authorinterviewseries

Author Interview Series-Diane Zenn

Dianne Zenn

Diane Zenn is an author, artist and entrepreneur. She’s illustrated for several New York publications, was assistant to the creative director at New Line Cinema, created and moderates The Virtual Pen Society writers support group and runs a retail business which supports locally made products and independent authors. She’s currently working on a new project to craft an Indie Author Book Festival in Ridgewood NJ.

Marina Raydun: Your tagline says Diane Zenn would have preferred to be rescued, but instead became her own hero — how does that idea show up in Jin and Tonic?

Diane Zenn: It shows up as the opposite, really. Tonic becomes Jin’s hero. Sometimes Jin may be Tonics. I took the role of Tonic in my own life and rescued myself since no one else was volunteering. There comes a time when every individual has to come to terms with the fact that no one is coming to save them. That’s when you make the effort to change things for yourself and achieve what you want and need. 

MR: Jin and Tonic is a mix of sci-fi, action, romance, and comedy. How do you balance all these genres while keeping the story flowing?

DZ: It just happens organically. I don’t really think about it. The sci-fi aspect allowed me to build my own world which no one can fact check, because I made it up. Action, Romance and Comedy have always been the ingredients of my favorite stories so I can’t imagine one without the others…except maybe Romance? But it’s rare not to have some romance in the mix.. unless it’s a buddy story…then you can have the action and comedy without romance, but almost always one of the buddies will have a romantic interest on the side. 

MR: Tonic and Jin have such a fun, electric dynamic. How did you develop their relationship — did one character come first, or did they grow together?

DZ: They were created pretty much together. Almost 30 years ago? Just ad lib on-line goofing around in a chat room back in the 90’s. It’s hard to explain, but all the characters in this series pretty much told ME who they were and what was going to happen to them. 

MR: Your story has a strong LGBTQ+ element — how important was it for you to bring diverse representation into this universe?

DZ: When I first started this, I didnt really think about that. It wasnt a deliberate choice, it just was what it was. I studied art and writing since I was a kid, and was always surrounded by diverse people in that environment of creative learning. It was normal to me. I thought about it after someone asked me if I'd allow them to change Jin to be female if it became a live action series. I would not. I could not tell the whole Jin and Tonic story with Jin as a woman because some of the things that happen to him would be so much worse if the character was female. Also, I wanted to show a future where who you are with is not even remotely an issue. It’s like how no one blinks an eye if a woman wears pants now, but in the past it would have been scandalous. 

MR: There’s a lot of adventure and high-stakes action. Do you plot those sequences meticulously, or do they sometimes evolve organically while you write?

DZ: Both. I have the base outline, many of the more intense or funny or emotional scenes are written in advance, when the scene or emotions are triggered in my head. Then I stitch them together to form a novel. To do that involves inventing the reasons that get them from scene A to scene B and so on. I know exactly what’s going to happen in the main story arc from the beginning to end, but I work to fill in the icing in between the plot points. I say work but i really want to call it “Fun.”

MR: You’re also an illustrator and artist — does your visual creativity influence how you imagine scenes and characters?

DZ: Definitely. I can see every detail, recorded like a film in my head. I can watch these scenes over and over and edit them before and after writing them down. I've walked the Boulevard in Ba’nesspah and visited The Fantasy Palace many times. I'm pretty sure when I’m old and senile I will think these are memories of real places and people. 

MR: Humor is such a key part of the story. Do you write jokes as you go, or do they come naturally from the characters?

DZ: Mostly it comes out naturally in dialogue. Once in a while I’ll think of something and figure out how to use it. I’ve even gone back into the story to sprinkle some things throughout just to set up and land one silly joke. The hardest one I ever had to work out was the “Who’s on first” type dialogue during the shopping scene in the snooty Pue De La Mode boutique. That took me months to get right! (I really hope everyone else thinks it’s funny too) 

MR: What was your favorite scene or moment to write in Startown Biyobot, and why?

DZ: Gosh, that’s a hard one. To me, most of the scenes are iconic. But I think the most fun scenes to write are the epilogues with Masada and Tonic. I usually write the opening scenes and the epilogues before the rest of the book. The epilogues cap the book while hinting at what’s to come. Masada’s disapproving dialogue highlights and emphasizes the absurdity of Tonic's situation. I also love writing the scenes where Jin’s seemingly naive views or random actions suddenly seem logical to Tonic. 

MR: How do you approach subverting classic “hero vs. rescued” tropes?

DZ: I try to keep the characters equal. Jin may need rescuing, but he’s no damsel in distress. He gets into trouble usually trying to be heroic. And even when he’s in danger, he doesn’t panic or seem to realize it. Tonic is flabbergasted by Jin’s lack of fear. No spoilers, but as the series progresses, more and more bad things happen and Jin will probably start developing that sense of mortal fear. I haven’t worked it out yet, but at some point Jin should rescue Tonic — literally, not in an emotional or psychological sense, which I’m sure will be apparent. 

MR: Finally, if readers could take one thing away from the Jin and Tonic adventure — whether it’s laughter, excitement, or a little swoon — what would you hope it is?

DZ: Besides a little escapism, I hope to portray a healthy relationship and a non-dystopian future where we learned from our mistakes and didn't repeat them in the new worlds we created. Life imitates art. Look at some of the horrific things we watch and read as entertainment. There are no positive examples left to emulate. I want to show you can be the hero without killing and blowing up everything in sight. (Okay, maybe Esteban hasn’t learned this, but at least he shows some self control…usually) .

Author Interview Series-James Bow

James Bow

James Bow writes science fiction and fantasy for both kids and adults. He’s been a fan of science fiction since his family introduced him to Doctor Who on TV Ontario in 1978, and his mother read him classic sci-fi and fantasy from such authors as Clifford Simak and J.R.R. Tolkien. James won the 2017 Prix Aurora Award for best YA Novel in Canada for Icarus Down. By day, James is a communications officer for a charitable land trust protecting lands from development in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. He also loves trains and streetcars. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with his two kids, and his spouse/fellow writer/partner-in-crime, Erin Bow.

Marina Raydun: Congratulations on the new edition of The Night Girl! How does it feel to see the book come “home” to Shadowpaw Press and reach a new generation of readers?

James Bow: Thank you! I’m amazed at the work Ed has done with Shadowpaw Press, making waves on the Canadian literary scene and supporting Canadian authors, getting Canadian books into the hands of more Canadians, while also giving Canadians exposure to the world market. 

I’ll always be indebted to Kisa at my first publisher for bringing The Night Girl into the world, but moving things to Shadowpaw not only gives The Night Girl a new lease on life, it does feel like coming home. I’m only half joking when I say that the new edition is “now with Canadian spelling”. I’m genuinely pleased to have more letter u’s back in my book. We need to tell more Canadian stories, and Ed at Shadowpaw is making this happen.

MR: The Night Girl blends urban realism with fantasy creatures like trolls and goblins—right in the heart of Toronto. What inspired you to bring mythological beings into such a contemporary, Canadian setting?

JB: The roots of The Night Girl go back to 2003. While you wouldn’t think of it considering the slow pace of subway construction in the city, Toronto has a lot of things under construction, with a lot of projects digging deep into the bedrock. At the time Erin and I had recently seen The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, and Erin suggested I consider a story set in Toronto where, like in Khazad-Dum, people had dug too greedily and too deep and unleashed… something.

I didn’t go with quite that story idea (though some elements do show up), but it got me thinking about Toronto’s underground, and how much of the city is hidden from us, both physically, and by our own perception filters, as we focus too hard on our destination to notice what’s immediately around us. Toronto has the largest contiguous underground shopping concourse in the world with its PATH network (Montreal’s la ville souterrain is bigger, but it’s in three separate sections), and it’s a maze down there. So many possible secret hideaways; definitely fodder for a story.

As for why goblins, trolls and faeries? There’s rich lore there, and I’d written it before growing up through fan fiction, and reading things like Emma Bull’s The War for the Oaks. The mix just felt right for Toronto. A lot of writing is doing that: what sort of different elements can you put together, that clash and resonate in interesting ways. It took a while to find the final story, but the elements that grabbed me at the start kept me hooked and exploring for the final resolution.

MR: Perpetua Collins is such a relatable heroine—young, ambitious, trying to find her footing. What drew you to tell her story, and how did her character evolve as you wrote the novel?

JB: I’ve heard it said that many characters are based on traits of the authors themselves, and that’s true some of the time, but there’s also the alter-ego; we put together a character based on the things that we aren’t, and it gives us something interesting to explore. Perpetua is my opposite in many ways, being a woman who addresses the world far more forcefully than I could.

I generally like writing for strong female protagonists. You see it in Frieda and Adelheid Koning in The Sun Runners, and you see it in the first trilogy I wrote, starting with The Unwritten Girl. Rosemary Watson goes through three books, turning from 12 to 18 over the course of the series, and coming into her own through her adventures. There may be a bit of a through-put between Rosemary Watson and Perpetua Collins, although I think Perpetua puts up a stronger front and takes riskier leaps.

Perpetua’s character did change over the course of the writing, as I worked on figuring out whether this book was Young Adult or not. Though I write a lot of YA, I don’t set out to write Young Adult novels; I just like to tell a particular story, and the coming of age story is a compelling narrative that happens to come up a lot in YA. When I started writing The Night Girl, Perpetua was 19, and a recent high school graduate, but as I wrote the story, I ran into difficulties. Editors said that 19 was too old for a YA protagonist, but noted that aging her down would raise big questions about why she wasn’t in school, and how could she hold down a job so young? I also found that teen readers weren’t as interested in the office humour of the story, though twenty-somethings loved it. In the end, I aged Perpetua up to twenty-one, and moved the book into New Adult territory. Perpetua now has three years of University behind her and a few jobs under her belt — some of which she doesn’t want to talk about.

MR: You’ve said the book is “fun, funny, and heartwarming,” but it also explores themes of visibility and belonging. What deeper ideas or questions were you hoping readers would reflect on beneath the humor and fantasy?

JB: I seem drawn to stories that present themselves as light-hearted, but which speak to deeper themes. A Wrinkle in Time has some dark themes about confomity and authoritarianism, for example. The Night Girl tries to be funny (and, I hope, succeeds) but it explores issues of racism and of marginalized groups struggling to make a living in a world that isn’t built for them.

I didn’t set out for these things to be there, but they materialized nonetheless. Like a lot of my books, The Night Girl has a theme of identity and the struggles of finding your own, but as Perpetua figures out who she is and her place in the world she lives in, there comes a second question: how do you react to the world you live in now that you know who you are in it? One of the biggest struggles many of us have is just being themselves in this world that will judge you or ignore you or, in some cases, try to erase your existence. 

That’s what The Night Girl matured into.

MR: You won the Prix Aurora Award for Icarus Down, and now The Night Girl continues to show your range across genres. What do you find most rewarding—and most challenging—about writing both science fiction and fantasy?

JB: Science Fiction and Fantasy have different expectations and different rules, but these rules have similarities that you can work and play with. You can’t use magic in science fiction, but you can fudge in some technology that works like magic, like ion-ships and faster-than-light travel. Rather than aliens, you can rely on mythological creatures in Fantasy. All that the readers ask is that the story be consistent to the rules you establish at the beginning of the story, or that have been established for you by the genre. Not all rules are made to be broken; they provide important structures that you hang your story on.

The rewards of science fiction and fantasy are that you are able to tell your stories in different settings or environments that simply aren’t available in contemporary fiction. I can have a book about goblin and troll office workers in downtown Toronto through urban fantasy, or I can jet off to Mercury or clear across the galaxy to tell the story of the challenges of behind human while struggling to survive in hostile environments.

But I find these settings and rules are flourishes, or aesthetics, and ultimately the stories are about the characters themselves, and the characters are people. How these people react to their settings and their stories should resonate with readers, who can see and sympathize with these people as not being that different from themselves. Thus The Night Girl and The Sun Runners become stories of women (Perpetua and Frieda) who come to understand their place and privilege in the world, and who grow into themselves by helping others with their own struggles. Icarus Down and The Night Girl become stories about finding out who you really are, and dealing with the uncomfortable truths about the world you live in.

MR: You’re also a communications officer for a land trust. Has your work in environmental preservation influenced how you approach world-building or the moral dimensions of your fiction?

JB: I am currently freelancing and supporting my wife Erin with her writing work, but working as a communications officer is a privilege for me because it pays me to write for a living. For most authors, writing is not a money-making enterprise, and we need a day job to pay the bills. Fortunately, I enjoy putting together press releases, creating newsletters, just making stuff, much more than I would doing Perpetua’s initial job of drafting invoices, answering phones and scheduling meetings.

Though, now that I think of it, a lot of that happened during my dayjobs as well.

I was equally privileged to work for non-profit agencies like the rare Charitable Research Reserve or the Canadian Water Network because these are easy causes to get behind. Unless we can find a balance between ourselves and nature, and unless we can protect the quality and quantity of our water, for everyone, the world is going to become a much harder place to live in. I’d hate to have the events that launched The Sun Runners happen here.

MR: You’ve been a Doctor Who fan since the late ’70s. Do you see any echoes of that storytelling tradition—hope, wonder, maybe a touch of whimsy—in your own writing?

JB: Oh, I am a writer because of Doctor Who. It’s as simple as that. When I was in my teens, I discovered fan fiction, and Doctor Who is one of the best franchises to explore that. The show’s writers may dress things up in science fictdion terms, throwing around phrases like “time machine” and “dimensionally transcendental”, but what it really comes down to is that it’s about a powerful wizard with a magical cabinet that can take him anywhere in the Universe.  He is a portable hero who can be dropped into almost any genre of story. Writers have a whole bunch of characters, settings or plot ideas they can take off a shelf and write about, while exploring the craft of creating their own characters, settings or plots within that universe. Better yet, fan fiction has a fan community who will happily read your work and offer comment and encouragement, which gives you plenty of opportunities to improve, and a lot of incentive to keep writing.

There’s a lot of Doctor Who in The Sun Runners and Icarus Down. There may be some in The Night Girl as well, but I have other influences. I’ve already mentioned The Lord of the Rings and Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks. I was also reading a lot of Terry Prachett while writing The Night Girl, and he’s a master at incorporating whimsy, fantasy and humour into stories that have deeper undertones and commentary about the world.
MR: The novel first came out in 2019. When revisiting it for this new edition, did you feel tempted to change anything, or did you prefer to preserve it as a snapshot of the moment it was written?

Ed corrected the American spelling in the new edition. I didn’t change much else, because I felt that the story had reached its final form, and had become as good as it was going to be. I did ask to change a few details, like the number of homeless people in Toronto, and Perpetua’s rate of pay, as unfortunately, homeless numbers and prices have gone up considerably since 2019.

Although it’s not made explicit, the dates in The Night Girl correspond to 2018, and I was thinking about that year as I was writing the tale — it was the best mixture of near-future and contemporary as I could find.  But the dates also correspond to the year 2029, and who knows: maybe the optimistic-with-fingers-crossed ending will fit well with that date when we get to it, given the way things are these days.

MR: Toronto feels like another character in the book. What makes the city such a compelling backdrop for fantasy, and what do you hope readers—especially Canadian ones—see differently after reading The Night Girl?

JB: Toronto is a diverse city with many possibilities for diverse and interesting characters. And as a Canadian city that, by and large, works, you aren’t obliged to tell a noir urban fantasy tale like Chicago tends to see, though Toronto can do noir, and Chicago’s not nearly as bad as its reputation sometimes presents. I also think, with fantasy — urban and otherwise — we look for unexpected things, or we like to explore hidden things. Not only are there plenty of hidden things to explore in Toronto, it’s an unexpected setting when it comes to urban fantasy. But if there can be werewolves in London and vampires in Sunnydale, there can be goblins and trolls in Toronto and Montreal, and as Canadians telling Canadian stories, we owe it to ourselves to make these contributions to the urban fantasy genre.

MR: Finally, what’s next for you? Are there more stories brewing in the Night Girl universe—or perhaps another world entirely waiting to be explored?

JB: The Night Girl is a stand-alone with a deliberately ambiguous ending, because the emotional climax of the story is the decisions that Perpetua, the goblins and the trolls make, with the impact of that decision being left to the imagination of the reader. I like stories like that, which offer a mixture of hope and trepidation for the resolution. If there’s a second book, it will deal with the human reaction to this world of goblins, trolls and faeries, and it will probably be called The Day Boy.

But right now I’m working on a companion YA SF novel to The Sun Runners called The Cloud Riders, set on Venus and Mars. It’s sort of an interplanetary Country Mouse/City Mouse thing, and I’m having fun with it. There’s also a near-future New Adult SF novel I’m working on about the impact to our identities in the face of rampant automation called The Curator of Forgotten Things. That one won’t have space colonies or space-opera settings, but be a bittersweet tale set in Halifax in 2040. That one intrigues me a lot. We’ll see how it goes.

You can find James Bow online at jamesbow.ca.

Author Interview Series-Kristine Jensen

Kristine Jensen

Kristine Jensen has spent her career shaping narratives, crafting voices, and distilling complex ideas into language that connects. Kristine is a lifelong writer whose work has spanned scripts, screenplays, documentaries, and storytelling for brands and organizations. She has written hundreds of marketing scripts across industries ranging from technology to healthcare and education. Her scripts have earned multiple honors, including three Telly Awards and honors from the Columbus Film/Video Festival, the Houston International Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival.  Raised on a farm in South Dakota, Kristine drew inspiration for her debut novel, Wednesday Club, from the handwritten minutes of her grandmother’s real-life women’s club, which met faithfully for over sixty years. She now lives in Oregon, where she writes fiction that celebrates women’s inner lives, unlikely friendships, and the quiet power of small towns.

Marina Raydun: Wednesday Club celebrates inter-generational friendship in such a warm, funny way — what inspired you to bring this story to life?

Kristine Jensen: After my grandmother passed away, we found a box of keepsakes from her Wednesday Club: photos, club minutes, and club programs from 1927 to 1995. They captured the story of a group of rural women who met once a month and conducted their meetings according to strict parliamentary procedure. The club was more than just a social club — it was a way to learn about current affairs and find opportunities to help their community. I was especially intrigued by the idea of women's friendships spanning generations. The minutes from the real Wednesday Club sparked the idea for a novel about what might happen if city girl Ivy is dumped on a farm — and how her grandmother's Wednesday Club might help her to find a sense of home.

MR: Ivy is a teen navigating a very small-town life in 1963. How did you approach capturing her voice and perspective?

KJ: Ivy is a city girl, born and raised in Omaha, with no experience with rural life. When her mother dumps her at her grandparents' farm in South Dakota, Ivy is both furious and lost. She doesn't want to be there; feels South Dakota is in the middle of nowhere; and is friendless and lonely. She thinks her mother will come back for her very soon, but as the months stretch on, she realizes she will have to find a way to cope in this strange place. Although my personal life was the opposite of Ivy's (I was a farm girl who moved to San Francisco), I could tap into those old feelings of loneliness, feeling very out of place, and not sure whether I really belonged there or could ever fit in.

MR: The Wednesday Club women each have such distinct personalities. Did any of them come directly from real-life inspirations, like your grandmother’s club?

KJ: I was too young to know many of the women in my grandmother’s Wednesday Club, and all the characters are fictional. Yet I was able to pull some elements of the older women I had known growing up in rural South Dakota. The character of the grandmother is probably closest to my own grandmother, but Ivy's mother is very unlike my mother. Like most authors, I would say that the characters are a blend of many people I have known in my life. And then, as in all good novels, the characters are exaggerated to make them more interesting.

MR: Humor and heart run throughout the book, even when Ivy faces challenges. How do you balance lightness and serious moments in your storytelling?

JK: I specifically created the character of Etola to bring lightness to the group of women. She’s silly, ridiculous, naive, quirky, and extremely lovable — and the perfect foil for her rigid, critical, and cranky sister Bathilda. Together, they create a lot of humor. And because the book has some very serious themes of racism, death, and challenging times, I also wanted to create moments of humor with the other characters. Real life is a mixture of lightness and seriousness, and I hoped to capture this in my novel.

MR: Secrets and surprises drive a lot of the plot. How do you keep the tension alive while still making the story feel cozy and heartfelt?

KJ: The protagonist, Ivy, has been told all her life that her father is dead, and her mother has worked to keep this fantasy alive. Still, Ivy knows she had a father and wonders about him. While she is at her grandparents’; house, she searches for photos or other clues about him. Many of the other characters in the book know more about the truth of the situation, so this also creates an interesting tension in the story. A surprise event begins to unravel the secret.

MR: What was your process for researching or imagining life on a South Dakota farm in the early 60s?

KJ: Of course, it helps that I grew up on a farm, and I go back to South Dakota at least once a year. When I started writing the novel, I tried to really soak in the South Dakota experience, making notes and taking photos. Writing about 1963 and 1964 was more challenging, as I was just a little girl then. I used catalogs and magazines to capture the fashion, cars, furniture, and kitchen appliances. My mom found a stack of farm women’s periodicals (called Kitchen Klatter) from the early ‘60s for me at an antique store. These were a treasure trove of articles, photos, and ideas for what it was like to be a farm wife during that time. And I researched the significant events in the country, including the death of JFK and the beginning of the women’s movement.

MR: Friendship across generations is a big theme here. Why do you think those relationships resonate so strongly with readers?

JK: Those of us who are lucky enough to have friends across generations know how gratifying those connections can be. Older women have so much wisdom to pass along based on their own experiences with relationships, careers, and raising children. And younger women have their enthusiasm, optimism, and (sometimes) children to share! Now that I‘m older, I am so grateful for the opportunity to mentor younger women and continue learning from older women.

MR: Your background spans scripts, screenplays, and brand storytelling. How has that shaped the way you structure a novel?

KJ: I believe my background has significantly influenced how I structured my novel. For many years, I wrote scripts for videos and documentaries as part of my daily job. During that time, I was also writing screenplays as my “fun” writing. These formats are all very driven by the need to combine words and pictures – so I think that, when I wrote the novel, I first created the visual place in my head, then wrote the action and dialogue. I needed to “see” the place I was writing about. I think the marketing and copywriting of my later career years have influenced a tighter writing style and shorter chapters that are more like movie scenes. You won’t find many detailed descriptions or lengthy metaphors in my book. And this style also mirrors the South Dakota voice, where people speak directly and are generally less verbose.

MR: If the Wednesday Club women were real today, what advice do you think they’d have for someone like Ivy (or even for us)?

KJ: I think Wednesday Club members today would urge Ivy to let them help her— she doesn’t have to do it all by herself. I believe that most women want to help one another and lift each other up, if only we let them. We don’t have to go it alone because most women can relate to each other’s challenges and concerns. I believe that, even in our divided nation, we have more in common than we have differences.

MR: Finally, what do you hope readers take away after spending time with Ivy and the Wednesday Club?

KJ: I hope readers find something they can relate to in the story — whether that’s memories of rural life or the relationship they had with their grandmother — even if they weren’t raised in a rural environment. There are some universal themes in the novel, including the importance of women’s friendships, finding meaningful ways to connect with very different people, and the desire we all have to belong and feel loved. And finally, I hope readers remember to value their own “Wednesday Clubs” or to find or create one. We all need a Wednesday Club in our lives.

Learn more about the real Wednesday Club at www.wednesday-club.com.

Author Interview Series-Nina Kentsis

Nina Kentsis

Nina Kentsis is a novelist and award-winning screenwriter. Her stories explore young adult themes through the eyes of smart teenage girls plunged into new worlds. Her debut novel, "Acts of Lovingkindness," was published in April, 2025. Nina holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Columbia University. She grew up on the South shore of Long Island and now lives in New York City with her husband and two children. 

Marina Raydun: Growing up on Long Island, how did that environment shape the way you use language in Acts of Lovingkindness, which is set on Long Island?

Nina Kentsis: “Acts of Lovingkindness” draws on my own coming-of-age experience, so setting the book on Long Island made perfect sense to me. I don’t think of myself as having a very thick Long Island accent, but my children think I do! I think there are certain speech patterns that emerge from someone who grew up on Long Island when I did, and some of those may have made it into the characters of the novel—some of the long sentences, the interrupting, the “like” (although that is definitely an 80s/90s universal).

MR: Do you have a favorite genre to read, and did it influence your approach to your own writing?

NK: I don’t have a favorite genre to read. I read very widely, and I read a lot, and I often re-read favorites. When I’m writing a story, I like to read books in that genre or with a similar story, to get an idea of how other people approach the subject.

MR: Were there any authors or specific books that shaped your writing style or storytelling in your novel?

NK: I had a long list of books that I read while writing “Acts of Lovingkindness” and I winnowed it down to a much smaller list to include in the back of the novel. I had a hard time finding “comps” for this novel, or books in the genre that were similar enough that I could say something like, “‘Acts of Lovingkindness’ is like X meets Y” like you might say “‘Fourth Wing’ is like “Harry Potter” meets ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ with dragons.” I would say the three books I think most capture some of the vibes of “Acts of Lovingkindness” are “Today Tonight Tomorrow,” by Rachel Lynn Solomon; “Saint Anything,” by Sarah Dessen; and “You’d Be Home Now,” by Kathleen Glasgow.

MR: When writing your novel, did you outline the story carefully or let it evolve organically?

NK: Because this book is loosely based on my own life, and I had an idea of how I wanted the story to play out, I did not outline the book. I started the sequel to “Acts of Lovingkindness,” which is called “Your Mileage May Vary,” and did not outline it, and I wish that I had. I always outline for screenplays.

MR: If Acts of Lovingkindness were adapted into a movie, which actors would you cast as the main characters?

NK: I am not sure! I do not have my finger on the pulse of teen stardom, even though I watch a lot of teen-oriented TV shows. It’s also difficult since this is based on my own life, so it’s almost like casting actors to play your friends, or versions of them.

MR: You’ve written screenplays as well—how did that experience inform the way you approached your novel?

NK: As I mentioned above, I always outline a screenplay because the structure is much less forgiving than that of a novel. “Acts of Lovingkindness” started out as a screenplay and I turned it into a novel because the story was so much in Francie’s head, which is hard to write into a screenplay. There is also not that much action in the novel, and in screenplays, there usually needs to be some action. But I think writing screenplays did give me an idea of character, and how to think deeply about the characters and understand them very well before beginning to write the book.

MR: What inspired you to start writing novels to begin with? Why transition from screenplay writing to writing prose? And why did you choose this particular story to do that?

NK: I wrote short stories for many years in high school and college, so the first transition was to writing screenplays. I wrote screenplays for so many years, even though, sadly, none of them has ever been produced, that I did not think I could go back to prose. I had tried a few times to write short stories, and I couldn’t get into that mindset. “Acts of Lovingkindness” started out as a screenplay. A screenwriter friend of mine suggested doing National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and I decided to turn the screenplay into a novel since it was so interior and also since it is set in the 1990s, and a period piece (!!) would be harder to get made anyway.

MR: How did you balance humor, emotional depth, and cultural detail in your book?

NK: There are a lot of Jewish elements to the book, starting with the title, which comes from Pirkei Avot, a book of Jewish teachings. The first drafts of the novel were even more heavily Jewish, and some people (my sister) suggested dialing that back a lot. I think that Francie’s Jewish background and her volunteering work in her synagogue fit well into the story of a teenager trying to be her best self, and not always succeeding. By having Francie learn about acts of lovingkindness, I could have the reader learn as well without making it too obvious. Francie is a keen observer, and some of the things she observes don’t always make sense to her, so there’s some humor in that. And as for emotional depth: she’s a teenager! That is nothing but emotion! But I wanted to show how she grows throughout the story through her responses to others and in how she takes action to bring about change in her family.

MR: Are there particular scenes or characters in your novel that you found especially challenging or rewarding to write?

NK: Some of the sex scenes were tough to write! They had to be realistic and age-appropriate and not too graphic. I think I struck a good balance. The scenes with Francie and her friends just hanging out together were the most fun, because they draw on my own recollections of those times. Looking back on your writing journey,

MR: Is there a moment or experience from your early life that directly shaped the story in your book?

NK: The whole book draws on a lot of my life experiences, so I can’t really isolate one. But having my older brother leave home at age 15, when I was 10, without knowing if or when he would be able to move back into the house, was very formative. And various family members’ reactions to my brother’s later actions shaped my entire childhood, since they effectively cut my sister and me off from half of our family for eight – ten years.

To learn more about Nina Kentsis, please visit the following:

https://www.ninakentsis.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Acts-Lovingkindness-Nina-Kentsis/dp/B0DYGKPMGK/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Author Interview: M.G. Robinson

M.G. Robinson

M.G. Robinson began his unofficial writing career at the tender age of 10. M.G. would write several short stories, which he only shared with those closest to him. These stories went on to give him the confidence he desired, to pursue writing as a career. At the age of 13 his writing would begin to pay off financially. Although these writings were not in books. They were on records and TV. M.G. would become a professional rapper, first performing under the name Little Eli, when appeared on NBC’s It’s Showtime At The Apollo. Now in his late teens, M.G. would change his name to New World Poet and sign with Black Tower Records. He would go on to release several singles, one full length album and an E.P. under the moniker Ebony Blade. M.G. would introduce himself to the literary world in 2019, releasing his first published book OVERSEER.The buzz created by OVERSEER created a new lane for M.G. as a public speaker. He would go on to speak at several high schools, training academies and universities. OVERSEER gave birth to his latest opus BLACK COP: A TRUE BLACK AND BLUE STORY. BLACK COP follows in the path of OVERSEER, as it gives the readers a deep look into the life of a major crimes detective in an urban city.

Marina Raydun: Black Cop draws on your real-world experiences. How did your background in law enforcement influence the way you approached writing this story?

M.G. Robinson: Working in an urban environment with a high crime rate, where the crimes are often horrific and sad, made my real-world experience gritty and eye-opening. I wanted my writing to give readers a glimpse inside of that gritty world, but give them positive outlooks and outcomes. I think I pulled it off with BLACK COP.

MR: You also have experience in the entertainment industry. Tell us a little bit about that. In what ways did that perspective shape your storytelling style and the way you build characters?
MGR: I became a professional performer at age 13, appearing on a national tv show It's Showtime at the Apollo, and then went on to record music under the names New World Poet and Ebony Blade. So, I have been writing since I was a child. Although back then it was rap songs and music video treatments I was writing. This writing experience made the transition to book writing fairly easy. Since both my books are nonfiction, the actual characters write themselves. I just organize the stories.

MR: If your book, Black Cop, were adapted for film, who do you envision playing the lead roles?
MGR: Since I'm part of the majority of the stories in my book, I guess I would be the lead role. If the book were made into a film, I could see Common playing me. Some of my friends say we look alike and I am a fan of his work.

MR: What is your writing process like—do you outline everything ahead of time, or do you let the story develop as you went?
MGR: I do use somewhat of an outline but I don't actually write it down. I think of the outlined topics over and over again, until I have them down to memory. I let those ideas live in my mind for weeks or sometimes months. So when I actually sit down to write, it flows like a river.

MR: Were there parts of your own career or life experiences that were too close to home to include in the book, or did you lean into that vulnerability?

MGR: There were definitely topics of my life that were vulnerable spots for me, like the murder of my brothers and my parents' substance abuse. But I wanted to really touch people with my books and I wanted readers to understand where my emotion comes from. So I decided to share those details and stories.

MR: What inspired you to start writing Overseer?
MGR: My first book was titled OVERSEER and it was inspired by a conversation I had with my mentor Ahmed Ismail. He was my manager, producer and he owned the record label I was signed to. He simply said to me, "You should write a book." When I asked him a book about what, he said your life is so interesting and inspiring and if you wrote about that, your story could help a lot of people. He reminded me that my brother was killed by a cop and I became a cop in order to bring about change. I let his words live and grow in my mind and about 2 weeks later I sat down and began to write.

MR: When you read for pleasure, what genres do you gravitate toward, and do they influence your own writing style?

MGR: I am an avid reader. I probably read 100 books in a year. Initially I stuck to nonfiction books because I felt like true stories were like self-help to me. On the advice of a friend, I slowly started reading fiction books and I was hooked. I love thrillers, Sci-fi, crime dramas (of course) and I have even read a few romance novels. I think everything I read makes me a better writer. I can finish a book and think back to how certain lines or pages made me feel; like what made me laugh, what made me cry. This teaches me how to induce emotion and feelings from readers.

MR: Were there any particular authors or books that inspired you while working on Black Cop?
MGR: The G.O.A.T. Stephen King always inspires me. No matter what I'm writing about, I can find inspiration in his books. But for BLACK COP, specifically, I read The Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. These books inspired and motivated me.

MR: What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey for you so far?

MGR: Honestly, nothing has been a surprise to me in this publishing journey. I think my experience in the music business, being signed to an independent record label and running my own music label for a brief time gave me valuable knowledge. There are several similarities between the music business and the literary world.

MR: Looking ahead, do you plan to continue writing in this genre, or do you see yourself exploring other styles or themes?

MGR: I'm currently working on book # 3, which is also a nonfiction work. But I do pre-writes, where I write a synopsis and even sometimes the first couple of chapters and I currently have 6 pre-writes done. 3 of them are fiction novels or novellas. So I plan to exist in both spaces; fiction and nonfiction.

To learn more about M.G. Robinson, please visit his website: https://mgrobinsonauthor.com/

Author Interview-Tricia Copeland

Tricia Copeland

Tricia Copeland believes in finding magic. She thinks magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, discovering a new passion, a beautiful sunset, or a book that transports us to another world. An avid runner and Georgia native, Tricia now lives with her family and four-legged friends in Colorado.

Marina Raydun: This is the final book in the Realm Chronicles. What was the emotional journey like for you as a writer bringing Titania’s story—and the entire series—to a close?

Tricia Copeland: My journey with Titania began with an image of a fairy hunched in grasses of a meadow. The fairy appeared anxious and I developed this story and world where she rises to be a queen, the first ever female monarch of her realm. To experience Titania’s frustration as an anxious teen princess, her angst as a hot-headed queen, and transformation to the determined and wise ruler she became is a skin-tingling experience. I’m so excited to share the resolution to this series with everyone.

MR: Titania faces impossible choices between her people and the witches. How did you approach writing her internal conflict? Was she always meant to be this torn?

TC: Titania’s internal conflict between aiding the witches and keeping her sole focus on her people mirrors struggles many rulers and countries experience. In the story we not only have the conflict between torn energy and time but that historically the fae considered vampires to be soulless creatures and therefore did not associate with them. The fact that the witches welcome vampire-witch hybrids into their group was initially a problem for the older members of the fae governments. In writing this series I wanted to show the many sides to choices between isolating from outside influences, welcoming aid and input, as well as dedicating energy and resources to helping others. In my mind Titania was always meant to be torn between honoring her ancestors and their histories and embracing her own beliefs and vision.

MR: The book touches on the idea that “evil resides within everyone.” Can you talk about how that theme developed and what it means in the context of Titania’s world?

TC: My fae believe they were created to safeguard the humans and human realm from evil spirits, especially those lurking below them in Lower Earth. They hold this mission sacred and honor and find pride in their role. But they’ve sacrificed much and many fae lives to keep evil spirits and monsters from harming the humans over many centuries. A fae legend prophesies that there would be “one” to end all evil and therefore give the fae a sort of freedom that their people have never experienced. When we begin the series the fae are waiting for this one fae to appear and rise to the ask. Typically, fae do not fight each other or crave power, but Titania experienced leaders within her own kingdom trying to take her crown and condemnation from other rulers when she tried to safeguard her realm by working with the witches. Titania experienced “evil” like jealousy, selfishness, and hatred within her own people, and sometimes within herself, and ponders whether “one” could really destroy all evil. She’s realistic enough to think that this could be an impossible, idealized goal perhaps perpetuated to give hope when the fae felt afraid and defeated.

MR: The series blends fae mythology with original world-building. What sources—mythological, historical, or otherwise—inspired your take on fae and the structure of Middle and Upper Earth?

TC: I love thinking that magic and magical beings exist in our world, perhaps just beyond our ability to identify and experience them. This idea initiated my Kingdom Journals series that aligns more with the urban fantasy genre. Set in contemporary time, the Kingdom Journals exposes a world where witches and vampires live side by side with humans who, for the most part, are oblivious. It was as I was finishing the finale to the Kingdom Journals series that I saw the image of the fairy hunched in a meadow. My witches needed an army and it occurred to me that I could use fae to help the witches. Having that realization catapulted Titania’s story and her relationship with these Upper Earth witches. This triggered world building for Titania and her fae. I wanted to give them their own realm and the idea for a Middle Earth, the Fae Realm, that is sandwiched between the Human Realm, or Upper Earth, and Hell, or Lower Earth, formed. I admit that my research was limited. I truly wanted to make my fae unique, but not depart too from the idea of traditional fairies. I didn’t like the idea of the fae being tricky, but wanted them to have the qualities of the protectors of the Human realm.

MR: Your back cover hints at betrayal and shifting alliances. Were there any characters who surprised you as you were writing this final installment?

TC: My characters constantly surprise me, even the main character, Titania. A few of the betrayals in this finale were set in motion early in the series and these climaxed in this last installment. But because I don’t make detailed outlines when writing my book, there are some unknowns as to how characters will react. I don’t always know which ones will rally around Titania, and which will dig their heels in and stay stuck in their path of unacceptance of the state of their realm. These unknowns make writing fun for me. I always know a beginning point and the end point but the drama in between is where the magic happens.

MR: You’ve written across genres—from dystopian to romance to fantasy. What draws you back to fantasy, and how does To Be a Fae reflect your evolution as a writer?

TC: Fantasy is my favorite genre and the easiest for me to write. I grew up reading fantasy books and still gravitate towards them. I love that we can explore ideas in a fantasy realm that may be applicable to our lives and our world, that a fantasy world creates a safe space to think about harder issues. To be a Fae is the conclusion of two series, the Realm Chronicles and the Kingdom Journals. Having character arcs, both the heroes and the enemies that span ten books creates the opportunity to show many nuances in characters. I began writing the first Kingdom Journals book in 2016 so being able to close this epic journey’s story and give some happily-ever- afters to these characters feels momentous.

MR: Magic plays a central role not just in your stories but in your worldview. How does your belief in everyday magic influence your storytelling, especially in darker or more complex scenes?

TC: As hinted to before, I like to believe that magic is all around us. Magic can be an ah- ha moment in someone’s understanding, a beautiful sunrise, or a sweet, unexpected interaction between people. This line of thinking requires my character to trust that they possess something uniquely special that gives the ability to overcome whatever circumstance they find themselves in. So, even in the darkest of places, they have faith that a good outcome is possible. I believe each person has something special that sets them apart or makes them uniquely suited to belong in their niche. Many of my books showcase the idea of finding that spark within yourself and using that to find joy.

MR: Many readers are fascinated by Titania’s role as a queen and leader. Did you draw from any real-world leaders or experiences when shaping her character and decisions?

TC: Titania really is a character created from my own imagination. She exemplifies overcoming personal challenges to solve problems for herself and others. Titania’s story begins as a princess who has many anxieties. She experiences panic attacks and has largely been sequestered from the public eye since the brutal killing of her four brothers, one right before her eyes. But with the same enemy reemerging, Titania can’t sit idly by. She doesn’t let her core belief, that she is meant to server her people, be squashed by her personal challenges.

MR: What do you hope readers take away from this final chapter in the Realm Chronicles? Is there a core message you want to leave them with?

TC: Many of the books in this series have themes like faith, trust, sacrifice, and resilience. To be a Fae is a bit unique, I don’t want to give to much away, but I believe this finale gives a view of Titania’s maturing character as she realizes it’s okay to a bit more selfish in the direction she takes her life. She sees that she’s given so much up for her people and that she deserves to make space for happiness for herself and be true to her heart.

MR: Now that this world is complete, do you see yourself returning to the Realm Chronicles universe in another form—prequels, spin-offs, novellas—or is this truly goodbye?

TC: As far as Titania’s story arc at this time, I feel satisfied leaving her with her happily- ever-after. I can’t imagine plunging her back into the throws of danger after she’s experienced so much tragedy. I have toyed with the idea of a prequel for the villain’s story which is somewhat captured in the Kingdom Journals prequel, Kingdom of the Damned. I’m also slowly forming ideas for spin-offs with some of the characters that make cameos in To be a Fae.

Find all Tricia Copeland’s titles from contemporary romance, fantasy, to dystopian fiction

at www.triciacopeland.com.

Author Interview Series-D. C. Gomez

D.C. Gomez

D. C. Gomez is an award winning USA Today Bestselling Author, podcaster, motivational speaker, and coach. Born in the Dominican Republic, she grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. D. C. studied film and television at New York University. After college she joined the US Army, and proudly served for four years.

D. C. has a Master’s Degree in Science Administration from the Central Michigan University, as well as a Master in Adult Education from Texas A&M- Texarkana University. She is a certified John Maxwell Team speaker and coach, and a certified meditation instructor from the Chopra Center.

One of D. C. passions is helping those around her overcome their self-limiting beliefs. She writes both non-fiction as well fiction books, ranging from Urban Fantasy to Children’s Books.

Marina Raydun: Death’s Intern features a talking cat, missing people, and literal Horsemen—what inspired this delightfully chaotic world?

D.C. Gomez: The inspiration for Death’s Intern came from a previous project I worked on with my brothers and friends. I had done a short video featuring Death reaping souls at a party. Unfortunately, it turned out that Death was at the wrong location. The story ended with Death saying, “I really need an intern.” That line stuck with me. When I worked on my first novel, that idea came back. Except this time, I wanted to explore the possibility of why Death would need interns. The rest of the world shaped itself around it.

MR: When you were in that “dark place” professionally, what made you turn to writing—and how did Death’s Intern become your way out?

DCG: Looking back now, I can see the complexity of my situation. I was truly living the American dream. After years of hard work, I had the job most people would dream of, and doing all the things expected by society. Except I wasn’t living my purpose. There was very little that was creative in my world. The work was structured and corporate. Death’s Intern provided me with an escape from my everyday life while giving me the freedom to dream of a fun universe where magic was real. It was like coming back home after a long time of wandering around.

MR: How did Isis Black, the untrained intern for Death, come to life? Is she inspired by anyone you know—or by parts of yourself?

DCG: At the time of the book, Isis was a mixture of several people, including myself. The Army Veteran from the 82 nd Airborne Division part came from my brother and his journey in the Army band. I pulled from my personal experiences the portions of being new to the Texarkana area. The fun part about characters is others only inspired them at the beginning. After you spend enough time in their heads, they shape into their own individuals and the things you drew from melt away. Isis now is as real as an old friend to me.

MR: The Intern Diaries series balances humor, fantasy, and emotional depth. Was it challenging to maintain that tone across five books?

DCG: For this series, the balance came naturally. The humor balanced the emotional turmoil the characters go through, while the fantasy forces them to see the world differently. That’s the magic of Urban Fantasy. We are still dealing in the real world with that touch of magic that helps you separate from the everyday chaos.

MR: What’s something readers often miss about Death’s Intern that you secretly love or wish they noticed more?

DCG: The book has a layer of social commentary. It explores how we treat those in our society that have been displaced and marginalized. My goal is never to be preachy but to reflect on some aspects we experienced in our everyday life. Then let the readers decide how they feel about it. It’s always exciting to see which portion of the book connects with readers and how they see the different topics.

MR: You’ve served in the U.S. Army, studied film at NYU, and became a certified coach and meditation instructor—that’s a wild combo! How do these different experiences shape your writing?

DCG: The older I become, the more I realize all our experiences shape how we connect with the world and our art. I find myself extremely blessed to have such a diverse background, because it helps me connect with all my characters at different levels. I’m able to be whimsical with some, while very structured with others, just by seeing how I reacted in those different stages of my life.

MR: Being born in the Dominican Republic, growing up in Salem, and now living in Texas—how have your multicultural roots influenced your storytelling?

DCG: My upbringing has given me a fun and interesting perspective on people. I work really hard in each book to capture the essence of a place and the people in those locations. Because I have moved around a lot, I find locations fascinating and exciting. One of my goals is for my readers to feel that in books. To see these places and want to travel to them. To take a trip to Salem to explore the Commons or drive to Texarkana to catch a show at the Perot. If I can show these locations for their magic, I hope to inspire others to visit on their own.

MR: What’s one lesson from your military service that unexpectedly helps you as a fantasy author?

DCG: At first, I was pretty sure my military service had helped me create better action scenes. But it wasn’t until I was asked if my books had an overall theme that it actually hit me. In most of my works, my characters are always trying to find a place they belong. They crave loving connections and family bonds. This is something the military instilled in me from Basic Training. I was part of something greater and had connections with my peers. To some extent, the trope of the found family is very strong in my books, thanks to the military.

MR: You’ve mentioned your mission to help people overcome self-limiting beliefs—how do you sneak that message into your fiction?

DCG: The characters in my books are not superheroes. They are a bunch of quirky people trying to do the right things while making mistakes. Like many of us, they doubt themselves and their purpose, but they still push on. Sometimes, it is easy for many of us to feel defeated when we have very little faith in ourselves. I truly hope that my books help readers connect with these characters and are inspired to take leaps towards their own dreams by following their leads.

MR: You’re giving away one million copies of Death’s Intern—that’s bold and generous. What do you hope happens as a result of this gift?

DCG: Honestly, my goal is really simple, I just want to share smiles with the world. We are living in extremely stressful and difficult times. As an author, my secret power comes from creating magic with words. If I can help others escape, even if just for a few hours and connect with something that makes them smile, then I have done my job. We all need a little happiness in our day.

To learn more about her books and her passion, you can find her at www.dcgomez-author.com.

Author Interview Series-Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes

Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes

Author, speaker, educational consultant, and editor–Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, Ed. D. has had her hand in leadership for many years. She loves speaking to groups and delivering messages with a quick wit and real-life stories. Katherine is a freelance writer/content editor, a content editor/writing coach for Iron Stream Media, and a sensitivity reader for Sensitivity Between the Lines. She is a review board member and contributor to Inkspirations (an online magazine for Christian writers), and her writing has been published in Guideposts. Her work in art/writing is distinguished by awards, including the New York Mayor’s Contribution to the Arts, Outstanding Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes Dressing in God’s Love Through the Spoken and Written Word Resident Artist of Arizona, and the Foundations Awards at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference (2016, 2019, 2021). She is a member of Word Weavers International and serves as an online chapter president and mentor. She belongs to FWA (Florida Writers Association), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), CWoC (Crime Writers of Color), AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association), and AASA (American Association of School Administrators). She serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Submersion 14 and is an art instructor for the nonprofit organization Light for the Future. Katherine hosts the podcast Murder, Mystery & Mayhem Laced with Morality. She has authored a Christian Bible study for women and is currently working on the sequel to her first general market thriller novel. As a trainer of trainers, Katherine believes there are many ways to do things well but only one way to do God’s will right. Katherine flourishes in educational and Biblical discipleship. Her sweet spot or zone of genius has evolved from a career spanning 20 years in education and both children’s and women’s ministry; Katherine morphed and transitioned into an educational consultant for charter schools, home school programs, and churches that led up program development; growth facilitating and public relations. Quickly identifying holes and problem areas in these projects, developing strategic planning and team building, Katherine combines over 20 years of experience into her current consulting business. Katherine provides executive-level accountability so you and your organization get the attention to detail they deserve and you start excelling in a healthy, productive work environment.

Marina Raydun: Your background is vast and diverse. When did you first start writing?

Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes: I started writing as a young girl, journaling my prayers and poems. Writing became a sacred space where I could explore my thoughts, process emotions, and express faith. Professionally, I began writing more intentionally during my years as a school administrator, crafting devotions and educational materials for staff. Over time, that grew into writing books that blend faith, suspense, and emotional healing.

MR; A Fifth of the Story is an incredibly punchy title. Can you tell us a little bit

KHH: about the story and how you came up with the title? Thank you! The title *A Fifth of the Story* plays on the dual meaning of a “fifth”—both as a fraction and as a bottle of liquor. The story follows Brock O’Reilly, a CIA operative with a complicated past who uncovers dangerous secrets about his own family. His journey is about confronting generational trauma, addiction, and betrayal while trying to hold onto faith and purpose. The title hints at how we often only know a portion of the truth—whether about others or ourselves—and how dangerous that can be. Finally, the premise draws on the idea that if we live for that fifth of our lives (the part God knows and approves of), we will have lived a good life.

MR: If it were to be adapted for TV or film, how do you envision the cast for it?

KHH: I would love to see someone like Michael B. Jordan play Brock—he has that mix of intensity, vulnerability, and charisma. For Matthew Shuggs, maybe Oscar Isaac, bringing depth to a loyal but conflicted character. Andrew Pang would be great with someone like Steven Yeun, who can balance quiet strength and emotional nuance. I see the show or film having the vibe of *Jack Ryan* or *The Night Agent*—high- stakes action blended with emotional suspense.

MR: How does mystery/suspense writing intersect with devotional writing for you?

KHH: At first glance, they seem worlds apart, but they both explore the human condition and our need for hope. Suspense writing lets me delve into the darkness people face—grief, betrayal, danger—while devotional writing allows me to anchor those themes in biblical truth. Both genres are about tension and resolution. The thrillers challenge the mind and heart; the devotionals restore the soul.

MR: In addition to being a writer and a speaker, you're also an educational consultant. Tell us a bit about your work in education and how you feel it influences your writing.

KHH: As an educational consultant, I work with schools and organizations to create trauma-informed, culturally responsive environments. I also coach leaders and help design professional development. This work deeply influences my writing—I’m constantly observing human behavior, communication, and conflict resolution. It helps me write layered characters and realistic dialogue. Plus, my heart for teaching shows up in my devotionals, which are often written to inspire, equip, and educate readers spiritually.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

KHH: I love thrillers and romantic suspense—stories that keep me on the edge of my seat, but also dig deep into emotional and spiritual arcs. But I also enjoy devotional literature, historical fiction, and well-written memoirs. If it has heart, grit, and truth, I’m in.

MR: What are you currently reading?

KHH: Right now, I’m reading *The Warsaw Orphan* by Kelly Rimmer. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful, set during WWII, and really captures the resilience of the human spirit. I’m also reading *Embracing Trust* by Joanna Weaver—it’s a powerful devotional on surrendering to God’s plan.

MR: Tell us a bit about Christian Bible Study for Women that you authored. More specifically, how do you find writing in that genre different from thriller writing in terms of your process?

KHH: *Christian Bible Study for Women* was birthed out of a desire to walk alongside other women in a deep, intentional way. It offers reflection, scripture exploration, and real-life application. Writing it required a different posture—one of stillness, prayer, and deep listening to the Holy Spirit. Thriller writing is more dynamic and intense, while Bible study writing is more contemplative. But both require discipline, empathy, and a heart for the reader.

MR: Are you a plotter or a panster?

KHH: I’m a bit of both—a “plantser,” if you will. I love outlining the big picture and knowing my destination, but I leave room for organic moments of discovery. Characters sometimes take me places I didn’t expect, and I’ve learned to trust that process.

MR: When you’re driving alone in your car, what do you find yourself thinking about?

KHH: Often, I’m thinking about my next story—dialogue, plot twists, or character arcs. Other times, I’m reflecting on scripture or praying. Driving is one of my sacred spaces. It’s where I listen to worship music, podcasts, or just the silence. It’s also where God often downloads ideas or gives me clarity on something I’ve been wrestling with creatively or spiritually.

Connect with Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes here:
Website: https://www.drkatherinehayes.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/khutch0767

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherine.hutchinsonhayes

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordrkatherinehayes/

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Little-Black-Dress-Women/dp/1365056163

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-katherine-hutchinson-hayes-3b5a3254/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kathy.hayes/

Podcast (Apple): https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/murder-mysterymayhem-

laced-with-morality/ade5f5bb-6cbf-4722-a421-9874b24fa49d

Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/4zWmZckdnPsYG9CUAKkv1p

Author Interview Series-Tong Ge

Tong Ge

Born and raised in China, Tong Ge came to Canada in the late 80s as an international student. She has obtained a Master of Science degree from University of Saskatchewan in 1992. Since 2012, she has written under both her real name and the pen name Tong Ge, publishing poems, prose, and short stories in both English and Chinese across North America, England, and Taiwan. With four literary prizes already received, she is also a finalist for five others. Her debut novel, “The House Filler” was published in Canada in 2023 and is a finalist worldwide for the 2023 Eyelands Book Awards and is the winner of the 2024 Independent Press Award for new fiction. It is also a finalist for 2024 Canadian Book Club Awards for fiction.

Marina Raydun: You came to Canada in the late 1980s. Did you know English when you arrived?

Tong Ge: Yes, I was an international student. To be accepted into graduate schools in North America, we had to pass an English test called TOEFL, short for the Test of English as a Foreign Language. However, this test only prepared us for basic English skills. Even for academic studies, it was far from sufficient—let alone for creative writing.

In the early days of my graduate studies, I struggled to keep up with the professors during lectures and couldn’t take notes quickly enough. I often had to borrow notes from my classmates afterward. When working on assignments, I relied heavily on an English-Chinese dictionary, looking up countless unfamiliar words and writing down their Chinese meanings before starting the task. Another challenge was that the English we learned in China was entirely textbook-based. Another challenge was that the English we learned in China was entirely textbook-based.

As a result, we were taught formal terms like “man” and “woman,” or “male” and “female” but not informal ones like “guy” and “gal. ” We knew “dollar” but not “buck,” “bad” but not “sucks,” and “why” but not “how come.” Once, during a class, after a professor finished proving a mathematical formula, he exclaimed, “Bingo!” I raised my hand and asked what “bingo” meant.

MR: Can you think of a moment when you first realized that language has power?

TG: I first realized the power of language when I began reading Lu Xun in senior high school and college. A prominent Chinese writer of the early 20th century, his essays and short stories offered unparalleled insights into the social, political, and cultural issues of his time. He fearlessly criticized outdated traditions and government policies. His writings are sharp, profound and biting—like a sword cutting through social injustice, ignorance, indifference among the uneducated masses, and the darker aspects of human nature. His work left an indelible mark on society and history, influencing generations of Chinese writers and intellectuals. One of his most remarkable works, The True Story of Ah Q, in my opinion, far surpasses Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel Prize-winning Chinese writer, once said he would gladly trade all his works for a single story as powerful as The True Story of Ah Q.

MR: You are bilingual. How do you think this affects your writing?

TG: I have to say that my mother tongue is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to writing in English. It is a blessing because I can draw inspiration from the Chinese language, especially its poetry, sayings and proverbs, which make my Chinese stories feel more authentic. However, Chinese grammar is very different from English grammar. For instance, we only have one tense—the present tense. We don’t have plurals, and our verbs don’t change according to the subject. The way we use prepositions is also very different from English. If I try to think about it logically, I always get it wrong. As a result, it’s much harder for me to consistently write grammatically correct sentences, especially when writing fiction in the past tense. That’s why I’ve had to hire freelance editors to edit my entire manuscript, twice.

MR: You write and publish both in English and Chinese. How does your writing process differ between writing in both languages?

TG: The process isn’t much different, but the effect is. For example, when writing in Chinese, I can incorporate local dialects from specific regions in China, which adds authenticity to the setting. It’s also easier for me to differentiate characters’ speech. For instance, an illiterate person would speak one way, while a highly educated person would speak another. While I can achieve this to some extent in English, it’s not as effective as in Chinese. Additionally, I don’t make grammatical mistakes when writing in Chinese. For Chinese readers, all the footnotes and the list of major historical events in the English edition could be removed, as there’s no need to explain historical figures, events, or cultural references—they’re already familiar with them.

MR: The House Filler is a very impactful title. Can you walk us through your thought process when coming up with it?

TG: In traditional Chinese culture, a woman who married a widower was called a “house filler”—a direct translation of the Chinese term 填房 (tian fang). The protagonist, Golden Phoenix, was born in a time when a woman’s beauty was not measured by her looks but by the size of her feet. The smaller her feet, the more desirable she was considered. As a result, Chinese parents typically began binding their daughters’ feet at the age of four or five. Golden Phoenix, having lost her mother at an early age, didn’t start the foot-binding process until she was six. Consequently, her feet never reached the ideal size of “golden waterlily” feet. Additionally, she was trained as a seamstress and became her family’s breadwinner, further delaying her opportunity to marry well. Having missed the ideal marriage age, she eventually married a widower and became a “house filler.”

MR: The novel is full of major historical events in China’s history. It’s almost like a multigenerational family saga. What inspired it?

TG: It is a multigenerational family saga and the first book in the “China China” series, focusing on my grandmother’s story. The second book centers on my mother’s story, while the third is based on my own. My mother has been telling me our family’s story ever since I was a child. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand what my parents went through and later experienced the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and the subsequent economic reforms in China myself. The trilogy is inspired by my family’s history.

MR: Writing historical fiction is not easy. What was your research process like?

TG: In addition to my mother’s narrative, I interviewed other family members and relatives. I even returned to Phoenix’s hometown in 2015 to meet with relatives and conduct further research. I walked around the block where Golden Phoenix’s family complex once stood and took a boat tour of Lake Yang and Lake Pan, both of which are described in the book. I also immersed myself in fiction from the 1930s and 1940s, conducted extensive online research, and thanks to the Internet, I was able to purchase photocopies of local newspapers from that era online.

MR: If you could cast a movie inspired by The House Filler, what actors would you hand pick?

TG: First and foremost, it must have an entirely Chinese cast. Unfortunately, since moving to Canada, I haven’t had the chance to watch many Chinese movies and have become unfamiliar with the current movie stars. I’m only familiar with those from the 80s. Therefore, I would choose Gong Li to play Golden Phoenix.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

TG: Literary fiction, historical fiction, also good fantasies, science fiction and mystery/thrillers.

MR: Are you working on anything right now?

TG: I am currently translating “The House Filler” into Chinese. I also have other projects on the go, but they are in developmental stages currently, and I will be prepared to discuss them another time.

Author Interview Series-Rumki Chowdhury

Rumki Chowdhury

Photo Credit: New York Book Festival

Rumki Chowdhury was born in Bangladesh and grew up in the USA. She has also lived in the UK and Sweden. With an MA in English Literature from The Queen Mary University of London and a BA in English Writing from The William Paterson University of New Jersey, her literary experiences expand from journalism to publishing companies like Simon and Schuster Inc., Pearson Higher Education Publishing, The Herald Newspaper and The Record Newspaper. 

Rumki’s previous book publications include So Complicated: A “he vs. she,” a romantic comedy/women’s fiction that won Honorable Mention at The New York Book Festival, Second Place at UK’s The Wishing Shelf Award and Finalist for Humor at The Pacific Writer’s Award. She has also authored Her Feet Chime, the first and only Bangladeshi version of a Cinderella story written in English. Moreover, 100% of profits from her poetry book, Unveiled, go to helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh via Restless Beings. Another poem was published in Hijri, a collection of stories by various authors. Her memoir was also published in Your Story with Musart, a collection of inspirational stories by various authors. Secrets in the Wind is her first work of fiction/thriller in the YA department.

Marina Raydun: You've lived here, there, and everywhere! How do you think this affects your writing style?

Rumki Chowdhury: I have lived in the USA, UK and Sweden. Not to mention, I was born in Bangladesh! I consider myself so fortunate to have experienced numerous cultures and learned how to live within those societies, all of which inspires my writing, especially the settings and characters in my stories. I have had the opportunity to have book signings in London, Stockholm as well as New York City. It's a blessing.

MR: On a similar note, you're multilingual! Do you remember the moment when, as a child, you first realized the power of language?

RC: Having grown up in a Bangladeshi household, my primary language was Bengali. I took ESL up until the age of seven when my ESL teacher felt I was fluent enough to stop.The moment I realized the power of language was not when I stopped ESL though; rather, it was when my second-grade teacher granted me a medal for being the best reader in the class! It showed me that learning a new language and advancing in literacy could open up so many doors. It was from then on that I dared to take the stage by storm and participate in speech competitions, and became editor of the newspapers at the schools I attended throughout my childhood and into college. When I moved to Sweden, I had one goal: learn the language well enough to write an entire book in Swedish. I did have an article published in a Swedish newspaper, but the next step is to translate my books to Swedish and promote them to Swedish publishing companies.

MR: Your formal education is in writing and literature. Did you always know you wanted to be an author?

RC: I always wanted to write a book, but the concept of becoming an author came to me when I saw my journalism teacher's book in the university library. I picked it up and realized that I wanted to write a book too, a story that would mean something and a story that would represent where I came from. I did research and realized that there were numerous cultural versions of the Cinderella story, but because Bangladesh was founded in 1971, it was fairly new and did not have that. I created one and now, it is not only a novella, but it is going to be a childrens' book to-be-published in 2025, with the publisher-Global Bookshelves.

MR: Why do you think you write?

RC: I write to impact in a positive light; words can move and I want my words to move and raise awareness about issues that we normally would not talk about. "Secrets in the Wind," for example, is fiction, but it is based on the real life stories of stalker victims and victims of child marriage in Bangladesh. 

MR: What is your writing process? How long does it take you to produce a book-beginning to end?

RC: I edit, edit, edit, and edit. A writer is a perfectionist, but eventually, we have to settle. My writing process involves starting with a general concept and surprising myself along the way. Most of the time, I have no idea how the story will end. I also have my fellow author friends, family and relatives give me constructive feedback. It helps to have a literary support system. Each book took me a couple of years to complete. This is also due to the fact that I am a full-time teacher and I am a mother of three, but very soon, I will be taking a break from teaching to focus on writing full-time, and spending more time with my children.

MR: What inspired Her Feet Chime--the only Bangladeshi version of Cinderella in English?

RC: I was always intrigued by the rags-to-riches story of Cinderella so I researched at my college library to see which cultures had their own variation of the story. I felt it was sad that we, Bangladeshis, did not have our own. Thus, I focused my honors thesis on creating "Her Feet Chime."

MR: Secrets in the Wind is getting plenty of accolades! Congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about it?

RC: Thank you so much! I feel truly blessed and am so happy that the topic, itself, has been brought to light. Bangladesh is a beautiful country, but like all beautiful countries, there are those dark alleyways that need to be lit. Unfortunately, older males stalking younger females is a common issue in Bangladesh and there aren't many resources available to help resolve the circumstances. Many females find themselves fighting the battle in silence due to social pressures, due to fear and due to the fact that the legal system needs work. Asha is the American-Bangladeshi protagonist who realizes that her cousin, Kushi, in Bangladesh, is being stalked by an older male, and she has a difficult time understanding why her cousin is so silent about it. Asha decides that she is going to save her cousin. 

MR: What are the best and worst reviews you've ever gotten?

RC: The two best reviews I often get that really warms my heart: firstly, when the reader can relate to my work and secondly, when the reader has learned something new. The worst review I received from one reader was that my symbolism was repetitive, at which point I reminded myself that this person took the time to read my work and that in itself, is a tremendous honor.

MR: What do you think about when you're alone, driving in your car?

RC: My mind is always racing. It's like a non-stop marathon; either I am brainstorming, planning or trying to organize a mental calendar on writing events and deadlines.

MR: What are you currently reading?

RC: I am currently reading your book, "Year One." I am looking forward to reviewing it. 

In addition to writing, Rumki provides her own editing services to authors and various media. She is an active blogger on writing advice via www.rumki.com and social media:

X: Rumkichowdhury

Facebook: Rumkitheauthor

Instagram: Rumkitheauthor

TikTok: Rumkitheauthor

LinkedIn: Rumki Chowdhury

About the Book:

★ 2024 “Bronze” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category of 

The Independent Publisher’s Award (IPPY).

★ 2023 “Runner-Up” in the YA Fiction Category of  The New York Book Festival.

★ 2023 “Distinguished Favorite” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category at  The New York Big Book Awards.

★ 2023 “Honorable Mention” in the YA Fiction Category of The London Book Festival.

★2023 “Finalist”in UK’s “The Wishing Shelf Book Awards”