Acclaimed Mystery Author Leslie Meier

Leslie Meier enjoys murdering people on special days of the year. Be it "Turkey Day Murder," "Mistletoe Murder, "Happy Birthday Murder," or Leslie's latest, "English Tea Murder," amateur sleuth, Lucy Stone, solves every fiendish and cleverly designed homicide this creative author can imagine.

Since her first published work, a short story for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine’s Department of First Stories, Leslie has been writing mysteries and now has sixteen Lucy Stone novels to her credit. The heroine Lucy is a newspaper reporter and harried mother for four in fictional Tinker's Cove, Maine, the kind of charming town where nothing out of the ordinary should ever happen, but always does. In real life, Leslie was a newspaper reporter also. The result, in addition to some marvelously entertaining stories, is an insider's look at the hectic world of the reporter from the perspective of a wife and mother who lived it.

Leslie doesn't follow the traditional gunshots in the dark type of murders; hers encompass manufactured asthma attacks, asphyxiation, and mysterious ailments. And of course, what St. Paddy's Day celebration would be complete without green beer and a beheading?

"English Tea Murder" is the first story that follows reporter Lucy out of the U.S. to jolly old England, and lands her smack in the middle of not just one, but two murders, and more to come if she can't track down the killers while searching for the elusive perfect cup of tea.

Leslie Meier's books are as strong and humorous as her heroine, and as skillfully plotted as her murders. Finish one, and as her many fans attest to, the reader will keep coming back for more.
Leslie's Web Site
Q) What inspired naming the books in respect to particular days?

A) When I began writing I knew very little about the business, but I had heard that most books are sold at Christmas so I made my first effort, "Mistletoe Murder" (originally titled "Mail-Order Murder"), a Christmas book. Readers suggested I write a Halloween book, so I wrote "Trick or Treat Murder" and after that I began looking for other holidays to write about. Some of my favorites, however, feature family events such as "Birthday Party Murder" and "Wedding Day Murder." Families offer so much material!

Q) Wiccan enthusiasts have repeatedly praised your attention to detail in "Wicked Witch Murder." How much and what kind of research did you do in order to be so accurate in your accounts of witchcraft?

A) No, I didn't attend any Black Sabbaths! One of the advantages of being able to write full-time is that I do have time for research, which I really enjoy. I got the idea for "Wicked Witch Murder" from a friend, who mentioned her sister-in-law was a witch-in-training. I was immediately intrigued and asked if I could talk to her but got a very firm rejection -- apparently witchcraft was not to be taken lightly!

So I went on the web and found tons of fascinating material. I also went to the library and took out every book they had. I even dug out my college copy of Frazer's "The Golden Bough." One day I noticed "The Wicker Man" -- the original 1960s version -- listed with the free movies on CATV and spent an enjoyable afternoon watching it. The toughest thing about research, I find, is stopping and getting to work on the book!

Q) Of all the genres to write in, you chose murder mysteries. Why?

A) I guess because they're the kind of books I most enjoy reading. I always have, starting with Nancy Drew books when I was a kid.

Q) As a writer, you have enjoyed the luxury of aging with your heroine, Lucy. Now, as I understand it, Lucy has reached the point where she can't age anymore and maintain the current storylines. How difficult will it be to put that separation between you, or are you contemplating a new character and a new series.

A) That's the wonderful thing about fiction -- Lucy can remain middle aged while I dodder on, growing increasingly frail and feeble.

Q) How do you, a wife, mother, and grandmother, keep coming up with all these unique ways of killing people.

A) Well, I don't know anything at all about guns so I pretty much have to think of other ways of murdering people. I don't really kill them, you know, it's all fiction. But sometimes I do base a character on someone who has really annoyed me and I think it's a very healthy way to work out one's aggressive tendencies. I'm very careful to change any identifying characteristics before the book goes to press, however.

Q) Any parting words for your fans and readers?

A) Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's wonderful to know that people enjoy my books, and that sometimes my books have even helped people get through difficult times. Now it's easier than ever to get them because most are available as ebooks. I'm venturing into social media, I have a webpage and I'm on facebook and I plan to develop more of a presence in the future. In the meantime, the books keep coming: "Chocolate Covered Murder" will be available in time for Valentine's Day 2012 and I'm hard at work on "Easter Bunny Murder" in which, much to my shame, I kill the Easter Bunny. (No, Virginia, not the real one, just a man in a bunny suit.)

Literary Fiction Author Patricia Ann McNair

Patricia Ann McNair's stories and articles have appeared numerous times in anthologies, journals, and magazines including American Fiction: Best Unpublished Short Stories by Emerging Writers, The Dunes Review, Other Voices, and is a regular contributor to Elks Magazine.

Her honors include a number of Illinois Arts Council Awards and Pushcart Prize nominations in fiction and creative nonfiction, a Writer's Grant and residency at the Vermont Studio Center, a residency at the Glen Arbor Arts Association and Writer in Residence at Interlochen Arts Academy. She was also awarded Columbia College Chicago's Excellence in Teaching Award and was nominated for the Carnegie Foundation's US Professor of the Year. McNair was a visiting lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in the UK and is a professor in the graduate and undergraduate programs of the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago.

That's the "official" background. Patricia also quietly encourages and promotes new literary talent and takes a break from her busy Chicago life by escaping with her visual artist husband to the quiet community of Mt. Carroll, IL, a small town with a few remaining brick streets that I'm very familiar with as the paternal side of my family originated there.

Now Patricia has published a collection of short stories, each of which centers on the author's love of life, humanity, and the delicate balance each of us must find deep within ourselves in order to persevere over adversity and the challenges life places in our path. The stories within "The Temple of Air" are indeed thought provoking. But what the reader will truly discover are people whose tales will touch a heart, tear an eye, and warm a smile.
http://patriciaannmcnair.com/

Q) The stories in "The Temple of Air" take place in fictional New Hope, a rural setting. What inspired you to choose rural over the urban lifestyle you are so familiar with?

A) A good question, David. Though I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and live in the city a good part of the year now, I come from good, small town stock. My grandparents on my dad’s side were farmers in a tiny town in Southern Illinois; my mother’s parents lived (during my childhood) in a small Ohio town. I spent a lot of time on the farm as a kid, and also wandering around that small town in Ohio. In some ways, these towns were exotic to me then: people walked places instead of using their cars to get everywhere; kids cruised the main streets for entertainment instead of hanging out at the shopping center; people said hello to one another even if they didn’t know each other. I also was drawn to the architecture of such places, although I didn’t know that then. What I loved were the turn-of-the-century rambling houses with lots of rooms and creepy basements and musty attics and wide, front porches with swings.

Since then, I went to school for a bit in small town Iowa, and lived there for some years. That’s where I sold pots and pans and worked at a gas station. I love the small town taverns, the way the town newspapers would publish bowling league scores and how I’d know at least a few of the names on each page of the paper. As you said, we have a home in Mount Carroll, IL, and I have met some of the kindest people there. And the quiet! I am the kind of writer who can work best without a lot of noise and bustle, so I really appreciate that sort of peace.

And yet, there can be a certain melancholy in rural places, particularly as our economy shifts away from what they have to offer. The way young people—all people, really—can feel trapped and bored in small towns sometimes seems more complicated than the anxiousness of emotion folks might feel in a the busy-ness of a city or a suburb. The Temple of Air is as much about place as it is about people. In New Hope, the fictional small town of the book, as in a lot of small towns, a person is likely to be more on display because everyone is visible, and that visibility can create a dramatic tension that I find interesting to explore in my writing.

Q) How exactly did you travel from breading mushrooms, to the Mercantile Exchange floor, to teaching in Chicago, and end up writing about life in a small town?

A) Now that you ask this question, it occurs to me that it may have been a more direct route than it appears to be. The mushroom breading was a typical suburban summer job in the back of a non-chain sandwich shop, at a time when fast food was made fresh. But here’s the thing: it was a great job for a potential writer because it took very little brain power and was very methodical. Wash the mushrooms, dip them in the batter, dip them in the breadcrumbs, let them dry a bit then dip them in the batter again, dip them in the breadcrumbs...lather, rinse, repeat. I could let my mind go other places, tell itself stories.

It wasn’t long after I came back to live in Chicago that I started working at the Merc, a job a friend found for me. And there is a lot of mindless, downtime there, too, between the crazy bursts of activity on the trading floor. I had gone back to college by then to finally, after a long break, finish my degree. And I was taking a writing class. I was able to do a lot of my homework during the slow parts of the day, and a number of the stories from The Temple of Air were explored there. And maybe it was because some part of my creative mind was still processing my six or so years living in Iowa that these stories I wrote were set in a place like the small town I’d lived in, the one surrounded by cornfields and near a couple of lakes and a river. Didn’t Sherwood Anderson write a good deal of Winesburg, Ohio (based on his hometown of Clyde, Ohio) when he lived in Chicago? And James Joyce composed Dubliners primarily when he lived somewhere other than Dublin. I think there is something to be said about being away from a place that allows you a better vantage point from which to see it and write about it.

The teaching thing was a stroke of good luck. Just when I finished my own degree in writing, a number of new writing classes opened up at Columbia College Chicago and I was asked to teach one. I was still working at the Mercantile Exchange at the time, but I found myself more engaged with the teaching part of my life. So by taking small steps, quitting my job, downscaling my lifestyle, I was able to teach more classes until I was fortunate enough to be hired as part of Columbia’s full-time faculty.

Q) Your artistic pursuits have landed you in places such as Prague in order to hone your craft. What benefits do you believe you have derived from these odysseys?

A) I’ll touch back on my last answer and say again that I think seeing the world from a place you don’t usually get to be allows you to more fully look at what you think you know. Does that make sense? When I take the train to school every day, I don’t usually look out the window with any sort of scrutiny; the scenery is the same to me all the time. When I look out of the window of the tram on my way to the center of Prague’s historic district, I not only see it—the orange-tiled rooftops, the castle, the River Vltava, the Charles Bridge—I see it in relation to what I already know, what I usually see. That’s not Wrigley Field, that’s Sparta, Prague’s football (soccer) stadium. That ain’t city hall, that’s an honest to goodness castle! Traveling, to me, is part of knowing where I am from, and that knowledge is the basis for all of my stories, perhaps particularly in The Temple of Air.

And there is also the part of travel that makes you a little uncomfortable, a little ill at ease. These feelings are good ones to create from. You claim your space with your writing; you consider the conflicts of emotion (like the conflicts you might feel while traveling) that make good story. Not everything is happy endings and feel good stuff in fiction. I mean, yes, some of popular fiction is that, and that’s fine, but I am interested in those tales that are about a little discomfort, emotions that aren’t all good (or all bad, either.) That place in between that makes us question our feelings, our place, our response to the world.

Finally, traveling makes you look at the world more closely—I never saw that before, I must remember this, you know—and that is good writerly practice. I am of the mind that a clear sense of place is essential to good writing.

Q) As the granddaughter of Reverend Victor Hugo Wachs, credited as the first man to ride a motorcycle through the mountains in Korea, you obviously have inherited a bit of tenacity, wanderlust, and courage. How do you think that heritage comes through in your writing?

A) Wow, you do your research, David. Such an interesting question, and evocative. Pertinent to this collection. Thanks for asking.

First, to have a grandfather named after the iconic writer Victor Hugo probably sealed my destiny. Writing has always been important in my family. My grandfather’s letters are beautiful; he wrote articles and sermons. His daughter, my mother, was a travel writer. So maybe I couldn’t have run from my life as a writer if I’d tried.

But it was my grandfather’s deep faith that took him to the other side of the world, and that idea of faith has always fascinated me. What makes you believe; what makes you trust? What shakes your faith? These questions are all over The Temple of Air.

My grandfather’s traipsing was passed along to my mother, and she instilled the travel bug in me. I took my first international trip with my family when I was just three. I can still remember wandering the streets of Madrid with my father when I was seven. I lived in Honduras giving vaccinations when I was just seventeen. And my family always did a lot of car camping, road trips, visits to the grandparents. And on these trips, the family legends were told and retold. Story became important to my understanding of the world.

I don’t really consider myself a courageous person, per se; you wouldn’t catch me on the back of a 1910 motorcycle revving up the sides of mountains. But my grandfather passed his desire to change the world on to his children, and I think what I got from that lineage is part of what makes me want to teach, to do community workshops and public art projects. So he is there in what I do.
He is there, too, in what I write. His letters (and those he received from home) were very much questioning faith, questioning the world and the people in it. His work was extraordinary, but when you really look at it, he was actually working in a very ordinary place. Not ordinary to him or me or maybe anyone of us today might see it, but poor, rural villages in Korea were the norm for that time, that place. And this is something that fascinates me—the interplay between ordinary and extraordinary. It has been said that that is at the heart of good writing: finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Q) Having whet readers' appetites with "The Temple of Air," what can we look forward to next?

A) I have some short stories floating around, one that will be published soon in Trilling, a new on-line magazine. I’ve recently completed a novel called Alice in Cubaland, a story set in Cuba and Chicago. And I’ve begun work on a new novel that takes place again in New Hope, the small town from this collection, about a complicated situation that arises between an evangelical family, and a family whose father is an immigrant. I’ll tell you more about that book when I actually know more about it. Right now I am still trying to figure it out myself!

Q) Any parting comments for your readers?

A) For you, David, really. Thank you so much for your work with this column. People say that reading has become unimportant in our society, and it is clear from what you do and what your readers read that this is simply not true. To have a forum like this for folks to share stories and books and conversations is essential to nurturing the literary landscape, and I am honored to bring my collection The Temple of Air, into this exchange of ideas.

Oh, and if there are book clubs out there who might be interested in my joining them for a conversation about The Temple of Air and the writing life, please contact me. I would love to talk story with you all.

Mystery & Suspense Author Cheryl Crane

Cheryl Crane is a writer and accomplished author. Yet to this day she first has to place a past she never asked for behind her in order for the power of her distinctive literary voice to be heard. So, let's do that right now: In 1958, fourteen-year-old Cheryl became a ward of the state after the stabbing death of Johnny Stompanato, then boyfriend of Cheryl's mother, actress Lana Turner.

We can ask the obvious questions of did that affect Cheryl's life, has it followed Cheryl throughout her life, is she more attune to abuse, what was her mother like, what was it like being Lana Turner's daughter… But the truth is, we already know the answers to those questions as we've seen the story played out on TV and in articles dozens of times. Add to that, as part of her own life path, closure if you prefer, Cheryl authored "Detour: A Hollywood Story" in which she openly discusses and shares her life - good and bad, no holds barred.

Still, we can't disconnect our past from our present any more than Cheryl can. Cheryl utilizes her insider knowledge of Hollywood, its glitz, its drama, and its dark secrets, to weave masterful tales of murder, mystery, and suspense. "The Bad Always Die Twice" is the first book in a new series featuring realtor-turned-amateur sleuth, Nikki Harper. Nikki finds herself the unwanted center of a killer's attention when a dead man resurfaces, only to die, again. "The Bad Always Die Twice" is a whirling thrill ride through the behind-the-curtains Hollywood, told in a way only one who lived it could.

Cheryl Crane, mystery author, has definitely arrived, and readers are in for a crime fiction experience that will have them turning on the lights and keeping the phone within reach as they savor every word.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=19630

Q) What inspired you at this stage in your life to begin writing fiction?

A) Writing has really been a part of my life for the last thirty years, not only with my autobiography, “Detour,” and my coffee table book, “Lana, The Memories, The Myths, The Movies,” but I have also written articles for Architectural Digest, not to mention writing hundreds of Real Estate ads over the years.

Q) Of all the genres to choose from for your debut, why mystery/suspense?

A) It has always been one of my favorite types of reading material. Mother and I had a real life experience when a famous friend and celebrity was being held incommunicado and having their money drained from their accounts, we figured out what was happening and Mother made a few interesting phone calls and we solved the problem….but that is for another book.

Q) The past is instrumental in determining who we will become, but does not define who we are. How would you describe today's Cheryl Crane to a stranger?

A) Extremely happy and content with my life.

Q) It's not uncommon for writers to create heroes/heroines who parallel the author's life. Nikki Harper shadows your life. What attributes did you instill in her that you would have liked stronger within yourself?

A) Nikki is younger than I and as such has a determination and confidence that I didn’t have at that age.

Q) What's the one question interviewers fail to ask you would like asked, and how would you answer it?

A) Over my lifetime I believe that I have been asked everything!

Q) Any parting thoughts for your readers?

A) I hope they enjoy the book and come to care for Nikki and Victoria as much as I do.

Author Erica O'Rourke

Chicagoland's Erica O'Rourke, mother and wife with a fondness for sushi, naps, and coffee, is a quiet and reserved young woman who has no idea what is about to happen to her. Now an award-winning author with her debut novel "Torn," the first of a Young Adult fantasy/romance trilogy, in the bookstores, Erica is on the verge of discovery by thousands of readers. Readers who will quickly become fans of this writer's fresh voice and ability to grab the reader's full attention with one, brief opening sentence:

"I woke up to the smell of Lysol and the end of the world." 

"Torn" is the tale of a young woman needing to understand why her friend was murdered. What she finds is a world of magic, mystery, and shifting alliances, and two men who may be just as wrong as they are right for her. 

Erica is dedicated to writing, has stories to tell, and conveys them in a manner everyone can relate to and enjoy. She vividly paints settings in the readers mind so well, one reviewer commented reading Erica's work was like watching the story unfold on TV. High praise indeed. Her plots are fast paced, intricate, and designed with one purpose in mind – to keep the reader entertained and turning the page. 

Erica O'Rourke is mild mannered and almost shy, until she sits down at the keyboard. Then she becomes a gifted storyteller with the capability of captivating readers for decades to come.

http://www.ericaorourke.com/erica.php

Q) Why did you choose to write urban fantasy romance with magical elements?

A) Thanks to my father, I was raised on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy of all sorts, thanks to my father – Roger Zelazny, Robert Heinlein, Raymond Feist, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey  – and when I began writing, those genres seemed like a natural fit. I chose to include a romance because falling in love, especially for teenagers, is a complicated, sometimes-messy, sometimes wonderful process that reveals a lot about someone’s true character. 

Q) The first book is the "easiest" as it is written at the author's leisure, conforming to the author's daily routine. The second comes with deadlines and levels of expectation set by the publisher, editors, and readers. What changes to your lifestyle did you have to make once that reality set in?

A) For starters, we eat a lot more frozen pizza. And I vacuum a lot less – not that I ever vacuumed very much, since it’s my least-favorite chore. Exercise has gone right out the window. In all seriousness, I realized very quickly that I had to treat writing as a job, albeit one that includes pajama pants as part of the dress code. My husband and I sat down and discussed what changes we needed to make – enrolling our youngest in preschool, shifting household responsibilities around, etc. The biggest shift was my own mindset: once writing ceased being a hobby, I had to write every day whether I felt like it or not. That discipline has improved my writing tremendously, which is a lovely side benefit.

Q) You loath fish, but love sushi. Care to explain?

A) I am terrified of fish. They are slimy and fast and many of them have sharp teeth. As a kid, my parents used to take me to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and they have a giant tank right inside the entrance where there are sharks and fish of all kinds. It’s very dimly lit and exceedingly creepy. I used to have recurring nightmares that the tank would break, and all the water would rush out and fill up the room. And then the fish would eat me alive.

Sushi, however, is delicious – fresh and healthy and an utter delight. And one of sushi’s most sterling attributes is that if I am eating it, there is one less fish in the world likely to eat me. I win.

Q) A true Chicagoan, you set "Torn" in the Windy City. What is it about Chicago that you found so appealing to make it the story's backdrop, or was it simply using a setting you're familiar with?

A) Part of my decision to set TORN in Chicago was certainly a result of knowing the city. But a bigger part was that I wanted Mo, the heroine, to come from a very specific background: a working-class, South Side Irish family. She’s an ordinary girl at the beginning of the story – smart, hard-working, unpretentious – and she discovers a strength in herself she didn’t know existed, but has been there all along. That felt quintessentially Chicago to me. We might not be the most glamorous city in the world (although parts of it are breathtakingly beautiful) but we do have an incredible amount of heart and grit.

Q) What is your long-term literary goal? Where would you like to be in twenty years?

A) My long-term goal isn’t much different than my short-term goal – to write books that people love, and to improve my craft with every story. There’s always something I can do better, some way to stretch myself. Each time I sit down and type “Chapter One,” I am just a bit terrified, but that’s a good sign. It’s important to do something that scares you, because otherwise, you stagnate.

In twenty years, though, I’d hope to have the mess in my office a little more under control.  And I’d like a dog. With three kids and two cats, my husband is holding firm to the “no more pets” policy, but in twenty years, I’ll probably have worn him down.

Bestselling Author Richelle Mead

Holding a Bachelor of General Studies, a Master of Comparative Religion, and a Master of Teaching degrees, Kirkland Washington's Richelle Mead left her teaching career when her debut novel "Succubus Blues" was sold, and hasn't looked back. A steamroller of productivity, this demure redhead has seen fourteen urban fantasy novels published since 2007. An astounding pace. 

Her latest, "Iron Crowned," the third in the "Dark Swan" series was published February 2011, and "Succubus Revealed" along with a new series entitled "Bloodlines" are due out this coming August. She also penned the "Vampire Academy" young adult series which has been translated into thirty languages, and the "Storm Born" comic book series.

But Richelle refuses to substitute quantity for quality. Her efforts and mastery of the written word have landed her books on the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists. 

The lady has skill, class, and style. She's also a Tim Gunn fan and recently stood in a long line for the chance to meet him – while five and a half months pregnant. Now that's a dedicated fan.

Richelle avails herself to readers on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog "Even Redheads Get the Blues."

www.richellemead.com. 

Q) Although you’re wrapping up two of your series this year, you have a fourth series debuting this August and just released a Storm Born comic. How do you manage to get so much accomplished in so little time? 

A) It’s really all about time management. I think there’s a romantic image about an author’s life, that you can just kind of lounge around and wait for the muse to come. That would be great! The reality is, there are contracts and deadlines, and to make it all work, you have to treat this like a “real” job and put in the hours each day. I always have an eye on when things are due and parcel out my workload to make it manageable. It’s when you let things slide until the last minute that it gets a little crazy!  

Q) Speaking of personal life, what do you enjoy doing when you pry yourself away from the keyboard? 

A) I wish I could say I had some really cool extreme hobby, but my daily life is pretty tame. I’m content just to hang out with friends and do low-key things, like watch movies. I do like to travel for fun sometimes, but they have to be spaced well away from my book tours. There’s only so much airport time a person can handle!  

Q) Succubus and she-demon Georgina Kincaid is your "flagship" character. Where did she first come from, and how did you develop her into a character readers can't seem to get enough of? Also, why do you think Georgina holds such appeal for the readers? 

A) I wanted to have a sympathetic paranormal protagonist, and there weren’t (and still aren’t) too many stories about succubi out there. I also wanted there to be a love story at the core of this series, and a succubus’s life provides a lot of drama and obstacles for romance. I think there’s something achingly real about Georgina’s emotions that readers really connect with. It’s one of the joys of writing a paranormal protagonist that people often don’t realize: non-human characters teach us a lot about what it means to be human. 

Q) Having finished the Georgina Kincaid series with the release of Succubus Revealed in September, do you think you’ll miss her character? Do you think there could be a spinoff to the Georgina Kincaid series in the future?  

A) It’s not too sad for me because Georgina’s story needed to wrap up. She needed closure. I knew where her series was going and how it would end from the first day I sat down to write her. At the moment, I don’t have any plans to come back to her, but I have a very long writing career ahead of me, and I’m usually only looking ahead a couple years at a time. It’s hard to say what’ll happen in the future!  

Q) Do you foresee a time when you will branch into other genres beyond urban fantasy? If so, what genres would you like to explore? 

A) It’d be great to try something new, though that’s not always an easy thing when publishers and readers want you to stick to the same genre! It helps that I really love what I write, so this is certainly something I can stay with for a while. If I do branch out, it’ll probably be into sister genres, like fantasy or sci-fi. I don’t see myself doing any westerns anytime soon!  

Q) What is your next big career goal / your next step?

A) More of the same! Books and more books. My young adult series is contracted out for the next few years, so that’s definitely on the agenda. Both of my adult series are ending soon, but that just means I’ll have room for a new adult project eventually. I’m not sure what that’ll be, but I can say with certainty I’ll always be writing something.

The Unrelenting M. William Phelps

M. William Phelps is classified as an investigative journalist, an author of nonfiction thrillers. However, while such labels may be necessary to determine on which shelf his books should be placed, they don't begin to fully describe what Mr. Phelps does or the passion within him. 

Mr. Phelps surgically dissects crime. Then, fiber-by-fiber, reconstructs the lives of everyone involved, disclosing not only the facts of the case, but the emotional paths that collided, and the devastation left behind. To do this requires not just a curious and dedicated mind, it requires a heart capable of connecting to the tragedy and sorrow of the families, on both sides, who will never fully comprehend the answer to the most elusive question known to man – Why? 

The pursuit of his passions have led him to become an award-winning, bestselling author, past consultant for the TV series "Dexter," to dozens of TV appearances on Montel Williams, Learning, History, and Biography channels, Geraldo At Large (to name a few), and he has his own TV series DARK MINDS debuting on Investigation Discovery channel (ID) in early 2012. Add to this his latest release "Love Her to Death," a book about the Michael Roseboro case out of Denver, Pennsylvania, and the upcoming "Too Young to Kill," the story of the Sarah Kolb/Cory Gregory case in East Moline, Illinois, and we begin to clearly see a man who shouldn't have so much as a moment to himself. Yet Mr. Phelps readily connects with fans on Facebook and public appearances, and invites readers to send him their books so he may sign them with a personal note.

Mr. Phelps' Web Site 

Q) What first inspired you to investigate a crime, and when did you realize that decision would become a lifelong career? 

A) I met a James Bond-type investigator (who had worked freelance for the CIA, FBI, NYPD, DEA, Customs, Army’s CID)  in NYC back in the mid-1990s and, shadowing him, started writing about his life. This man, a Columbian, taught me how to investigate people, places, and things—and, more importantly, to care about and understand minorities in this country, who are largely marginalized to a disgusting degree. He gave me the tools I needed to begin an investigative journalism career. I wrote PERFECT POISON years later, my first published book, and fell in love with writing about people facing tragedy, how they respond to it, and how law enforcement works to solve complicated murder cases. A few years before I met my James Bond, my brother’s wife had been brutally murdered (we thought then by a serial killer). She was five months pregnant. My brother subsequently died. We had to raise their kids. What I call the ripple effect of murder was suddenly part of my personal life. I understood what tragedy on this scale could do to a family (and I still see those effects within my family today). 

Q) I have to ask. When do you find time to yourself, and what relaxes you when you need to step away from your frenetic life? 

A) Most people have a hard time managing the hours in a day. I make time for these important moments in my life. I read lots of religious (Catholic) history. I cook gourmet dinners. And lift weights. To stay grounded, I also attend Mass on a regular, semi-daily basis in the early mornings. It keeps me focused on the good in the world, while bringing some peace into my life. I see so much evil (darkness) throughout the course of my working day, I need to keep the focus on the light. It may not work for everyone, and not all may agree, but the Catholic Mass and the Church sacraments are incredibly humbling and rewarding to me. 

Q) It is your unique outlook and ability to connect with viewers and readers that made the "Deadly Women" TV crime series and your books so successful. How do you believe you were able to find that thread of connection when so many others haven't? 

A) I try to be myself on camera and out in the world. This person you see on TV, that is who I am. I have always said what I wanted to about certain subjects and never tried to play to one group or be politically correct in any way. I tell it like it is, I guess you could say. I’m no different than that person reading the book or watching television, so we have a common bond, and most people pick up on that energy. I don’t come from an elitist background, or silver spoon upbringing; I grew up in the city in a small home with six people; we lived near the projects. We did not have a lot. I never even went to college. I can relate to the everyday, working-class person punching a clock because I was there. I also remind myself every day that I am lucky to be doing what I love. I am grateful every day of my life for what I have. I try to practice absolute humility. As someone said to me recently, which I took as a great compliment, “You know what I like about you, Phelps … you don’t walk around with your head stuck up your ass!” 

Q) Have you encountered a case where something about it stopped you in your tracks, and you just had to walk away for your own peace of mind? 

A) No. But I never want to write about children being raped and murdered. That subject tears me apart. I worked a case like this on my Investigation Discovery (ID) TV series and it nearly broke me. I should note that there were a few instances throughout filming the series, mostly involving women being victimized by men, that weighed heavily on my emotions. I was literally brought to tears a few times by the stories of female crime victims. I learned a tremendous amount about life and our role in the world as a so-called caring society … we need to do more for victims of crime. We need to do more for women in general. In some cases, we treat the perpetrators of a vicious crime a hell of a lot better than we do the victims. That fires me up. I am appalled by some of what I have seen. 

Q) What you do isn't easy, and I don't think most people can fully appreciate the range of emotions you must deal with not just within the people you speak with during an investigation, but in yourself. How do you put an investigation behind you in order to move on to the next one? 

A) Thank you for this observation—because it is very true. Just coming off some nine weeks on the road filming my ID series, I can say that emotion plays a major role in what I do and it is a balancing act to keep track of who you are and how you view the world. You can become cynical and jaded very easily doing what I do. I don’t kid myself and say it doesn’t bother me. It definitely does. But I do things, as I said earlier, to keep my soul centered and grounded on the light. I don’t want to get philosophical here, but we all need to have a space to enter where there is peace; we need to think about our place in the world and how great life is and what a gift we have been given. I also like to do things for other people who are less fortunate than me. This helps me stay grounded in, well, reality. We can all do more for our neighbors. The emotional toll this job takes on me is easily manageable if I do the right things. I can move on to another investigation quite naturally after I know in my heart I have done everything I can for the case before it. I also stay connected with crime victims and their families from the cases as much as I can. We share a bond. I like to let them know that I am always there if they need to vent their frustrations.  

Q) Crime never ends. But one day M. William Phelps will have to say "enough." When will you know that day has arrived … 

A) I cannot answer this. Crime is my life. My goal is to open up the minds of my viewers and readers and help them understand the “why” question … Why do people kill? Why does evil exist? I am also a proponent of women’s rights and tend to write about female victims of crime and their courageous stories of overcoming adversity. 

Thanks for this opportunity to answer some interesting (and important) questions.

Entrepreneur and Author Anthony Scaramucci

Anthony Scaramucci is the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 New York Award in the Financial Services category. He is also a Managing Partner of SkyBridge Capital, an alternative asset management firm, holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a BA in Economics from Tufts University. A contributor to CNBC, he is also on the Board of Overseers for the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University and a member of the NYC Financial Services Advisory Committee. 

A father himself, Anthony's life took a major and sudden shift when his own father was diagnosed with brain cancer. The Scaramucci family rallied, and following successful surgery, celebrated the victory over a deadly disease. True to Anthony's nature he wanted to do something more though. Today Anthony is a Board Member of The Lymphoma Foundation and The Brain Tumor Foundation. A brief video of Anthony's dedication and story can be seen at YouTube 

Another level of this man's depth is his belief in not just the United States of America, but of the individuals themselves. In his book "Goodbye Gordon Gekko: How to Find Your Fortune Without Losing Your Soul," Anthony shares how to find wealth, survive the loss of wealth, and the importance of personal and spiritual relationships.

"Goodbye Gordon Gekko" isn't just about finances. Not at all. It is a peek inside Anthony's firm conviction that this country's greatest asset is the American people, and that by understanding people, capital, and culture, anyone can use that knowledge to enrich their life financially as well as spiritually. In "Goodbye Gordon Gekko," Anthony Scaramucci shares how to succeed in life by doing what's right.

Web Site 

Q) You frequently refer to spiritualism. Exactly what does that term mean to you? 

A) It is being in touch with and staying in touch with the notion that there are positive reasons for our existence. Spiritualism means recognizing that, as humans, we do not have all of the answers, especially the central: our origins and the reasons for why we are here. The concept of Spiritualism for me means that there is a higher power and an acceptance that we are here for noble reasons. 

Q) One reviewer made note that your book provides a "moral compass" for Wall Street professionals to follow. To what or whom do you credit your unwavering belief in the goodness of people? 

A) I can't honestly say that there is any one person who gave me this world view. Just a compilation of life experiences and interaction with people that are both well intended and bad intended. Locke or Hobbes? This has been the great debate since the enlightenment. I write in the book that 3% of the planet is inherently evil. So that's 210 million on a population of 7 billion, but it's not everybody. While that group has some brand names, Hitler, Bin Laden and others, the truth is they are the scourge of history and by and large there is a very large group of us and are good and kindhearted and we are consistently annihilating them. Freedom is the best model. Just think about the amount the amount of philanthropy we have in America. No one is perfect, least of all me, but force in our historic future is grounded in goodness. 

So for me, I really think it is part of our design. However, without hope or feelings of optimism about the future we can turn very cynical. In January I spent a week in Iraq with the US Army. Corruption is quite high in Baghdad and a number of private citizens that I talked to there feel that until people are hopeful about the future, they turn to figuring out what and how they can get things for themselves in a way that breaks the social contract that Locke described. Yet cynicism can be turned quickly with the right laws and adherence to property laws. If we set up the right form of government and law enforcement as well as start to effectively tap their oil reserves they will turn things around. 

Q) You have incorporated many personal anecdotes, mishaps, and conquests in your book. Of all the events in your life, which do you hold most dear? 

A) I don't want to sound cliché, but it is really the simplest moments that I hold most dear: a foul ball tipping into my hands that I was able to give to my seven-year-old son. A conversation with a university professor. A kiss from my grandmother. All good times and great memories, but also the feeling that I had on the day I appealed my bar exam failure to the NY State Bar. I lost the appeal. I remember the pain of that and the pit in my stomach. Good times and Bad are the human condition. You are going to be set back by life; it just happens. When it does, when you hit the floor are you made of china or rubber? Be sure to bounce. 

Q) What do you do to recharge and relax? 

A) I love my children and spending time with them. The number one form of relaxation for me is reading. I also enjoy time with friends and loved ones. A good workout is a great stress reliever. 

Q) While "Goodbye Gordon Gekko" is educational and inspiring, the book is also autobiographical. Why did you decide to include your personal story in a book about building financial security? 

A) I thought it was important to lay a framework and a context for who I was and where I came from so after I introduced myself to the reader, they could then assess whether they wanted to take what I was saying. I wasn't trying to focus as much on financial security as I was someone's fortune. The word fortune isn't just money; it is about the portfolio of life. 

Q) At what point can Anthony Scaramucci look back on his life and know he truly succeeded?

A) Never. I am comfortable with who I am, but I am not going to define life as a destination that you pass through some sort of success portal, and then wa-lah you are successful. The most successful people know that a life well lived is when you are doing your best to help other lives, either through your love, your products and services, or your philanthropy. While it's impossible to please everybody, those closest to you should know your goodness

Calliope Magazine Posted My Prize-Winning Short Story

Mensa's Calliope magazine posted my story to their web site today. I hope you'll take the time to read it, and maybe let me know what you think.
The Caretaker

Thank you!

- David

Film Producer and Author Max Elliot Anderson

Max Elliot Anderson writes the books he would have liked to have read while a boy.

To understand that statement is to understand Max's life. His film producer father wrote seventy books, but Max was drawn to the wonders of the film studio, and until the last decade devoted much of his life to film. 

A husband and father of two, Max now resides in Rockford, Illinois, after traveling the world in his film pursuits. And his accomplishments are remarkable.

"Pilgrim's Progress" featuring acclaimed actor Liam Neeson won Max a Best Cinematographer award. The PBS special "Gospel at the Symphony" garnered an Emmy nomination and won a Grammy for the double album. Max also won national Telly awards (the non-theatrical equivalent to the Oscar) for his productions of "Youth Haven," a "Safe Place for Kids," and "Tracy's Choices," and he has been directly involved in over 500 TV commercials for True Value Hardware Stores.

Following the terrorist attacks of 9-11, Max's life changed. Though he still avails himself to film, a passion within him awakened and he began to write. He hasn't stopped. To date Max has seen seven of his books for boys published. They range from the "Newspaper Caper," a mystery filled with thrills, humor, and plenty of bad guys, to "Legend of the White Wolf," a tale of devotion and a unique, lifelong bond. 

Yet, while all of Max's stories are well-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable, sometimes within a writer is one story that simply has to be told. It becomes a part of the writer's life as necessary as air. For Max that story is "When the Lights Go Out," a children's adventure book about the day the United States changed forever (due out August 1^st). And while the story is designed to entertain and enlighten children about 9-11, I believe it is also about this deeply religious author's coming to terms with an event that altered his own course and destiny. 

Max Elliot Anderson is a compassionate and caring man who shares his love of life and humanity through film and now children's books.

http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html 

Q) What do you think was the inner driving force that compelled you to write "When the Lights Go Out"? 

A) As I’ve spoken in schools, I began to realize something. Children who are 8 to 13 today, know little or nothing about what happened on 9/11 or why it’s important in their lives. I talked with a few adults about this and found that their experiences were the same. We do a good job of teaching about D-Day, and Pearl Harbor, but not so well with 9/11. With the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 this year, I thought it would be a good opportunity to draw attention through a story that kids would also find exciting to read at the same time. Since 9/11 reduced many of my client production opportunities, this book became even more important to me. 

Q) What one message do you hope readers walk away with after reading "When the Lights Go Out"? 

A) No matter what your age, it’s important to be aware that there are still people in the world who would like to do us harm. Even children can notice things that aren’t right, and then tell someone about it. 

Q) You also write for Guideposts, True Stories of Extraordinary Answers to Prayer. To what do you attribute your abiding faith in God? 

A) I was raised in a family of seven children. My father rubbed elbows with lots of people in various ministries. When I was a child, frequent guests in our home included pastors, missionaries, recording artists, actors, and more. I could sense the genuine commitment these people had, and how their faith had helped to chart a course in their lives. My parents also had a positive spiritual influence on me, making issues of faith quite a natural part of a full and balanced life. 

Q) A bit star struck, I have to ask. "Pilgrim's Progress" was Liam Neeson's first feature film. Have you two stayed in touch at all?  

A) I wish I could say yes, but my work has included a lot of famous people over the years. It simply isn’t possible to have an ongoing relationship with them, and the production business really doesn’t work like that. In a similar way, my life has included travel to some of the most exotic and wonderful places on the planet. Unfortunately, those trips included a camera and hard work. So I never had the opportunity to simply enjoy much of what those locations had to offer. 

Q) "Tracy's Choices" also won The Christian Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary. The true story of a young woman's life decisions and the ultimate destruction those choices had on her, you filmed it with your trademark compassion. What was it about this particular woman that affected you strongly? Video trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUpoCXtHJ2E&feature=mfu 

A) I think it was the fact that Tracy grew up in a fairly typical Midwest town. Even she admitted that she never expected her life to turn out the way it did. And yet, it was because of the choices she made at each fork in the road so to speak. My interest in producing the project grew out of the fact that society, at the time, told young people that they weren’t accountable or responsible for their actions. What happened to them, especially if it had a negative outcome, was someone else’s fault and they were just the victim. Tracy simply proved that we are each ultimately responsible for our own lives. 

Q) You avail yourself to schools and welcome opportunities to speak with children and parents about the importance of reading in education. To stress the significance of what you do, I need to point out many authors don't go to schools. Why do you? 

A) I grew up hating to read. Since my father had published so many books during his lifetime, I had to find out why I’d never been motivated to read any of them. This caused me to study nearly 300 books in bookstores and the library. From want I discovered, I began to craft the kinds of stories I would have enjoyed reading as a child. Reading is so important because kids today are not required to use much of their imaginations. Videos, TV, video games, DVDs and other electronic devices, do all their imagining for them. And as I tell kids, readers are the leaders others follow. 

Q) What's next for Max Elliot Anderson? 

A) I enjoy the writing process more than any other creative outlet. So I hope to get back to writing again soon. It’s just that for nearly four years, I did nothing but write. The result was thirty-six action-adventure and mystery manuscripts for kids. I guess what’s next is to continue finding publishing outlets for them. With the way that much of marketing and promotion have shifted to the author, I’ll continue working in those areas. I produce a video book trailer for each book, and am looking for film production companies that might be interested in bringing some of my stories to the screen. That would be seeing things come full circle in my life, although I don’t intend to be involved in the production process. It’d be a little like a surgeon having to operate on his own child. 

When the Lights Go Out http://max-whenlightsgoout.blogspot.com
Books for Boys Blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
Soccer Cat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-rLbhrn2uc&feature=mfu
My Youtube Book Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100#p/u

Addendum

My apologies to Ms. Carlie.
For whatever reason, blogspot isn't allowing me to post her other book covers where I need them within her interview. So, here they are:

Indie Author Angela Carlie

With the advent of the Internet and the ease of self-publishing, writers have discovered a viable new platform to present their work to potential readers. While that is good news for serious writers, the fact thousands of books are popping up every month creates a bit of a minefield for readers. For sadly, the harsh reality is independent e-publishing has also created the means for some real junk to be produced by people only interested in earning a few quick dollars at the readers' expense. As such, when a true talent emerges from the forest of new authors publishing their own work, I get excited. 

Angela Carlie is a dedicated and gifted writer of Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade stories. Though this wife and mother enjoys creating fantasy worlds abounding with shape shifters, yellow dragons, wrestlers, and zombie kids ("Land of Corn Chips" and "Loramendi's Story") she also wrote "Dream Smashers," an unpretentious look at the difficulties youth face today, including a meth addicted mother, and the inner courage and strength each of us possesses. "Dream Smashers" is a love story, but it is also a tale of discovery and persevering and well worth reading. 

I first encountered Angela over a year ago when she was working on "Land of Corn Chips." In all honesty, I'm normally not a reader of YA. But Angela's ability to tell a story pulled me right in. I took an instant liking to her characters and their witty banter. So much so that a year later I followed up on our chance meeting to find out if "Land of Corn Chips" had been completed. I was elated to learn that it had, and I immediately purchased the book and read it in one sitting. 

A vegetarian and massage therapist, Angela enjoys kayaking, hiking, traveling, and just hanging out with her husband and son. Still, she is a believer in giving back. A portion of the proceeds from "Dream Smashers" go to Share of Vancouver, WA, a non-profit sheltering and feeding folks trying to get back on their feet. She is an advocate for the Indie Authors Relief Fund and contributor to the Indie Authors First Book Project which provides books to low income families.

http://angelacarlie.com/ 

Q) Independent publishing is risky. Why did you choose this route over traditional publishing?

A) Independent publishing was a scary thought for a long time. I tend to navigate toward the scary, though. To be honest, it only caused my heart to pound in my ears for about five minutes. My debut novel, Dream Smashers, was written to be read, and it wasn't being read while waiting to be noticed by the traditional publishing industry. It's now available for the entire world to read. That's why I decided to self-publish, and I haven't looked back. Of course I'd still totally consider traditional publishing, but for now, I'll keep on producing stories and publishing them for the world to read.

Q) Technically, you publish under Darkside Publishing, which is a small group of united YA authors. Why did you elect to write YA?

A) Creating teen characters allows the writer to explore a little more than with adult characters. The teen years are about discovery which allows for interesting and fun opportunities to create from. I love reading and writing this genre.

DarkSide Publishing offers an excellent selection of well written YA novels to choose from. For more information on our titles, check out the website at http://darksidepublishing.com 

Q) Do you foresee a day when you will expand to other genres?

A) I have written a few adult paranormal/horror fiction. Perhaps I'll publish some of them in the future.

Q) In an interview you mentioned how as a vegetarian you sometimes receive "hateful comments." What on earth do people find offensive about your choice of diet?

A) Ha! I have no clue. It totally cracks me up. One guy told me once that I'm a hypocrite and a plant hater. He said that plants have feelings too and that I was prejudice for choosing to kill plants over animals. Hilarious. What really got me was this guy was overweight, had high blood pressure, and was recovering from a stroke. He rarely ate vegetables. Go figure. I've decided to choose not to spend my time in arguments with such people and just walk away.

Q) A number of reviews have come from young adults who thoroughly enjoyed your work. How did it feel when you realized your stories had truly connected with your audience?

A) Great question. When reviews began to trickle in I was absolutely elated when they were positive. I'm sure most authors are. The first negative review was a bit hard, though, especially with my novel Dream Smashers because the negative reviews were coming from people who had never dealt with the types of people in this story. They didn't get it. So, to me, it was sad they wasted their time with this novel because I wrote it for people who have had to deal with addiction in loved ones.

After some time, positive reviews didn't give me the same feeling as in the beginning. Sure, they were great, but what I wanted to see was people understanding the story. I'm not going to complain about any positive review, but the ones that make my smile wider are from people who clearly understood Autumn's story and it showed in their review.

The best review was from a reviewer who went through a similar situation growing up as Autumn (the protagonist) did in Dream Smashers. She told me that she was so moved by the story that she hasn't been able to give the book justice (in her mind) with a review. Talk about making every single ounce of hard work put into publishing this novel well worth it.

Q) Any parting thoughts?

A) I'm getting ready to publishing my next novel, Loramendi's Story. It's the first book in a series called Lords of Shifters and should be available mid-August.

It was such a lovely surprise when I received your request for this interview. Thank you so much for taking the time to ask me about my work! I truly appreciate it and wish you and your readers well.