Tag: Interview Page 2 of 18

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It sometimes seems like half of the local authors I encounter write books for young children–which is great, it’s just not what I ever expect (I will learn one day). Carla Crane Osborne’s work for children is about as Idaho as it gets (from my limited exposure to it, anyway). I hope you enjoy this quick Q&A with her.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
My name is Carla Crane Osborne and I am an Idaho Children’s Book Author. I write children’s books based on my experiences growing up on a farm in southern Idaho. I currently have 5 books out and another 2 in the works! I sell my books through my own website, www.gonasreadingranch.com, Amazon.com, and I regularly post about my books, animals, and projects on social media. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at Gonas Reading Ranch!

Are you a native Idahoan? What brought you to Idaho in the first place? (answer whichever question applies) What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I am a native Idahoan! I was born and raised in Burley, Idaho and that is where I grew up alongside my siblings on my parent’s farm. We grew crops and had livestock and we all grew up learning how to tend to and care for the crops and animals and it gave us a sense of responsibility from a young age. Life on the farm as a child was the best experience, in my opinion, and it is the inspiration for my books! We worked hard and we played even harder when the work was done. It allowed us the freedom to expand our imaginations and be as creative as we wanted because we could wander and explore and make up our own little worlds.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
Being a full time mom, grandma, and author has not left me a ton of time to get as invested in local groups as I would like. However, I do try to attend local events as often as I can and always enjoy chatting with the other local authors!

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
Most of the events that I attend are local author meet and greets, book fairs, and local school events! I love being able to connect with our community and other local authors. My favorite activity is when I am invited into a school to do book readings with the kids! I love to share my books when they are still in progress and get feedback from the children. A lot of times I end up using bits and pieces of ideas that the kids give me and find a way to include them in my books. I have been to some author events outside of the Treasure Valley, mainly in my hometown, Burley and a couple in Coeur d’Alene. I have done a couple author meet and greets in Burley and a couple author events in CDA. My books are carried in the library and at a lovely little books store called, Fig Pickels in CDA, and I love being invited to attend author get-togethers, meet and greets, or book signings that are put on by either place.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Most of my readers are local. I sell the most books here at local events and I have my books in quite a few of the local libraries as well! I also like to donate books to our local hospitals and toy drives, so I believe most of them end up somewhere in the valley.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
I think the biggest challenge to being a author in the Treasure Valley, or just in general, is the fact that we live in an increasingly digital age. I feel that a lot of times it is easier for parents to use a digital media to entertain kids than it is to sit down and read to them. However, I think that in the Treasure Valley, we have a large population of people who are shifting to a mindset of slowing down and taking more time to do things like sitting to read with their children. I see a lot of parents on social media talking about their children’s education and incorporating more books, outdoor learning, and practical, functional learning and it’s really encouraging to see! There’s nothing that can replace the feeling of holding a real book in your hand!

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I definitely think that I bring Idaho to my books! The books are all about growing up on a farm and a lot of us in Idaho can relate to that! I think it especially shines through with the illustrations in my books. I have had the chance to work with two fantastic illustrators, Brandon Dorman and my own nephew, Michael Crane, who have captured some truly beautiful representations of Idaho landscape. From the mountains in “Alex the Wonder Lamb” to the beet fields in “Gona’s Halloween Hunt,” it all looks like something you could see within a 30 minute drive, almost anywhere, in Idaho.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
If had to choose one book that embodies the Idaho spirit, it would probably be the book that I have in the works, “Buster the Brave.” I’ll say as much as I can without spoiling the book before it comes out but, it is themed after our very own Boise State Bronco mascot, Buster. It tells the tale of a young horse who dreams of being the Boise State mascot someday and the determination and bravery it takes to overcome his fears. I think that most of us in Idaho tend to have that “fighting spirit” in us and don’t typically shy away from challenges. I am so excited for this book to be published and I hope that the people of Idaho and fans of our beloved Boise State Bronco’s, love it!

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Arnold Ytreeide

By HCNewton

On June 25, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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Arnold Ytreeide made me chuckle more than I expected to reading his responses–so, obviously, I went and bought all his books immediately. Not really–but it wouldn’t have surprised me if I did.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I come from Seattle where I was a police officer, television producer, and business man for many years. I moved to Idaho in 1988 and here found my true love. We married, and I wrote a little Christmas story for our kids. Somehow an editor at a publishing house heard about it (we never did figure out how) and asked to see it. I sent it, they called back and said they wanted to publish it, and suddenly I was a published author. That was in 1995, and the book was Jotham’s Journey.

A year after that first book came out, the publisher wanted another, then another. I just turned in the manuscript for #8 in the series, and we’re taking it to 10. Also when it was first published, New Line Cinema called me up, very excited to make Jotham into a movie. But then their company got sold, and the new owners decided – much to their disgrace and humiliation – to make a movie about a different kind of lord and some kind of ring or something. Obviously a bad move.

I also have a self-published adventure series for pre-teens, and several novels. All of my books are, at their heart if not on their shirt sleeves, Christian, though my real goal is to reach a wider market with just good stories – which I thought I had done when New Line called.

I was a university professor for 20 years, and wrote when I could, but I’m retired now and it seems like I’m always fighting a deadline. Which is a good thing – it keeps me young.

We keep up a website at JothamsJourney.com, but other than that I am shamefully little involved in social media.
I’m sure the bean-counters at New Line have spent a lot of time second-guessing that choice…

Are you a native Idahoan? What brought you to Idaho in the first place? (answer whichever question applies) What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
School initially brought me to Idaho, but only for three years, I told everyone. I’d get my degree, and then be returning to Seattle.

Then the women who I instantly decided would be my wife walked in the door one day, and, well, here we are. She was a widow with two small children and, for their sake, we decided to make this our home.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
I’m not, really. I enjoy meeting with other authors, but am so busy (with a lot of things, not just writing) that I can’t seem to make a long-term connection.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I’ve done a couple book fairs at libraries, but that’s about it. But with the advent of Zoom and the like, I also do a lot of talks to school children around the world about writing and about my books. I think my record is a high school in South Africa. Those are a lot of fun, and maybe are a way that local authors could reach out to schools and groups in the more remote parts of Idaho, or even the not-remote parts. It’s easy, and takes very little prep and no travel time.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
My Jotham series is world-wide, and that is certainly the bulk of my sales. But my self-published series (Mike Danford Adventure Series) also gets strong sales in Canda, the UK, Australia, and parts of Europe. By far, though, the biggest percentage of sales come from the U.S.

I have no way of knowing for sure, but just from the emails and comments we get, I believe I have a pretty big footprint in the HomeSchool market.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
Well, since Doerr lives and writes from here (or at least did) I’m guessing the challenges are minimal😊 I’ve been writing for forty years, and I would say that, in the past, location did actually have an impact on success. But with the internet, that has completely changed – as I said, I spoke face-to-face(ish) to high schoolers in South Africa. In the last few months I’ve taken many online meetings with publishers and movie producers, including a publisher in London. No one cared where I was. And if they want a face-to-face meeting – which is always nice and usually preferred – we can always make that happen. In January a group of three producers came to meet with us, and we actually met in a meeting room at the Nampa Library. So we seem to always work it out.

Certainly we don’t have the direct access to in-person events that we might have in large cities, but that’s about the only drawback I can see. My wife and I often meet with fans at a local Starbucks when asked, but by far these days the most contacts are through Zoom and other social media.

In fact, when New Line was all gung-ho to make Jotham, we scouted the entire south end of Idaho and mapped out shooting locations.

My Danford series is set in a fictional small town on the ocean, but much of the inspiration for that town comes from right here in Idaho. My protags are seventeen and smart, but they also have small-town ethics, and a sense of right and wrong. All of that came from right here. They do not, however, talk a lot about potatoes😊

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
Oddly enough, I’d have to say anything Zane Grey. Though the writing style is antiquated, the stories certainly are not. I read to my wife every night – an eclectic collection of most anything – and a while back we tried a Zane novel. It reminded us both of Idaho!
I’m not sure how odd that is–makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! (I sure did)

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Sarah Hill

By HCNewton

On June 18, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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When I met Sarah Hill, I told her that I’d probably never read her stuff–I’m not her audience, and she probably wouldn’t appreciate the 2 Stars that I’d probably give her book. We still had a nice conversation, thankfully—and she was kind enough to take part in this. If you read her first answer and say, “I like books that can be described that way,” I encourage you to check out her stuff. You’d be paying a very nice person money when you buy her books.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hello! My name is Sarah Hill and I am the author of five heart-warming, small-town romances set in Idaho. I started out as a fade to black only, but after seeing that intimacy on the page can be beautiful and doesn’t mean erotica, I opened those doors in my last two books. All are available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, with my first two, Call of the Blue Heron & Hanging Stars on Big Willow Creek being on audio as well. You can find all my books via this link – https://linktr.ee/SarahRylie7

Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I am not a true native. My parents moved here when I was almost two. I’ve been here over forty years, so I do consider myself all Idahoan because it’s the only life I remember having. I love Idaho, it’s four seasons, especially fall, and all it has to offer. Idaho is home and I don’t see myself ever leaving.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
I have met several local authors and exchanged knowledge and experiences with them. I consider many of them friends! Though I don’t “belong” to one group in particular I do have an author tribe of women who I love getting together with whenever possible. It is filled with three from Idaho and five from Utah and they are the heart of my writing. We’ve done a retreat together and learned so much from one another. I do believe it is SO important to have close friendships with other authors. And I love having camaraderie with other authors. So much so I went to my local library and helped set up the Middleton Public Libraries Author Palooza, which is filled with so many local authors!

I tried to make it to that event—it looked nice. Tell us a little about it (or is it them, there were a couple of them, right?) Will there be another one?
There were two last year. One in May and one in October. We tested two different times to see what worked best and found October to be the winner. There will be more in coming years in October! And it was so much fun with all the authors and so many activities for the kids. We also had food trucks and coffee. I’m so proud to be a part of it.
I’ll keep an eye out in October!

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I have been to a few library events in Middleton, Nampa and Ontario. I’ve gone to the Boy’s & Girls Club, attended a private event at an author’s parent’s home and done a signing at Barnes & Noble. I’ve also traveled out of Idaho to the Tremonton Library Summer Kickoff in Utah. It was my very first event and where I got to meet many of my tribe! I plan to attend it every year!

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
I do have a good local support system, but I think a majority of my readers are from all over the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. The first time someone across the pond read and reviewed my book I was floored! But so thankful!

Do you do anything in particular in terms of marketing to reach out beyond the local area? I’m curious about how people get the word out.
I get it out to greater areas using Instagram and talking to bookstagrammers, helping me reach far beyond Idaho. I also run Amazon Ads every so often and maybe once or twice a month post on TikTok.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
Both, but not just for authors in the Treasure Valley. I think being an indie author anywhere is challenging because the majority of readers hear “indie” and think “not a real author”. And I get it, I do, but there are so many indie authors who deserve the accolades that those in big publishing houses get and many missout on their talent simply because they are independently published. To those who are scared of the word “indie” give us a chance, there really is some outstanding talent among us! But it can – also be rewarding to be an indie in a smaller community like the ever-growing Treasure Valley because many of our libraries, book stores and other events embrace and welcome us.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
All five of mine! But outside of mine the first that comes to mind is The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. It’s not set in Idaho but the small-town feel is there, the beautiful wooded areas, the lakes, the simplicity and a strong sense of pride for our military, which I feel many Idahoans have, is encased within those pages. It isn’t for the faint of heart though because it WILL make you cry. It will gut you and shred your heart, but it will make you FEEL like no other book has. It’s a book I will never forget.

I love how when we recommend books, we think it’s positive to say “it will gut you and shred your heart.” (and, yes, I did go look at this book on Goodreads as soon as I read this sentence…because something that effective deserves at least a glance…).

Thanks for your time and participation in this—hope you enjoyed it!

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Christi Nogle

By HCNewton

On June 11, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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Christi Nogle is another one of those writers who took me introducing myself with “I’m probably not going to like your [mostly horror] stuff” with a smile. I think if I read horror, I’d have a blast going through her backlist. She’s got some events coming up in the next couple of weeks (dates are listed below). Local readers should make a point of going to meet her.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hi! I’m a fiction writer, focusing on horror and horror-adjacent work. You can follow my writing journey at christinogle.com and at linktr.ee/christinogle

My first novel, Beulah from Cemetery Gates Media, won the 2022 Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in a First Novel and was one of five Shirley Jackson nominees in the Novel category for that year. The book has also been translated to Spanish by Dilatando Mentes Editorial. Beulah is a ghost story set in a fictional town of Beulah, Idaho. I’ve written two more novels also set in Idaho, which I hope will be available soon.

I‘ve had almost a hundred short stories published in a variety of magazines, anthologies, and my fiction collections from Flame Tree Press: The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future, which is a current 2023 nominee in the Bram Stoker Awards®, Promise: A Collection of Weird Science Fiction Short Stories, and One Eye Opened in That Other Place.

I’ve co-edited two anthologies of horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories: Mother: Tales of Love and Terror with Willow Dawn Becker and Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia with Ai Jiang, and I work as an Associate Editor for the horror fiction podcast PseudoPod.

Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I moved to Idaho at the age of ten and have lived here ever since. Previously, my family moved around the country a lot.

I’ve stayed in Idaho because my family lived here, and now that my family members have passed, I have wanted to move closer to the ocean, but suppose I stay here because this still feels like my only home.

“Feels like my only home.” Is possibly the best answer I’ve received to this question.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
Yes, I have a wonderful writing group here in Boise, the Sawtooth Alliance of Women Writers. [That name is a great way to say you’re an Idaho-based group without using the word Idaho. Also, I dig the initials.] I’ve known some of the members since college in the nineties and have been colleagues with others for almost that long, so it is a very comfortable and supportive group. The members of this group were among those who first encouraged me to send my work out for publication, and it has been wonderful to share my writing news and celebrate theirs each week. I’ve been meaning to check out the creative writing group at my local library, too, but so far I haven’t happened to be free during their monthly meeting time.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
Just lately I have begun appearing at local events such as library book fairs, the library’s ComicCon event, readings, signings at Rediscovered Books and Barnes & Noble, and the like. One of the most successful events for me was a reading at the Star library hosted by Tina Johnson—the attendees were so receptive and kind! Krampus Con Bizarre Bazaar at ABU Games in Boise was fantastic as well. The well-attended event featured comics, art, books, games, and cosplay, and as you would imagine there were a good number of people open to talking about horror. On June 15, I will be signing at Rediscovered Books 11:00-12:30. June 29, I have plans to do a signing at local author Brian McBee’s store, Kuna’s Book Habit from 12-2:00.

I desperately wish there were more of a local horror community here and am always envious when I see that fellow horror writers can go to regular horror events in New England, the Pacific Northwest, and California. I’ve wanted to start a local group for some time, and I ran a workshop through The Cabin called “The Art of Dread: Crafting Contemporary Horror” in hopes of meeting and cultivating some horror friendships here in Idaho. I then began looking for other Idaho horror writers on Facebook in hopes of starting an Idaho Horror Writers Association (HWA) chapter. There simply weren’t enough people, but just recently, the Wyoming-based horror writer Josh Hanson and I were able to open a chapter of the HWA for the “Inland North States” region including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota, so I hope that will lead to more regional opportunities as well as more local and semi-local friendships. The HWA has been the most important organization of the several I belong to, as it offers opportunities to mentor and be mentored, other fascinating volunteering opportunities, and has put me in contact with some of my favorite writers. If any local writers reading this are thinking of joining the HWA, please reach out to me through my website contact form or through any social media and I’ll be happy to help you join our chapter.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
My local friends read my work, and I’m trying to meet more readers locally, but most of my readers are from other parts of the U.S. and the U.K. Due to the translation of Beulah, I am also happy to have some readers and reviewers in Spain. I don’t read Spanish, but I can read their comments and reviews due to online translation, and it’s wonderful to see the response to the book.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
It’s been a bit challenging for me to be based here instead of in one of the places mentioned above that have a greater number of horror writers and readers. That said, there are some generous organizations in the area that have helped me, such as our local literary center The Cabin and the Alexa Rose Foundation—I’ll be in the Alexa Rose residency at The Common Well starting in November, and I hope to be offering a new workshop though The Cabin soon. We have a great library system here, and we have the wonderful independent bookstore Rediscovered Books.
With the Inland North States chapter, you’re on the front line of addressing one of the biggest challenges. I’ve had a few other authors talk about “maybe” starting something or wanting something that meets their genre/subgenre/specialty—it’s good to see that someone making progress in that direction, too.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
There’s no one book that expresses everything that would need expressing about the state, but Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover comes to mind. Westover’s work with theme of isolation really spoke to me.
Great pick.

Thanks for doing this–I hope you enjoyed it!

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Melaney Taylor Auxier

By HCNewton

On June 4, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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This is going to look a little different than most of these posts, Auxier took my first round of questions and mashed them into a few paragraphs. I did ask some follow-ups that I didn’t think worked as well if I tried to incorporate them into those paragraphs, so you’re getting a hodge-podge I guess. It’s basically a nice monologue that I interrupt a few times.

Great questions! I’m just going to jump right in and go for it.
My parents were married 3 months out of high school and 9 months later started having a family. In order to support us, my dad joined the military. The Navy took us from CA to SC, with Illinois being ‘homebase’ of sorts since mom and dad both had family there. After 7years in the Navy, dad worked for an international company that moved us every 2-3 years. I’ve lived in 8 states and Europe, graduating HS from an international school in The Netherlands. I associate each place with a specific local food, lol! I would definitely say all these places play a part in my writing. I have now lived in Idaho for 20 years, so while not a native, I do love being here. I love the view of the mountains in all the seasons, sometimes snow-covered, or silhouetted in sunrise and sunset. It never gets old. I’m always in awe. Seeing elk in the wild fascinates me too. I love to watch them.

Yeah, probably not technically a native, but that’s long enough to get you honorary native status, right? What kind of food would you associate with Idaho? (or does that only work with the nations you lived in?)
The food I associate with Idaho, or at least my part of Idaho has changed since I first got here. There was this little Mom and Pop burger and shake place that we had to hit up if someone came to visit, if we were celebrating, or just out running errands on a Saturday, lol! But it has since changed hands, I’ve had to give up gluten and dairy, and it just isn’t the same. So now I’d have to say huckleberries. Since we’ve been here so long, we know where and when to pick them and load up the freezer bags to eat them all through the winter months in our own homemade df/gf baked goods and shakes.

I feel like I’ve been a storyteller my whole life. There were great negative consequences in my family for telling a lie but writing (or telling) a story for ‘entertainment’ was okay. I loved writing assignments in school. I would write my own song lyrics or mini stories in a tiny ‘office’ I made in my closet, complete with a tin can pencil holder. Back then, an author to me was like a movie star or a president or something. I didn’t know just anyone could become an author, that you could actually go to college to learn to write. I imagined authors were like, appointed or something or you were just born an author but that it was something ordinary me couldn’t be. This did not stop me from writing my stories, though.

Fast forward through many moves, a couple husbands, 6 kids, lots of animals, and I finally figured out anyone can be an author!
How long have you been publishing? What was it that made you take that step?
I think the timing was just right. For years I went to conferences, classes, tutorials, read writing books, etc. I was in my first critique group of very talented mentors. We believed traditional publishing was the only real way to publish a book. But when that disbanded, I queried agents only to be rejected because my books were ‘too quiet’, not edgy, no one died of a horrible disease, no abuse and I didn’t cater to what was ‘hot’ in the market at the time. (like werewolves and vampires) My current critique group got together and our computer genius talked to us about Amazon’s KDP. She said, I think I can do this. (meaning the uploading) So she taught me how to use Canva for my illustrations in my picture books and covers for my novels, worked her magic for the longer books uploading all those words and ta-da! I fulfilled a dream of being a published author. I wasn’t getting any younger, I was tired of waiting for a bunch of 20-somethings to decide what the next hot topic was going to be to force upon readers. So I write what I want, do my own marketing (which you have to do whether you are traditionally published or indie), set my own release dates. I have a great support system and it keeps it fun and exciting.

I have a weekly critique group I faithfully attend with a couple other authors that I have been friends with for many years. We each have a role in the group that highlights our strengths. One is great with story consistency and description, another is our computer genius. I am the grammar and punctuation police. We were all once a part of a bigger critique group that has since disbanded for various reasons. But we took away the foundation of that group into this one and are very productive because of it. If any author would like tips on setting up their own critique group, they can reach out to me through my website melaneytaylorauxier.com I’m always happy to share pointers and tips with other writers.
Oh, I love the idea of a critique group with specialties like that!

Small town Idaho definitely plays a big part in my middle grade and adult fiction. It’s a recurring setting that just inserts itself into my brainstorming sessions. Just about anything can spark an idea for a new book. The main character of my picture book “Don’t Judge O’dell by his Smell” was inspired by an actual stinkbug standing on its head as I did laps on the trail around our property a couple summers ago. The house that John lives in, in my book “Not Jingleheimer”, is based on a 100 year old home in my own small Idaho town.

I generally have more than one project going at a time. Currently I’m finishing up a (hopefully) humorous adult fiction. I have 3 picture books I’m working on, as well as a plot outline for another middle grade, and a play adaptation of my adult fiction, “Bad Coffee and Paws in Your Face.” It’s always good to have something else to work on when you get stuck on your current story.

I love participating in author events. I like meeting the other local authors and chatting with them. I like meeting the avid readers. There is always something new to learn by listening to others. It’s a wonderful surprise to hear from someone, “This is my child’s favorite book!” or “I bought your books online but I don’t have this new one! I have to get it!”

I have my full library of books on my website and on Amazon. My biggest surprise so far was when I randomly sold a book to someone in the UK! No idea who it is! But how exciting to see that on my Amazon sales.
I bet!

If I can tell a story that brings a smile or a chuckle out of someone or simply entertains them for a little while, I’m a happy author.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
I’ve tried to find Idaho-based books to send as gifts over the years and the ones that get all the hype are not what I’d consider the best. I’m not usually a big fan of Romance but I love the way author Sarah Hill incorporates small town Idaho into her books. ‘Since You’ and ‘Caterpillars in Glass Jars’ are a good example of this.

Margaret Fuller has a set of trail books and identifying Idaho berries and such that she has done extensive research for. For any outdoor enthusiasts, these are a must-have.

And I’d have to say, ‘(NOT) Jingleheimer’ , my middle grade fiction, is a fun book based in Idaho that is great for young readers or the young at heart, good for a chuckle or 2.

I do have a question for you, HC. I’d love to know how you got your name for your website. I’ve come up with my own theory but only you know the real story (wink)
I’m curious about your theory, of course. 🙂 There was a webcomic called Unshelved that several years ago had a strip about teaching kids to read irresponsibly (they even had a tshirt to that effect that I really lament not getting). It was just a phrase that stuck in my head. Basically, it’s about reading things I’m interested in, not what “I’m supposed to” read. What Alan Noble describes as reading based on whimsy.
When I first saw ‘Unshelved’ it made me think ‘crazy for books’ in a good way. If we didn’t have avid readers, there’d be no need for avid writers. I love those words, ‘Reading based on whimsy’.

Thanks for your time and participation!
Thanks for the questions! That was fun!

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Steve McGill

By HCNewton

On May 28, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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I had the pleasure of meeting McGill and having a brief conversation with him at the recent Library Book Fair–and am now happy to bring you this look at writing in Idaho from a relatively recent arrival.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I’m a veteran teacher. I taught elementary grades for the first eight years of my career; for the next eighteen, I taught middle school. I’m now a professor of English at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, where I’ve been an instructor for twenty-five years. I wrote “The Cave” in 2008. It was an exciting time for me, attending book signings at places like Barnes and Noble and Borders Book stores. I published “No Father No Son” in 2022. It’s interesting that when I honestly answer the question, “What’s it about,” with the reply, “It’s the sad story of a boy’s childhood and how he copes,” people get very quiet.

What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I lived in California all my life until I moved to Idaho in January 2023. California has so much beauty, but it also has so much filth. The beauty is nature, and the filth is anything but nature. The filth stems from human interaction. It’s somewhat political in nature, but there’s more to it. Much more.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it
and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
I am not a part of a book club or group. The reason is that any club I’ve joined in the past tends to consist of less than serious readers. My experience with “intellectuals” is saturated with ego.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Most of my readers have been adults who enjoy an adventure story. Ironically, most of the readers of my young reader novel are adults.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
I hope the Treasure Valley consists of communities that are still readers, but social media has attracted even some of the most avid readers. There’s a vast difference between the experience found in deep reading and the experiences of cheap, shallow reading found online.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
See the previous answer.

Thanks for your time and participation!

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LITERARY LOCALS: A Few Quick Questions with…Shared Stories

By HCNewton

On May 21, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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This is overdue (as you can tell from some of the dated references), but sometimes schedules don’t work the way you want (and when you throw in the vicissitudes and orneriness of technology…things take even longer). A few weeks back, a new bookstore opened in Caldwell, ID–filling the lacuna left last year when Rediscovered Books had to close its branch. As you can imagine, I’m very happy to see Shared Stories open up–I actually ended up buying 1+ books there for the first three weeks they were open. Thankfully, life has intervened and I’ve been unable to make it there since. But I’ll be back very soon. I was able to ask Dr. Jocele Skinner, the owner, a few questions about their opening, plans, and so on. I hope this is the first of many times you see me mention them in the years to come.

Shared Stories logo
Let’s start off with a brief description of Shared Stories—how would you describe it (other than Caldwell/Canyon County’s newest bookstore). What makes you distinct? (at least in your mind/vision for the future)
Shared Stories is a new independent bookstore in Caldwell. It is woman-owned by Jocele Skinner, a local family physician. Her husband George Decker manages the day to day operations. We live locally and have been in the community for many years. We hope that what will make Shared Stories successful is that we are wholly committed to Caldwell and the surrounding area. Our goal is to work with local individuals, businesses, and organizations to support and to build our community. We live here. We work here. We spend our own dollars here. We want to share our love of books with Caldwell and see Caldwell and Canyon County grow and thrive even more than it already is!
Shared Stories Interior

Photo by Shared Stories

What inspired you to open this store? Has it been a lifelong dream, or just one that’s come around in the last few years? Was there one thing in particular that motivated you to get into action now?
George and I have always been book nerds! Our first date was at a bookstore. I think a lot of readers have a dream of working in or owning a bookstore. For many years, that’s exactly what it was – a dream. Jocele was busy working crazy hours, and George was at home with our kids and farm animals. When Rediscovered Books closed in Caldwell, we were devastated, but after a lot of discussion, we decided maybe it was really time to turn the fantasy into reality, and to hopefully fill what we saw as a huge need in downtown Caldwell.
We were pretty devastated, too–but you actually did something about it. Thank you!

I cannot fathom how much work had to go into getting the store to this stage—you’ve posted some on your Instagram page-—but how long have you actively been pursuing this once you moved from the “one day, I’d like to open…” thought to “let’s actually do this” stage?
It definitely has been a fair amount of work getting things up and going. We made the decision to proceed with opening a store in late June/early July of 2023. It took us about 5 months to find and secure the perfect location. It also took a ridiculous amount of time to come up with a name that we liked. I don’t even know how many options we tried out before Shared Stories stuck! Once we signed the lease in December, then we could really start making plans. We ordered custom shelves in January from a local business in Middleton. We went to Winter Institute (the national conference for the American Bookseller Association) in February, and after that we started working on ordering books, merchandise, etc. We began interviewing for bookseller positions in mid to late February, and I think managed to put together a great team. The books took a couple of weeks longer to get here than we had planned, so that was frustrating and held up our opening for a bit, but I think in the end it was all worked out! One thing that has been amazing is the support and help we have received from bookstores near and far! Bruce and Laura Delaney and their staff [of Rediscovered Books] have been so helpful in teaching us some of the basics, and the book-selling community has been nothing but encouraging and excited for us. I would also be remiss without thanking Ofelia Morales at the Caldwell economic developing office for being so incredible to work with and for helping get us connected with our eventual landlord and downtown businesses.
Shared Stories Nifty Lighting

Photo by Shared Stories

How was the first week? I know when I stopped in on Friday it was busier than I expected/feared. But that’s a limited 30 minutes—you know the big picture.
I think overall the first week went better than we had anticipated. We had our soft opening April 10, and quite a few people came in and made purchases. We appreciate their grace while we all worked to streamline our processes. We had a couple of slower days after the initial burst, but are getting busier each day. We’re hoping as the weather gets nicer and there are more events and people downtown in the plaza, that sales will continue to climb.

You’ve certainly had to learn a lot along the way, and encountered things you probably hadn’t considered. What were some of the biggest surprise challenges. Also, what was surprisingly easiest?
We still have lots to learn. 2 weeks in we’re still trying to figure out the best way to streamline orders and to determine what customers are interested in. We tried to build a pretty broad selection when we created out initial book order, but there’s always books that we didn’t predict would be in high demand. And of course, there’s only so many books we can fit on the shelves. It would have been awesome if we could have ‘nailed it” on day one, but we’re hoping that will come with time. If you are looking for something you don’t see, ask us! We want this to be a place where there’s something for everyone.
Shared Stories Comfy Reading Area

Photo by Shared Stories

Are you working on plans for the future of Shared Stories—or is keeping the lights on your primary focus for now? Do you have any events coming up that you’d like to share?
We’re definitely working on plans and future events going forward. Right now, we’re definitely focused on just continuing to get our feet under us, but we’re looking at starting store-sponsored book clubs in the next month or two, as well as some special events. This weekend is Independent Bookstore Day, so we’ll be having some fun specials and giveaways on Saturday. We’re partnering with Shutter Happy, a local photographer, for a children’s reading program over the summer, where kids can get discounts on books and win a mini-photography session here in the store. We’re also partnering with another downtown business for a Mother’s Day tea and book event. Watch our social media for updates. Children’s activities/storytime is starting soon, and there may be some fun game nights, crafts nights, and more ahead!

What books are you (and/or your staff) enjoying hand-selling the most right now? Feel free to give a quick pitch for a few—I can’t let people get away from here without a few recommendations.
It’s been fun to be able to hand-sell books to customers as they come in! Our staff all have different readings tastes, and so we are learning from each other all the time too! Probably our biggest seller has been The Women by Kristin Hannah. I am also surprised by how many are interested in reading the classics. A couple of other books that have sold well so far are the Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy, the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, and a whole host of romance and fantasy novels, led by Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Some bookstores have resident dogs, many more seem to have store cats. But you all have taken a different direction–one that I absolutely love. Tell us about Cedric. Where did the idea come from? Who came up with it? Are people responding as well to it as I am? When can we purchase Cedric merch?
Good question. We had initially planned on having a store cat. But honestly, all our cats at home have bad manners, so they aren’t suited for being in the store. One dog is too big and sheds too much, and our other dog gets a little anxious around new people, so neither one of them would be great store pets, either. As for Cedric, not long after we opened, a young man came in asking if we’d be interested in stocking 3D printed dragons. Sutton lives locally and does a great job printing dragons and fidget spinners. George, always a sucker for cool shiny things, bought one just as a trial, and our amazing and creative staff took the dragon and ran with it! Before we knew it, the dragon had a name and was showing up on social media. It’s a fun way to feature new books or special displays. The dragons have been super successful, and we’ve had requests for custom colors and have already had to reorder. Kids young and old find them fascinating. And really aren’t most of us book dragons at heart?
Shared Stories' Cedric

A few snips I took of various Social Medial posts to try to give a flavor of how he’s being used. They look much better in the originals.

I know this is a crazy busy time for you all right now, and I cannot thank you enough for taking time to respond to me.
I just want to thank everyone for supporting our store so far. The excitement and support has been so fun to see, and we all enjoy sharing our favorite books with you, as well as finding new books ourselves. I mentioned above we are happy to place special orders, and you can also support us by shopping at our affiliate locations:

For physical books: https://bookshop.org/shop/sharedstories
For audio books: https://libro.fm/sharedstories
Yes–absolutely do that, readers!

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A Few Quick Questions With…M.D. Presley

By HCNewton

On April 1, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With...

Today is Publication Day for Rites of Passage the first book in the Inner Circle Urban Fantasy series. Here’s a quick description:

Corbin James has never been so lost. Able to dowse since a kid, he’s adept at finding missing things. But after weeks on the run from the FBI, the teen’s luck has finally run dry.

Enter the enigmatic Mister with a tempting offer: find an enchanter who has disappeared inside the mysterious Harmon House. Recruited into a reluctant crew of motley magicians, Corbin only has days to navigate their shifting loyalties to earn his freedom by entering the Inner Circle.

Lucky for him he’s got his trusty dowsing rod, a defaced 50-cent piece, and enchanted iPod.

I’m really looking forward to reading this. In honor of Publication Day, I have a quick Q&A with the author, M.D. Presley. I had to come up with these questions before starting the book, which I’ve only done once before. I think it came out not-terribly-awkward. Either way, I enjoyed reading the answers and hope you will, too.

Why don’t you take a moment to introduce yourself to the readers, and tell us about your books in general, before hitting us with an elevator pitch for Rites of Passage?
Greetings, mortals. I am Matt, and I write as M. D. Presley. I’m a screenwriter by training, with a few shows and movies released in China, although I don’t speak a lick of Mandarin. Publishing is my outlet for the stories that I actually want to tell, which are not constrained by such paltry things as budgets or directors. Or censors.

Rites of Passage is an urban fantasy mystical murder mystery that’s miraculously not in the Dresden or Anita Blake molds. It’s a whodunnit involving a young dowser who’s pressed into finding an enchanter that’s gone missing in his own home. It harkens back to the non-noir mysteries from yesteryear, in that you could almost call it cozy if you only went by body count. But it’s got a little too much cosmic and body horror for that.

It’s my love letter to 90s Vertigo comics, where the urban fantasy is always just around the corner or hiding in the shadows, but is wonderous if you have the right set of eyes to see it. But it’s also strange and a little bit frightening.

Looking over your website, worldbuilding is something you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it—not only implementing it in two pretty distinct fictional worlds—but you’ve got some books about it geared for writers. Hopefully, I’m not asking you to say anything that makes buying one of those books moot here. But what are the big things that an author should think about before trying to create a fictional world—what are a couple of the big mistakes people tend to make as they learn the hard way how to do this?
I’ve spent a few hundred pages and many YouTube hours trying to sum up the idea of purposeful worldbuilding, so I’ll give one half-useful conceptual answer and one practical one.

Conceptually, practice the old Bruce Lee adage of use what works and discard the rest. I stand by a “tools not rules” approach, which means you should be open to learning everyone’s theories and techniques, and then distill the ones that work for you without ignoring what you’ve learned from the discarded bits. I’m personally a big top-down designer and cannot write by a bottom-up, discovery approach. However, I’ve studied those approaches and use them when they’re appropriate in my own writing.

Basically, worldbuilding is always a process in progress.

Practically, my biggest word of advice is to keep a bible of your world, characters, and plot. It doesn’t have to be terribly in-depth, but it’s good to have it all in one place. And if you do keep one with characters JOT DOWN THEIR PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS. Nothing is worse than combing through hundreds of pages of your own writing just to determine if your own creation is brown-haired or left-handed. Doing so is probably the fastest way to turn something you love into homework.

For you, at the end of the day—creating believable characters, worldbuilding, or the story—what’s harder? What’s more rewarding? What do your readers tend to react to the most?
It’s trite, but I’ve learned how characters, plot, and worldbuilding all need to balance and feed into one another. I was a big plot-proponent in my early days, and took a long time to understand I needed to spend equal time on the characters so the audience would actually want to know what happens to them in the plot. Worldbuilding is the same way in that it can be enchanting in terms of its details and scale, but it’s just window dressing without vibrant characters populating it. Mark JP Wolf points out that worlds can exist without stories, but stories cannot exist without worlds, which just underscores the symbiotic nature of the three of them.

At this stage in my career, I feel I have a pretty good balance on the three of them. Which means I should probably start focusing my attention on my wooden prose.

No matter how many books you have under your belt, as I understand, each novel/series tends to be a different experience than the one(s) before. What was the part what was the biggest surprise about the process of writing Rites of Passage? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”?
This sounds dumb after just saying I’m a top-down designer who focuses on plot, but Rites of Passages reiterated how much I need to know what happens in the story before I sit down to write it. Especially when it’s a mystery. Traditional plotting methods may tell you what needs to happen in the story for that beat to function, but I learned the hard way that I really need to design the villain’s plans and motivation ahead of time. If the villain’s plans don’t make sense from their perspective, then the story’s logic will eventually break down, no matter how well the plot holds together from the hero’s perspective.

I’ve taken this hard-won lesson to heart as I plot out the villains first in the sequel, and the process has sped up considerably.

Is there a particular supporting character that ended up becoming a favorite of yours? Do you ever start to wonder if a supporting character should’ve been the protagonist? Talk about them a little bit and how the reaction is different. What’s the key, for you, in writing a great supporting character, and how did that (if you can manage this without an essay) work with this particular character?
In screenwriting it’s understood that supporting characters are more fun to write because they can be over the top, since they’re not carrying the show. They can be outlandish and weird because not nearly as much is riding on them, which is why they have the freedom to become fan favorites. And I have a feeling that in Rites of Passage Kirin will be this character for me.

She’s a bit of a manic pixie dream girl in the first book, but that portrayal is also because we’re encountering her through the eyes of a young man. But she’s going to show up in many more of the books, and her character will get to show more facets throughout, both because she gets more screen time, and because the protagonist’s understanding of the world matures. In fact, I think she probably has a bigger arc than even the protagonist.

What’s next for M.D. Presley, author? Does that depend on the reaction to Rites of Passage or are you already neck deep in your next project or five?
I have material for about eight more books in this series, The Inner Circle, and am already at work on the second one. I’m juggling some screenwriting gigs with it, which is annoying since you never know when or if they’ll pop up to derail my writing momentum. On the worldbuilding front, I’m hoping to put together a free book detailing my method for understanding fantasy magic systems, which is currently scattered around on my website.

Thanks for your time and participation! I’m looking forward to seeing what Rites of Passage has to offer!

Hopefully by now, reader, you’re thinking you’d like to look into Presley’s work. Go check out his website, and show him the Release Day love and order Rites of Passage!
A Few Quick Questions

A Few Quick Questions With…J.M. Gulmire

By HCNewton

On March 29, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Dogs, Fiction, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Back in September (about the time I should have been sending him my part of this Q&A), J.M. Gulmire stopped by with a Guest Post, “Shaping Smiles with Kay-9 The Robot Dog,” giving a little BTS about the book I posted about this morning. Last week, I finally got around to sending the questions that have been rattling around in my brain since then–and he was gracious enough to get the answers back right away, so I can talk about this charming book a little bit and bring you this post. I hope you enjoy.

Why don’t you take a moment to introduce yourself to the readers, and tell us about your path to publication?
Sure sure. Well, I’ve been a storyteller for about 300 years now, it feels like. About a dozen years ago I started querying agents. I submitted mountains of work as I kept writing during this period, and got some great responses praising my work but no takers. I usually received comments about how great my stories are but that they’re not what agents are looking for.

I fell in the “too different” category. That tends to happen when you live with elves and have conversations with your dog.

So last year, the elves and my dog demanded to read my books in book format and that drove me to test out self-publishing.

My first title, “A Vacuum for my Birthday” hit #1 in its genre on amazon and since then I’ve released two other books that have all become Amazon bestsellers.

In addition to writing, your other big artistic endeavor is claymation. What kinds of things have you learned from claymation that have helped your writing—and vice versa?
I love swimming in clay. When I decided to self-publish a little birdie told me that marketing is super tough and that I’d have to do something different so I decided to practice making shorts so I could create my own book trailers. I grew up on Will Vinton and always had a strange obsession with claymation and stop motion work.

Claymation is super tough. The elves lent me some play-doh and I started writing scripts. Script writing helps get right to the action. It keeps things moving and filming reminds writers that timing matters. Thankfully I’m now actually working with clay, which doesn’t dry out as fast!

On the opposite end, writing has helped me realize my characters and bring them to life onscreen. The shorts I created for my “Kay-9 the Robot Dog” trailer were so fun to make, even when the clay took on a mind of its own.

So every book I’ve read for the MG audience about a kid who creates a robot/super-computer/etc. focuses on the end result—and the creation (or most of it) happens “off screen” or in the literary equivalent of a montage. But you don’t take that approach—the book is almost all about the creation-stage. Was that a conscious choice on your part to depart from the norm, or was that just the way it came about?
That was a pure choice. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

One of my elves asked me to get them a robot dog book, but I couldn’t find one. Worst of all, most of the robot books were all about the robot’s experiences instead of its creation.

I was overly aware of this while writing “Kay-9.” Thankfully the subject was so fun and my dog offered a few suggestions because I love finding untold stories. That old saying, “every story has already been told” or something like that was created to be proven wrong. I think Mark Twain or some old timey author started that rumor just so people would work harder to make something new.

There’s a recurring theme (at least I think there was) about what makes a good parent running throughout the book. Frequently it’s Ryan’s mother telling/reminding him something like “I’m your mom, of course I’m going to ____.” Was that something you set out to layer in or did it just come up organically and you decided to run with it?
I’m so glad that came through. Yes. Raising a house full of elves and critters, I know how often little ones need to be reminded that they are supported by their family, especially their parents.

I also hoped that the children who read “Kay-9” would feel more connected to their parents through Ryan’s relationship with his mom, and how important his connection with his dad was even though he was gone.

What was the part what was the biggest surprise about the process of writing Kay-9? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”?
I found myself spellbound at how desperately the book seemed to want to be written. I would sit down and write and it poured out so well and so fast that I had to slow down and stretch my fingers to keep from losing my head. I didn’t want to rush it but knew that I was on to something.

This is typically where I ask about what’s next for an author, but your next is already here—tell us a little about Monster Camping Trip.
Yay. Thank you! “Monster Camping Trip” is my third best selling Amazon new release.

This one didn’t exactly know what it wanted to be called. The original title was, “Too Many Kids” because it’s about the ups and downs of being part of a big family, but it’s also about how families support each other even if they’re a little crazy at times.

This one sets Ava on a search for a mysterious cryptid that lives in Wisconsin. She learns about the legend of the hodag and ends up going on an adventure with her twin brother in search of it on their family camping trip.

And there’s no end to writing with me. I plan to release my fourth book, “Keku’s Mission,” in September. It’s my Lord of the Rings, but with all animals and a lot less wandering through the forest because the animals are small and can’t go as far. Imagine Frodo as a girl toad who is on a mission to find a plant that will heal her friend who is sick.

All of my books are about overcoming the odds and the importance of supporting others and being supported. They all have jokes and silly situations in them as well, because I don’t like cough medicine but laughter (and pineapple juice) are the best cure for everything.

Thanks for your time and participation! Thanks also for introducing me to Ryan and his friends/neighbors!
THANK YOU so much!! I love writing and am always happy to spend time giving my manuscripts time to cool off. LOL

Readers, go check out all of Gulmire’s books at Amazon!
A Few Quick Questions

A Few Quick Questions With…Ian Robinson

By HCNewton

On March 1, 2024

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Ian Patrick, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I was very excited this week to see that the good people over at The Good Folks have republished Ian Robinson’s dynamite debut, with a new title and with out a nom de plume. You can go read what I said about Criminal Justice‘s first incarnation back in 2018, here. I wanted to do something to celebrate this release and hopefully draw some eyes to Robinson’s work, so we hastily set up this Q&A. It’s a little different than my usual M.O. (it’s been years since I read the book for one thing, so I couldn’t ask a lot of specifics). I like the results, hopefully you do, too.

But first…what is Criminal Justice? (you should check out the publisher’s site for details on getting a copy)

The first book in a totally gripping hard-boiled crime fiction series

Undercover detective Sam Batford is through with police budget cuts and ineffectual superiors. But has he gone rogue?

He is sent to work with a serious crime team in London to take down a big drugs boss. Their chief, DCI Klara Winter, doesn’t appreciate Batford’s presence. The feeling is entirely reciprocal.

Batford has his eyes on the money, except when they are drawn to Stoner, an attractive blonde who is pivotal to the organised crime syndicate’s operations.

Now embroiled in the gang, as Batford plays one side against the other, the risk of his cover being blown increases. This comes to a head when he is faced with the option of confession or torture.

Who will have the last laugh in this high-octane battle of wits?

CRIMINAL JUSTICE is the first book in this riveting series of pulp crime thrillers by Ian Robinson. The second book, STATUS DRIFT, is coming soon.

So, this is not your first time doing a Q&A here, but it’s the first time as Ian Robinson. What brought on the name change? I assume since most of your books are out now (with at least one more on the way) using this name that it’s going to stick?
A pleasure to be invited back on your blog. That’s a reasonable question, and the answer is yes, Ian Robinson is the name I’ll be writing under. I used Ian Patrick (my first and middle name) originally, as I’d just left the police due to ill health. I had a crippling fear of failure, rejection, and self-doubt. I left school at 16 with nothing and figured my books would bomb. Seven books later and, I guess, I proved myself to be wrong.

We’re supposed to be talking about Criminal Justice, so let’s focus on that for a bit. The publisher’s blurb is above–but let’s hear it from you—give the reader an elevator pitch for this book, and while we’re it, the Batford series.
I’m terrible at elevator pitches! If you enjoyed the TV series Line of Duty, then these books will appeal. If you like fast-paced thrillers, you won’t be disappointed. I inject some realities of policing within the fiction which gives the narrative a feel of authenticity you won’t get from other books in this genre.

What was behind the decision to re-brand this series now? You’ve said that the editing was updated, too—what kinds of (I’m assuming relatively minor) changes have been made to this?
I wanted to reach a new audience and I’ve been impressed with the way The Book Folks operate. They’ve helped me reach new readers with the Nash and Moretti series and getting my stories out there is what it’s about for me. I want people to be entertained. I want the reader to feel that time spent with my work has been of value. The story is the same as the original, but it’s been valuable for me to work with editors to ensure we got the maximum out of the novel in terms of structure and plot. Things have changed since it was first published, particularly with police departments and place names. The editing team were superb in picking these details up.

After all this time—and seven published books—what was it like coming back to Criminal Justice? Was it good to be reacquainted, or did you spend a lot of time second-guessing choices you made back then?
Great question. I didn’t second guess anything. I know how good these books are and will stand by them to the grave. I did realise that my mind wasn’t in a great place when I originally wrote the books, but that added to the creativity.

You won’t read another crime thriller series like this one. How can I claim that? I used my own policing experience to convey the adrenaline rush on the page. I’ve been in many confrontations, fights, and chases and I can express how this feels from reality. I didn’t read crime fiction either. The realities of the job were enough. This gave me the advantage of putting my own voice on paper. I feel this comes across in a fresh and exciting way and why the BBC optioned the originals for a six-part TV series. The producers could see this too. Sadly, it never progressed beyond the script outline as the pandemic hit the industry and decisions were taken to go in other directions as a result.

I will always be proud of these books, and I wish to acknowledge Chris McVeigh at Fahrenheit Press for supporting me with the originals. Times change, and I have too. I’m embarking on a new chapter in my writing and it feels wonderful to have Batford back with a new brand and to see where it takes him.

The last time we talked about Sam Batford, you mentioned that “writing about a corrupt man goes against all my core values.” Particularly in light of the new look that society is taking at policing in general, and police corruption in particular—is it harder to bring Batford back? Were you tempted to soften him up a bit (last time you said you tried, but it didn’t work) now?
Corruption is, and always will be, an issue for society and isn’t solely within the police. With any public body you’ll have issues of corruption. The beauty of creating a character like Batford is that you can write from a place that disturbs you and that’s where the writing takes on a life of its own. This is where the creative energy takes you to places you thought you’d never want to explore. It can be liberating in terms of story. My Nash and Moretti series is based on investigating murder so this limits how you can approach the writing in some way (to me anyway). With Batford, he is a cop with very few boundaries. He will cross the line, but he does have his own moral code he wouldn’t breach. I can explore the official side through Winter and her team and Batford’s world where anything could happen. Not being constrained in this way is liberating when it comes to the story.

According to your publisher, the second book, Status Drift, is coming soon, can you share the new title of the third book yet? More importantly (for me, anyway), does this rebranding open the door for further Batford books? Maybe a prequel?
There’s no confirmed title for book 3 and never say never for more from this character.

That’s not the definitive “yes” that I was hoping for, but it’s good enough. 🙂

What is next for Ian Robinson, author, in that case?
To remain grounded and not get hung up on the future. I’m waiting to see what the response is to Criminal Justice then I can decide on a direction to take. I’m hoping Batford will be positively received. I love this character and the scope to expand his world is exciting to me.

Thanks for your time, sir! It’s always a pleasure.

Readers—there’s no better time to introduce yourself to Ian Robinson and/or Sam Batford than right now. You won’t soon forget either of them.