Monthly Archives: July 2026

An Interview with Author Samantha Corfield

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Samantha Corfield is a writer, teacher, and spiritual counselor who has spent decades helping people explore the mysteries of life and the beyond. Her 2026 release, Create Your Own Afterlife: Take Control of Life After Death (Llewellyn Publications), “features exercises to release religious guilt, define your spiritual truth, and create a detailed afterlife blueprint.” Look for Sam on her website CreateYourOwnAfterlife.com, on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Substack, and her Amazon author store.

Who did you write Create Your Own Afterlife for?
When I started writing the book two years ago, I wasn’t exactly sure who my audience might be. As the book progressed, it became clear to me this book could be for anyone and everyone. It is written from the point of view that no matter what religious and spiritual beliefs a person has can be worked within this book. It is written with no dogma and no rules about its usage.

The main premise is to live better when you have secured your own plan for the afterlife. I want the reader to believe they have agency and freewill over what happens to them next. That is for everyone.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
There are several things I hope readers will take away from this book: Releasing a fear of death. For some, the fear of death is crippling and affecting their everyday lives. When a person is in the grip of overwhelming fear, this is a condition called thanatophobia. Since the book has been published, I have had several readers reach out to me who suffer from this condition. They have found some relief to complete relief from the book! Of course, most of us have some fear of death. That is part of self-preservation so we don’t just step out in front of a bus.

For others, this book aims to help those who are grieving. When I was in the last edit of this book, my 21-year-old grandson died. I was painfully aware my own book could be the biggest help I could find. It was time to put my money where my mouth was. When you lose a loved one, all hope of a future is taken away. We can only mourn over the past, and risk getting stuck there. However, using the techniques in the book, the reader can start to see hope for a future again. I have planned many things now that Preston and I will do in the afterlife — not only all the things we had planned, but new plans. Did this absolve me of all grief? No. But having the feeling of hope in my heart again has been profound.

For disenfranchised and marginalized groups, my hope is taking control of what happens in the next life helps them maintain autonomy and control in this life.

Recognizing you are a free spirit and can manifest into whatever you want is the belief I hope readers will take away from this book. The book is all about the reader and what the reader desires. My aim is to help them with a blueprint on how to do just that.

What challenges did this work pose for you?
Many outside challenges presented themselves while writing the book. The book itself was a joy to write. I feel so strongly about the message the words came easily. However, some of the joy was stunted by traumatic events like losing my grandson.

How did the book come together?
This book was born out of the tragedy of losing a dear friend. Before her death, we talked about how she could create her own afterlife. I asked her to write down all the things she could visualize about her eternity. It brought us such peace in her final days. I felt like that peace and reassurance was for everyone and Create Your Own Afterlife, Take Control of Life After Death manifested itself.

I was working with Llewellyn Worldwide on a different project and I mentioned this body of work I was also working on. My editor wanted to take a look and miraculously I was offered a contract. Having worked on other projects, I know how lucky this break was. It certainly isn’t the story for very many writers. I never take it for granted.

What makes the book unique in its genre?
After an exhaustive search, the publisher found no other book like it. It is unique in its workbook/blueprint approach to planning your afterlife. We have exercises, meditations, affirmations, all designed to help the reader in embracing their power over their own life and afterlife.

The book does not set out to prove to the reader there is an afterlife. Many books are already written about that. In fact, the book doesn’t try to prove anything — the reader is free to interpret and use the book as it works best for them.

Do you have a favorite quote from Create Your Own Afterlife you’d like to share?
One of my favorite quotes from the book comes not from me, but from the opening epigraph of the first chapter. The opening lines of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death:”

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

The whole poem speaks to how we face death alone and it is inevitable for each of us. How we plan and what we want to happen in the afterlife is, in my opinion, something you can shape for yourself.

Was there anything surprising you discovered while doing research?
In researching different religious and spiritual beliefs, there were so many rituals and beliefs from around the world. I wanted to include as many different belief systems as I could for the readers’ benefit. I wanted them to know that no matter what they chose, it was okay to be different. Verifying burial rituals and afterlife beliefs that have gone hand-in-hand for thousands of years wasn’t as surprising as it was fulfilling. Even though my degree is in Theology and World Religion, honing in on the death aspects of the belief systems was incredibly fascinating.

From the Chinese Terracotta Army, to the Egyptian’s meticulous burial rites, to the Taraja people of Indonesia who keep their dead loved one in their home, sometimes for years until they can afford a burial — burial rites and belief in the afterlife is as varied as humanity itself.

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting the project together?
At the risk of sounding like a beauty pageant contestant, I want to help people. I always have. Having people contact me and tell me how this book has helped them is the reward of the project. Hearing people talk about how this book has given them hope again, has helped them alleviate their fear of death enough so they can go to the grocery store again. Having a grieving mother tell me this book is the only thing that helped her recognize a future with her lost child — these are the rewards of this book. Knowing my book has improved the life of people who truly needed it, that’s the gold.

What do you want to be known for as an author?
I would like to be known as being there for my readers. Doing podcasts, having people reach out with questions, being accessible to readers, these are the important things. I want people to feel my compassion and caring for them. The idea of creating one’s afterlife in such a way it helps this living life, I want to be known as the person who was there to help them get there.

Tell us about the writing projects you are working on now.
I am excited to be working on a book about my grandmother’s wisdom — her remedies, her wisdom, and her magickal spells from the mountains of Tennessee.

Additionally, I am researching the subject of alien healing. This is new to me, but there are many people who believe their alien encounters have cured them of diseases. Right now, I am looking into the approach of Hz tonal music as one of the aspects. I am hoping to interview some of the people who are making this claim. It’s New Mexico so it feels so right to take a walk along the alien path.

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 volunteered 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.



Author Update 2026: Lynne Sturtevant

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Award-winning author Lynne Sturtevant writes how-to nonfiction books as well as engaging contemporary fantasy set in the hollers of Appalachia. Her 2025 release, The Witch Jar (The Off-Kilter Chronicles Book 3, April 2025), “draws readers into the weird and wonderful world of backwoods West Virginia” where home health aide Ginger confronts a “legendary curse” that “jeopardizes [her] elderly clients and threatens to expose secrets as old as the mountains themselves.” Look for Lynne on her website LynneSturtevant.com, on Facebook, and her Amazon author store. Learn more about Lynne’s work in her 2020, 2021, and 2023 interviews for SouthWest Writers.

What is at the heart of the story you tell in The Witch Jar?
The traditional folkways of Appalachia are fading fast, but there is still magic afoot in the isolated hollers. Do cultural heritage, old wisdom, and long-guarded secrets have a place in today’s ultra-connected world, or are they just meaningless artifacts of the past?

Snarky, mature Ginger and octogenarian Birdy return in this next installment of The Off-Kilter Chronicles. What do your characters have to overcome in the story? What makes the pair such an enjoyable set of characters to follow?
The story opens with a wealthy woman buying the holler where Ginger is working as a home health aide. When the buyer announces her plans to evict the elderly residents and transform the holler into an upscale resort, long-dormant supernatural activity begins bubbling up. Ginger turns to her friend Birdy, a woman with Appalachian magic coursing through her veins. Can they help Ginger’s clients save their homes? Could the key to the holler’s survival lie in the ancient secrets of the mountains?

Ginger and Birdie are fun to follow because of their interplay. Ginger is middle-aged and jaded. She’s struggling with a dead-end job, financial issues, and an alcohol problem. Plus, she’s sick of supernatural entities intruding into her life. Birdy is a feisty, independent, no-nonsense woman with a spotless ranch-style house and an outbuilding where she whips up charms and potions and communicates with her dead ancestors.

Why is Black Hand Holler, West Virginia the perfect place for your story to play out?
Black Hand Holler is the perfect place because I designed it that way. That sounds smart-alecky, but it’s true. I took bits and pieces of actual places and built an imaginary holler around them. As the story developed, I modified, added or subtracted elements until the holler was exactly the way the plot needed it to be.

What challenges have you faced in writing the series?
My key challenge has been making sure each book fits into the series but also stands on its own. Because each title has recurring characters, similar settings, supernatural aspects, and elements of folk magic, there’s also a risk of the stories becoming formulaic.

Tell us how the book came together.
Several years ago, I read an article about a woman buying a small town in upstate New York. I knew I’d write about that someday. It just took me longer than I expected to get there. Thanks to several false starts, the entire project took almost 3 years.

The Witch Jar is such an evocative title. What was the process like in choosing it?
People in Medieval Europe used to fill bottles with magical ingredients to protect their homes from witchcraft. These charms were called witch bottles. An updated Appalachian version plays a key role in the story. To make it feel more authentic, I swapped the traditional bottle for a mason jar, like those used in home canning. I knew it would make a fantastic cover.

What did you enjoy most about working on this project?
Every time I sat down to write, I escaped to a different world. I can see the Sandia Mountains from my writing desk. I loved gazing at their arid brownness while I was spinning a story set in the green, mossy dampness of a West Virginia holler.

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 volunteered 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.



Author Update 2026: E. Joe Brown

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E. Joe Brown is an award-winning author of memoir and historical fiction. His third book in The Kelly Can Saga, A Cowboy’s Dilemma (Artemesia Publishing, August 2025), blends “historical fiction, western adventure, and family drama into a fast-moving story that keeps readers invested from beginning to end.” Look for Joe on his website EJoeBrown.com and Happy Trails blog, as well as on Facebook and his Amazon author store. Read more about Joe’s work in his 2022 and 2024 interviews for SouthWest Writers.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in A Cowboy’s Dilemma?
That Charlie and Susan are resilient and fighters not letting life’s challenges deter them from their dreams.

Are the themes you explore in the book important to you on a personal level?
Similar to what I stated in my answer to question one. I have my protagonist face the challenges of the 1920s and overcome them. I have lived my life meeting challenges head-on, and so that’s what I write about.

What do you like/respect most about your main characters, Charlie and Susan? They endured quite a bit in the first two books — what do they have to overcome in this story?
Charlie has always followed the Cowboy Creed. Your words are your bond, your handshake is your contract, and you’ve got your buddies back. Susan easily adopts that as well. In book three, the Chicago Mafia, as they expand across America, become an adversary.

What historical events do you cover in the book?
Growth of ranching, Prohibition, the oil boom in Oklahoma, Texas, and California and the expansion of crime driven by the Mafia.

Tell us how the book came together.
This is a continuation of the Kelly Can Saga, and therefore, the research started several years ago. A Cowboy’s Destiny was published in August of 2022, A Cowboy’s Fortune in 2024, and now A Cowboy’s Dilemma. As the story expands, research, editing, cover design, and all continue, following the overarching storyline and theme.

Were you surprised by any aspect of the project as it unfolded or did it meet your expectations?
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful response I’ve had from my readers. I have been told on several separate occasions that, in light of the popularity of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, Dutton Ranch, and the others, along with Jodi Thomas’s success with Ransom Canyon, my story would make a good screenplay.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
It’s actually two-fold. The research has been fun (I love history), and the way the story unfolds. Somehow, it just flows from me when I sit down and start.

At what point did you realize the Kelly Can Saga storyline and/or its characters were strong enough to carry a series?
I wasn’t thinking about it at any time. A lot of the story came to me during COVID. I wrote 400,000 words while we were locked down. It was my publisher’s enthusiasm that made me think we might have something. Book four, A Cowboy’s Venture, is at my publisher now. We expect to launch it in January 2027. I’ve already been asked for a book five.

You began writing fiction later in life. What did your mature self bring to the writing table that your younger self never could have?
I can only speculate, but I think I’ll be able to mature my protagonist and supporting characters over time with a much better perspective.

What do you want to be known for as an author?
He’s a mighty fine storyteller.

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 volunteered 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.



Author Update 2026: Donna Pedace

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Prior to starting a career as a nonfiction author, Donna Pedace worked in program management for the first operational Trident Submarine as well as the Phalanx Weapon System project before moving into managing national education and arts organizations in the nonprofit sector. Now her projects focus on writing about women who step beyond traditional roles to make a mark in history. Her 2026 release, The Fastest Woman in the World: Jackie Cochran, spotlights the first woman to break the sound barrier and who holds “more speed, distance, and altitude records than any other flyer — man or woman — of her era.” You’ll find Donna on her SWW author page, on Facebook, and her Amazon Author Store. Read more about Donna’s writing in her 2025 interview for SouthWest Writers.

When readers turn the last page of The Fastest Woman in the World: Jackie Cochran, what do you hope they will take away from it?
I hope readers will be inspired by how Jackie’s relentless drive, determination, and willingness to defy expectations enabled her to raise the bar — and shatter it — time and again throughout her remarkable life.

Tell us about the journey from inspiration to completed book.
Jackie’s story was originally intended to be just one chapter in another book I am writing about the pioneering women of American aviation. However, the more I researched her extraordinary life, the more convinced I became that she deserved a book of her own — and current recognition she so richly deserves.

What was the most challenging aspect of putting this project together?
The greatest challenge in writing about Jackie was deciding how to weave her countless achievements — as an aviator, entrepreneur, military leader, and record-breaker — into a single, coherent story.

Share a few of the more surprising/interesting facts you discovered while doing research.
Jackie attended only two years of formal schooling, yet she possessed an extraordinary ability to educate herself. She navigated the business world with remarkable skill, mastered the complexities of dozens, if not hundreds, of different aircraft, and moved comfortably among people of every background, from aircraft mechanics and engineers to generals, U.S. presidents, and international leaders.

Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share from the book?
“I possess a rather simple-minded approach to religion. The universe is so ordered and so divinely planned that there must be something more. It’s that simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

“I’m satisfied that if my body goes back to nourish and create flowers, then I’m part of an infinite, divine plan. It’s only human to believe in an afterlife where your personality is important and you’ll continue to do and love the same pleasures you pursue and love here on earth.”

What did you learn in writing/publishing the book that you can apply to future projects?
I make every effort to verify the information I uncover, checking, double-checking, and even triple-checking my sources whenever possible. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of inaccurate information in circulation, and some authors embellish or even invent details to make a story more dramatic or romantic.

I am sometimes criticized for not injecting my personal opinions into my writing. My goal, however, is not to tell readers what to think, but to present the most accurate account possible. Achieving that level of accuracy is often challenging when writing about historical figures, whose lives are frequently surrounded by myths, conflicting accounts, and long-repeated inaccuracies.

What was your favorite part of working on The Fastest Woman in the World?
For me, the research is always the most fun. I love to learn about the women and the diverse areas of their life. I had never been interested in airplanes, but as I discovered her enthusiasm of being a test pilot, breaking records, and taking on ever more challenging flights, I developed a much greater appreciation for the abilities of the aircraft.

In 2025, you published Women Warriors of WWII: Nancy Wake, The White Mouse. Nancy Wake was one of 52 people you highlighted in Women Warriors: The Hidden Spies of WWII (2024). Why did you choose her, out of all the others, as the focus for an entire book?
I have an unusual name, so it is relatively easy for readers to find me. After the publication of Women Warriors: The Hidden Spies of WWII, I received numerous requests for more information and photographs of Nancy Wake. Fortunately, I had accumulated additional research that had not been included in the original book, so I expanded her story and published it as a separate volume devoted entirely to her remarkable life.

Of the four books you’ve published, which one was the most challenging, and which was the easiest (or most enjoyable) to write?
Women Warriors was the most difficult of my books to research and write. It tells the stories of 52 individual women who served as Special Operations Executive (SOE) intelligence agents during World War II. At the end of the war, the British government made a conscious decision to keep many of the female SOE files classified for decades.

By the time I began my research, all of the women were deceased. In many cases, they had died before their families ever learned the full extent of their wartime service. I was able to have seven of these files declassified in 2024 by making a personal request to the British National Archive. For many of the survivors, tracing family records was also difficult, as a significant number never married and left few direct descendants.

Eleven of the women were executed by the Nazis, and two died of illness while in concentration camps. As a result, my research relied heavily on official records in England and Germany, as well as written accounts from surviving agents and from individuals who had known these women personally during or after the war.

What are your strengths as a writer?
My love of research is what allows me to go down countless “rabbit holes” in search of information that is not readily available. I take the same approach when searching for photographs, because I want to learn as much as possible about each remarkable woman I write about. Often, it is the small, overlooked details that bring a historical figure to life and provide readers with a deeper understanding of who she really was.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I am about halfway through my next book, which explores the pioneering women of American aviation, with a special focus on the 1929 Women’s National Air Derby — nicknamed the “Powder Puff Derby” by humorist and pilot Will Rogers. It was the first sanctioned cross-country air race exclusively for female pilots and marked a turning point in the recognition of women in aviation. Most of the research is now complete, and I have moved into the writing stage — the part of the process I enjoy a little less than the thrill of research.

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 volunteered 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.



Author Update 2026: Marty Eberhardt

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Marty Eberhardt is a former director of botanical gardens turned award-winning author of cozy mysteries. Book three in her Bea Rivers Mystery series, Crime on the Coast (Artemesia Publishing, February 2026), is “an intriguing and satisfying whodunnit, wrapped in a botanical cozy, set among the old-money elite of La Jolla.” You’ll find Marty on her website MartyEberhardt.com and on Facebook. Look for her books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and read more about Marty’s writing in her 2021 and 2023 interviews for SouthWest Writers.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Crime on the Coast?
This is the kind of book you pick up when the cares of the world get to be too much. It’s light, but I hope it also engages your brain, as you try to solve the mystery along with Bea.

What sparked the story/plot idea for the book? Did what-if questions help shape this work?
The first two mysteries took place in the desert, one of my favorite environments. I wanted to set this one in another favorite…the southern California coast. I also wanted to bring back some of the characters from the first two books, and, of course, to add some quirky new ones.

I did toy with a couple of different murder scenarios and villains before choosing falling off the cliffs of La Jolla.

Why is Bea, the main character, the perfect protagonist to carry the story and the series? Did she surprise you as you wrote her story?
Bea is Everywoman. She could easily be the reader. She has no background in solving murders; she’s a botanical garden staff member. She is a single parent in the earlier books, and in Crime on the Coast, she’s dealing with kids and aging parents…in other words, her home responsibilities are a big part of her day and affect her work… as is the case with many of us, especially women. Yet given all this, she shows smarts and guts, as most of us can. I’m not sure she surprises me; everything she does seems to flow from her personality.

Tell us more about the book.
I interrupted writing this book with making revisions to a historical fiction novel that I’ve been working on for years. I suppose it took a little more than a year to write Crime on the Coast. With this book, I didn’t have to do a lot of research, as I’m familiar with the area and with the workings of botanical gardens. I sent it to the publisher, and he accepted it; that began another more than year-long process of developmental edits, cover design with the artist, edits to the Advanced Reader Copy, etc.

What did you learn in writing the book that you can apply to future projects?
I learned I need help with anything having to do with police work! I guess I already knew that, but this was the first time the police did much in sight of the viewers besides interview folks. Bea doesn’t know much about police work, of course, unlike protagonists who are actual detectives. She’s learning more in each book as she gets caught up in murders, however.

What is your favorite part of putting together a mystery?
I have several favorite parts. I love thinking up the characters and seeing what they’ll do… and what their motives are for murder. I love throwing red herrings in readers’ paths. It’s fun to bring beloved physical environments to my readers. I enjoy gently weaving in themes of real import (climate change, racism, the privileges of the very wealthy).

Any “Oh, wow!” moments while doing research for Crime on the Coast?
Maybe the worth of some cycad plants…hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What are the challenges of writing a series?
The biggest challenge for me in writing a series is figuring out how much background to give readers. If they’ve read the other books, I don’t want to bore them. If they haven’t read them, there are things they need to know. It’s quite a balancing act.

The fun in writing (and reading) a series is bringing back characters; readers get to know them better and better. I hope they’re happy to see them reappear; certainly, that’s my reaction when I read a series.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research?
Oh, I love the creating. It can be pure joy when the story takes over my life. But I also like editing and research, fortunately.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I have just submitted a historical novel to my publisher. I’ve been working on it for thirteen years. In American Innocents, an American family is deeply changed by living in 1960s Saigon, before we had combat troops on the ground, at the time of coups d’états and Buddhist burnings. The book is partly based on my childhood memories.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Reading has been one of the huge pleasures of my life ever since I was six. I consume books—usually a couple a week. For those who enjoy reading as much as I do, why not try your hand at writing your own stories? I started writing in my sixties.

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 volunteered 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.



Author Update: Jeff Otis

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Author Jeff Otis satisfies his need for creativity through his passion for painting in oils and writing short stories and novel-length speculative fiction. His newest release, A Giant Tale (Not a Normal Sophomore Year Book 1, January 2026), is a “coming-of-age story about bravery, friendship, first love—and discovering that the world is far stranger and more wonderful than we’re told.” You’ll find Jeff on his website JeffOtisAuthor.com, on Facebook, and his Amazon author store. Read more about Jeff’s work in his 2024 interview for SouthWest Writers.

What would you like readers to know about A Giant Tale?
It’s a very funny, warm-hearted young adult book about the trials and tribulations of growing up today.

What themes do you explore in the book?
How a teenage boy learns to overcome his awkwardness and be himself with a girl. How this romantic relationship grows into trust and love. It explores the world of bullies and why they are the way they are. It explores the nature of reality. And it displays the true warmth between friends who recognize each other’s foibles. The need to connect with other people (or a giant) is a central theme.

I want to invoke emotions in the reader. If it’s funny, it should be really funny. At times there is sadness, awe, fear, and so on. My goal is to take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster. Lastly, I tried to capture the awesome power of nature, in this case in the form of a giant.

Did what-if questions shape this story or did something else spark the story idea?
What sparked this story is my love of humor, some of it autobiographical, and my desire to discover a giant living in the bosque (along the Rio Grande).

Who are your main characters? Why will teen/middle-grade readers connect with them?
Fern’s brilliant best friend, Divit, who is very scientifically oriented, has difficulty believing Fern (who has been known to be a prankster). A spunky sophomore named Manda sees through Fern’s initial awkwardness toward her and appreciates his sincerity and honesty. The story deals with teens being teens and dealing with all the big issues they face in high school.

Tell us how the book came together.
The book took a year to write and another year to edit, including the design of a cover (I went to 99designs.com).

When did you know you had taken the manuscript as far as it could go, that it was finished and ready for publishing?
When everything flowed into a very satisfying ending, I knew I was finished with the bulk of the writing. Then came the editing. I let fellow writers in my critique group read it and provide comments. I also hired a story editor to make sure the story unfolded in a captivating way. The story continues in the sequel, The Lady and the Spider Witch, and the as yet unnamed third and fourth books in the series—each as funny as the first.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Writing about such funny predicaments and the awe at seeing something magical.

What makes the storyline or characters from A Giant Tale strong enough for a new series you’re calling Not a Normal Sophomore Year?
The main character, Fern, is based on myself, so he’s very real and believable. I think I’ve done a good job of creating three-dimensional characters, based on real people I’ve known. I want the reader to either care deeply about my characters, or dislike them intensely (think bully). I was like a teen tennis ball—bouncing from one crisis to another, which provides me with a wealth of things to write about.

This is a departure from your previous science fiction novel, Raptor Lands, geared toward an adult audience. Why did you choose to go in this new direction?
I love young people. Having been one myself, I have intimate knowledge of their world. I want to especially reach out to stressed teens and show them what took me a long time to understand about relationships, expectations, feelings of inadequacy, and truth.

What are the challenges of writing for the teen/middle-grade market?
I’m still a kid at heart, so it wasn’t difficult. There are things like sentence structure that need to be tailored to younger adults. I find sexually explicit scenes take the reader out of the story so I don’t go there.

What does a typical writing session look like for you? Do you have any writing rituals or something you absolutely need in order to write?
I’m a pantser—I sit down with an idea and begin writing. I know what the book is about and what the ending will look like, but I don’t have a tight outline to work from. This approach keeps the scenes fresh and engaging. Later, during editing, I make sure the scenes flow smoothly and make the reader want to read the next scene. As for rituals, at least in the morning, I need coffee.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I’m editing the third book in the series Not a Normal Sophomore Year and the fourth is in the queue. I also have a book called Secrets of the Second Son that is almost fully edited about a boy who tragically continues to grow too quickly until the end. That one still makes me cry. I also have a dystopian series about the rise of AI with two books written and in the editing stage.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
If A Giant Tale doesn’t make you laugh, please get help.

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.



Author Update: Kirt Hickman

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Kirt Hickman is the award-winning author of the Worlds Asunder sci-fi thriller series, the Age of Prophecy fantasy trilogy, and the nonfiction writer’s guide Revising Fiction—Making Sense of the Madness. His 2025 fiction release, Host of Evil (Age of Prophecy, Book III), follows Nick Mirrin and his friends as they “set out to complete the forging of a blessed weapon that might—just might—prevent the…terrible dawning of the Age of Darkness.” Look for Kirt on his Amazon author store, and read more about his work in his 2022 interview for SouthWest Writers.

What is at the heart of the story you tell in Host of Evil?
Host of Evil is the final book in my fantasy trilogy. The trilogy is about a small band of heroes who are trying to stop the fulfillment of a dark prophecy that foretells the end of the civilized races—the humans, elves, and dwarves.

The task set before the heroes in book three is to forge a weapon that can kill the Dark Master behind all the evil and confront him in battle. This requires them to cross the length of the Civilized Lands twice. They are too late to prevent the release of the demons from the Abyss, so they must cross the Civilized Lands while those lands are swarming with this host of evil beings.

What was the most challenging aspect of returning to the world of the Age of Prophecy series to write the final book in the trilogy?
The storyline was written via a game of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) that I played with several friends. The entire campaign and characters were designed for the purpose of writing a fantasy trilogy. I came up with the world, the villains, and the problem (the prophecy). My players came up with the characters, personalities, backstories, and any associated ulterior motives. They chose their methods and actions throughout the entire storyline. This resulted in a much richer and more complex plot that I would have come up with on my own.

The challenge of book three was the timing. Several of my players worked for the same company and were scheduled to be transferred out of state before we would have time to finish the D&D campaign. So, we cut to the chase. We skipped to the end of the story, leaving me with about 25% of the book to write, without having the benefit of the players making the choices for their own characters. I had to make sure I kept each character consistent with the person their player had established them to be.

Who are your main characters? Did they surprise you as you wrote their story?
The most engaging stories, to me, are those in which the protagonist is an ordinary person who finds himself way over his head in a high-stakes crisis that is not of his own making. In my case, the hero is a simple farm boy named Nick who got roped into the prophetic events when one of the Dark Master’s lieutenants came after an important object that had last been seen in the possession of Nick’s grandfather. In Host of Evil, Nick is accompanied by a wizard whose magic is based entirely on ice, a half-demon monk, and an elven “witch” who works for the Dwarven Intelligence Guild (the DIG).

Because these characters were all played by real people (during the D&D campaign), they constantly surprised me—much to the benefit of the storyline.

Tell us more about how the book came together.
The first draft of all three books has been on paper for years—ever since we finished playing out the storyline via the D&D game. The kick in the pants to complete Book III was my sense of obligation to both my readers and my players to finish the story—to get it out so people could read it.

Once the first draft is on paper, my self-editing process (which I describe in detail in my writer’s how-to Revising Fiction) takes me about a year to complete. Then it goes into the steps that I call “production.” This is the critique, editing, book layout, cover design, and printing, all of which are done by freelance professionals who I hire for the purpose. This ensures a publication-quality novel that does not have the look and feel of a self-published book. Production takes about a year, during which I am working through the self-editing steps for my next book.

What are some of your favorite settings in the book? Which setting would you love to visit and which would you gladly send your worst enemy to?
The two most contrasting settings in the book are the Sunburst Plain and the Wild Lands bog. The Sunburst Plain is a vast stretch of grassland and wildflowers that spreads over much of the dwarven kingdom. I love it because of its beauty (even more striking than that of the elven lands), and because it’s atypical as a feature of a dwarven kingdom.

The Wild Land bog is the most gross and dangerous natural setting in the story: slimy, oily pools of muck and filth, complete lack of direct sunlight and navigational landmarks, and an abundance of deadly creatures—you get the picture. If I had any enemies, I wouldn’t wish it upon them.

What makes this novel unique in the fantasy market?
While the trilogy has many of the standard fantasy tropes, there are some things that make the storyline unique. For example, during the final showdown at the end of each of the three books, the reader cannot be sure (at least not for all of the characters involved) which characters are on which side of the conflict. Even as the author, sometimes I wasn’t sure what some of the players would have their characters do. Fantasy, as a genre, has a tendency to draw very clear and stark lines between good and evil. In my story, it’s not always that cut and dried—especially as arrows and spells begin to fly at the beginning of the climactic battles.

What did you enjoy most about putting this project together?
Roll-playing the storyline, over the period of 4.5 years, was a blast.

How did you choose the book titles for the Age of Prophecy series?
All of the titles fell fairly naturally out of the content of the story. Host of Evil is a fun title because it actually has a triple meaning. First and foremost, it refers to the hoard of demons that are sweeping across the Civilized Lands throughout the book. Second, the Dark Master is the source of the evil activity in the book. The heroes take the battle to him in his lair. Because they are in his home, he is their host, and he is evil. Finally, the Dark Master can take control of the minds of most people. When he possesses them in this way, they become a sort of host for him, a host for his evil will.

How do you feel about fan fiction (writing it yourself or having another writer use your characters or story world)?
I’ve never been into fan fiction. I guess it can serve as a sort of writing prompt for early writers who are practicing their craft or trying to decide if they want to write something of their own. Personally, I would much rather write my own stories than to piggyback on someone else’s.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Now that I’ve retired from my day job, I have more time to write. I’m currently working on the final three books of my Worlds Asunder sci-fi series. I’m also working on my first Bible-based series—a three-book series that lays out the scientific and historical evidence that supports the divine origin and truth of the Bible.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers?
Keep Reading.

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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