Author Interview Series-Sarah Kades

Sarah Kades

Sarah writes action adventure thrillers with strong environmental themes and socially responsible narrative nonfiction (as Sarah Graham). She is passionate about culture, landscapes, knowledge accessibility, the arts and Momma Earth. She loves writing books that remind us of the natural nature within each of us, a re-wilding to our true, authentic, best awesome self!

Sarah has studied in the United States, Canada and Scotland, and for the last twenty years her day job has been as an archaeologist and Indigenous Knowledge studies and engagement facilitator. In 2020, Sarah received her first literary arts grant and was a two-time Energy Futures Lab Banff Summit storyteller. In 2019, she presented at the British Society of Criminology conference on the effectiveness of using arts-based approaches. When she is not writing you can find her running, bumping into her next adventure or trying to figure out where in the garden to put the makeshift wood fired pizza oven.

Marina Raydun: It's not often that one comes across novels with strong environmental themes. Can you talk to me about why it was important for you to incorporate these and what the process of writing with this goal in mind was like?

Sarah Kades: It’s important for me to write socially responsible and relevant books. That’s just how I’m wired. I love this medium for its form and function—entertain and engage readers while innocuously opening up tricky dialogues and gently raising awareness on perspectives or info a reader may not have heard before. When knowledge is woven in the context of a novel, it’s entertaining—not politically charged, boring or a 2x4 upside the head. Brain science talks about “our brains on books” and how our brains don’t differentiate between something experienced in real life or experienced via reading a book. That’s the beauty of this art form! No one wants to be talked at, and the literary arts can make knowledge accessible and engaging through storytelling.

My writing process includes a lot of researching! I try to pair knowledge with emotion. For me, that’s where magic can happen.

MR: Is it true that you are also an archaeologist? How do you feel such a background informs your creative writing process?

SK: Yes, I am an archaeologist. The years outside, often in incredibly remote places, has had a profound impact on me. I crave nature and different landscapes. Storms are like a natural high and fresh air ignites something beautiful inside me. This planet is remarkable. I want to share that charge with readers.

MR: What is the first experience you had when you learned that language had power?

SK: I don’t recall a single first experience, though I’ve always felt it. It’s interesting, as I was growing up, writing and languages were what other people did. It never dawned on me until years later that I could play, too. That’s part of rewilding that I talk about in the book—connecting to who you actually are, and ditching the “supposed to’s” that we internalize from others.

MR: What does literary success look like to you?

SK: I ask myself that a hundred times a day! I totally dig my publisher. I’ve had the opportunity to meet amazing fans. I’ve been awarded two prestigious literary arts grants. I’ve presented internationally. And still, this incredible medium keeps awing me with possibilities and potential. I guess literary success for me, means showing up for myself, everyday, and following where this beautiful dream leads me.
MR: What’s the best and worst book review you’ve ever received?

SK: I loved having combustable used to describe Wild Not Broken’s plot. Squeee! I was bummed when a reader said Duke Out at the Diner, a Short Story was too short and gave me 1 star. I don’t know how I could have messaged it is a short story any clearer.
MR: What was the hardest scene to write?

SK: Wild Not Broken kicked my butt. I loved writing it, but it was one of those pushing-my-boundaries-expansive kind of experiences. Like hiking some mountains, the project totally blasted my emotional quads.

MR: What’s your favorite childhood book?

SK: My favorite kiddo book is Julia’s House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke, my favorite book from when I was a kid is All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque. 

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?
SK: Nonfiction—I am a total nerd. Favorite fiction genre is historical.

MR: What are you currently reading?

SK: Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price, and The Vanishing Days by Susanna Kearsley is in my queue.

MR: If you could have drinks with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

SK: Great question. I think Mary Magdalene. She could clear up a lot of questions I don’t trust anyone else on the planet to answer honestly. 

To read Sarah’s work, please visit her website here: https://sarahkadesgraham.com/fiction-books/

MJ, the Musical

I fancy myself a writer but boy, is it difficult to put my feelings into words right now!

If you know me at all, you know how much MJ has always meant to me. My life’s dream has always been to meet him, to see him perform live in concert. In my long forgotten youth, you probably couldn’t be my friend if you also were not a fan. My relationship to MJ, what his mere existence did for mine, is something I will go into at length in my quasi-memoire, Year One.

I’d been looking forward to the MJ Musical for years. I had tickets for August 2020 but then the world got sick and we all stayed home my money back is all I got (just like back in 2008, when This Is It didn’t happen.). Of course, ever since Broadway came back this winter, I’ve been meaning to go and finally see it. I’d been putting it off, however. Covid and all. This past Saturday, however, as the war in Ukraine weighed (and continues to weigh) heavy on my heart, as I was loading my car with humanitarian supplies to deliver to the collection center on Monday, I suddenly felt that I just had to drop everything and go see it. NOW. The pull was strong and urgent. I’m not that spontaneous, usually, but I guess I needed MJ more than I realized. It makes sense—he’s always been there for me when things are hard. So I bought tickets at 11pm for the 3pm matinee the next day.

Now…granted, you may label me biased but the musical is a work of true dramatic art. To say it didn’t disappoint is to say nothing at all. It surpassed all my expectations. It could’ve easily fallen into some nostalgia, jukebox situation but instead, it masterfully managed to strike just the right balance between celebrating MJ’s astronomical achievements and timeless music while delving deeper inside the man we all pretended to know. The creativity and ingenuity of the production are like nothing I’d seen before. Truly. MJ’s hand was certainly guiding this. My God, I cried during that Thriller number, that’s how raw and real the drama (and trauma) was staged. Phenomenal work. Thank you to the entire production, and the Michael Jackson estate, for this. Please go see this if you want to feel something beautiful and real. We need art more than ever in dark times. MJ understood that well. Highly recommend. Oh, and the Smooth Criminal cocktail is delicious!

Author Interview Series-W.L. Hawkin

W.L. Hawkin

W. L. Hawkin writes “edgy urban fantasy with a twist of murder” from her loft near Vancouver, B.C. 

Her novels—To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, and To Kill a King each stand alone but form the Hollystone Mysteries series. This coven of West Coast witches, and their eccentric friends, solve murders using ritual magic and a little help from the gods. 

Although she’s an introvert, in each book her characters go on a journey where Hawkin’s travelled herself. She researches all her locales (Ireland, Scotland, the B.C. Coast) to soak up the sensory landscape. In 2017, she climbed Croghan Hill in Ireland to survey the land her king would rule in To Kill a King, a romantic time-travel thriller set in Iron Age Ireland.

A seeker and mystic, fascinated by language, archaeology, and mythology, Hawkin graduated from Trent University, Ontario, and has post-bac diplomas from SFU in B.C. Her background in Indigenous Studies and Humanities informs her work. She found her voice publishing poetry and Native Rights articles in Canadian news magazines and is now an Indie author/publisher at Blue Haven Press. http://bluehavenpress.com

Marina Raydun: Talk to me about West Coast witches. How are they different from your East Coast variety?

W.L. Hawkin: Well, the only East Coast witches I’ve heard of lived in Salem, Massachusetts, and we know how that turned out. Of course, that was a few centuries ago, and I’m sure things are different now. 

I think the weather is a huge factor in contrasting east and west. There is a different energy here. I mean, West Coast weather allows for stream bathing at Samhain as the coven does in To Charm a Killer, and Winter Solstice rituals in the woods. You can’t perform rituals in an East Coast blizzard or hurricane unless you’re in the South. Plus, my witches get to hang out on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, dance near-naked in the rainforest, perform at a downtown Goth club (Estrada’s a stage magician), and travel up the West Coast of B.C. by yacht. 

MR: I love the fact that you research locations you choose as settings for your novels! What sort of pilgrimages has this taken you on? Why is it so important to soak up that sensory landscape when you're creating?

WLH: Land, especially trees, earth, and rock takes on the energy of the past and contains the energy of the present. As Dylan McBride explains about the standing stones in to Sleep with Stones, “Like silent witnesses, these massive stones take on the essence of the land and the memories of the people. Limited by their inability to move, they see, hear, and absorb, yet cannot act. Trapped by inertia, most are eager to converse, even the fiercest of them.” 

I’m not a stone wizard like Dylan but I need to walk on the land to feel the energy and gain a sense of place. Setting plays both character and symbol in my stories. That’s true of the Hollystone Mysteries (set in contemporary and prehistoric Ireland, Scotland, and the British Columbia coast) and also my latest small town romantic suspense novel, Lure, which is set on the Chippewa reservation in Minnesota. Being outside, in nature, is as important to me as it is to my characters.

I’ve travelled to most locations and that allows me to add details I might not otherwise discover. For example, one of the key characters in To Sleep with Stones was inspired by a story told to me by a bed & breakfast host in Tarbert, Scotland. He talked about being gobsmacked by a local man he knew who disappeared for a few months and returned as a woman. I thought, what would it be like to grow up transgender or gay in small-town Scotland? That theme permeates the story.

My most exciting pilgrimage was climbing up through a cow pasture to the top of Croghan Hill in the Irish midlands. This was the hill where my prehistoric king would be inaugurated and then ritually murdered in To Kill a King. I needed to look out over the land he would rule and see what he would see. The trip really helped me put 200BCE Ireland into perspective and gave me insight into what my characters would experience when they found their way home again through time. This book is based around a real bog body unearthed at the base of Croghan Hill.

MR: Your area of expertise is Native Rights and Humanities. How has learning about Indigenous cultures of Canada affected or inspired your work?

WLH: I can’t call myself a Native Rights expert but my heart opens to the injustices perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples in the name of progress, particularly in Canada. Many of these horrors, like the atrocities experienced in residential schools are just coming to light, and we’re understanding how the schools were set up to hold the People hostage so the government could take their land for development. I got into Native Rights in the early 1990s when I was studying for my degree in Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Ontario. I went to hear Indigenous orators tell the story of their people and the land, and then I wrote about things like the impact of Hydro Quebec’s power projects on the James Bay Cree and their land. 

Indigenous characters have found their way into all of my books. Estrada is the main hero in the Hollystone Mysteries. His mother is Mayan, but like some Indigenous people he’s grown up in the city away from her, and doesn’t know his culture. His #ownvoice is culturally drenched in downtown Los Angeles and Vancouver. When he meets a young Sto:lo man in To Charm a Killer, he doesn’t understand when Josh asks, “What tribe you from?” This not-knowing affects Estrada deeply. “What he remembered most were bad times in L.A. and worse times in Canada.” I keep hoping he’ll take a pilgrimage to Mexico and find his mother and abuela. 

My latest book, Lure, is set on the Chippewa reservation in Minnesota. Hawk’s character is definitely inspired by the spiritual work I did at Trent, and Elders I listened to along the way. Hawk is not Indigenous, though he has Metis ancestry and feels this culture in his bones. He was adopted into the culture by an old Anishinaabe couple, Joe and Effie. He spent childhood holidays with them, they taught him many things, and supported his choice to go and live on the land. 

MR: What is the first book that made you cry?

WLH: Old Yeller, and now I have a yeller dog of my own. The death of an animal affects me, as it does Jesse in Lure. I do understand the need for mercy though. It’s the quality of life that’s important. Poor Old Yeller was destined to move on though the story is heartbreaking.

MR: What do you owe real life people upon whom you base your characters?

WLH: I don’t base characters on people I know. They’re all fictional and come to me with their quirks and eccentricities. I am working on a new project, though, based on my own ancestors and bringing them to life is challenging. I know some things about them, but most are factual, like where they lived and how they worked in a particular time and place, but their personalities are elusive. I’m going to lean heavily into meditation and ask them to come to me, so I can get to know them.

MR: What does literary success look like to you?

WLH: I want people to enjoy my stories and for that to happen they have to find them. So being known and discoverable factors in. When I meet people and talk about my work, they often get excited and want to read it. That’s why I prefer real-life markets to social media. The energy is so different. Success to me is having people read and enjoy my work.

MR: If you had to do something differently as a child or a teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

WLH: I don’t know. My childhood certainly informs my writing and I’ve always been fascinated by stories and words. But I think if I changed something, I wouldn’t be the me I am today—though there are a couple of things I’d like to stop myself from doing. As a child, I was a loner and spent most of my days out wandering in nature or riding my horse. You’ll find me in the character, Jesse, in Lure. I was an at-risk kid looking for belonging. Like Hawk, I grew up feeling like I was born in the wrong century to the wrong family. My personal experiences allow me to empathize with characters. 

MR: Is there one topic you would never write about as an author? Why?

WLH: I try not to write about things I’m uncomfortable reading, so . . . animal cruelty, torture, rape, war stories, apocalyptic dystopias, or losing someone to a dreadful disease. These things happen but I’d rather not focus on them—not that my writing is all hearts and flowers. But I try to keep a wide angle on the lens. For example, I write about pedophilia because it’s something Michael experienced that affects him in To Render a Raven, but I wouldn’t zoom in on an actual scene. In To Charm a Killer, Maggie is almost raped. That’s a common experience for teens and I’ve been through enough of those experiences myself to know how it feels, as do many of us. And, of course, there’s death in my books because that’s part of life. 

MR: Is there a book you wish you’d written?

WLH: Harry Potter! Why not? Harry’s a true mythic hero living a fantastical adventure. 

To read W.L. Hawkin’s novels, please visit her Amazon page.

Author Interview-Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence is an International Certified Mentor and holds two Mentor Certifications; Certificate of Competence – Mentor and the Certificate of Competence – Journey Mentor from the International Mentoring Community. Doug is the only one to hold the Certificate of Competence – Journey Mentor in the world today.

Doug served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for 25 years retiring in February of 1999 at the rank of Staff Sargent. 

Doug has been involved in the certification of mentors since 2009 when he first partnered with an organization to provide mentor certification based on knowledge. Doug has now partnered with an expert in certification to provide a certification for mentors based on competence. 

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life. He also works with Futurpreneur in Canada to provide mentorship to entrepreneurs. His approach in all of these situations is to be mindful of their mental well-being and to work with them to find solutions that best suit their needs.

Doug’s Practice of Mentoring continues to grow and has resulted in his accumulation of 2,200 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 235 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor. He is recognized as a thought leader in the mentoring space.

He has been working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people as a mentor who are suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD. His personal story is one that is compelling and it fuels his passion about wanting to help others.

Doug is a firm believer that mentoring begins with a person’s personal growth thereby helping to remove any obstacles or barriers to their professional growth and career development. As Doug has found, some of those barriers can be mental health and mental well-being challenges.

“You are Not Alone” came from the all too often stigma of people being afraid to ask for help, afraid to step out of the closet and say, “I need help”.  Afraid to extend a hand to say, “it’s okay I will go with you on this journey.”

“You are Not Alone” came from cry for help and increased anxiety and depression from having to wait far to long for treatment and to begin a healing journey.

 This book provides a solution to that problem.

Marina Raydun: What inspired you to write You Are Not Alone?

Doug Lawrence: The book came from conversations with many people over their mental health and the mental health of close family and friends. There was a lot of discussion surrounding the loss of a loved one who had taken their own life and what could have been done to prevent that. We collectively recognized that there was a gap and the work that I was doing in the mentoring space was seen as something that could be a part of the support structure for mental health and mental well-being.

MR: How is mentoring different from therapy?

DL: One of the significant differences between mentoring and counseling/therapy is the relationship that is established. A mentoring relationship is informal, meetings are in various settings, and the duration is typically long term. A counseling/therapy relationship is formal, sessions are typically in a therapist/counselor’s office, and the duration is usually not as long term as a mentoring relationship.

Another difference is the value of the advice provided. A mentor’s advice is well received on a personal and holistic level because of personal familiarity and professional admiration. A therapist/counselor’s input is respected due to training and how their expertise has helped other patients.

Mentoring is a two-way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee learn and grow together on a personal and professional basis.

MR: In the everyday world, what role do you see mentoring taking?

DL: It plays a huge role in the development of current and future leaders in organizations and in communities. It plays a role in the support structure for mental health and mental well-being. Mentoring can create a positive work culture resulting in engaged employees, lower attrition/higher retention, and higher productivity.

MR: What is the first book that made you cry?

DL: Butterfly Kisses & Bittersweet Tears by Bob Carlisle.

MR: What does literary success look like to you?

DL: Success for me is when a reader comes up and says thank you. Your stories made me realize that I need to do things differently. I had some readers say to me with my first book that when they read it, it was like me sitting on a park bench and I was reading the book to them. I had built a relationship with them through the book. That is success to me.

MR: What is the most difficult part about your writing process?

DL: Dedicating time to write when I am in my most creative time slot. I definitely need time away from day-to-day stuff in order to properly concentrate on writing.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

DL: I remember taking a couple of books by Ken Blanchard on a holiday and finishing them in the first week that I was away. It was Raving Fans and Gung Ho both of which were leadership books but were done by delivering a story.

MR: What are you currently reading?

DL: Relax, Dammit by Timothy Caulfield

MR: If you could have drinks with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

DL: Barack Obama. He is an inspiring speaker and draws you into the story that he is telling. He is a great story teller. He is a great leader as well.

MR: What did you edit out of your book?

DL: It was more modifying than editing material out of the book. I wanted to make sure that the lived experiences were relevant to my readers.

For more on Doug, please visit the following:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doug.lawrence.1610

Twitter: @TalentCDoug

Reading in 2021

Personal best, reading-wise! 20 books! If I were a person with any kind of influence, I would totally be asking to be the face for Audible because, OMG, without it, I’d never read anything! My goal was 10 books and I read twice as many. Lesson? Keep those goals and expectations low and you’ll surprise yourself! Right?! Right…

1. Class Mom by Laurie Gelman

   Perhaps not the most literary of starts to the year but it was a light and fun read. There are more volumes in this series. I’m not yet sure if I’ll exploring those but I might!

2. Just Like You by Nick Hornby*

   A big fan of Nick Hornby, I was disappointed in this one. There were some keen observations of society and politics but the characters fell flat and hardly developed. There are better ones out there by Nick.
   

3. The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

   One of my favorites this year. Talk about honesty and character development! I love immigrant lit mostly because it never ceases to amaze me just how similar we all are despite our background.
   

4. Send for Me by Laren Fox*

   Another favorite of the year, this one left me broken-hearted in a fairly literal meaning of the expression. My chest truly ached here-for everyone in this multi-generational WWII drama. Inspired by her own family letters from Germany, the author did an incredible job of fictionalizing members of her family while keeping the original letters intact. Highly recommend!
   

5. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

   It’s obvious how much research went into writing this book. The author does a great job of having us truly feel what the protagonist is feeling here. Unfortunately, the plot became predicable in the “all a girl needs is a boy” way. Solid 3 stars though.
   

6. Return to Life by Jim B. Tucker

   If you have any interest in past life stories, this is the one for you. Dr. Tucker is quite an authority when it comes to children’s past lives memories. A fascinating read rooted in scientific approach and study.
   

7. True Story by Kate Reed Petty

   A good novel touching on MeToo involving an unreliable narrator.
   
   

8. Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

   What a good novel! Painful and gut-wrenching but so good! It’s like the author puts up a mirror to your face and forces you to look. Highly recommend.

9. Dominicana by Angie Cruz*

   I love immigrant lit (as I seem to mention every chance I get) so this was a no-brainer of a selection for me. Set in Washington Heights, NYC during the 1960s, this novel was a fascinating trip back in time.
   
   

10. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

    An entertaining suspense read. I didn’t see the final twist coming, which is always fun.
    
    

11. One by One by Ruth Ware

    A very engaging thriller. Very Agatha Christie. Recommend.
    
    

12. A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight*

    I didn’t like Kimberly McCreight’s first novel so I was a little hesitant to read this one. But no worries-this one managed to surprise me in the best of ways. I truly enjoyed it and, as opposed to totally transparent revelations in the author’s first novel, this one had me guessing.
    

13. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

    When in doubt, go with Liane Moriarty. The lady never disappoints. The characters are so distinct and crystal clear. Highly recommend.
    
    

14. The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

    A solid novel but very thick on making a point to be on the right side of MeToo. Some parts of very triggering so you’ve been warned.
    

15. Survive the Night by Riley Sager

    Unfortunately, this book was the biggest disappointment of the year for me. I love Riley Sager’s books, and was eagerly awaiting this one, but it did not live up to the author’s reputation. It almost felt like it was written simply because he was on a deadline and had to produce something regardless of inspiration and quality.
    

16. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard*

    Totally one of the faves this year! Talk about putting lockdown to good use and writing a killer novel! Highly recommend.
    
    

17. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

    Two Liane Moriarty’s books in one year is what I call awesomeness. Again, Liane excels at character development without sacrificing the plot, so this one, too, was a thrill to read.
    

18. The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Allison Heller

    A fun read reminding us that we just never know our friends and neighbors the way we think they do. As a parent, I found some parts a little difficult to read, but these are important questions to ask yourself.
    

19. The Nesting Dolls by Alina Adams*

    Should I say immigrant lit again?! Loved it! Multi-generational family drama is illuminating and helpful in my own immigrant universe. Highly recommend.
    

20. Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey and Dana Vachon

    It’s hard to give this one a rating. Jim Carrey is undeniably a genius, and I am simply not worthy of being inside his brain. The book is profound in its observations, poignant in its reflections. Some of it is absurd, some of is funny. A one-of-a-kind read, that’s for sure.

    Currently, I’m reading A Fall of Marigolds. I’m not sure if I’ll have enough time during this busy time of year to finish it before 2022 but so far, I’m enjoying the Ellis Island setting. Immigration history has always been of interest and passion for me, and I’ve been toying around with an idea for a novel tying in multi-generational immigration history, but I must finish my YearOne project (my quasi-memoire about my first year in America) before distracting myself.

    Let us know what you read this past year. Any faves? Any fun recommendations? Please share.

    Legend: * MR BOOK CLUB official selection. Please join us! We meet on zoom every other month.

    We wish you lots of health and happiness this upcoming year. We need a break from life, don’t we?! We deserve it! So we wish you lots of satisfying reads in 2022!

Author Interview-Zachary Hagen

Zachary Hagen

ZACHARY HAGEN is an Albuquerque based author and teacher. Writing has always been a passion for him since he was little kid when he put together little books from scrap paper. The earliest story he remembers writing was about a dragon who gave flowers to children. He also teaches creative writing to his students and loves to see their talents flourish. When he isn’t working hard at his two passions, he enjoys spending time with his wife and dog and making music any way he can.

Marina Raydun: Besides crafting your own stories, I know that you also teach creative writing. Does one ever inspire the other?

Zachary Hagen: So far it really hasn’t, but I won’t say that it’s not a possibility. I have only taught high school and middle school so far, so often I’m focusing on basic craft type things. However, I think it’s entirely possible for teaching to inspire because it has done so in other electives I’ve taught.

MR: Why fantasy?

ZH: People tend to look down on fantasy in some circles, but for me, magic and fantastical ideas are the realest things we can write about. Our world is full of unexplained things, so I like to lean into that.

MR: Is it also your favorite genre to read?

ZH: Much of the time it is, but I will say I’ve branched out more as I have begun writing more fantasy. I like variety.

MR: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

ZH: “Finishing a book is 90% showing up. You have ADHD, so if this is important to you, you don’t get the luxury of feeling like writing every time you need to write.”

MR: What does literary success look like to you?
ZH: Ideally, writing and the stuff around it will provide me with enough income to only have a day job if I’m 100% passionate about it. I don’t want to show up to work and think to myself, “I’d rather be editing” or something like that.

MR: What’s your favorite childhood book?
ZH: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I love that story, and C. S. Lewis was a master of storytelling.

MR: What are you currently reading?
ZH: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan. I have always been fascinated with Greek/Roman mythology, and I’ve learned a lot of obscure things by reading Riordan’s work. I’d love to chat with him about his research methods sometime.

MR: What book do you wish you had written?
ZH: I think, as a fantasy author, the obvious answer would be Harry Potter, but I wish I’d written the Hunger Games. It took me a while to pick them up, but I devoured them. It was the first time I remember staying up all night to finish reading something.

MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?
ZH: I’m so glad it’s lost to the annuls of digital history and lost in a forgotten hard drive. I tried to write a story about a magical pencil that transported the MC into Disney cartoon land. Looking back, it was truly awful.

MR: Who is your literary hero?

ZH: C. S. Lewis. There are so many interesting things about that man that I can’t help but admire him.

When you lose family, friends, and country, how far is too far? Elior watched as his twin brother, the only real family he had left run into a building as it disappeared. Nyx, a cursed merman, watched as his father and best friend were killed in front of him. Opal’s father died leaving her with a legacy to live up to and a throne to protect. When they join forces with a wise professor to find the Well of Eternity, can they find answers to their problems? Can the ancient evil lurking in the shadows of society be stopped before it’s too late, or will blood be spilled killing their hope and dooming Lux Terra forever? Eternity’s Well will hook you from the very beginning and take you on a spellbinding, breathtaking journey through a new world where anything is possible.

Read Zachary’s books here

Author Interview Series-Jenna Greene

Jenna Greene

Jenna Greene is a teacher and author, whose hobbies include dancing, dragonboating, and napping. Her novel, Reborn, won the 2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book award.

Marina Raydun: So what came first-creative writing or teaching middle school? Does one job inspire the other?

Jenna Greene: I started scribbling down the pages of my first novel when I was seventeen, which meant I was a YA at the time I first penned a YA story. The idea of writing an adult character never occurred to me, nor did it interest me. As my writing career developed, so did my teaching career, and I spent nearly 14 years teaching teens and pre-teens, as well as being immersed in literature aimed at the same age group. My worlds worked together.

MR: What is it about the young adult genre that inspires you? Would you consider trying your hand at other genres?

JG: There are things you can do in YA literature that you cannot get away with in all genres. There is a creativity and acceptance of the ‘possible’ that youth will accept. That being said, I have now moved to teaching younger students and also have a young daughter. Thus, early literacy has begun to fascinate me. I have released my first picture book, titled “Winston, the Well-Dressed Wombat.” 

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

JG: I jump around a lot. For months, I’ll fall in love with historical romance, and then I’ll shift to non-fiction. My first love is YA fantasy, both as a reader and writer, though.

 MR: What is the first book that made you cry?

JG: I can’t remember the first book that made me cry, but I can recall a few that made me weep for a length of time. Bridge to Terabithia was a struggle to read, but A Monster Calls hit me in the gut because I read it shortly after my mother passed away from cancer.  Of course, I yell at characters a lot – they never listen to my advice!

MR: What’s your favorite childhood book?

JG: My She-Ra: Princess of Power books. I was a remedial reader and found that my passion for She-Ra inspired me to keep trying because I wanted more exposure to the magic of that world. (This may be the reason for my love of fantasy too...)

MR: What literary character is most like you?

JG: Um...oh! Who do I want to be like? (Elizabeth Bennett). Who do I connect with? (Rip Van Winkle – I always need a nap). 

MR: Who is your literary crush?

JG: Well, if you read the answer to the above question, it should be no surprise that my response is Mr. Darcy.

MR: Who is your literary hero?

JG: Ha ha. This is getting predictable. Elizabeth Bennett of course. And Charlotte Doyle from Avi’s adventurous tale “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.” (Best. Book. Ever.)

 MR: Is there a book that people might be surprised to learn you love?

 JG: Maybe some of the non-fiction I’ve read (Into Thin Air), or really just how eclectic my tastes are.

 MR: Is there an illicit book you had to sneak growing up?

 JG: I used to read my mom’s romance novels when we were camping in the middle of nowhere and I ran out of my own reading material to peruse. But she wasn’t one to sanction my reading habits, so I guess it wasn’t truly illicit.

Winston the Wombat loves to share what he knows,

how to clothe all his friends wherever he goes.

Take a fun little journey with Winston to see, all the

dressing suggestions he gives out for free.

To learn more about Jenna, please visit her website: https://www.jennagreene.ca/

Author Interview Series-JP McLean

JP McLean

JP (Jo-Anne) MCLEAN writes urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers which have received honorable mentions from the Whistler Independent Book Awards and the Victoria Writers Society. Reviewers call her books addictive, smart, and fun. Her work includes endorsements from award-winning and best-selling authors, E.E. Holmes, Jennifer Manuel, Elinor Florence, Jennifer Anne Gordon, and Eileen Cook.

JP is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. She is a certified scuba diver, an avid gardener, and a voracious reader. Raised in Toronto, Ontario, JP lived in various parts of North America before settling on Denman Island on Canada’s west coast, where she now lives with her husband. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking dishes that look nothing like the recipe photos or arguing with weeds in the garden.

Marina Raydun: Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of the supernatural genre but I'm hooked even reading the blurb of Blood Mark. Can you talk to us a little bit about the inspiration for it?

JP McLean: Blood Mark came to me in fits and starts. The first inkling of a story idea was inspired by the opening scene in Blind Spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnJbKP9JMQ It shows a bomb squad tech approaching an abandoned duffle bag in Times Square. Emerging from the bag is a woman covered in tattoos from the neck down. The woman doesn’t remember who she is or how she got the tattoos. I wondered what it might be like to have to live with those markings. That was the seed for Blood Mark, and I developed it from there.

MR: Is there anything you edited out of this novel?

JP:  Yes. I haven’t yet written a book that doesn’t lose something in the editing process. At least this time it wasn’t a character. In Blood Mark, it was a complicated set of door locks that I’d woven into the narrative. My aim had been to find a clever way of locking a door so that each day a different combination of deadbolts would be locked or unlocked, causing an intruder to have to know which ones were engaged, or else risk accidentally locking the ones that had been left open. It turned out to be over-complicated, so I removed all references to it. 

MR: What was the hardest scene to write? 

JP: The climatic fight scene because so much pivoted on getting it right. Jane was in an impossible position: all odds were against her, and she had to pull it off or die. So, I needed to make sure each move she made was realistic and packed a punch. 

MR: Walk us through your daily writing routine.

JP:  My routine varies depending on whether I’m at the planning or the writing stage. When I’m in the planning stage, I’ll sporadically pick away at an outline all day long, adding ideas as they hit me. After I’ve got what I think is a workable outline, I’ll start writing.

When I’m in the writing stage, I’ll settle in each morning and aim to write one scene and the bridge to the next scene. At the end of the session, I’ll make notes to guide me the next day, and adjust the outline if the day’s writing has affected it.

Every day from then on, I start by rereading what I wrote the previous day, tweaking it as I go along, and then I’ll write the next scene and bridge. If I get stuck, I head out for a walk or pluck weeds from the garden. If it’s miserable outside, I might get creative in the kitchen, or tackle an indoor chore—anything to get my mind off the writing for a little while.

In the afternoons, I take care of publicity events like vlogs and podcasts, and marketing-related tasks, like designing social media graphics, writing blog posts, or newsletters.

MR: Have you read anything that made you feel differently about fiction?

JP:  The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is the first book I remember reading that had characters with telepathic abilities. I was just a teenager when I read it, but I remember it was an ah-ha moment for me. Reading became fun, and not something I had to do for school. It’s the first book I “loved.” After that, I sought out books with paranormal or supernatural elements in them, and it’s become my favourite genre.

MR: What’s the best and worst book review you’ve ever received?

JP:  The best book review was from a reader in the UK who’s read all my books and said in one of her reviews that she enjoyed my reading so much, she’d read my shopping list if I let her.

The worst book review came from a reader who found the book to be “a bit confusing in the beginning as it jumps from person to person that made following it a bit weird.” As much as I don’t like getting reviews like that, this one is helpful because it contains critical feedback. If I get more reviews that contain the same critique, I’ll take that into account in my future writing.

MR: If you had to do something differently as a child or a teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do? 

JP: Travel more or learn a second language. I grew up in a family that didn’t travel outside of a small piece of the province I grew up in. And learning a second language would make travel easier and give me access to even more of a country’s culture and people. As an adult, I’ve travelled and lived in other countries, and it’s broadened my appreciation for different ways of thinking and doing. I wish I had even more experiences to draw on and infuse into my writing.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read? 

JP: Supernatural or paranormal books, especially the ones that include thriller elements. 

MR: What book do you wish you had written? 

JP: Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen. She stuffed that book with more imaginative supe powers than I could ever have come up with.

MR: If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaption of your book, who would play your characters?

JP: I need to preface this answer with the caution that I’m not familiar with a lot of actors and haven’t been to a movie theatre in years (I live on a VERY small island). I scoured the internet for these names/faces:

Someone like Krysten Ritter, who I enjoyed in her role as Marvel’s Jessica Jones, would play Jane.

Sadie would be someone like Gabriella Wilde, who is both an actress and an Estee Lauder model.

Ethan would be someone like Dylan O’Brien, who starred in American Assassin. 

Ryan Gosling would fit the role of Rick.

Read JP McLean’s work here.