I'm thrilled to welcome New York Times best-selling author and the writer inspiration for not one but two TV series C. J. BOX to my author nook. I met him at the PrimeCrime Writers Conference in Indianapolis in October of 2022 and was immediately taken by his gracious personality and his willingness to engage with the assembly of writers. Plus, I love a great western tale, and C.J. has crafted over thirty novels, which include the Joe Pickett and the Hoyt/Dewell series as well as [...]
I live in a small town outside of Dayton, Ohio, a city known for the Wright Brothers, a slew of VIP patents for things like cash registers and cars, and a fair amount of sensational murders. Enter Doyle Burke, a local resident who became a Dayton Police Officer in 1978, rose to the rank of Homicide Detective and remained on the job for 22 years. When Burke retired from Dayton P.D., he took a job as Chief Investigator for the Warren County Coroner where he [...]
Does the romance genre have room for male writers? Definitely, and this month's author -- Jordan Riley Swan -- is proof of that. Swan is the alter ego of Bernie Miller, a self-proclaimed 'wild word hunter' who also writes with a crew to produce romance novels as well as epic fantasy tomes. In addition to running successful business concerns and writing, Swan has served as president of the Central Ohio Fiction Writers organization. His interview provides a delightful glimpse into his world that includes dropping [...]
Joining the Central Ohio Fiction Writers group has been a positive experience for me, a chance to meet and bond with other authors, learn from the monthly presentations, and expand my list of books to read. I also had the privilege of working on the COFW Ignite the Flame Contest with the lovely Marisa Dillon, whose marketing expertise coupled with her writing provided a new direction for my own work. Dillon's novels are historical romance fiction set in Scotland. Her interest in writing about faraway [...]
Fall is definitely in the air around our neighborhood and so is the excitement surrounding this month's author, Carlos K. Marshall, whose debut achievement - God's Mighty Men The Christian Man's Guide to Love, Leadership and Life, is aimed at providing young Black men in our society with the support and foundation they need to achieve success in their personal and working lives. Janet Irvin: Welcome, Carlos. Let's start with getting to know you better. Can you share with us some of your early [...]
This author of the month feature is among the most fun activities I do in my writing life. Every interview yields new information about the writing life and expands my horizons to include writers of every genre. This month is no exception. I'm so pleased to welcome September's authors, sisters Mary Newman and Constance Kirker, who have written books about food and the cultural history behind its use. These amazing food gurus have serious academic credentials, a passion for travel and adventure, and a deep [...]
August 2022...We might be in the dog days of summer, but I'm so excited to feature my first celebrity chef and author, Keith D. Jones, as the subject of this month's author interview. I admit to being a 'food snob,' not in the sense that I have to have gourmet meals, no, but in the vein of healthy, fresh ingredients prepared with love and care and a touch of the creative. That's exactly what Keith brings to his table -- a dedication to eating healthy [...]
July is sizzling and so is A FEIGNED MADNESS, the historical fiction debut novel of this month's featured author Tonya Mitchell. The novel tells the story of undercover reporter Nellie Bly’s ten harrowing days inside a women’s insane asylum in 1887. Mitchell has a degree in journalism from Indiana University. Her short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Copperfield Review and Glimmer and Other Stories. Our author confesses to being an Anglophile with a particular fascination for all things Victorian. She [...]
Welcome, June, and welcome to crime writer, Shamus award-winning author, and fellow Ohio University grad (Go, Bobcats!) Trace Conger, whose novels explore murder in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres. I've had the opportunity to share space with Trace at Mulberry Street Books in Lebanon, Ohio, and pick his brain a little about the writing process and this writing adventure we share. He is the author of the Conner Harding and Mr. Finn series Janet Irvin: Trace, let's talk about choosing this writing path. [...]
Every once in a while a novel comes along that stirs your heart. Melissa Hunter's debut novel What She Lost is that kind of story. Based on the real-life story of her grandmother, the novel follows the efforts of a young woman to survive the Holocaust during WWII. Melissa is a Cincinnati, Ohio, girl who studied creative writing and journalism at UC, where she received a BA in English literature and a minor in Judaic Studies. She has been a blogger and contributed articles to [...]