The Same Six Questions - Kathy Lynn Harris

Hello and welcome to this first Spring edition of The Same Six Questions. I hope the weather wherever you may be is particularly Spring-like. My guest today is Kathy Lynn Harris. In her own words:

Kathy Lynn Harris, a native Texan, has written children's books, poetry, short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and personal essays. Blue Straggler is her debut novel. Kathy likes to play in the snow year-round, which is easy since she lives in a log cabin in the high mountains of Colorado at 10,500 feet above sea level. Stellar mountain playmates include her husband, her son, and two fairly untrainable Golden Retrievers who own both couches.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes! My novel, Blue Straggler, is available as an ebook (also at B&N) and a paperback from 30 Day Books of Seattle. Here’s what the book is about in brief: Being a 30-something, fairly directionless single female in South Texas is a world all its own. Blue Straggler is a laugh-out-loud, yet poignant, exploration of that experience — from the quirky, memorable characters who make up Bailey Miller’s circle of family and friends to that feeling of your makeup sliding right off in the humidity. Readers will easily identify with Bailey’s sometimes humorous, often semi-tragic, choices that eventually lead her out of Texas, to a small mountain town in Colorado, and back. Along the way, she searches for not only herself but also answers to long-held secrets from her “legitimately unbalanced” great-grandmother's past. Bonus: She may even find love with a moody mountain man along the way.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I was around age 9. I had already been writing in a “diary” complete with the lock and key for a year or more. I got bored one summer and asked my dad if I could use his old manual typewriter. I proceeded to write my first book, which was then stapled together and had a great cover made of pink craft paper accented with red yarn. I think that’s when the writing bug bit. I loved that sense of accomplishment and seeing MY words on paper. Even if it was that really thin, awful typewriter paper from the 1970s.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

When I first began trying my hand at real fiction writing after college, I wrote a short story about a young woman who had just lost her husband in a climbing accident, and her mother-in-law was staying with her after the funeral. Each blamed the other for the death in some way, and neither knew how to grieve. I loved the tension in that story so much that I eventually came back to it and shortened it into a flash fiction piece. It was actually published online back then in PIF magazine and is still out there.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

Ha! Some days I still don’t know if I can do this. But I have to say that it was the encouragement of friends that made me think that maybe I wasn’t just barking up a fruitless tree. I would share things that I wrote with a few close friends, some of whom were writers themselves, and they made me believe in myself … that I had a little bit of talent that might be worth honing. And then, when I enrolled in the creative writing master’s program at Texas A&M University, and began to get positive feedback from professors and fellow workshoppers, I began to really dream about life as a writer.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Oh! That’s a hard one. I think it would likely be Idamarie from Blue Straggler. She’s this feisty old Texas gal who owns a comfort-food café in San Antonio. She says what she thinks. She’s funny and grounded and would be someone I’d love to talk to every day, just to remind myself of the good people out there in the world. Plus, she sings Loretta Lynn songs and watches old Dallas reruns.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

A lost, disoriented hiker, dripping in blood, who has stumbled to our log cabin in the backcountry mountains after being attacked by a mountain lion.

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Yikes! Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us, Kathy Lynn! For more of Kathy Lynn's writing, be sure to check out her Web site, blog, and Facebook and Twitter pages.

I'll see you all back here on Monday, when my guest will be Cora Buhlert. See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Tessa Stokes

Welcome to another edition of The Same Six Quesitons! Today's guest is Tessa Stokes. Welcome, Tessa!

Thanks, Andy! I am UK born but have lived in many places in the world. I have been heavily involved in community projects to do with literacy and education for many years. I’m an indie author by choice. I’m a technology junkie and can’t seem to stop either buying or wanting the latest computer, smart phone, tablet or whatever. I love to read. Love animals, plants, and music.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?


I have published several but the latest book is Devon Ruthin and A Vampire in Love Volume one of The Ruthin Trilogy.

Bliss is lonely and taking chances when she goes off on holiday and meets the man of her dreams, Devon Ruthin. She is trying to replicate the life of a character in a book she has read recently, and without realizing it, she enters a twilight world. A world filled with strange people, beautiful powerful beings who seem to be the saviors of the man she falls in love with.

This is a darker tale than first meets the eye, and as the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that the beautiful people, who are seemingly so wonderful, have secrets of their own.

On her journey, Bliss encounters the pale and attractive Drew. It seems fate has a trick up its sleeve when we discover that he has met the mysterious people before. The chance meeting with Bliss sets off a series of actions by Drew that uncovers a hidden past belonging to Devon.

This is a love story, a story of revenge, hope, violence, immortality, and fate.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was first able to and not just writing stories but writing poems and songs, advertising copy and brochures for various projects. Friends in high school used to get me to write their love notes to their latest ‘squeeze.’ LOL

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I don’t have it although I think it’s online somewhere on my old school website. It was for the first ever magazine the school did and so was different from other writing I had done. It was a story and was a mystery a little like a Nancy Drew story.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

If we are talking about fiction then it was probably in high school when I submitted to national magazines and had a couple of things published. Fiction writing did not seem to be a way to earn a living and I wrote commercially, and academically for a long time before I let myself go back to fiction and even then I had my work and ideas kicking around for years before I decided to publish.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

It would have to be Tristan Dearing from The Seven Spell Saga. He has lived so long and seen so much it would be fascinating to talk to someone like that.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Pizza delivery boy.

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LOL...thanks for sharing with us, Tessa! For more of Tessa's work, check out her Web site, blog,
book blog, trilogy Facebook page, author Facebook page, and Twitter page.

See you all back on Monday when my guest will be Sadie Forsythe!

The Same Six Questions - John Mefford

Hi there, and welcome to another exciting episode of The Same Six Questions! ;) Today's guest is John Mefford. Welcome!

Thanks, Andy. At different points in my life you could call me a West Coast person or an East Coast person. I moved eight times by the seventh grade, finally laying roots just outside Dallas, Texas. Being the new kid was somewhat of an albatross, but the plethora of geographic and architectural settings, weather patterns, and cultures of each home city and state resonated with me. Now grateful for the experiences, I use my recollection of people and their lives to help me devise characters and storylines for my writing. Only my family gives me a better high than spending a day creating something that will hopefully evoke an emotional reaction by a future reader.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

My debut novel, Committed (The Michael Doyle Chronicles), is now available on Amazon. It’s about sinful deception, a malicious corporate takeover, a grisly murder, and unrelenting greed. We all have that inner voice, the one who knows all but refuses to let even our closest confidantes inside. The one we must calm when we’re most unsettled. The one who seeks to understand our path, our destiny.

Michael Doyle lives in emotional anonymity, resistant to fully devote himself to anyone or any cause. Without warning, a technology conglomerate acquires Michael’s company, and he quickly sees through the fog of political posturing: false hope, layoffs, and blatant dishonesty.

Then, death reaches up and grabs him. Shaken to the core, Michael leans on his live-in girlfriend, who has touched his heart like no one else. But her haunting past resurfaces, and she’s pulled into a seedy web by an outside force so cruel, so cunning it destroys every soul in its path.

Can Michael rise above his greatest fear to uncover the truth about a murder and save the life of the person he loves most?

Committed is Book One of The Michael Doyle Chronicles.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Twice in my life writing has called my name. Right out of college I took a job as a newspaper sports writer. My competitiveness pushed me to consistently “scoop” the competing paper and to hone my craft. I had never written a story prior to that first job. What seems like a couple of lifetimes later, I quit my regular day job, fed up with corporate BS and greedy a-holes who reminded me of The Penguin from the first Batman movie. I needed a creative outlet. I started writing, pouring out my thoughts into something that resembled fiction. That’s when I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I wrote various magazine articles over the years, but, of course, those were non-fiction. Other than some elaborate fictional doodling (not sure they quite reached 1K words), my first piece of fiction was an early version of my just-released novel, COMMITTED. The difference between version 1 and the published version is similar to comparing a slab of concrete to a piece of sculpture created with a metal-bristled toothbrush. Massive effort and painfully elaborate. But worth it.

4. When was your first indication, “I can do this (write)”?

I remember the day vividly. Parked in what has become my writing chair, I had just completed the first twenty pages or so of my first novel. I slowly read through the draft and took a deep breath. My pulse started to pick up speed and a realization clicked in my brain with the exact quote you have above. “I can do this.”

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Without a doubt, Arthur Spanarkel, the publisher. We know enough about Arthur to be intrigued, just by walking into his office. He’s met so many people, seen so many things across the globe. He’s open-minded, but gritty and strong-willed in his own, educated way. Yep, he’s the guy.

6. It’s a dark and stormy night...you’re alone in the house...there’s a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What’s on the doorstep?

A note from Tony the Neanderthal Bastard (character from COMMITTED) that says: I will find you. I will kill you. The paper message disintegrates the moment I finish reading the note and the remnants fall between my fingers like sand. I’m not sure if I scream or if my heart stops!

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us, John! For more of John and his writing, check out his Web site, Facebook Author page, and Twitter page.

For more indie author interview goodness, be sure to stop back on Monday!

The Same Six Questions - Borislava Borissova

Welcome to a special weekend edition of The Same Six Questions! I've got a pretty straightforward process for keeping track of interviewees, but I never said it was flawless. ;) Welcome today, Borislava Borissova!


The Same Six Questions


1. Have you published a book yet?


Affairs of The Heart is my second published book (also in paperback). It comprises two novellas, the contemporary love drama "The Last Secrets of The Ancient Island" and the historical love drama "A Love In Time of War”. In the two love-dramas lives all passion I have for history and adventures, time-traveling and thrillers, mysteries and great love.

In "The Last Secrets of The Ancient Island," a series of mishaps in an old town casts suspicion on a number of residents. Provoking changes in an adopted practice of the underground world to put hands on the worthy relics, a young graduate of a university proves the last mysteries of ancient sights in the nearby National Park are yet unexplored by historians and archaeologists. Facing professional adventure he comes along personal secret of his older brother, along whom appears an unknown driver, who has a tragic motivation to take his and another life. We were born alone, we die alone, but life is our chance to live in love. If we don’t lose the chance, if know why love is the most desired legend in our life.

In "A Love In Time of War” first they faced the war… the love followed later. Peace was somewhere in between. One day he could have killed her on the other side of the front, on the next day he fell in love and what would happen in the day after it? All efforts to remain enemies appeared to be in vain. The borderline between their ability to hate or to love appeared a thin one. Differences abound in cultures, religions, languages, traditions and so on but a young Bulgarian girl and a Turkish officer met many more obstacles to overcome. Kidnapping her or escaping together provoking political scandal between the warring countries? His life had become like a Byron’s passionate poem and he entered in it madly and bravely. The war became past, the past became history and through the years only love is still alive in a very beautiful tale to remember.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

In my childhood I started with verses. I still love poetry, love interesting stories and legends, adventures that take us through the ages and help us to experience countless earthly and celestial places. I hope I am good telling them to others. But when the last sentence is written; the pages are wrapped with beautiful covers in warm colors… I have a strange feeling. There is a sense of sadness because the journey with these heroes and their story is over.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

You could not believe me but it is published already, my first book. I wrote it since my young years and in 2010 The Starlight Prince walked along humans on the planet Earth. Of course, the final version of the story is very different from what I had started long time ago.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I have never lived with the thought “I can do this.” In my case it is always the sense “I need to write, I want to write.” Unfortunately there are still moments when I ask myself "to write or not to write"; "to start a new book or never start a new book"... But I believe that when one loves to do something - to climb mountains, to play a game of soccer or to write - he or she just does it because of the pleasure and despite the result. Of course, there is a thought about success in everyone.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Once I saw a Russian play at a theatre. Its playwright claimed there is a tunnel, a gap in the time and it is there that the writers meet their characters. That evening I thought I would like to meet my characters in real life if it was possible. I would love having them among my friends. I am thankful to my imagination because it had created them. They have been my very friendly company during the long and sometimes boring hours of writing.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl/boy (they kinda scream the same anyway). What's on the doorstep?


I smile, it is very similar to a scene from The Starlight Prince:

Being outside on the threshold The Starlight Prince did not hear the scream going from inside nor saw at that moment that a small bell over the grand door of the castle started moving slightly, its pendulum swaying to and fro while simultaneously, a similar but larger bell over the heavy door of the nearby family burial vault began swaying along with it as if measuring time, too.

The starry boy had an ear only for the ominous voice of the storm, the gale and the wind. He stared into the steadily falling snowflakes to pick out who opened the door but nothing was visible. Harassed by the blizzard, he bravely entered into it as the greatest adventure of his young life to seek a help or to face menace from the habitants. Once inside, his scared shadow snaked over the walls.

He found no one.

Why and how he heard the scream was a mystery. There was no sign of life, except the fact that everything was in perfect order.

In that moment, the bell above the vault turned round its axis and darkness crept out around it. Some intangible steps led out.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us, Borislava! For more of Borislava and her work, be sure to check out her Web site, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Goodreads profile.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

The Same Six Questions - Caddy Rowland

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012 and all that it has to offer! Today's guest on The Same Six Questions is Caddy Rowland. Welcome!

Thanks, Andy! I am a writer from Minnesota who is married to her high school sweetheart. I would love to live somewhere much warmer, but my husband is Minnesotan through and through. I kinda like him, so here we are. We are owned by two parrots, who do talk.

For fun, I love to read, write, paint, hike, walk, enjoy nature (but NOT camping), play Texas Hold 'Em, movies, and just kick back with friends.

When I lost my job in February of 2011 it gave me the opportunity to try to make a go at truly becoming an "indie". I have to tell you, the book formatting was a challenge for me. I don't think with that side of my brain at all.

I have always been a nonconformist and into art. Many times I feel that I have landed on the wrong planet, but I do have a lot of great friends who put up with me, even though I can be quite bizarre. Even a few family members put up with me!


The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes, I published my first novel on August 1, 2011. Gastien Part 1; The Cost of the Dream (Kindle, Nook, and paperback) is a drama/romance that takes place in France during the late nineteenth century. It will be a series of at least four novels. This series is not a “typical” romance and is enjoyed by men as well as women.

Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream is about Gastien's coming of age, his horrible struggles to become an artist after leaving an abusive home, and learning to become the greatest lover in France. That was not hard to do. For the most part, men did not care if women enjoyed sex during that time period. Gastien wanted to make sure they did.

I released the second book in the series, Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny on December 13th 2011 (Kindle, Nook, and paperback).

Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny takes off where Part 1 left off. It has the “big” romance in it. However, be forewarned that Gastien was a true nonconformist. He stayed true to that and this romance reflects that. It is not at all a typical romance, but Gastien finds himself loved in spite of his terms.

Part 3 of the Gastien series will come out in the spring of 2012.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I had always wanted to write fiction, ever since I was in grade school. I had a stack of books that reached almost to the ceiling before I started kindergarten! Books have always been my best friends.

Through the years, I started and quit several stories. Life just seemed too busy! Then, I got breast cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. I am now fine, they caught it very early...but it really brought home the fact that if something is important to you then don't wait until "later" to do it.

So, in November of 2010 I promised I would write for at least an hour a day, five days a week, no matter what. That opened the whole world of writing for me, one that I always wanted to be a part of, but had never been disciplined enough to join.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

It was a book for children, titled One Little Snowflake. I am a painter, so I also did all of the illustrations for it. Although it is not a lengthy book, the time put into it was lengthy because of all of the paintings.

It is about the circle of life, and it is meant for children with terminal illness, although adults with terminal illness would benefit from it, too. Spring is coming, and the little snowflake is melting. He is scared and does not understand why winter has to end. An icicle helps him understand how we pass on the gift of life over and over through dying.

I wrote it about twelve years ago. I just gave up on it, and I don't know why! I am waiting to hear from a publishing company about it right now. Someday, I may self publish it, if it does not get picked up somewhere else.

Right now, though, I have all of the Gastien Series in my head, and a couple other adult fiction novels that I started and stopped, waiting to be finished.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

In junior high, I wrote a lot of poetry. I always felt I could write, but...you know...fear...self doubt...

I did some past life regressions in August 2010 and that opened up creative doors for me. I was filled with an urgent need to tell this story. When I sat down in November of 2010 and the words just came faster than my hands could type, I knew I was supposed to write.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Gastien. I would love his talent for painting! I can paint, but that man COULD PAINT! He was one in a million, one of those who could see things in a way others had never thought of yet.

Life was cruel to him in many ways. I would love to let him know how valuable, how wonderful he was. Not just for his looks and painting. He was worthwhile just as a human being. Not many communicated that to him.

Still, he was very good looking. He would be lovely to look at daily. My husband would possibly feel different about having young Gastien around, though.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Dead parrots. Since we have two parrots, I used to have a fear that someone would break in and do something violent to them. About that time, I quit reading horror novels, at least for the most part.

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Yikes! Thanks for sharing with us today, Caddy! You can keep up with Caddy on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

Remember, new indie authors every Monday and Thursday! See you next week!

The Same Six Questions - Cecilia Gray

Happy Thursday Everyone! Welcome (back) to another edition of The Same Six Questions! Today, my guest is multi-genre author Cecilia Gray!

Hello Andy! I live in San Francisco. I'm obsessed with food and the apocalypse. And being able to find food during an apocalypse.


The Same Six Questions


1. Have you published a book yet?

Totally! Make that two books.

In Falling, Alexis is an adventure athlete who loses her competitive mojo after a bad breakup. But after she falls for a sexy, cursed immortal with the same taste for danger she used to have, she needs to rediscover her mojo to break his curse.

A Delightful Arrangement is a historical romance novella about two betrothed friends who start to see each other as so much more.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Like a lot of writers, I always wrote. I don't remember not wanting to be a writer. My teen diary is filled with angst over the only way I'd ever be happy is if I became a writer.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I wrote a pretty spectacular hot mess of fiction when I was in the fourth grade about a group of teens who land on a booby-trapped island and have to fight their way through an underwater system of quickly-flooding caves to survive and find the treasure. Yes, it's eerily similar to The Goonies. I've since thrown it away but that gem lives on in my mind.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I'm still waiting for that one. You let me know where to find it.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Laurie is a hot, redheaded witch in my Fallen Idols series. She's sassy, brilliant and always get what she wants.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

My friends. I'm excited to see them whenever I see them because it means a good time is around the corner.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us, Cecilia! For more of Cecilia and her writing, check out her website and Facebook page.

On Monday, my guest will be author Mike Fontenot! See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Lisa Scott

Today, please give a warm welcome to author Lisa Scott!

Hello Andy! I'm a former TV news anchor who now works as a voice actor. I live in upstate NY with my hubby and kids, dog, cat, and koi fish. I love gardening, hate running, and tolerate the clutter on my kitchen counter that never goes away. I giggle to myself as I write my sweet, funny romances, and that always feels a bit embarrassing. At least I've got one fan: me.

Thanks for that, Lisa! Now, it’s time for...The Same Six Questions. Take it away!

1. Have you published a book yet?

I'm a bit of a newbie, having just joined the indie game in May. I've released a romantic novella, Spouse Hunting, and a collection of romantic short stories, Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories. Fun, flirty, sweet and sassy—always with the perfect happy ending. Each story is 8,000 to 11,000 words in length, 53,000 words total. Stories include: The Hot Girl's Friend, Wrong Place, Right Guy, Not You, Desperately Seeking Cupid, and Never Been Dumped. I also have an agent, and we're out on submission with a middle grade novel.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Probably in middle school. I used to write these funny short stories about a character named Norton who always got into sticky situations, followed up by a goofy moral. My English teacher let me read them to the class, and I loved knowing the kids enjoyed my stories (or perhaps they just enjoyed postponing the English lesson for a few moments).

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

We had to write a personal humor essay in high school. I wrote about a doomed vacation with my family—think National Lampoon. I do still have it, and chuckle at my obscene overuse of adjectives and adverbs. But I had a lot of fun writing it.


4. When was your first indication, "I can do this(write)"?

In college. I was an English/Communication dual major. I loved my creative writing class so much, I asked professor/author Mick Cochrane if I could do a creative writing independent study class with him. That really helped my skills and confidence.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Sure, make me pick a favorite child! Probably Jane from my short story, The Hot Girl's Friend, because she's got a wicked sense of humor.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

My hairdo from the 80's. My mom told me it was big, but I just didn't believe her!

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Fantastic, Lisa! Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck with getting that book deal!

For more of Lisa’s work, be sure to follow her on Twitter @ReadLisaScott and Facebook. All of Lisa’s work is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Be sure to stop by on Monday for our next installment of The Same Six Questions with author Paul Dayton!