Monthly Archives: March 2026

An Interview with Author James C. Wilson

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James C. Wilson is Emeritus Professor of English and Journalism at the University of Cincinnati and a former journalist for two Santa Fe newspapers. He is also the author of more than twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction. His novel Dancing with Dennis Hopper’s Ghost (Sunstone Press, November 2025) is the newest installment in the Fernando Lopez Santa Fe Mystery series set in northern New Mexico. Look for Jim on Facebook, and find his books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In a few sentences, distill the story you tell in Dancing with Dennis Hopper’s Ghost.
Ghost-ridden and on his death bed, a professional assassin by the name of Jack Lacy arrives in Santa Fe and enlists his old Marine buddy Antonio Blake and former Santa Fe Police detective Fernando Lopez to help him obtain a burial site near his friend Dennis Hopper’s grave in Jesus Nazareno Cemetery outside Taos. Blake and Lopez take Lacy up to the haunted Mabel Lodge Luhan House in Taos and arrange for a local curandera to conduct a crossover ceremony so Lacy can join the ghost of Dennis Hopper. After the ceremony Lacy’s body disappears, snatched by a couple of local hoodlums who try to ransom the body. Blake and Lopez have to use all their wits—and brawn—to retrieve Lacy’s body and give it a proper send-off at Jesus Nazareno Cemetery. But under the mystery plot, the ghosts and the crossover ceremonies, the book is really a simple story of human mortality and end-of-life issues.

How did the book come together?
Dennis Hopper’s Taos years coincided with my Santa Fe years. Indeed, I spent a couple of afternoons at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House when he owned it, though I don’t remember seeing him there. Typical of his/my generation, Dennis was as wild as a tornado and often as destructive, but he found something in Taos that meant a great deal to him. Sure, he occasionally ran afoul of the Taoseños because of his behavior, but many years later that something brought him back to Taos to be buried in the humble Jesus Nazareno Cemetery. Likewise, that something brought me back to New Mexico after thirty years of teaching at the University of Cincinnati.

Santa Fe in the 1970s was where I became who I am. It’s where I discovered what I valued and what I wanted to do with my life. Because of this I owe Santa Fe a great debt and it’s why I consider myself a Santa Fe writer. All the characters in my Fernando Lopez Santa Fe Mysteries are based on people I knew there in the 1970s. I consider my mysteries love letters to Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.

Dancing with Dennis Hopper’s Ghost took about six months total to come together, for first draft, a content edit, and a copy edit.

Tell us about your main characters and why they will intrigue readers. Did your characters surprise you as you wrote their newest story?
To me, characters are the most important element in any story, mine included. I subscribe to the classical theory that character IS plot. In addition, I believe that characters need to be both vivid and engrossing. I can’t read (or watch) any fiction (or movie) where the characters aren’t vivid and engrossing. The characters in my 15-volume Santa Fe Mystery Series are all based on people I knew in Santa Fe during the wild and wicked 1970s. All were larger than life. Fernando, Ruby, Blaine and my other characters come out of that era and are very dear to me, like family really. And the thing is, I know them so well that once I get started and set the mystery in motion in my first chapter, I can turn the plot over to the characters and let them carry the story. As we say about people, my characters will do what they will do. Sometimes I have no control over them. However, in editing, if I decide that a character took a wrong turn or didn’t act in character, I will rewrite. In some of the mysteries I have no idea who did the ugly deed until the very end. I like it that way because it’s more fun to keep writing if you don’t know how it will end.

Why is New Mexico the perfect setting for the book (and the series)?
It’s an ancient haunted landscape overlaid with Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures—perfect for a mystery series.

Is there a scene in your book that you’d love to see play out in a movie?
I find the last scene, set at Jesus Nazareno Cemetery in Ranchos de Taos, very moving. That would be interesting to film.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Revisiting my 1970s years, which included Dennis Hopper and the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos.

Of all your novels, which one was the most challenging to write?
The first, Peyote Wolf, was the most difficult, because I was working with a New York agent who kept telling me to add more violence and sex (I kid you not). He wanted violence on every page and non-stop action, which wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was much more interested in the culture surrounding the characters. Anyway, that’s why Peyote Wolf is different from the mysteries that followed. I said goodby to my agent and wrote what I wanted to write!

What are the key issues in writing a series to keep readers coming back for more?
Vivid, engrossing characters and great opening chapters to draw the readers in.

Who are your favorite authors?
Well, my favorite authors are the classic modernists: Faulkner, Joyce, and old Hemingway (whose advice to writers is still invaluable). My favorite mystery writer is Raymond Chandler, and his The Long Goodbye is one of my favorite novels.

What writing projects are you working on now?
My next mystery in the series is more political. In fact it could be called a political novel: Fire and ICE at World’s End, which involves Fernando’s response to ICE terrorizing Santa Fe.

KLWagoner150_2KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.



An Interview with Author Mike Kimmel

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Mike Kimmel is a film, television, stage, and commercial actor and acting coach. He is also a screenwriter and playwright, as well as the author of over a dozen books across two series focused on the performing arts. His December 2025 release, 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood: The Working Actor’s Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls and Supercharging Your Career (The Professional Actor Series, Ben Rose Creative Arts), is a “guide that prepares you for rejection, equips you with perspective, and reminds you to keep your integrity intact.” Look for Mike on MikeKimmelAuthor.com, on IMDb.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube. His books are available through his Amazon author page and other major bookstores.

Give us your elevator pitch for 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood.
Show business is not for the faint of heart—and even the best actors will hear “No” more often than “Yes” throughout their careers. Most actors don’t know what they’re up against until it’s too late. Even those with great talent and potential don’t truly understand how difficult this industry is when they’re first getting started. I wanted to create a book to help actors answer all the questions they didn’t know they needed to ask. You can’t win a fight you don’t know you’re in.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
I wanted to find ways to encourage actors on their creative path, and help them find specific strategies to succeed. I didn’t want to sugarcoat the industry or gloss over all the difficulties actors will encounter—particularly when they touch down in Los Angeles, the largest and most competitive market in the entertainment industry. In spite of the difficulties, though, people book acting jobs every day. New stars are discovered every year. I believe there’s always something actors can do to move their careers forward. I wanted very much to instill a sense of optimism and hope into this book despite the harsh realities of the industry I was revealing.

My challenge was to present the real-life truths of the industry and offer practical suggestions to help actors stay in the business, enjoy long careers and thrive—and without losing themselves or compromising their integrity in the process. The only way to fail in show business is to quit, and I believe most actors give up much too soon.

What hole does the book fill in the performing arts market? Who else besides the acting community might enjoy reading the book?
This book is intended to fill in the gaps between what you’ll learn in acting class and what you’ll need to know to land substantive speaking roles out in the real world. This book is practical. It contains advice, strategy, and guidelines to help actors avoid the common traps and pitfalls that have sabotaged careers since the early days of silent film. There are also many suggestions for building your credits and careers while protecting your heart, your soul, and your sanity in Hollywood. I’ve always said that not everyone can be a star, but everyone can learn the rules that govern our industry, hone their craft, build their credits and enjoy a fabulous long-term career in film, television, theater, commercials, hosting, voice-over, and print.

The strategies and mindset shifts suggested in 50 Secrets will also be helpful to artists in any other medium, and to anyone pursuing work in a creative field.

Tell us how 50 Secrets came together.
I’ve been working on this book for ten years on and off. I published other books in the performing arts during that time, but kept working away at this one in between all of the others. I wanted to create a book of lasting value that will help actors navigate one of the most competitive industries on the planet. Because the entertainment industry is so competitive, there are many secrets and bits of advice people will be reluctant to share with aspiring actors. Being unaware of the unspoken show business rules, unfortunately, can still negatively impact a performer’s career.

I also wanted to make the book as accessible and relatable as possible. I’ve found that people learn best through stories and anecdotes. Therefore, I sprinkled many real life Hollywood stories throughout the book. These are stories of wonderful successes and embarrassing failures from my personal experiences and those of trusted friends and colleagues. It’s extremely important to have a solid support system in Hollywood—and to learn from those who have traveled this path before us. There’s simply not enough time, money, and Kleenex to figure it all out on your own.

Do you have a favorite quote or secret from the book that you’d like to share?
Yes. I arrived in Hollywood with ten years of solid experience as a New York actor. I had strong credits, training, and audition skills. However, I still found there was a great deal to learn that was specific to the Hollywood market.

In Hollywood, things work very differently from New York, where I grew up and began my acting career. In New York, you always know where you stand with agents and casting directors. Believe me, if a fellow New Yorker doesn’t like you, you will know it. Subtlety is not our strong point. In Hollywood, industry professionals will tell you “No,” but seldom to your face. Hollywood runs on fear and uncertainty. Who will be the next big star? Who will sign the next big deal? Who will be the next TV series regular? It could be you. New stars are discovered—and created—every year. Many Hollywood insiders will be reluctant to tell an actor “No” today because they may want to piggyback off the success someone else helps that actor achieve tomorrow. For this reason, many newcomers express a vague feeling of being “strung along” and “never knowing where they stand.” As you can imagine, this only fuels the overall sensation of fear, uncertainty, and hyper-competitiveness running rampant throughout the city.

I also had the experience of being hired—and then “un-hired” right before filming began by someone I thought was a very close friend. That’s not unusual either—even among our biggest stars. Lauren Bacall said it best: “I’ll miss Hollywood. Of the twenty friends I thought I had, I’ll miss the six I really had.”

Was there anything surprising you discovered while doing research?
Yes, I’ve been putting ideas together for this book for a very long time. I’ve been a working actor for more than thirty years. I try to keep in touch with actors I’ve worked with and respect. I keep a file in a desk drawer of cast lists and contact sheets from productions I’ve worked on through the years. From time to time, I go through them and pick up the phone to reconnect with actors I worked with on those long-ago projects. I’m always surprised, and more than a little disappointed, at how many old friends and colleagues have quit the business. The reason is usually the same. My former cast-mates would tell me that they always considered themselves very good at handling the inevitable rejection. And then one day, they received particularly harsh criticism from someone whose opinion they respected—someone considered an industry expert. I believe these actors quit much too soon. Their stories prompted me to write a chapter in 50 Secrets titled “The Experts Aren’t Always Right.”

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I’ve known that I wanted to be an actor and writer since I was five years old. When I finally started acting in my twenties, I promised myself that if I were someday able to break into the business and build a career, then I would do everything I could to teach everything I’ve learned to others. We don’t gain much in life from holding back.

50 Secrets is the fulfillment of the early promise I made to myself. As I grow older, I realize that the things I regret most in life are the promises I failed to keep to myself or others. I’m glad this is one of the promises I’ve kept.

What prompted you to switch gears from releasing books in The Young Actor Series to focusing on The Professional Actor series?
I like to work on three books at a time. Whenever I get stuck on one title, I switch gears and move on to another. This process has worked well for me since 2014, when I published my first book, Scenes for Teens. I tend to switch back and forth, but in recent years I’ve focused on the books in The Professional Actor Series, the books for adult actors. I have another adult book coming out next, but after that I’m planning to do a new book of two-character scenes for our youngest actors—children from age six to twelve.

Of all the books you’ve written, which one was the most challenging?
50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood has definitely been the most challenging. I wanted to create a book that would be equally valuable for newcomers and veteran actors alike. I wanted this book to be accessible enough for newcomers while still providing enough solid content to give actors with many years of experience their own “Aha” moments.

GiGi Erneta, the actor who wrote the wonderful foreword, is a lifelong friend and trusted colleague, so I also wanted to make sure 50 Secrets would be a book she’d be proud of contributing to for many years to come. That was very important to me.

If the stars aligned, what past or present television or movie series would you love to be involved with (in any capacity)?
If I could jump back in a time machine, I would love to play a supporting role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. I believe that was the best TV sitcom of all time. Yes, including I Love Lucy and Seinfeld. What I really liked about that show was that most episodes contained a life lesson or optimistic spin woven throughout the scripts. I try to do the same thing with my books. Pete Seegar, the old-time folk singer, said that we have to look for the optimistic stories in life and bring them out into the world.

Interestingly too, The Dick Van Dyke Show started out as a flop. Carl Reiner wrote a pilot called Head of the Family for CBS. The network didn’t want it, and nobody else in Hollywood would touch it. Carl Reiner spent a year reworking that script and turned it into The Dick Van Dyke Show. There’s a lesson there for all of us.

I was always a big fan of the Indiana Jones franchise too. I was fortunate enough to meet Karen Allen, who played Marian Ravenswood in the films, several times. We have a great deal in common and hit it off really well. It seems like they’re always coming out with a new Indiana Jones movie, so I’m maintaining a good attitude and keeping hope alive for the future. Maybe someday I’ll get to crack that whip.

KLWagoner150_2KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.



An Interview with Author Wanda W. Jerome

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Award-winning poet and nonfiction author Wanda W. Jerome has been channeling spiritual messages in fixed and free poetry and prose since 2022. Her newest memoir in verse, After the Journey: Returning the Heart to Home (The Journey Book Series 2, September 2025), bids readers to “experience her heartful transition back from a spiritual journey to her home place.” Look for Wanda on her website Awakeful.life and on Youtube at @MagicalMorningMoments and @Awakeful. Her books are available on her Amazon author page.

Why did you write After the Journey, and what do you hope readers will take away from it?
After the Journey is the second memoir in verse of my Journey Book Series. I wrote this book to share with readers the continuation and final portion of my spiritual awakening journey. Coming back down to Earth after such a profound experience was more difficult than I’d imagined.

The beauty of our natural environment here in New Mexico provides the foundation for my experience across the series. The desert with its flora and fauna influence my soul’s expression in both poetry and prose. I hope readers will resonate with the natural world I call home. In this book, I eventually settle into manifesting my soul’s purpose for the remainder of my lifetime. I desire to leave readers with a strong sense of hope and faith in their capacity to choose a bountiful, beautiful lifetime while they’re here, and through my writing, I want to help readers build that capacity.

How is the book structured?
The book begins with my return to homeplace — to a normal life. The second section revisits the darkness and confusion associated with living partly in Heaven on Earth and partly in the darkness, struggling to cope with the chaos and destruction in our world. The third section brings me full circle — finding the light in the darkness, learning both are important and necessary for a fulfilling human life on Earth.

Is there one poem from the book that gets to the heart of the whole?
Yes. Here is a poem and piece of prose that touch the entire vision for the series:

WATER ON STONES (Haibun)

Moist desert air from last night’s storms floats,
hovers over steep mountain pathways. I see
distant highways to heavenly places, tucked
behind mists cascading into deepest green.

In their midst, I feel drops of liquid gold effervesce;
leave tiny sand patterns of water on stones. Ah, ah,
breathe deep. Take your deepest yet. Fill hungry
lungs with the rarest of these morning breezes.

Hear the birds sing for their pure joy. For your joy!
Revel in this moment. Before it disappears, escapes,
evaporates – back to where it started from, where it
was born – high in your desert mountains.

What a scene! Quick! Feel your each and every
sensation! Savor the tender nature of your life, your
tendermost dream – so timely, temporary, temporally.
Like water on desert stones.

let this place, this peace
rest in your happy heartspace
and never forget

 

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

I never knew, until it was time for me to know, the perfect
nature of God’s love.

I’d heard people talk about an all-knowing, all-forgiving,
all-encompassing love for years but had no vision of what
it was or what it could possibly truly feel like. Until it did.

Well, it shimmers.
It envelops your soul in shivers of joy and happiness.
You aren’t hungry or thirsty.
You have no needs.
You are totally perfect.
You are in bliss.

And, no – this isn’t alcohol. This isn’t mind-altering drugs.
This is real – Reality with a capital R.

So, how can a person live and walk in this work-a-day
world and know these feelings, think these thoughts, and
behave accordingly?

Try as I might, mere mortal words fail me here, but in a
sincere attempt to convey what it feels like to know God’s
love personally and deeply, I’ll try.

I’ve learned in my seventy plus years of living that
forgiveness is the only way to go home. Forgiveness
removes the veil that separates us from each other.

And, when we forgive ourselves, love touches our souls
and lets itself in. After that, it grows and grows.

I believe this is our work, our service to humanity:

… to forgive the unforgivable,
… to love the unlovable,
… to embrace the unembraceable,
… to hold the unholdable,
… to see the unseeable,
… to know the unknowable, and then,
… to let it all go.

So, let God move through you, give through you to heal
humanity as part of the Divine’s plan. It’s not that hard to
understand once you know.

That’s why I thought I’d help lift the veil for you a little, so
you could take a peek at what’s in store. All you’ve got to
do – is to want to – more than anything else in the whole wide
world. And there’s nothing more than that to where it’s at.

How many poems did you write specifically for After the Journey and how many were already written?
My journey from retirement through Covid-19 and sobriety has enabled my writings to flourish. Most of these poems were written after the first book, Journey Beyond the Veil, was published in 2024, though a few were kept out of the first book to keep the length in check. As my poems and prose are almost always channeled messages I receive during morning meditation, they kept coming as I was completing the first book’s publication. So six months after the first book was for sale online, I started compiling this second book, which was published in 2025. There are over 200 poems and prose pieces in this book.

Tell us how the book came together.
September 2025 was publication month for After the Journey. It took ten months to finish the content, organize, edit, design, and publish the book. My dear friend Jasmine Tritten once again gave me permission to use her image of the hand-painted mask for the cover, and my husband Ric Speed digitized various colorful masks based on that image for artwork throughout the book. Importantly, this book required more time for detailed formatting due to my increased use of visual poetry. I discovered that certain software I’d come to depend upon with my earlier books did not accommodate such formatting. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the result — eventually.

Did you ever worry you were revealing too much about yourself through your writing?
This is an interesting and important question. I did reveal quite a lot to help my readers see where I came from and where I ended up. Fortunately, I am not afraid or embarrassed about anything I have done in this lifetime, though I know there were many times I could have been a more loving person (including of myself) along the way. As a recovering, grateful alcoholic, I am used to sharing deeply personal information in my A.A. meeting groups with other women, and so I understood that I needed my readers to know who was sharing her story. Growing up and being alone a lot, plus traveling abroad during my adulthood as a flight attendant and singer-songwriter/musician on the road, made for quite the ride.

What was the most rewarding aspect of completing this project?
My soul’s purpose is to share these channeled poems and prose pieces in order to help others see that Heaven can be here on Earth if they choose. This is a hard place, this Earth School, and to learn that love is why we are here, what we are a part of, and to whom we will be returning — to share this with others is my mission. This is the most rewarding aspect of my work on the Journey Series project.

When you began the first book in the series, Journey Beyond the Veil: Awakening the Heart to Love, did you plan on writing After the Journey: Returning the Heart to Home?
Not at first. But it became clear that the messages were continuing, life was getting more challenging, and the poems and prose would want another book.

Looking back to the beginning of your writing/publishing career, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
I wish I’d understood that by self-publishing my work, I can submit few, if any, poems I’ve already published to traditional publishers, literary journals, and contests. This was news to me, and I imagine it may be news to other emerging author-publishers. Recently, I purchased a major literary magazine known for its multitude of contests and writing retreats and was shocked that the opportunities listed for submissions included the words “accepting unpublished work only.” In addition, many require fees for submission, though the fees are minimal.

The good news is it does seem that opportunities for small independent presses are expanding and this is extremely hopeful for emerging writers. Also, a number of organizations offer awards contests, recognition and reviews for independent publishers and author-publishers. More every day are reaching out to those of us who self-publish. After the Journey has received recognition recently from Literary Global and some lovely reviews from Reader Views. One caveat is that these organizations often require substantial fees along with submissions. From my experience, it’s best to be selective in your choosing. Do research before submitting your work, and consider these efforts as part of the marketing strategy for your work.

Do you remember what inspired you to write your first poem?
My first real poem was about the view I could see out the airplane windows at night when all the passengers were asleep. Back in the 1970s, there were usually empty seats in first class, and I could snuggle up by the windows and see the lights sparkle across a beautiful world. No fences, no state lines — just our beautiful planet. As a 19-year-old flight attendant for an international airline, I discovered many people, places, and things to write poems about. That’s when my writing really took off!

What do you consider the most essential elements of a well-written memoir? A well-written poem?
For me, I think the essential element of memoir and poetry is to speak from your heart directly to the heart of your reader. To share enough of yourself that your reader finds a commonality to attach onto with their own heart and mind. Let them find themselves in your words.

How important is accessibility of meaning? Should a reader have to work to understand a poem?
Great question! I’m not sure about most readers, but I am basically bored if I can’t find anything to relate to in a poem. Some poetry seems like the rambling of a mind to whom I cannot relate. So, I guess, yes — for me to enjoy a poem (whether haiku, tanka, fixed or free), I must find something to which I can relate. If I learn something about myself in the process, I am fulfilled.

Is there something that always inspires you or triggers your creativity?
Our nature in New Mexico. Our delicious sunrises. Majestic mountains. Owls, geese, cranes, hawks, crows and ravens, songbirds, quail, roadrunners, cottontail bunnies, coyotes, dragonflies, bees, butterflies — our spring winds, dry summer heat, golden fall colors, blustery winter snows. We live in this most beautiful place. Let’s share it as often as we can with others who for whatever reasons don’t or can’t live here.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I have a large library of poetry waiting for a three-book series (smaller books in scope, possibly 100 poems each) all about hope. Faith in ourselves, in others and the future figure prominently, too. The title I’m considering is something like “Hope for a Hopeless World” — but I would rather not self-publish this time. My goal is to find a great New Mexico INDIE publisher who wants to work with me to get these books out to readers who need the messages they share.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I believe poetry does not have to be stuffy, rigid, or scary. Poetry can be enticing, practical, expansive, purposeful, and meaningful in many different forms, including its formlessness. I am especially excited about visual poetry — using the white space on the page to inform how words are read and which ones to which the reader’s eyes are drawn. The year 2026 is a wonderful time for poets! So many rules and requirements are flexing. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for poetry.

To me, poetry is the language of the heart. My sense is we need more of that these days.

KLWagoner150_2KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.



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