 Critically acclaimed, award-winning novelist Sarah V. Barnes is both a historian and a horsewoman. Her first novel, She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe, received the 2022 Best Indie Book Award for Historical Fiction, among other prizes. A Clan Chief’s Daughter represents the second installment in the She Who Rides Horses trilogy. When not writing stories, Sarah practices and teaches riding as a meditative art. She also offers equine-facilitated coaching and wellness workshops. Sarah holds a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University and spent many years as a college professor before turning full-time to riding and writing. She has two grown daughters and lives with her husband, her dogs, and her horses near Boulder, CO. Connection to Creation: In your novel, Naya seeks a relationship with horses that transcends survival. Do you see her journey as a reflection of humanity’s deeper yearning to live in harmony with the natural world rather than to dominate it? Yes, this is a primary theme of the She Who Rides Horses trilogy which becomes increasingly central over the course of the three books. While humans had domesticated other animals including cattle, sheep and goats prior to beginning the process of domesticating horses, the period over which the process of horse domestication occurred coincided with the emergence of new assumptions about hierarchy and dominance among steppe nomads that would completely reshape cosmology, social relations and attitudes toward the natural world for their descendants throughout Eurasia and beyond. Horses were at the center of this seismic shift. The Sacred Bond: Horses in your story seem to embody more than strength and speed—they hold mystery, freedom, and spirit. How do you interpret the horse as a spiritual symbol, both in ancient times and for readers today? As we enter the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, the symbolism of freedom, mystery and spirit associated with horses is everywhere in popular culture. Likewise, for many animist peoples throughout time, the Wind Horse represents the means by which shamans journey to other dimensions of consciousness in order to seek wisdom and healing for their people. The myths of ancient Greece gave Pegasus the power to transport humans to the divine realm of the gods. Cave paintings from 30,000 years ago still hold echoes of paleolithic humans’ belief in the mystical power of the horse. Clearly, humans have recognized horses as spiritual beings for millennia. The Outsider’s Gift: Naya is marked as different because of her appearance. In spiritual traditions, those who are “set apart” often carry a hidden gift. How does Naya’s outsider status prepare her for this groundbreaking bond with horses? In Book One, Naya is mostly insulated from external pressures to be someone she is not -- both by her grandmother, and later by the circumstances that lead to her spending the winter isolated from the rest of her clan. As a result, she is able to follow her heart’s desire to connect with the red filly. The situation changes dramatically in Book Two, when she returns to the clan’s settlement and encounters stringent expectations about who she is supposed to be. As happens with many young women making the transition to adulthood, in a mistaken effort to conform, she loses touch with her unique gifts and has to navigate finding her way back to herself and her own power. The Power of Dreams: Naya dreams of another way of life with horses. Do you see dreams in your story as divine whispers, ancestral guidance, or as the seed of human innovation? All of the above. What is innovation, if not inspiration coming through from another realm of consciousness? Likewise dreams and ancestral guidance. As Naya comes to understand through the course of the trilogy, all of these sources of wisdom are available to her if only she can learn to see with the eyes of her heart and listen to what is beyond words. In Book One, she experiences her dreams and nightmares as well as her ability to journey to the Other World as a gift she doesn’t quite understand or know how to manage. In Book Two, she rejects her ability outright, with terrible consequences. By the end of Book Three she will have fully claimed the power of her visions. Crossing Thresholds: Naya is at the edge of adulthood, facing expectations and traditions. What spiritual significance do you see in her decision to step outside of those boundaries and risk a new path? In stories that follow the arc of the traditional Hero’s Journey, the protagonist’s willingness to risk a new path – to cross the threshold into the unknown – is what initiates the quest. Feminist critiques of the hero’s story arc note, however, that for heroines, the challenge is not necessarily ‘out there’ but rather at home. Thus for Naya, the easy part is accepting the task that the red filly initially asks of her while they are ‘away from home’ (so to speak): to learn to see with the eyes of her heart, create ties without the use of a rope, and discover what it is that the young horse desires. Book One is about the relatively uncomplicated joy of exploring life outside traditional boundaries. It’s only when she crosses the threshold back into the known and familiar, in Book Two, that she encounters the true challenges that await her – thus turning the Hero’s Journey on its head. Sacred Partnership: The bond between Naya and the chestnut filly feels destined. Do you see this as a story of mutual domestication—or mutual liberation? Ultimately, the fate of Naya and the filly are linked, as have been the destinies of women and horses throughout six thousand years under patriarchy. Both have endured the loss of freedom that comes with domestication, as well as the potential for mutual liberation through the nurturing of a sacred bond. The Feminine Way: Many spiritual traditions honor the feminine as the keeper of intuition and connection with the unseen. How does Naya embody a sacred feminine archetype as she reshapes her people’s relationship with horses? This is another theme that stretches over all three books. Naya’s gift is her connection with the unseen realm – she is the Visionary – called to ‘see with the eyes of her heart.’ Unfortunately, not all that she envisions regarding humans’ relationship with horses is uplifting, and she must grapple with the consequences. Echoes Across Time: Your story unfolds 6,000 years ago, yet its themes feel timeless. Do you believe that the yearning for freedom, belonging, and kinship with animals is part of the eternal human spirit? Yes, although for many of those living a modern, urban lifestyle, the ability to recognize that yearning, let alone fulfill it, has grown difficult. So much of our epidemic of loneliness and disconnection, our sense of dislocation, our experience of dis-ease – both physical and spiritual – stems from our separation, real and imagined, from the natural world. Naya’s story takes place when that misconception – that we are somehow separate from and superior to the rest of the natural world – was just beginning to take root. If we can understand how and why that shift in consciousness occurred, perhaps we can evolve beyond its consequences. Transformation Through Relationship: In many spiritual teachings, true change comes not from power but from relationship. How do you see the relationship between Naya and her filly transforming not just them, but the destiny of humankind? Naya and the red filly are called to create a relationship of power with, rather than power over. Their bond is based on trust and mutual understanding. Their relationship empowers both of them. Unfortunately, as we’ll see as their story progresses, the relationship between humans and horses almost immediately deviates from that model. The original covenant is broken – not by the horses but by people. Still, over the millennia, horses have stuck with us, arguably contributing more than any other domesticated species to the transformation of human civilization. All along the way, individual horses continued to offer individual humans the possibility of creating a power-with partnership. They are still offering to teach us their secrets, and thereby transform our relationships with each other and the natural world. The story isn’t over. Legacy of Spirit: If horses represent freedom, power, and partnership, what do you hope modern readers carry in their hearts after traveling with Naya across the ancient steppe? I’ll defer to the wisdom of Antoine de St.-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince: ‘It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye… People have forgotten this truth… but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” Website: https://sarahvbarnes.com/
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 Author of the Amazon Best Seller "Blood in the Low Country" Paul was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Paul and his wife, Lyn, met in college at Georgetown University and were married after Paul graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. They moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1988 where Paul embarked on a thirty-year business career before retiring so he could write fiction. Paul and Lyn raised three children together in Phoenix and now live in Charleston, South Carolina. Blood in the Low Country is Paul Attaway’s debut novel. Writing this book, along with the move to Charleston, is a coming home of sorts, a return to the South. The history and culture of America’s South is rich, complicated, at times comical, sad, tragic, uplifting, and inspiring. Paul hopes that his novels capture even a small bit of this tapestry. Your background as an attorney clearly informs the novel. How did your legal experience shape the way you wrote Walker’s battles with power, risk, and the limits of justice in Blood Rivalry? My legal background came into play in a couple of ways. First, I had a basic understanding of the S&L crisis that took place in the 1980s. I began my legal career in the bankruptcy department of a firm in Phoenix, AZ in 1988. We had our fair share of cowboys running those lending institutions and I saw firsthand what happens when questionable loans become standard operating procedure. Secondly, I also witnessed the fight for the balance of power. Prosecutors must follow procedures and while they have extraordinary powers that can certainly be abused, and have been abused, criminals have the benefit of not caring whether they lie, cheat or steal. In Blood Rivalry, we have a corrupt family dynasty that will stop at nothing to win, and we have a prosecutor who recognizes the imbalance and jumps at the chance to right-the-scales. At the heart of the book is a crime that defines lives for decades. What drew you to the idea that public narratives—hero, savior, victim—can lock people into roles they never chose? One of my favorite musical artists is Jason Isbell. In his song The Life You Chose, he writes: “Are you living the life you chose? Are you living the life that chose you?” I’ve always loved those lyrics. In this life, life happens and very rarely does it unfold as we imagine it would in our youth. Add to that the reality that many of us grow up living our lives doing what we believe we’re supposed to be doing or living our lives to please others or to meet others’ expectations only to find that we’re not content. I took this basic idea and decided to fashion an event, a crime in this case, that would cast characters into roles they neither chose nor wanted, that of hero, savior and victim. Walker and Eli’s bond is both loving and deeply strained. How did you approach writing a sibling relationship shaped by shared trauma but unequal public perception? The people whom we know for the longest time in our lives are our siblings. Our parents typically die before we do and we typically die before our children do. No one knows you as well or as long as your siblings do. In every family with multiple children, you’ll find rivalries; they are unavoidable. You fight for your parents’ attention and for supremacy over your siblings in much of what you do. But rarely do these rivalries play out on the public stage. I decided to address the possibility by contrasting two sets of brothers who were all dealing with the public airing of their roles in their family by showing how each set of brothers would handle the situation. The Dunsmore family represents a carefully manufactured legacy. What fascinates you about political dynasties that curate virtue while concealing corruption beneath the surface? I want to know how they can do it? How can they maintain the split mind? Or is the mind split at all? There are men and women on both sides of the aisle who have been elected to public office who see themselves as public servants. God bless them and I wish there were more of them. There are others who go to Washington, DC intent on doing their best but get corrupted along the way. As they say, power corrupts. Then there are those who seemingly have no conscience and seek political office because that’s where the power is. I’m fascinated by the mind of someone who knowingly presents themselves as righteous while also consciously lying, cheating and stealing and then concealing it. Are these people born this way or do they become this way? Does one small crime precede a larger crime? And then an even larger crime? Walker’s pursuit of the truth feels as dangerous as it is necessary. When did you realize this story was less about winning justice and more about the cost of chasing it? When it became more than just personal for Walker. Walker took risks with his reputation because he wanted to play the hero. But when others fell into the crosshairs of the bad guys, for Walker, at that point, the costs of chasing justice grew larger than himself. He had to then fight for others and more than just his reputation was on the line. Charleston and the Low Country are vividly present on the page. How does place function as a character in the novel—especially in reinforcing loyalty, silence, and power? Charleston is a beautiful, charming city and it is a fascinating city. The city was founded in 1670 by British citizens who came here to make their fortunes. There are people living here today that can trace their ancestry back to the earliest settlers. As human beings were all flawed and when flaws become public in a town with families that have roots hundreds of years old, the threat to one’s reputation can drive people to unspeakable acts. Now the city of Charleston today has experienced an influx of people from around the country so the world I describe in Blood Rivalry no longer exists, but it did at one time. Eli’s life as a chef contrasts sharply with Walker’s legal world. How do their professions reflect different ways of seeking control, healing, and redemption? Eli was the bigger-than-life character growing up. He was more than a natural athlete – he was a prodigy. His skill at whatever sport he played drew attention to him. And then he was thrown into the role of being the savior – a role he never wanted. As a chef, he can still pursue excellence but do so alone, in a kitchen. He can hide by tolling away in a kitchen behind closed doors. Now Walker, he craves attention but of a different sort. He was cast as the helpless one needing a savior. He wants desperately to change the way people see him. As a lawyer, he can keep himself in the spotlight around town through high profile cases and very public, charity work. The Dunsmores believe power justifies any action. Do you see them as villains—or as people who genuinely believe they’re protecting something larger than themselves? Colin Dunsmore, the patriarch of the family, is a villain. No way around it. As for his two boys – Johnny and Randal – the reader can decide. There’s a basis for seeing them as both a villain and a victim. Across the trilogy, the Atkins brothers evolve under the weight of unresolved trauma. What did you want their arc in this final book to say about redemption? That redemption is hard. That it can take a while and that at times, the route we must take may not make much sense. Nevertheless, it is worth it. It is worth it for our own wellbeing and for the strength and depth of the relationships we have with those closest and most important to us. As the concluding novel in the Atkins Family Low Country Saga, what lasting feeling did you hope readers would carry away—closure, unease, or a deeper understanding of how power shapes identity? Closure and a deeper understanding of how our life experiences can shape our identity both positively and negatively. Who says the series is over? Blood Rivalry certainly wraps up the story that started in Blood in the Low Country, but we might be hearing more from Walker and Eli as they live out their lives in Charleston, South Carolina. Stay tuned. Website: https://paulattaway.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorpaulattaway/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPaulAttaway/ Substack: https://substack.com/@worldviewsmatter X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/paulattaway11 Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GKF6176B  Patricia Leavy, PhD is novelist, sociologist, and arts advocate (formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director of Gender Studies and Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology at Stonehill College). She is widely considered the world's most visible proponent of arts-based research, which merges the arts and sciences. Patricia has published over 50 books, nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the State University of New York at New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In 2024, the London Arts-Based Research Centre established "The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research." In recent years, her passion has turned to penning romance novels. Twinkle of Doubt explores how even great love can be shaken by uncertainty. Why was doubt—rather than fear or loss—the emotional core you wanted to examine in this sequel? I believe doubt is at the core of a lot of people’s personal suffering. So often we doubt ourselves. We don’t feel like we are enough. There’s an audio in our heads telling us we’re not good enough, successful enough, attractive enough, popular enough. In short, we may play an audio in our heads that says we don’t measure up, we’re not loveable, or we’re not really worthy of love. That internal voice can be louder than any external voice. It can also cause us to doubt others. If on a deep level we do not feel loveable, how can we trust it when someone tries to give us love? In so many ways, the quality of our life and our relationships depend on our own relationship with ourselves. So, to me, doubt is essential to explore in love stories. Tess is a world-famous novelist whose work centers on hope, yet she struggles with feelings of unworthiness. What does her journey reveal about the gap between public success and private self-belief? There’s a saying that “hurt people hurt people” but often that is not the case. Sometimes hurt people are able to love others in extraordinary ways. Some people turn their pain into compassion, empathy, and generosity, but that does not mean it removes all their struggles. We are often hardest on ourselves. Tess is in the lifelong process of recovery from childhood sexual assault. The trauma does not go away, but she learns how to carry it and lessen its effects, partly by loving others and partly by transforming darkness into light in her novels. Like Tess, we all carry scars. So, it’s really about working on our internal self. There is always a gap between our life as it is and as we wish it to be. Likewise, and especially in the age of social media, there is always a gap between public perception and private reality. The goal is to be aware of those gaps and do all we can to close them. Social media has ramped up our culture of comparison in ways that can make people feel terrible about themselves. But it isn’t even real. It’s a highly curated, filtered, highlight reel. Never compare your insides to others’ outsides. Jack’s life in counterterrorism has trained him to anticipate danger, while Tess’s work invites faith and possibility. How did writing these contrasting worldviews deepen their relationship on the page? We learn a lot from people with different experiences and ways of seeing the world. One of my favorite things about Tess and Jack’s relationship is how they help each other see the world, and themselves differently. It creates admiration and intimacy, which brings them closer together. Marriage is often portrayed as an “arrival,” yet this novel shows it as an ongoing emotional practice. What did you want to say about love after the happy ending? So much of pop culture shows marriage as “the end.” Romance novels and movies often end with proposals or weddings. Yet that’s not the end of romance, it’s only a beginning. Intimacy develops over time and can grow deeper and richer. While some of my novels explore early stages of “falling in love,” most center on love after “I do.” My hope in Twinkle of Doubt and many body of work as a whole is to show how love evolves, grows, deepens. I hope to show what intimacy actually looks like and feels like over the long haul, not just during early days of dating. My novels, and the Celestial Bodies Romances specifically, are not about falling in love, but rather, building love-filled partnerships. Trauma quietly shapes both Tess and Jack. How did you approach writing healing as nonlinear—progressive, but fragile—rather than neatly resolved? I’m always trying to balance fairy-tale, inspirational, aspirational love stories with realistic explorations of challenges human beings face. People need hope, joy, and escape, but if we gloss over all the hard stuff in life, it can make us feel worse, not better. So my novels are a mix of fantasy and reality. Healing from trauma is not linear. Nor is it ever complete. It is a process. It is always fragile, as human beings are fragile. Yet if we’re willing to engage in the messy and difficult lifelong process of healing, we can build wonderful lives. Finding people to support us on that journey can help that process. That is what Tess and Jack show us. The anonymous threat against Tess introduces suspense while intensifying intimacy. How did you balance external danger with the internal emotional stakes of the story? I love character-driven novels and in this series, I’m striving for layered characters who are aspirational and inspirational. But of course, every novel also needs a plot. With this book I really wanted to keep readers engaged so I opted for a high-stakes, dramatic plot point. The threat against Tess though, in actuality, is just an opportunity to show the effect on Tess, Jack and their relationship. So the story is much more about internal threats rather than anything external. In that regard, the threat is just a plot device, but hopefully one that keeps readers turning the page. Chosen family plays a powerful role in this novel. Why is that concept so central to the Celestial Bodies Romance series? Each of the central characters has been forced to cut ties with their childhood family for specific reasons. Tess suffered extreme abuse in her childhood home and has no relatives in her life. Jack was forced to let go of his family for their own protection given the dangers of his job. Omar, Tess’s best friend, was ostracized from his childhood family because he is gay. So the characters in the series have had to do what many people must do—create their own family of choice. Family estrangement is extremely painful and traumatic in its own right, so these things do not happen lightly. It’s an extremely difficult reality many people face. I’m glad to honor chosen families in this series—and show how very wonderful they can be—in the hope that it makes readers in this situation know they are not alone. I think it’s useful for everyone to distinguish between relatives and family. Sometimes there is overlap, but not always. Throughout the book, love is portrayed as something that requires courage, not certainty. Was that a deliberate reframing of what “romantic strength” looks like? Being vulnerable is integral to love. Vulnerability is not weakness. It is the opposite. Vulnerability requires courage. Being our truest selves and allowing another to see and know us as we truly are requires bravery. It requires us to believe in ourselves and in the other person enough to be honest and exposed. It’s the key to building intimacy, trust, and long-lasting love. It’s also incredibly beautiful when we’re able to do it. In all my novels I hope to illustrate what love actually looks like and feels like. Love isn’t something we say or even feel, it’s a verb. Love is something we do. Tess and Jack do love well because they have the courage to see each other to be seen. For readers returning from Shooting Stars Above, how have Tess and Jack evolved—and what growth felt most essential for you to show? The wonderful thing about writing multiple books that follow the same characters is that they evolve. Tess and Jack had a whirlwind romance, falling in love and marrying quickly. In Shooting Stars Above, we see their first year together. When Twinkle of Doubt begins, they are celebrating their second anniversary. We see how they have grown closer as a couple, and how they have each evolved on their healing journey, even though it’s a process, not a destination. There are some scenes that I especially love that show this growth and closeness. You can usually see it in how they share difficult things with each other that may be hard to say aloud, but they trust and love each other enough to try to find the words. That is growth. Ultimately, Twinkle of Doubt asks whether we can believe we are worthy of love even when certainty slips away. What do you hope readers carry with them after turning the final page? We are enough. We are worthy of love. We all carry scars and struggles, but if we love others and allow them to love us, healing is possible. Self-love is the hardest and most important love. Challenges will always come in life, but we can learn to breathe through them. Website: https://patricialeavy.com
Faceboook: www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite Instagram: www.instagram.com/patricialeavy X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/PatriciaLeavy Purchase options: Amazon | Barnes & Noble  Roberts Essex, is an author, speaker, and survivor whose life and storytelling reflect the transformative power of truth and grace. Through his debut memoir Chance, Roberts opens a deeply personal window into his journey, his work resonates with readers who have faced pain, abandonment, or identity struggles, offering hope that healing is possible through faith, courage, and forgiveness. Roberts Essex is a pseudonym for the living man who is the character of Chance Brogdon. He continues to write about how his missing son's abduction was handled and the ensuing turmoil of that period. His actions and enduring faith during those times of tremendous emotional strain resulted in miracles of faith and redemption neither he nor his son could imagine. His character will win a rebirth of spirit, bringing new life to himself, his son, and the lives of three other unsuspecting souls struggling in their existence and awaiting their just redemption. This work, and two additional works to come, chronicle over six decades of a man's life; the decisions he had to make, the results of those actions, and how his life and actions affected so many others. Now in his late 60s, Roberts can reflect on the great wealth of his experiences and the resolve of persistent faith. He and his wife of over 30 years are coasting into his forecast retirement, at peace with their four children, five grandchildren, and two new great-grandchildren. Together, they enjoy photography, motorcycles, gardening, and traveling at their own pace around the country and overseas. He continues to live in rural Georgia, enjoying the tranquility and quiet of their quaint country home. Your storytelling is so vivid that readers often ask whether Chance Beginnings is a novel or even true crime. How do you respond when people learn this is a memoir drawn entirely from your lived experience? I am humbled at the opportunity to share that revelation as, I believe, it helps further breathe life into the story and the total experience for them. At what point did you realize your personal story—rooted in poverty, faith, and survival in the Deep South—could resonate far beyond your own life? Truthfully after I read JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy I thought to myself, I was an English honors student in college and write case discussions, why not a book about my experiences with a bit of a twist to make it fictional enough protect people’s identity’s but not embellished to lose the realism. Then, when I read George Dawes Green’s The Kingdoms of Savannah, I had a strong feeling and convinced myself that, yes, I could write good enough to sell at least as well as they had. Might even get a series out of a set if I got lucky enough. You write with rare honesty about hardship, family conflict, and spiritual struggle. What was the hardest truth to put on the page, and why did you ultimately feel it needed to be told? That’s a doozy. There are so many nuances and revelations for this character throughout it might look, or seem, difficult to the average reader which one was the most difficult to put in print. In actuality, not at all. Any addiction is difficult to overcome, some much harder than others. Alcohol and drug abuse are far outside of the discussion as they relate to this topic altogether. Pornography. The grip of the obsession, the feeling betrayal of trust it caused to his partner, the guilt and fear of being “found out” by friends, family and colleagues, the ultimate damage it caused to all of these. Very difficult. But it is a truth that people who know someone, or suspect someone, of this can better understand maybe help with. The book unfolds during one of America’s most turbulent eras. How did segregation, war, and cultural upheaval shape your childhood before you even had the language to understand them? It was the environment of that era that shaped everything we did, from school to our parents work to where we ate or chose our entertainment options, even where we shopped and what parts of the Hostess City were off limits based on color alone. The threat of nuclear war and the constant reminder potential, total annihilation by the Soviet Union were not only real but palpable: on television, radio, on frightening imagery everywhere. There was something generally “pressured” in the air; difficult to explain even for a child. Throughout the memoir, Chance keeps asking, “Why me, and what now?” Do you see that question as a burden—or as the engine that kept you moving forward? Both. When your entire life is one calamity after another one’s definition of “life” becomes just that – stumble, get up; get knocked down, stand up and push back; fall, recover. Mama’s teachings, her life’s example, and guidance from God’s word provided the fuel for the engine to continue every day. It still does. Despite the darkness, there’s humor threaded throughout the story. Was humor something you leaned on as a child, or something you discovered later as a way to make sense of the past? Again, likely a bit of both. Mama had a great sense of humor, dad at times. She was a bit addled from time-to-time, maybe just her manner but maybe from the periodic hang-banging from the ole man; comical many times no less. When she would get that “moment” dad’s reaction and laugh was infective. He was a bit of a prankster himself. But, because of violence and fervor of his anger there was an over-hanging threat of sudden, uncontrolled rage ever-present. That threat made the good moments even better we fostered the opportunity at every turn. There is so much to be grateful for, so much joy from His teachings that hope is always with us. You portray adults as deeply human—good people making flawed choices. How did you balance compassion with honesty when writing about your family? My compassion for man, for all of us, comes directly from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the knowledge that my Heavenly Father “so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son” to forgive our sins and provide a light of hope and direction to our lives. Because I can see the good in the world, I can certainly afford to empathize my brother’s pain. Honesty of the events, the cause and effect, is what I see when I am writing. My conveyance of the theatre in my mind imparts the “real” in the realism of the story. I hope the reader is present with every word. I hope they feel like they have to escape the book to return to their moment. Faith appears as both an anchor and a source of tension in your life. How did your understanding of faith evolve from childhood obedience to adult reflection? Through the living of my life itself. We are forever evolving within our own atmosphere through that same cause-and-effect. God does not promise a perfect life, but He does offer hope and redemption to those who strive to follow in the path of righteousness – whether we achieve it or not. If obedience during childhood is a teaching of proper behavior and restraint, the result will inevitably be the self-discipline to blend into the fabric of community. Over six decades I have been witness to the results of those who were either victims of excessive disciplinary technique (abuse) or total lack of parental control become leaders who now make laws and constrain the teachings that result in personal obedience. To a great extent, unfortunately some of those roots are very likely from my generation and the 10–20 years that followed. If you lose control of the child, you can not blame the adult for his or her attitude, reaction or political insights: an improperly laid cornerstone will always produce an unstable building. Many readers say the book resonates because they felt like outsiders in their own families. What do you hope readers who feel unseen or displaced take away from your story? I hope that readers who may feel this way in their own lives feel welcome into Chance’s life, and mine, by the warmth and optimism conveyed. I hope each sees the life as it could have been, and should have been, for them within the framework and foundation of living through faith and conviction to God’s word. They have a home in this book, and in my works, because I share my warmth through the love of Our Father. Only by His grace and His constant presence do we live our lives whole. If you could speak to the boy in that rain-soaked shack in rural Georgia—the boy at the very beginning of this story—what would you tell him now? Thank God, lil dude, we lived! You will have an adventure I wish that I could relive, with very little changes. Have fun, and listen to Mama. Website: https://authorrobertsessex.com/
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Robin Merle is the author of Involuntary Exit: A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Being Fired, which earned the Gold Medal from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Kirkus Reviews called it “a nuanced look at the psychology of organizational loyalty and the grief that results from the end of a professional relationship.” Foreword Clarion Review gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, declaring it “a must-read for career-driven people of all genders.”
Her debut novel, A Dangerous Friendship, was released on October 28, 2025, by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Robin has published short fiction in The Chouteau Review, South Carolina Review, Kalliope, and Real Fiction. She holds a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, where she earned a fellowship. In her other professional life as a nonprofit executive, Robin has raised over a half-billion dollars in philanthropic support to improve individuals’ quality of life and access to opportunities. A long-time New Yorker, she now lives in Maine with her family. Your novel blends dark humor with psychological tension. How did you strike the balance between making readers laugh and keeping them on edge? Dark humor is often how people survive situations they don’t fully understand or can’t control. That's exactly where Tina lives for much of the novel. I tried to let the humor stay slightly off-key, and used dialogue for sharp, sarcastic effect. Spike and Tina are snarky, quick-witted New Yorkers so their banter is genuinely funny. If a moment made me laugh and uneasy at the same time, I trusted it. The tension deepens as Tina begins to realize that what she once found absurd may actually be leading to a volatile confrontation. Ideally, readers feel that shift too: the jokes don’t disappear, but they start to land differently, leaving you smiling one moment and unsettled the next. Tina and Spike’s friendship is intense, obsessive, and at times destructive. What drew you to exploring the kind of female friendship that feels both irresistible and dangerous? I've always been interested in female friendships. Friendships that come into our lives at times of loss—like Tina's and Spike's—can be particularly intense since we're bonding over something painful. When a woman is trying to reinvent herself after loss, she can be especially open to influences, forming relationships with people she might never otherwise have known. I wanted to explore the idea of the dangerous friend who comes into our lives when we're vulnerable. We know the archetypes of the popular girls and the mean girls—but what about the dangerous ones—the women who promise to give us power? Who tell us stories that we want to believe are true because our own lives seem so stale or we're unsure of what we want next. That’s what makes these friendships so irresistible. Tina’s desire to reinvent herself after a failed marriage is a powerful catalyst. What aspects of 1980s New York City made it the perfect setting for a woman trying to escape mediocrity and chase a bolder identity? New York City in the 1980s had an electric vibe. It pulsed with the sense that anything could happen if you were open to it. I lived in the City during that time and it was magical, creative, and gritty all at once. Wealth, street art, theater, fantasies of changing your life in a New York minute—it felt intoxicating. At the same time, the decade was shaped by a second wave of feminism with women fighting for equal rights and questioning cultural and social norms. That history fans the flames of Tina and Spike's relationship -- and their confusion. They want power on their own terms, but they're also drawn to the idea of being lifted into a different reality by wealthy men. That tension is very much of the moment. Spike is seductive, magnetic, and deeply mysterious. How did you approach crafting a character who is both a mentor and a threat—and why do characters like her continue to fascinate us? I created Spike as a storyteller. She mentors through her stories and through her rigid rules about how men and women should behave. But the stories themselves always contain a threat -- either to Spike or to others around her. The rules tend to appear after someone has done something she doesn't approve of and carry the implicit threat of punishment or revenge. I wanted to make her character magnetic and mysterious by recounting the stories she told, the ones she wrote, and the ones she claimed to have lived. I showed her attracting the very attention she insisted she could conjure. Her energy comes through in how she talks, flirts, and presents herself as all-knowing—especially when it comes to manipulating people. She's a bit like a celebrity, and celebrities fascinate us. They allow us to safely explore desire, ambition, and danger from afar. They act out our fantasies. The scenes in the rural summer cabin create a stark contrast to the electric pulse of NYC. What does the shift from city to backwoods reveal about Tina and Spike’s unraveling dynamic? Tina and Spike feel like they're on overload from the constant push and pull of the city. New York allows them to indulge their hopes, fears, neuroses, and wild sides. They dream of going to a more rural, laid-back environment where the temptations of the city will be flattened and they'll be able to relax and write their stories. Instead, they bring their toxic energy with them. They can't sit still. Spike needs to go out—and when she does, she opens the same well of sexual energy, drugs, and mania they thought they were escaping. All of this unfolds in a small, shared, fairly isolated cabin, which accelerates the emotional turmoil they've been stirring all along. Tina realizes they both lied to themselves about what they wanted. They weren't looking to withdraw -- they wanted to both be the center of attention, just without the competition of the city. That realization marks the beginning of the unraveling. The story dives into nightlife, drugs, sex, and power. How did you ensure these elements supported character development rather than becoming shock value? Nothing is gratuitous. The bars introduce the "locals," who become real people in Tina and Spike's lives rather than stereotypes. The drinking and drugs create space for confessions, reflections, and humor. Sex is integral to the way both women view themselves and helps build out their relationships with men. And, ultimately, the book is about power—between the two women, between men and women, between socio-economic classes, and between the city and the country. Power isn't separate from character development; it is the engine of how these characters evolve and how their stories unfold. As the women become increasingly entangled, readers start to sense something ominous beneath the wild fun. At what point did you want the audience to start questioning Spike’s intentions? There are clues from the very beginning. When Tina finds Spike sitting on her porch at the writers' colony for no apparent reason, she instinctively steps back in fear. Tina also offers an explicit warning early on: "It's tough to say whether Spike is good or evil. Or whether I imagine too much about her." With that introduction, readers should be following the story with a wary eye. Readers should start questioning Spike’s intentions when she stays out all night with one of the men she met at the local bar—someone she had openly derided—then brings him back to the cabin. She deliberately encourages Tina to spend time with him, only to punish her for it afterward. Tina later describes him as “an omen,” a warning sign she doesn’t yet fully understand. That unease deepens when another man, Cody, comes to visit the cabin and Spike has literally nailed his photo to the wall as her next conquest. It's obvious that their nights of wild fun are shifting into something more disturbing. The novel deals with blurred lines—between desire and danger, admiration and obsession, liberation and self-destruction. Which of these thematic tensions was most compelling for you to explore and why? Desire and danger intrigue me because they're born out of vulnerability. Tina's marriage fails, Spike's father dies, and both women want to claw their way out of the lives they know into another world where they can be someone new--someone unknown to the people and places that shaped them. Their desire is to be loved and accepted as these new versions of themselves. Moving out of their comfort zones promises to accelerate their reinvention and give them courage. We've all read many stories where desire and danger drive relationships and bad decisions. What interests me is how characters extricate themselves and what they take away from their experiences once the illusion cracks. The 1980s are almost a character themselves in this book—gritty, glamorous, reckless. What kind of research or personal memories informed your depiction of this era. I lived in New York City during the 1980s, and those memories are vivid. I remember the dirty streets and startling art that kept popping up downtown. The subways were filthy and overheated in the summer, and the city was deserted as everyone fled. It was also the era of AIDS, Bernie Goetz, restaurant hero worship, and Wall Street gone wild. What I didn't remember clearly, I researched. I looked into the protests for women's rights, which is a backdrop for women redefining their roles during that decade. I researched real estate moguls, society pages, and financiers. I reread books that captured the character of the city: Michael Lewis' Liar's Poker; Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities; Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City; Emily Listfield's It was Gonna Be Like Paris; Edie by Jean Stein, among others. I also revisited books on women's psychology written at that time, many of which are so deeply chauvinistic, they're shocking to read now. Without giving too much away: Tina eventually has to confront the truth about Spike. What do you hope readers take away from Tina’s journey toward self-preservation and reclaiming her power? I hope readers reflect on the friendships that have shaped them, especially the ones that taught them things about themselves that they didn't know or didn't want to know. I also want them to appreciate that we each have the power to stand up for ourselves and to realize that the person who has our best interests at heart is ourselves.
Website: https://www.theprofessionalguide.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinmerletpg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinmerle.author LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/robinmerletpg/ Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Friendship-Novel-Robin-Merle/dp/B0DXD5JSLM  After more than two decades as an attorney, I wrote my debut novel, a tragic love story about two star-crossed lovers, a countess and a prince. It’s based on real-life characters who lived in Sweden, and is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Outlander, and Bridgerton. I live on the Connecticut Shoreline and in South Carolina's Lowcountry, where I bang away on my MacBook Pro whenever my Shih Tzu cooperates. At heart, I'll always be a Jersey Girl. Tell us about your journey as an author and with this work. What inspired you to write this book?* Reading has always been my favorite entertainment, my preferred escape from whatever is crowding my mind. But during two decades as a lawyer and an autism mom, I had little time for myself and grew away from books. On vacations, in airplanes, yes, but reading wasn’t part of my everyday life. I missed it. Life got in the way, as they say. In 2014, I found myself writing a legal brief at 3:00 a.m. while my family slept. Exhausted, I took a break and one of my favorite historical novels popped into my mind. It was Désirée by Annemarie Selinko. As a teenager, I pulled it off my mother’s shelf and ended up reading the book again and again, fascinated by the story of the French silk merchant’s daughter who was jilted by Napoleon and ultimately became Queen of Sweden. It swept me away. That night, I did some internet searches about Désirée’s family, the Bernadotte dynasty, which still occupies Sweden’s throne. I discovered epic stories of passion and tragic love. While Napoleon’s army marched across the Continent and young Englishwomen danced at lavish Regency balls, a lot was happening in Sweden. And I fell in love with a young Swedish countess named Jacquette. I knew hers was the story I had to tell. I quit law and started to write my novel. But I had a lot to learn. I had never been to Sweden, knew little about its history, and couldn’t speak the language. Now, ten years later, I am taking language classes, have a collection of antique Swedish books (my lovely Swedish antiquarian booksellers can’t understand why I buy so many), and have traveled to Sweden more than a few times. I’ve walked the same halls as my characters, read their letters, translated their heartaches word by word. I did this with the hope that my book will transport readers to a different place and free them from the things crowding their thoughts. I hope they will enjoy BUTTERFLY GAMES and will follow me on my socials, where I recount the never-dull life of a mom, wife, and Shih Tzu muse living on the Connecticut Shoreline and the Low Country of South Carolina. Who is your primary target audience? Women 45+ Readers who love to travel Fans of period dramas Fans of Phillipa Gregory Fans of the Outlander series Readers interested in books set in Scandinavia Anyone who has a deep interest in royalty, including today’s English royal family Book club members. How does your book appeal to this audience? An appealing young heroine who makes all the wrong choices, a hot young prince, and lots of political intrigue. Napoleon has just been sent to St. Helena, and Europe is functioning in a post-autocratic climate. It's got a love triangle and a secret baby, too. Website: https://kellyscarborough.com/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/mskellyo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyscarboroughwrites/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyscarboroughwriter/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kellyscarboroughwrites/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyscarboroughwrites Threads: https://www.threads.com/@kellyscarboroughwrites Substack: https://kellyscarborough.substack.com/ Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0FD8SJG98  Suzanne Roberts, Principal of UnifyingSolutions, is a seasoned coach, author, facilitator, and speaker, with over five decades of experience in guiding organizations and individuals toward transformative change. Since 1979, she has worked with a diverse range of corporations, businesses, and non-profits, specializing in leadership development, cultural competence, and organizational resilience. Suzanne provides training and facilitation in The Great Reconnection™ and Consulting, helping individuals and teams cultivate vibrant, purposeful, and liberated lives and cultures. The Great Reconnection™ Coaching is more than just a coaching method—it’s a transformative pathway designed to help you reclaim YOU and step into your authentic power. Through this process, you’ll align with your deepest self, unshackled from the weight of external pressures and societal expectations. The Great Reconnection™ introduces you to a transformative relationship with rest—one that unlocks access to your inner resources and aliveness. By moving beyond survival-driven reactivity, you cultivate intentionality and choice, restored. Through intentional rest, clients report being able to navigate complex challenges with greater ease. Suzanne, a Master Somatic Coach, is certified in the FEBI Leadership Assessment facilitator, the Decision Wise 360 Assessment practitioner, the Enneagram, and Inclusive and Ethical Leadership certificate from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. Her approach integrates an intersectional lens to promote social equity, cultural diversity, and systemic healing. She works with organizations to humanize across differences, fostering inclusive environments where individuals feel a deep sense of belonging and can contribute fully. Ultimately, Suzanne is driven by a mission to uphold human dignity and the liberated potential of all individuals, creating spaces where people can thrive, contribute, and experience authentic transformation. Her book and documentary, It’s Deeper Than That: Pathway to a Vibrant, Purposeful, Life, will be premiered September 2025. Suzanne has been a student, teacher and dedicated practitioner of Polarity throughout the last 52 years of their life. It’s Deeper Than That suggests there’s more beneath what we see—when did you know the “deeper” in you? I discovered the deeper in me during my darkest hour. As a child being sexually abused by my father, I had a direct experience of holiness, grace, mercy, and unconditional love. That inner reality became more real to me than the external world, which felt fragmented and unsafe. Even then, I knew there was something profoundly true within me that could not be destroyed—and that it was there for me to access through my own agency. You describe this work as a remembering rather than a learning—what do you believe we’ve forgotten about ourselves? I believe we’ve forgotten our direct connection to the life-giving energy that sustains us. In losing contact with that inner source, we lose clarity, inspiration, and access to the wisdom of our soul guidance. We forget that our vitality is renewable, that our radiance is unapologetic, and that our greatest safety, belonging, and value reside within us at all times. Instead, we seek ourselves in the outside world, looking for reflection and validation, rather than turning inward to be informed by the wholeness and holiness already present within. The idea of an inner “birthright” runs through both the book and documentary. How do people begin to reclaim it in everyday life? It begins by acknowledging that we are breathing and alive because of a vital current of energy provided to us by a greater power source. From there, gratitude becomes a doorway. By slowing down and turning attention inward, people can begin to honor the radiant current of life moving at the center of their being. I also invite people to reflect on how experiences of disconnection once served as protection, and to listen for their longing to reconnect. Longing is not a weakness—it is a generative impulse guiding us home to inner power, clarity, and knowing. Website: https://unifyingsolutions.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzanneroberts3550 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-roberts-24273b3/ Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Deeper-Than-That-Suzanne-Roberts/dp/1968668004 |
AuthorJane Ubell-Meyer founded Bedside Reading in 2017. Prior to that she was a TV and Film producer. She has spent the last five years promoting, marketing and talking to authors and others who are experts in the field. Archives
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