Raised in a deeply religious family, Mercy rebels against all rules during his teenage years. He stops attending church and drops out of high school. To avoid a destined path of self-destruction, Mercy enlists in the Army. After two combat tours, Mercy returns home battling PTSD. Trying to forget about the lives that he has taken and resume a "norm…

Tom Nix sold his check cashing business for an enormous amount of money, and now he's sharing his "lessons learned" through speaking engagements and writing. LIFE’S KEY CONCEPTS 1. We live in a cause-and-effect world in which we have immense personal power. The degree of personal power we can exercise in our life depends on how much we know about t…

Andy Peloquin is a storyteller and an artist--words are his palette. Fantasy is his genre of choice, and he loves to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. Thief of the Night Guild is the sequel to Child of the Night Guild. It showcases how the woman Ilanna has to adapt and…

William Michael Davidson lives in Long Beach, California, with his wife and two daughters. A believer that "good living produces good writing," Davidson writes early in the morning so he can get outside, exercise, spend time with people, and experience as much as possible. A writer of speculative fiction, he enjoys stories that deal with humanity's…

William Kenower is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, and Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine, and a sought-after speaker and teacher. In addition to his books he’s been published in The New York Times and Edible Seattle, and has been a featured blogger fo…

J.M. Robison is a fantasy historian who chronicles the events which force heroes to reveal their mistakes, lead rebellions to dethrone tyranny, and unearth ancient secrets to free the oppressed. She's quested over lands with the U.S. Army and now works for the king under the honorable title of Deputy Sheriff. She makes her own shampoo, lotions, lau…

Tonight's show welcomes back Tony Wilkins. He's the host of the ever-popular weekly Small Business Forum Radio show right here on Blog Talk. His book-turned-workshop series, The Career Whisperer, is available to anyone who wants to step up their selling game, transition and transform their speaking business, and others. We'll also talk about buildi…

Norma Hollis teaches self-awareness by helping you know yourself on a deep authentic level. She takes you on a journey inside of yourself to find, live and share your authentic voice, the essence of who you are. After studying human nature from personal, professional and spiritual perspectives for over 30 years, Norma has created a system that intr…

Stay, Breathe with Me: The Gift of Compassionate Medicine Not just another book about death and dying, Stay, Breathe with Me shows how to bring heart and compassion back into medicine to revive the art of care. From a pioneer in palliative care comes the gift of wisdom that when we remove false barriers and fully embrace the human side of illness, …

Sandie Will is a young adult novelist who lives in Tampa Bay, Florida and works as a manager and geologist by day. She has written two novels and is currently working on her third. Her debut novel, The Caging at Deadwater Manor, is a heart-pounding young adult psychological thriller. Her second is a historical time travel that will be released in l…

Brian Paul Bach is a writer, artist, filmmaker and photographer; he has worked across the entertainment business, in theatre, music and as an academic. He now lives in central Washington State with his wife, Sandra. His previous works include, The Grand Trunk Road From the Front Seat, Calcutta’s Edifice: The Buildings of a Great City, and Busted Bo…

Joshua Robertson is a bestselling author in dark fantasy. Robertson is a Licensed Master Social Worker, who received his degree from Wichita State University. He has worked with children and families for the past fifteen years in a variety of unique venues: a residential behavior school, a psychiatric treatment facility, and the child welfare syste…

Suzanna J. Linton grew up in the swamps of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she was fed a steady diet of books, tall tales, and catfish. She started writing poetry from an early age before transitioning to fiction. While in high school, she was introduced to the Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The An…

Angela B. Chrysler is a writer, logician, philosopher, and die-hard nerd who studies theology, historical linguistics, music composition, and medieval European history in New York, with a dry sense of humor and an unusual sense of sarcasm. She lives in a garden with her family and cats. Every now and then Ms. Chrysler puts down the PS4 remote to ga…

Walk between the worlds of angels and devils, explore the deeper meaning of demons, and face the beauty of the monster in all of us with author Jay Norry. Stumbling Backasswards Into The Light is an uplifting autobiography, the tale of Jay's decision to question the answers he had been given and discover his own deeper meaning. Walking Between Worl…

Charlene Jones’ publications include: Medicine Buddha/Medicine Mind an easy to read exploration of the seam between Visualization Meditation and Neuroscience The Stain, a novel about Reincarnation, Karma and the Release from Suffering Bliss Pig A Book of Poetry Co-Authored with Linda Stitt Ms. Jones’ interview by Charmaine Carraway on her program h…

Connie Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY. She now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband: hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. Connie began writing in response to a challenge from her daughter in October 2011 and has been hooked ever since. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genr…

Logan Miehl loves writing from anywhere with a plugin for her laptop—ideally among her native Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys hiking and camping with her husband. Miehl's debut fantasy novella, An Unlikely Bride, is the tale of a fiery princess named Kalinda and the journey she takes to unearth her Kingdom's dark past. Follow Kalinda as she disco…

Timothy is originally from England, but now lives in Alaska with his wife, Sandi. The two of them met online, and are the writing team behind the Shadows Over Seattle series of short stories, and upcoming novels. "Under A Hunter's Moon" is the first in the "Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels" short story series. Richard Parsons is a lupine, one of the …

A computer geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books, written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers, and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He is als…

From story dabbler in the 1980's, to published author as of July 2013, Angel M. is a multi-genre fictional author. To date, she has published The Keeper Book 1 and Underwater City Book 2 of an adventure/fantasy series and Pawper to Pedigree, a dog comedy. In between her day job, family, and writing, Angel M. uses her humor to help those wanting to …

Entering into the realm of novel writer late in life, Tom Fallwell, at an age of more than sixty years, jumped into that world with both feet. Having always had a fascination with fantasy world-building, even from early in his life, Tom wanted to create his own world filled with rich history and lore. His Rangers of Laerean series does just that, p…

Author Andy Peloquin explores the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. He's also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people. About Child of the Night Guild Viola, a child sold to pay her father's debts, has lost everything: her mother, her home, and…

Back Porch Writer is a proud supporter of the annual Brain to Books Cyber Convention. From now until April 7, 2017, you'll meet exciting voices representing a variety of genres. Joy Nwosu was born in Enugu, Anambra State of south-eastern Nigeria. Her parents were Charles Belonwu and Deborah Nwosu. She is the fifth in rank of the seven children of h…

Monika Jephcott Thomas grew up in Dortmund Mengede, north-west Germany. She moved to the UK in 1966, enjoying a thirty year career in education before retraining as a therapist. Two young doctors form a profound and loving bond in Nazi Germany; a bond that will stretch them to the very limits of human endurance. Catholic Max - whose religious and m…

I'm declaring today "take a break from the rubbish" day. It's been years since I felt a need to take a mental health day, but after a disappointing, frustrating, and hatefilled election cycle, I know that I need one. How about you? Not one to wallow, I'm sharing what got me to this decision, and more importantly, what I'm doing about it!…

Born in London, Tony Halker studied geology at Leeds University after which he worked as a geologist, travelling extensively overseas. Following an MBA at Cranfield School of Management, he became a manager in hi-tec business. The introduction of new technology threatens to upend the way of life in a Celtic Druid society as conflicting loyalties pi…

Author Ali Parker writes under five pen names, including this one, and has published 88 books in roughly 2 years. How? That's what we're all here to find out. She primarily writes romance, but does so in a few subgenres: western, scifi, and borderline erotic (from what I could figure out from covers and a little sample reading, but I could be wrong…

Adam Dreece kicked off his indie author career with his best-selling steampunk meets fairy tale series, The Yellow Hoods, which struck a chord with kids 9-15 and adults. After four books in the series, the former software architect put out two more young adult books, the post-apocalyptic fantasy book The Wizard Killer – Season One, and then his sci…

According to Adam Grant's book, Originals, procrastinating can lead to increased creativity. What? Yeah, you read that right. My guest today is Glen Perkins. He's a fellow author and appeared on the show a few times during my first year. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he'd stopped writing for a bit. That led to a discussion about why writers se…

Paulette loves books, wilderness and making ancient spiritual truths applicable to all ages in daily life, bringing all these together in her Datatraya series. Paulette had an unusual childhood, growing up in Cumbria and in Scotland. Born of rock climbing and mountaineering parents her every spare moment was spent outdoors. Dirty, often barefoot an…

Trace Conger is an award-winning author in the crime, thriller and suspense genres. His Mr. Finn series follows disgraced private investigator Finn Harding as he straddles the fine line between investigator and criminal. Conger is known for his tight writing style, dark themes and subtle humor. He lives in Cincinnati with his wonderfully supportive…

Christina Hoag is the author of Skin of Tattoos, a literary thriller set in L.A.’s gang underworld (Martin Brown Publishers, August 2016) and Girl on the Brink, a romantic thriller for young adults (Fire and Ice YA/Melange Books, August 2016). She is a former reporter for the Associated Press and Miami Herald and worked as a correspondent in Latin …

Dual diagnosed* from an early age, Matthew Peters dropped out of high school at sixteen. He went on to obtain an A.A., a B.A. from Vassar College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University. He has taught various courses in a variety of disciplines throughout North Carolina. He is committed to increasing the awareness and understanding of the dual …

Frank O'Neal returns to the show to catch us up on his latest success story! If you're a poet trying to make it in the non-fiction writing world, you'll love this. Frank S. O'Neal is a lifelong learner, writer, musician and world traveler. Through three major career changes and his constant pursuit of understanding, he has gained a unique voice for…

Can fantasy and romance come together to create a compelling story? Of course! The list of successes is pages long. How easy is it to do? What elements must be present to draw the reader into the story? Author Jin Okubo is attempting to do exactly that. Has he succeeded? Check out his book and decide. About Jin Okubo: Writing is something that I fe…

Krista Wagner is a 70's product who lives in Southern California with her supportive and amazing chef of a husband, three entertaining and very bright children, and a suitcase of stories begging to be finished. She received her BA in English from UMBC in 1999, her MA in English Comp. with a Literature Concentration from CSUSB in 2008, and an MFA in…

William Michael Davidson is the author of the children's book, The Dragon Who Pulled Her Scales (Winner of the 2013 OCD Book Festival Award), The Dragon Who Tamed Her Temper, Missing Person, and Living Sacrifice. He lives in Long Beach, California, with his wife and two daughters. He is working on additions to his children's book series as well as …

Best selling Kindle author L. A. Kelley lives in Florida where the heat and humidity have driven everyone slightly mad. She's the author of five novels, three more due out this year. In her spare time she calls in Bigfoot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her. About Spirit Ridge: San Fr…

Unfortunately, my guest, Denis Ledoux, wasn't able to join me today. You can learn more about his work at The Memoir Network. Here are the two articles I referenced: The Key Elements of Writing a Good Memoir and How to Write Your Memoir. Check out Gerald Schnitzer's book, My Floating Grandmother for a great example of memoir. For a non-traditional …

There's no doubt that writing for the YA crowd can be lucrative, but if it's not a genre that you read - ever - then it's probably not the best choice for your writing. That said, here's some great info via Ebookfriendly detailing and linking to several awesome charts and infographics all about YA. That first comment might be reason #1 for you to w…

Summer is the perfect time to get engrossed in a crime novel! AW Rock's debut novel, set in the SoHo district of London, is described as gritty and fast-paced. The author spent years in the entertainment industry before transitioning to novelist. Chances are, some of his experiences found their way into his new series. Mr. Rock also is an accomplis…

Most of us know that authors tend to lead a life of isolation, especially while writing a manuscript, but there comes a time when every author, introverted or extroverted, shy or not, must engage readers. Extroverts tend to have it easy in this department with their need to chat people up. Introverts aren't so inclined. Talking with groups of peopl…

Today's show is all about men who write romance. Is it different than how a female writes romance? If so, why and how? If not, then why is it so rare to find male romance authors? Is there a stigma attached to men who write romance? Author Jin Okubo has something to say about all of this! He's been writing romance for a few years, and shares his in…

Author, Poet, and On-Air Radio Personality, Tracie Christian is from Detroit, MI. Her books are The Black College Sabbatical trilogy fiction series and the newly released "Toast to the Fool" reflective fiction novel. "Toast to the Fool" follows five friends all playing the fool as they battle through the biggest missteps of their lives. On the surf…

Tony Wilkins is the host of the Internet sensation Small Business Forum Radio www.blogtalkradio.com/tonywilkins with nearly 200,000 listeners worldwide and broadcasting live every Friday at 3:30 PM Pacific from the historic Payne Mansion in San Francisco. The Career Whisperer: Behind the podium - A step by step guide to booking speaking engagements…

We're diving into what it takes for a debut author to market her first book. Claire Everward and her sister, Kate, are doing exactly that. A month ago, I spoke with them via a Blab.im interview when they'd just released Claire's novel, THE FIRST. Now, we're assessing what they've done, what's worked, what hasn't, and what they've learned. A. Claire…

If there's one aspect of being an author that many authors moan and groan about, it's marketing. Some hate doing it because they feel like they're forcing their work on people. They feel "spammy." Today, we're getting some tips from Gail Olmsted. Who's she? Glad you asked! Gail happens to be an author AND a marketing professor. If anyone can offer …

Have you ever thought, "I should write my memoir?" What's stopping you? It can be a daunting task. What do you include? Do you focus on a specific period in your life? Do you choose a few meaningful areas that led to who you are now? What parts of your story will captivate readers? Are you sharing a broad lesson or moral through your experiences? T…

Larry Luikart is an Ohio native who holds bachelors and masters degrees in History and Political Science from Concordia University. He previously worked for over twenty-five years as a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Luikart lives in the Westcliffe, Colorado, area with his wife and their two dogs, where he also writes for the weekly ne…