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Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming a writer/published author? Any interests or early signs as a child that hinted you would later put pen to paper? I actually have a degree in mathematics. When I was a child I attempted to enter a writing contest for a magazine. I think my story I submitted was awful, hahaha! I never much enjoyed English as a student and I did not like writing even through college. In my mid-twenties I became and avid reader and many years later decided to write a book for my husband, The Secrets We Conceal. Several years later I decided to publish that book and I fell in love with the process. What was it that drew you to write fiction? What inspired the Southport Series of which Keeping Janie is the 2nd book? I like the creativity aspect of fiction. Personally, I enjoy reading fiction, it’s an escape from every day life. I enjoy writing books that can provide that same escape for people, maybe have some fun and laughs, and even a good cry or two. What inspired the Southport Series? I was visiting my brother and sister-in-law who live in Southport. I knew that I wanted to write another book, but I wasn’t sure what. I took my laptop to a picnic table on the water and the outline and ideas flooded the page. Originally it was only one book, but halfway through writing Call Her Janie – book 1, I decided to make it a three part series. How does the writing process work for you? Do you schedule a time every day, work madly when inspiration hits or ? I write when I can. Typically I set goals for myself on my outline. Basically, I list a deadline date for each chapter. When I am really in the groove I will write one chapter per day and a few chapters on a weekend which allows me to whip through my first draft pretty quickly. As an author - what do you enjoy most about the writing process or comes easily to you? What feels most like a chore - a struggle? Editing by far is my favorite part. I need to get the book on paper to get the process started, but editing for me is where the magic happens. Taking the suggestions of my editors, adding, or subtracting parts of the book. I love it. My least favorite part is the marketing. I actually enjoy marketing, but I think it is the endless amounts of marketing an author must do to keep their books selling. I found this book dark in many ways, and the ending hard to bear. Dark themes seem to be a standard in your works of fiction. Why do these topics draw you and how do you walk away from the emotional load at the end of a tough writing session? I guess I never really considered my writing dark, but perhaps it is a little dark. I think my main goal is just to get the reader to feel as many emotions as possible. I like to really draw the reader in to the characters lives and feel what the characters feel. I enjoy a little bit of suspense and so I try to sprinkle it in my books as well as romance. I think every book no matter the genre should have a good love story. What's next for you? New books in the works, events you will be at or ? I plan to finish book 3 of the Southport Series, Janie’s Hope. My goal is for Janie’s Hope to be published in late summer/early fall of 2024. However, I have undergone some significant health issues over the past eight months. I have kept my health mostly private because until recently we didn’t know what was wrong. So this Q&A is the first time I have shared the news publicly. I was recently diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and I am extremely passionate about writing a novel about my journey. It would be a fiction based on a true story. I am aiming to have this book published by Spring of 2025. At the moment, I am thinking the title would be Ten Thousand Steps, because in August of 2023 I was barely able to walk to the end of by street and back a total of about eight hundred steps, but I was determined to get to ten thousand steps a day which is approximately five miles. With the help of my husband and a lot of tears I accomplished that goal and now walked ten thousand steps a day is part of my daily routine. I would love to close with a favorite personal quote that you love. One of my favorite personal quote’s is “We rise by lifting others.” ~ Robert Ingersoll Original Interview: Olio by Marilyn - https://www.oliobymarilyn.com/2024/03/interview-author-keepingjanie-romance-suspense-ireadbooktours-srfabrico.html

When you read a book that you love, do you feel drawn into the world of that story? Do you feel like you could have a conversation with the characters? Do you feel the cool, wet fog settling on Baker Street and smell the strong tobacco of Sherlock Holmes’ flat? Do you hear the quartet strike up the next ballroom dance for Mister Darcy to refuse to join? Do you immerse yourself in learning spells and watching for owls in hopes that Hogwarts will enlist you? You may, then, be an Inter-Story Intercessor. After all, your life is a story and all your world the setting and characters. Thankfully, authors have created new worlds that we can escape to when our own lives become stressful, dull, or overwhelming. Then we can intercede on behalf of our favorite characters. Don’t eat the poisoned cake, Peter Pan! Yes, yes, I believe in fairies! I’ll clap my hands! Don’t trust Milady, Constance! Give Mister Darcy a chance, Miss Bennett! You must admit he’s interesting! Not the apple, Snow White! Not the spindle, Aurora! Perhaps we even imagine what it would be like if we were actually to meet the characters. I have often thought it would be fun to take David Balfour’s place in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped. Not that I’d want to be kidnapped, but an adventure at sea and a chance to cross the Scottish Highlands with a spry, sword-wielding Jacobite would be a nice change sometimes. Other times, we are thankful that the author has the tale well in hand. We can snuggle more comfortably in our covers knowing that the hero will come out all right and that the ghosts and monsters cannot escape from the pages that confine them. Still, what would it be like to confront the Balrog? To dwell in Rivendell? To eat elven bread or the Po-ta-toes that Samwise Gamgee prepares? Would we be strong enough to cast the ring into the fire? Would we be tempted by Turkish delight? Would we take a chance on a talking faun who invites us to tea under a lamppost in the snow? As an inter-story intercessor, you may even be the inspiration, the muse for an author, part of the magic that the author instills into the words they weave into their next tale. You may even be the reason the author keeps writing. Someone is reading my work! Someone took time to write a review! Someone fell in love with the characters in my story! Without our avid readers, that is, our inter-story intercessors, our books are unopened boxes with the magic crammed inside waiting to be discovered by someone who will sneak into the attic, blow away the dust, pry open the cover, and breathe in the aroma of ink and page, and finally allow the words to live once more.

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Anthony planted his left foot firmly into the packed soil in front of the imposing door, placing his right shoulder against the wood, anticipating the effort he was sure would be required to pass into the alchemist’s laboratory. Taking a breath to fill his chest for the work, he grunted and pushed with his entire body. To his surprise, the door gave little resistance. It swung open, but only partway, as wood met stone only about a foot and a half beyond the opening. “Strange,” he said to himself. “Why would there be such a large door where there is no room to open it?” Peering into the narrow opening, Anthony saw nothing but darkness. It was a profound darkness, one that seemed so powerful it might cast a shadow from itself onto the sunbathed earth upon which Anthony stood. Despite the forbidding nature of the passage, Anthony pressed on, squeezing his body through the opening and into the confining space beyond. He was barely clear of the door when it slammed shut behind him, leaving him alone in a darkness so intense he felt it must be penetrating his very bones. He shivered. Was he cold? He couldn’t be sure. The darkness overpowered all other senses. By slow degrees, he became aware that the door behind him and the wall before him were fading away. Either they were moving more distant or else they were becoming less solid, less real. He couldn’t be sure which, as the darkness commanded all his mind could process. Then, the light came. It was at first a pinpoint, high above Anthony’s head. Had the darkness not been so complete, he would have scarcely noticed it. As it were, the dot was a sun in Anthony’s otherwise empty universe. The light illuminated his arms, his legs, his torso, his simple tunic, and the canteen strapped around his neck, but nothing else was visible. Alone. Floating in a universe of nothing, Anthony began to panic. The ground had fallen away. He was suspended in space with nothing to perceive other than the growing star above. It was then the alchemist spoke.

Journaling can bring so many wonderful benefits to your everyday life. Find a great journal and make the choice to use it. Even once a week is beneficial. I recommend My Firefly Journal: 52 weeks of gratitude, reflection, and LIGHT! I’m biased, of course, wink wink, but seriously choose a journal that is right for you and DO IT! 1. Journaling can help to reduce stress. Intentionally focusing on people, moments, and things you are grateful for can leave you more fulfilled and create a more positive outlook on your day to day. 2. Journaling can help you process your emotions. We all have bad days. We all have feelings that spill out of our cups. It is so easy to allow your emotions to control you. Writing them down can help to get them out and provide perspective on what is most important. 3. You can gain a better understanding of yourself through journaling. Humans are complex and sometimes, we need to write down our thoughts and feelings so we can reflect upon them and gain a deeper understanding of our needs. 4. Journaling can help you find inspiration. Everyone needs a little inspiration every now and again. Journaling can help get the creative juices flowing. At the very least, journaling clears some space in your brain so that you have more room to fill your mind with more creative thoughts. 5. Journaling can help you gain confidence. No one is perfect, everyone is flawed. Embrace your flaws, learn from them, and move on! What are you waiting for? Start Journaling TODAY!