as a domestic violence counselor and trainer, and head of a disaster response team. J.R. had a stint as a university professor, and even spent time as a child abuse investigator. Through all these duties, he continues to provide clinical supervision to young, aspiring therapists. J.R. currently supervises the therapy portion of a forensic psychiatric unit in Southern California. Above all, he is a spiritual man who is dedicated to his children, which often comes out in his writings.
Besides traditional publishing, J.R. has several pieces published—including a poem and several short stories in online venues. In all his works, J.R. combines ordinary people with extraordinary circumstances, to create characters that jump off the page and straight into the readers’ heart and psyche. He remains dedicated to the craft of writing, highlighting the conflict, frailty, and hero in all of us.
Interview with Author – Gigi Sedlmayer
Gisela (Gigi) Sedlmayer was born on 19 May 1944 in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin in Germany.
Her family escaped to the West just before the infamous wall went up. They moved around in Germany, following where her dad got work. That meant she had to change 9 times schools. In the end she never had friends again, of fear, she will lose them again.
Finally, they settled in Munich where Gigi studied architectural drafting and met Albert in 1965, marrying in December 1967. She worked as a civil drafts-person in various private consultancies in Munich.
Since her uncle was a writer, she tried to write short animal stories herself. Nothing further came of it, but she developed a love for the written word and started to consume books.
In May 1975, Gigi and her husband moved to New Zealand. Because of language challenges, she started a handcraft business. As a specialty, she made colourful parrots in several sizes of which she sold thousands in a few years.
In 1988, they decided to adopt and became adoptive parents of twin girls the year after. They lived in New Zealand for eighteen years and moved to Australia in September 1992.
One year later Gigi was diagnosed with cancer. After operations and radiation, she withdrew, thinking that she would probably soon be dead, like her friend who died of cancer, but her two little girls gave her the courage to keep going. After a few years, still among the living, her brain started to work again, so she thought, ‘Get a grip on yourself and do something good with your life’.
She remembered the time she wrote short stories and got inspired again, seeing her husband Albert writing the story of their adoption. Her English became increasingly better so she pressed on to develop her creative writing.
Albert taught her how to use a computer and she wrote many short stories. She entered them in competitions and often got very good reports back, which gave her confidence to go on writing. One day the idea for the TALON series came to her and she spent the next several years bringing the story and the characters to life.
She now loves writing and spends most of her time at the computer, developing new story lines. She also loves traveling, 4×4 touring, swimming, gardening, handcrafting, reading, fossicking and enjoys good adventure DVD’s or going to the movies.
Teaching Children Self-Confidence Through Service to Others
Interview with Author – Brenda Tetreault
Brenda Tetreault was born in a small town on the southern Oregon coast. Growing up, she found herself easily bored with the books available to her and found they did not hold her attention for long. By the second grade, she had figured how to put together a story and says, “I started writing the kinds of stories I wanted to read but couldn’t find.” Her school years were populated with fanciful stories and many drafts, but it would many years until her dream of being an authorwould come to life.
Brenda graduated high school, and then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where she would serve foreighteen months as an Aircraft Structural Maintenance Specialist, working on cargo planes. She met and married her husband during this time. After her discharge, she and her husband, Mark, were stationed in Japan and at various bases in the United States. Their family expanded with the birth of their son in 1996.
Brenda now lives in Dover, Delaware with her husband and grown son.
Interview with Author – Brenda Mohammed
I am a multi-genre, award-winning author, and poet from Trinidad in the Caribbean and have written twenty-four books to date.
As a former Bank Manager, I hold a Diploma in Banking from the Institute of Bankers in London.
I also obtained a Diploma in Life Underwriting from the American College, USA and worked in the Insurance industry briefly.
I qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table, the Premier Association for Financial Professionals, six times in a row.
My writing career sparked after my near-death experience with Cancer and my recovery.
I wrote the book, I AM CANCER FREE which became a best seller and it gave me the encouragement to continue writing.
Some of my books won multiple awards as follows.
1. I am Cancer Free – Readers Favorite award in category Health and Fitness 2018 and McGrath’s first-place winner in Non-fiction 2016.
2. Zeeka Chronicles was an award winner in the Category Young Adult Thriller in Readers Favorite International Awards 2018, winner in Science Fiction in SIBA Awards 2017, winner of the gold award in the category science fiction in Connections Emagazine Readers’ Choice Awards 2018, and winner in the top ten finalists for science fiction in the Author Academy Global Awards 2018.
3. August 2019 – Stories People Love won two gold medals in Connections EMagazine Readers’ Choice Awards – First place in Romance Category and first place in all genres.
4. August 2019 – How to Write for Success won a gold medal in the category Non- Fiction in Connections EMagazine Readers’ Choice Awards and a silver medal for second place in all genres. [My romance novel, Stories People Love won first place.]
5. My Life as a Banker won 2nd place Bio/memoirs in SIBA Awards 2016.
After the success of my book How to Write for Success, I founded the Facebook Group, How to Write for Success. Later, I also founded two more groups – Poems for Suicide Prevention, and How to Write for Success Library.
I was the driving force in the production of the Anthology A SPARK OF HOPE: A Treasury of Poems for Saving Lives by 49 authors in my group.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:
5th November 2018 – Appointed Vice-Chancellor of Motivational Strips Academy of Literary Excellence and Wisdom.
In October 2018 – Appointed an Honorary Member of the World Higher Literary Academic Council of WORLD NATIONS WRITERS’ UNION of Kazakhstan.
On 29th December 2018, awarded the World Laureate in Literature by World Nations Writers Union.
On 30th December 2018, I received a Global Literature Guardian Award from the Founder of Motivational Strips and Associates.
On 31st December received a Certificate of Honour for serving as a juror in an International Poetry Contest sponsored by World Nations Writers’ Union.
On 4th March 2019 was awarded by Motivational Strips and its Nominating Authorities a Golden Dove of Peace Award.
In June 2019 appointed National President of the Union of Writers, Union Hispaniomundial de Escritos for Trinidad and Tobago.
In August 2019 received a Diploma and World Poetic Star Award from World Nations Writers Union.
On 31st August 2019 was honoured by the Seychelles Government Accredited Literary Society [ LLSF] for my contribution to World Poetry, creativity, and writing expertise.
On October 16th, 2019 was awarded the Order of Shakespeare Medal by the Founder of the Facebook group Motivational Strips, Shiju H Pallithazheth.
My books are available on all Amazon stores worldwide
Interview with Author – Crystal Reavis
Crystal Reavis is an American fantasy author. The first book of her series The Awakening called Areal is available now. Areal was nominated for the Author Academy Awards. She is currently working on her second book and plans to publish it n 2020. She also has articles in The Old Schoolhouse where she writes about homeschooling. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three kids. When she isn’t writing you can find her reading, hanging with her family, and helping to market other authors.
Interview with Author – Endri Shqerra
I completed my graduate studies at the University of New York Tirana. My writing career started when my diss. got a distinguishing mark and was subsequently published by LAMBERT Academic Publishing. Since then my devotion has been writing.
Interview with Author – Shirley J. Davis
Shirley J. Davis is an advocate, speaker and author focusing on the disorder she understands best, her own, dissociative identity disorder (DID). Shirley lives in rural Illinois with her brother, his wife and their two young sons. She enjoys writing and spending time with her four-year old nephew Michael. Shirley can be found on Twitter at the address @ShirleyDavis18 and on LinkedIn under her full name. Shirley also owns and operates a website dedicated to spreading awareness about dissociative identity disorder.