To quote from the Acknowledgements in Keepers:
People say a writer’s life is a lonely life. For me, it’s the opposite. My writing has brought me many new and wonderful friends, among them many fellow writers.
Which is why I choose to chat to my fellow authors from time to time. Enjoy meeting these people behind the books you love, or discover these talented writers and their works for yourself. Enjoy!
Carolyn Ruffles
Let’s meet Carolyn whose book, The Lightbody Legacy, I reviewed recently (find that here) A former teacher, Carolyn lives in rural Norfolk in east England, where she has spent her time since taking early retirement to send four books into the world.
You can read what Carolyn has to say about her life and writing here.
Kathleen Marple Kalb
October’s newsletter features mystery writer Kathleen Marple Kalb, who describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at 1010 WINS Radio in New York, she’s the author of several mysteries, and as Nikki Knight she writes the Vermont Radio Mysteries. Find out how Kathleen fits all of that in in her interview here.
Eileen Curley Hammond
My guest for September’s newsletter is cosy mystery murder author, Eileen Curly Hammond. Stealing her mother’s mystery novels before Mum could get to read them lead her to this fun and challenging genre. Find Eileen’s interview here.
Kelly Miller
August’s newsletter features my interview with award-winning Regency Romance author, Kelly Miller. Kelly loves Jane Austen and decided to try her hand at writing variations of the author’s work after she retired. With seven books under her belt and more on the way, it keeps her busy. Read about Kelly here.
Ivy Logan
My July guest hails from India, specifically Mumbai, and writes books (to quote Ivy) about exceptional female characters and supportive men, usually against a background of fantasy. Ivy is also one of the most supportive people I know when it comes to other writers. Read Ivy’s interview here.
Tessa Barrie
In June 23 we meet Tessa Barrie, the alter ego of Sally Edmondson. Tessa was born in Harrogate on the UK Mainland and is fiercely proud of her Yorkshire heritage, despite having lived on the British Channel Island of Jersey since 1981. Learn more about Tessa here.
Laura Holt Aslam
My May 23 guest author is a lifelong horse enthusiast, who shares her life in a semi-rural area in southern Maine with a dog, two cats and a miniature pony. Her award-winning books revolve around horses, but her main focus is the young human characters and their highly relatable troubles. Learn more here.
Karen Heenan
My guest author for April 2023 has always been a keen fan of historical fiction. Karen Heenan’s first series is set in Tudor times, but with a great twist – these are tales of the not-so-famous and their insights into court life for the ordinary mortals is fascinating. More recently she has skipped forward 400 years or so to the 1930s and the Great Depression. Read her interview here.
K. L. Small
Kathleen Small has had two dreams since she was ten years old. One was to write, the other was to own a horse. She has now achieved both, and while she has been writing (and owning horses) for some time, it’s only this month that she’s released her debut novel – a wonderful Young Adult fairytale, A Dress to Remember. Read Kathleen’s interview here.
Judy Ferrell
Very sadly, Judy passed away in 2023. We miss her still, I have left this post here in memory of a lovely person and an ever cheerful spirit.
Judy is a prolific writer who lives in a medium-size town in Virginia, USA. She tells me she spends her days reading, reviewing, and writing books and checking on her neighbors. Knowing Judy, this last would be in the nicest possible way! Judy never runs out of ideas for her poems and tales, as she has an endless, most interesting, source. Read Judy’s interview here.
Wendy Leighton Porter
December being festive season and a lot about kids, it’s totally appropriate and brilliant to have Wendy (and one of her key characters, Max) as my guest this month. Find out about her award-winning time-travelling history tales for the 8 to 12 year old group in my interview here.
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Kerry Cathers
My November guest, Kerry Cathers, is the mastermind behind a wonderfully informative website to which any writer of historical crime should absolutely subscribe. You can read about the background to setting up the site, and what’s coming up next, here.
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Crispina Kemp
My October guest, Crispina Kemp, is a writer whose work is mind-bendingly imaginative, with Norse gods, love-sick dragons and prehistoric-style peoples with complex cultures. She is also prolific with a five book series published, a recent release and a three book series to be launched next year. Read her interview here.
Marian L Thorpe
My September guest, Marian L Thorpe, is the author of a fascinating series loosely based on the decline of the Western Roman, but in an ‘undefinable genre somewhere between alternative history and historical fantasy’ to quote Marian. Beautifully written, the world she has created and the characters which inhabit it, come to life as you read.
Read Marian’s interview here.
Jay Veloso Batista
In August, I interviewed the remarkable Jay Veloso Batista who is about to publish the fourth book in his Forerunner historical fantasy series. Jay is also an artist and will be sharing some of his amazing work with us. Read all about it here.
RS Jonesee
In June, my guest author was romcom author R S Jonesee. Not normally my thing, I’ve found a lot of pleasure in Rebecca’s light hearted, fun tales with their more-complex-than-you-expect characters.
Read her interview here!
Paula Peckham
Paula was my guest author for May 2022. With a novella and short story published, Paula has now released her debut historical fiction novel, Protected, published by Elk Publishing. Read my interview with her here.
Patricia Taylor Wells
My guest author for April 2022 published her first book in 2016 and has since gone on to release a memoir, two novels, and a book of poetry. Patricia’s work has been recognised with several awards and it was a true pleasure to feature her and her books in By the Letter. Read Patricia’s interview here.
J.C. (Joanne) Paulson
My March 2022 guest author is both a freelance journalist and a writer with several mysteries and a historical fiction book under her belt. My interview with Jo can be read here.
Nina Romano
Back to the very much living for February 2022’s guest author, Nina Romano. Nina is a prolific author, with over a dozen titles to her credit, and she shows no sign of stopping. Read my interview with her here.
Flora Klickmann
A little something different for January’s author interview. I first came across Flora several years ago and have much enjoyed her books. In the early 2oth c Flora was internationally famous for her Flower Patch series, based in the Wye Valley (near my home in the Forest of Dean). Here is my ‘interview’ of Flora.
Jean Roberts
Jean Roberts was my December guest author. A keen historian, Jean writes historical fiction and historical fantasy as well as maintaining three blogs on books/writing, genealogy and family history. Her most recent novel is The Heron, published earlier this year. To read about her writing and research life in Texas, go here.
Rue Sparks
Multi-talented author and artist was my interviewee in November 2021. To hear Rue talk about their way to writing and their work, including their recent novel, The Fable of Wren, take a look here
Kathleen Cranidge
October highlighted another multi-genre author, Kathleen Cranidge, or KC Ridge as she is also known.
Kathleen’s works to date include a highly readable cosy mystery and an also highly readable but not at all cosy psych thriller. What does go on in her mind? Find out here.
Dreena Collins
In September I interviewed author Dreena Collins, whose alter ego, Jane Harvey released her debut novel, The Landlord of Hummingbird House, on 31 August. Dreena’s own writing tends to be a little more gritty than Jane’s and her short story collections of modern life are insightful and entertaining.
Read Dreena’s interview here.
C. D’Angelo
In August I interviewed debut author C. D’Angelo, whose novel, The Difference, was released on 29 July and immediately became a #1 Amazon new release. Congratulations!
For the inside scoop on how the book came about and what it means to her, follow this link.
D.B. Carter
In July, my guest author was DB Carter.
DB Carter came to writing later in life but has embraced it with enthusiasm. He now has three novels and a novella under his belt and his insightful, sympathetic approach to what makes us human has brought him many fans. Read about DB Carter’s writing life here.
Leia Talon
In June I featured fantasy author Leia Talon.
Not every fantasy author can say their book is sold in the castle where much of the story is set. Leia can … find out more here!
Karen Honnor
In May, I interviewed poet, novelist, and playwright Karen Honnor.
Karen’s work is very personal and much of it has connected deeply with her readers and, through them, others in the community. Read her interview here.
Emma Lombard
An interview with historical fiction author, Emma Lombard.
Emma was eleven when she started writing her first novel, and at age fourteen submitted her draft to the editor of a big publishing house. Although rejected, the editor was encouraging and Emma’s writing journey has gone a long way since then. Read Emma’s interview here.
Lily Lawson
My first interview was with English poet, Lily Lawson. I met Lily via Twitter’s wonderful, supportive #writingcommunity and we have become firm, if virtual, friends. In 2020 Lily published two slim poetry volumes. In this interview, she talks openly and from the heart about life and poetry, and her very exciting plans for the future. Read Lily’s interview here.
Header image courtesy Visualhunt.com