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An Interview with Author Richard Chavez

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Author Richard Chavez is a former Marine who retired from a 35-year career in Air Traffic Control. His debut novel, Hijo Del Barrio: Son of the Barrio (Palmetto Publishing, January 2026), depicts “a young Hispanic’s life in the barrio” and offers a “hard-hitting description of Marines and the atrocities and agony that they experienced in the Vietnam War.” Look for Rick on his SouthWest Writers’ author page. You’ll find Hijo Del Barrio on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.

What is at the heart of the story you tell in Hijo Del Barrio? What do you hope readers will take away from it?
This is the story of a young Hispanic Marine that battles to survive in the jungles of Vietnam. His story is filled with flashbacks of his formative years in the barrio where he endured poverty, disappointment, racism and personal loss. It is also a story of the bond created when individuals face death on a daily basis and must depend on each other to survive.

I hope readers are given some insight into the life and experiences of young Hispanics during the timeframe of the Vietnam War and especially those that fought there. Hopefully readers will gain some perspective of the physical and mental suffering they endured while there, and as we all know, what they brought back.

What challenges did this work pose for you?
This is a work of fiction, but I wanted to use Marines that I knew as a basis for the characters in my novel. How to do this was a challenge. I also used personal experiences from growing up in a barrio as a background for my novel. It was a challenge to avoid replicating those experiences but to instead use them as a “template” for some of the flashbacks.

Who are your main characters? Why did you choose them to carry your story? And will those who know you recognize you in any of your characters?
The main character in this story is John Fuentes, the young Hispanic Marine the novel is based on. There are several other main characters that play a huge role in John’s life: Sharon, the woman, he loves; John’s son; John’s parents and siblings; Grayson, a Marine he relates to the most; Marinaro, a young Marine focused only on killing his enemy; Tafoya, a young Hispanic Marine who is haunted by the death that surrounds him. There are other characters, especially those Marines in his platoon, that John feels responsible for and struggles to keep alive. I chose these characters to emphasize the messages of my novel. People who know me will recognize some of those flashbacks.

What are a few of the main settings? Why are these settings important to the story and the characters?
The main setting is Vietnam. This is important because it is where John faces his greatest challenges, keeping himself alive and protecting his men. The other important setting is the barrio of his formative years that eventually led him to Vietnam.

Tell us more about the book and how it came together.
It has always been an ambition of mine to write a novel. That idea formulated over 30 years ago. The plot and characters came from my time in the Marine Corps and the Marines I served with. Many of those friends spent time in combat in that war. It was difficult for them but they related their experiences to me. In my book I attempted to capture how they must have felt, suffered and endured in a violent war. The “research” came from what those men related to me and the extensive reading I have done about Vietnam. As far as weapons and tactics, they come from my training in the Marine Corps. As far as the “language” in my novel, that’s the way Marines talk. For authenticity, I thought it was important to use that language, as crude as it might be to some readers.

Were you surprised by the outcome of the project or did it meet your expectations?
I was surprised at how long it took to get to the final “stage,” getting it published. I’m glad I never gave up and finally got there. However, it was not a surprise that I would complete the book, I knew I would someday finish it!

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting together Hijo Del Barrio?
The most rewarding aspect is that I hope I did honor and respect to those men that fought in that War. Another rewarding aspect of putting together Hijo Del Barrio was finally holding a hard copy in my hand, knowing that I wrote it and people would be reading it!

You began your fiction writing career later in life. What did your mature self bring to the writing table that your younger self never could have?
As I grew older my direction for the novel changed from just being a story of a Hispanic Marine in Vietnam. I started focusing more on his emotions and the events in his life that made him who he was.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I have always enjoyed creative writing. However, in the past my writing was more of a technical nature related to the work I did. Writing a novel was always an ambition.

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you started your writing/publishing career today?
What I would do differently is to complete my novel sooner.

What genre do you enjoy reading the most? What’s on your to-read pile?
Any kind of history has always been high on my to-read pile. I am always intrigued by historical people that impacted history.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I am working on my next novel, Es Tiempo. In a sense it is a sequel to Hijo Del Barrio. However, it jumps ahead about 40 years from the end of Hijo Del Barrio.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Please check my author page on SouthWest Writers for upcoming events and book signings.

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 Authors Chris Allen and Paul J. Knight

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SouthWest Writers’ member Chris Allen and her husband Paul J. Knight are both award-winning authors whose individual work can be found in a variety of publications. Chris holds a master’s degree in archaeology and began her writing career as a technical writer before expanding into more creative storytelling. Paul holds a master’s degree in botany. As a field botanist, long trips provided the time to imagine plots and story worlds. In Chris and Paul’s first fiction collaboration, The Music of Creation (Artemesia Publishing, November 2025), “music is a narcotic” and “an alien must protect a brilliant Irish composer from abduction.” The novel is a “polished piece of speculative fiction that manages to be both an action-packed thriller and a poignant family drama.” You’ll find Chris and Paul at TheMusicOfCreation.com. Look for The Music of Creation at Artemesia Publishing, and on Bookshop and Amazon.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in The Music of Creation?
Chris & Paul: The story is speculative fiction based on the premise that music made by humans has a narcotic effect on alien species. As a consequence, musicians become a valuable commodity to be traded across the universe. Our story centers around the attempts by one alien group to protect an Irish composer who is unaware of the profound power his music can have on other beings and to the fabric of creation.

What sparked the idea for the book?
Chris & Paul: It was the observation that people are not only consciously but unconsciously imbued with music. When you perform a mundane task you often, without thinking, start humming or even singing. Archeological evidence has documented the use of musical instruments tens of thousands of years ago. Our question was why? Why would a prehistoric hunter and gatherer need music to put food on the table? Our conclusion was music is an inherent part of the human experience. It not only affects the brain, but the body as well, as anyone who has attended a rock concert can attest.

Who are your main protagonists and what makes them perfect characters for readers to root for? Who or what are your antagonists?
Chris & Paul: Protagonists: The Protectors from the planet Thales have taken on the mission of saving musicians from exploitation. When Ryan Reilly’s talents are revealed, they send Lindsey, young and inexperienced, to thwart attempts to kidnap Ryan. The two of them, along with Ryan’s family, must utilize their internal resources in order to survive against the backdrop of an intergalactic war.

Chris & Paul: Antagonists: The Abductors are an amalgamation of different species who act as a cartel in order to profit from Earth’s music. Captain Byrne is the chief antagonist. He weighs everything of importance in terms of profit and gain, and how the world affects him. In the end his motivations destroy nearly everyone around him.

What was the most difficult aspect of world building for this book?
Paul: Identifying and interconnecting the various extraterrestrial cultures, groups, and agencies, and translating their behaviors and actions into concepts and emotions readers could understand.

How did you divide the responsibilities of writing/producing the book? What was the greatest challenge in the collaboration process?
Chris: The basic plot and characters were developed by Paul, but he is a technical writer, so my primary job was translation. I made sure the plot made sense, that the characters had definition beyond just a name, and I enhanced scenes to provoke the reader’s imagination. We constantly had discussions about how much information the reader should have, and how much should be left for the reader to fill in.

Tell us how the book came together.
Chris & Paul: The story unfolded on its own, and the research was accomplished as necessary. From an idea on paper to a cohesive story took six months. It took another year or more to go through the Corrales Writing Group critique process. I (Chris) had just been through a hybrid publishing process with Alchemy’s Reach (Pat Walkow, co-author) where communication was through email. I wanted a publisher I could have a cup of coffee with, so I approached Geoff Habiger at Artemesia Publishing. He rejected the first draft but gave us the opportunity to resubmit. The rewrite took another few months. Even after acceptance by Geoff, there was more writing to do as areas needing clarification were identified.

When did you know you had taken the manuscript as far as it could go, that it was finished and ready for publishing?
Paul: When there was a sense of relief among the main characters and the potential for the future was beyond anything they could have hoped for during the times of hardship and danger.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Paul: If we had not worked together on this, the manuscript would still be sitting in a desk drawer. Together we provide qualities, skills and temperaments that individually we do not have.

Chris: For me, the best part was the constant give and take, the building upon each other’s ideas to achieve something greater than what we could do as individuals.

Why did you choose to title the book The Music of Creation?
Paul: There had been several titles, but when the story evolved to the point that music was not just a quirky human thing but related to the mechanics of the universe, the title The Music of Creation became self-evident.

Looking back to the beginning of your writing/publishing career, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
Chris: How to write better. I look back at some of my earliest published work and I cringe.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research?
Chris: I like getting the initial thoughts down, but the editing is how you make it all intelligible to the reader. As an anthropologist/archaeologist by training, I have always enjoyed doing research; finding out things I never knew before is very stimulating.

Who are a few of your favorite authors, and what do you admire most about their writing?
Chris: I have lots. What I look for are authors who provide interesting characters, settings I can visualize, and plots that keep me turning the pages.

Do you have a message or a theme that recurs in your writing?
Chris: I love to write stories that prompt a smile or a laugh. If I can post an anecdote on social media and receive a comment that it lightened someone’s day, that is the best reward.

Paul: Not particularly; each story takes its own course.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Chris & Paul: We are collaborating on another science fiction story called the Mirror of Eternity set almost entirely in New Mexico.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Chris: We know people’s time is precious, and we hope we have written a story with characters you enjoy getting to know, a narrative that grabs your attention, and a satisfying ending that made the time you spent with us worthwhile.

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 N. J. Schrock

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Author, artist, and teacher Nancy Schrock (writing as N. J. Schrock) is a retired corporate researcher with degrees in chemistry and English who has published across genres. Her newest release, Morning of a Crescent Moon (Indigo River Publishing, January 2026), is historical fiction that “recreates a pivotal labor battle that fortified the United Mine Workers of America and inspired future union activism.” The novel “is a heartfelt tribute to the ordinary people who shaped the labor movement and a reminder of the power of unity in the face of adversity.” Look for Nancy on her website NJSchrock.com, and on Facebook, Threads, GoodReads, Blue Sky, and her Amazon author page.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Morning of a Crescent Moon? What do you hope they take away from it?
People in 1898 weren’t very different from us today. Sometimes, we still have reasons for citizens to unite, and our power as citizens lies in unity. I hope readers connect with the characters, find some scenes humorous, and finish the book with optimism.

A summary by Samantha Olsen with Chicago Book Reviews captures what the book is about: “Morning of a Crescent Moon by N. J. Schrock is a quietly powerful work of historical fiction that unfolds with patience, empathy, and deep respect for the people whose lives it portrays. Set in Virden, Illinois, during the tense months surrounding the 1898 coal miners’ strike, the novel balances labor history with intimate, human-scale storytelling. Rather than relying on spectacle, Schrock allows meaning to build through small, carefully observed moments that reveal how social unrest touches every corner of a community.”

What challenges did this work pose for you?
The first challenge was that I didn’t live in 1898. My father and grandfather worked at the coal mine where the Battle of Virden took place, but decades later. To create characters and a setting that readers could become invested in, I had to recreate what the town and the people were like. I read academic articles about the battle, but those don’t cover the everyday lives of the townspeople. So, I located and read the local newspapers. By understanding the town—shopping, pastimes, entertainment, food, political issues, marriages, and many other things—I could then build fictional characters to inhabit that place and time.

I encountered one challenge with the old newspapers that I’m working to solve for the future. The town had two papers at the time, and only one (the Republican-leaning paper) had been microfilmed. The other newspaper (the Democrat-leaning paper) had never been microfilmed, and it covered more labor issues. I managed to locate paper copies of it on the top floor of an old building that still publishes a paper. I read and photographed many pages before arranging to have the papers sent to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield for microfilming and preservation. I’m now pursuing the digitization of all these papers because they document so many people’s lives, and I want to make researching the town much easier for anyone who wants that information in the future.

Who are your main characters and why will readers connect to them?
The main character is Cate Merry, a young woman who left nursing to become a teacher. Her arrival is how the reader learns about the town through her experiences. As Cate learns about the brewing trouble and becomes emotionally entangled with the people and events, I hope the reader does also. Cate meets one of the coal miners, a young man responsible for caring for his half-siblings. Through him, the reader gains an appreciation for what this conflict is about and what’s at stake.

Tell us more about how the book came together.
I recently wrote a blog about writing the story. It’s posted on my publisher’s website: https://indigoriverpublishing.com/author-resources/writing-historical-fiction-based-true-events/

What brought about this labor dispute was the mine operator’s intention to lower labor costs by bringing in Blacks from Alabama, who were unaware of the labor unrest. When I worked in industry, I saw companies going to China and India for cheaper labor and laying off workers in the U.S. and Europe. In some ways, history was repeating itself. I felt a connection with this town because I grew up there. I felt that the story needed to be told because of its relevance to today. I collected information for about two years before I started writing the story. I had to be able to imagine the town in 1898 before characters and a story could take form. I learned a lot from the process, and writing the sequel will happen much more quickly.

Regarding getting it published, I was thinking about self-publishing when Indigo River Publishing (IRP), the publisher of my first novel, Incense Rising, contacted me to ask if I had anything new coming along. IRP was a pleasure to work with the first time, so I signed with them again. I already had feedback from several early readers, so the publishing process with IRP started with developmental editing on the novel’s beginning to pick up the pacing and on the ending to improve flow. Then, it underwent line editing, copy editing, and cover design. I felt IRP did a thorough job on editing, and I was very happy with the cover design.

How and why did you choose the title of the book?
On the morning of the Battle of Virden, October 12, 1898, the skies were clear, according to The Virden Record, and a waning crescent moon rose in the east, according to lunar calendars. A crescent moon appears before and after a new moon and is associated with new beginnings. The main characters note the rising crescent moon, and although they don’t know how the day will unfold, they know that history will be made and that they and the town will be changed by the events. One way or another, that day would be a new beginning for them. And, historically, the Battle of Virden was a new beginning. It was a turning point for the United Mine Workers.

Share a few of the most surprising facts you discovered while doing research for the book.
I was surprised by how modern—in some ways—this society was. Some of the wealthier citizens went on vacations all over the country. And they did this by train. Without cars, people depended on the rail system.

Some of the newspaper ads were surprising and humorous. Ads for medicines claimed to cure all kinds of ailments. The government office that became the FDA wasn’t formed until the early 1900s, so anyone could claim to have a product that cured a disease. A common ingredient was alcohol. Wine of Cardui will cure any female ailment. Wine of Pansies prevents baldness. Duffy’s Pure Malt Whiskey was “unequaled for its strengthening and invigorating tonic effects.”

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
I’m always glad to hear from people who say they enjoyed the book, and some readers know they have family connections to events in the novel. I am also pleased with the reviews that the novel received. From reviews, such as the Chicago Book Reviews, Feathered Quill, Literary Titan, and Readers’ Choice, I can tell that the story accomplished what I intended. I wanted it to be character-driven, historically accurate, and relevant to today.

What sort of decisions did you make about portraying historical figures or events in order for Morning of a Crescent Moon to work?
I made an effort to accurately portray historical figures. For example, in Chapter 23, I have a miner named Alexander Bradley give a speech. I read articles about what he told his fellow miners during a strike the previous year, and he was known for giving speeches. Accounts place him at the battle a few days prior, so he likely gave a speech similar to his previous speeches. I gave a few historical characters, such as a doctor, the school principal, and a pastor, dialog consistent with their professions.

At the back of the novel, I list by chapter what is historically accurate and where the information came from. Readers can know that, for example, a few days prior to August 19, a shopper actually did find a live tarantula in a bunch of bananas at Lorton’s grocery store, and Dr. Boyer preserved it in alcohol. I didn’t make that up. I think many readers will appreciate knowing what was not fictional.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research?
I love doing research. I worked as a chemist for twenty-five years, and I’m used to digging into details and facts. So, writing historical fiction is something I enjoy doing. Several years ago, I wrote science fiction, but I’m enjoying historical fiction much more. It feels more rewarding.

As for writing, the first draft is definitely the hardest part of the process. I don’t always know what I’m going to write until I sit down and write it, which was a totally foreign way to write for me as a scientist. But I know now that the first draft is just something to get out so I can start the more enjoyable part: editing to make the characters, settings, and plot real for readers.

What are the hardest kinds of scenes for you to write, and what do you do to get over this hurdle?
The hardest scenes are ones that I don’t know anything about until I research them. I have now started the sequel to Morning of a Crescent Moon, and it takes place during 1917–1919. I need to know what the American Expeditionary Force, including the medical personnel, experienced in France. So, I’m reading books written during World War I by people who experienced it. It’s fun. I enjoy this preparation for writing.

What advice do you have for beginning or discouraged writers?
For beginning writers, my advice is this: TRAIN. You can start by studying other writers in the genre you want to write. Writing poetry is different from fiction, which is different from nonfiction. I want my writing to be both engaging and considered “well written,” so I try to identify writers who are celebrated for those qualities and read their works. When I decided to write fiction, I read books on the craft and attended workshops. And I’m always on the lookout for successful books with a plot that I’m interested in.

As far as advice for discouraged writers, I had to recognize that writing is a process. The first draft may be garbage, but at least I have something to work with. It becomes non-garbage through revision. I think of writing this way: I wouldn’t go to the gym and expect to lift 100 pounds or run five miles—unless I’d been training to do that. Writing also takes practice.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to Morning of a Crescent Moon. It takes place during the years 1917–1919, in which a lot of history was being made that is still relevant today. I have a science fiction anthology that should be done within the next few months, and I’m about 40,000 words into a novel that takes place in Southern Illinois.

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 Diana Lee

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Author and artist Diana Lee comes from a “wordy clan” of writers. Though she has always written, it wasn’t until retirement that she found the time to pursue a career in storytelling. Her newest novel is Blood on the Ball (October 2025), a murder mystery that drops readers into the exciting sport of flyball. After the discovery of a human foot during flyball practice, an investigation uncovers secrets better left hidden. Look for Diana on her website WeaselPuppy.com, on Facebook, and her Amazon author page.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Blood on the Ball?
Fundamentally, it is a story about teamwork: teamwork among the team members, teamwork among the flyball community, teamwork in marriage and family, teamwork among community servants, including police, animal control, and animal rescue. Teamwork requires respect, because mutual respect gives people the space to act.

Who are your main characters, and why will readers connect with them?
Sylvia is a young woman just trying to find a safe place to be herself. Rick is a policeman with ethics who is burned out and worried he is losing his moral compass. Brenda and Buddy are in a marriage which has become intolerable. Jennifer has lost everything she loved and had to rebuild on a cracked foundation, while watching her ex-husband slip between the cracks. Steve desperately doesn’t want to rock the boat and endanger his current perceived peace.

For those who have never heard of flyball, explain the basics of this unusual sport.
Flyball is a relay race with four dogs on a team. They go over the jumps, trigger the flyball box, catch the ball that flies out and race back to let the next dog on the team be released. There is a lot of shouting, barking and chaos. It is also very cooperative. Teams loan handler-dog teams to each other. They may share equipment. It is tiered, to allow a wide range of participants to have success.

Tell us how Blood on the Ball came together.
One of my friends from my old flyball team wanted a flyball murder mystery. It sat in the back of my mind for years. My mother had always wanted me to pursue writing. When she passed, that kicked me off on actually digging in and writing stuff. Once I started working on this story, of course, it had to involve doggie drama, because dog people can create so much drama. Politics got politcky, so that trickled through.

What challenges did this work pose for you?
Flyball chaos is hard to comprehend unless you are actually in the middle of it. I wanted to use the interpersonal dynamics I had experienced, without making characters into carbon copies of the actual people I knew, as my former team members would be reading the book.

I usually write “weird stuff,” fantasy, speculative fiction. I wrote the book Skitters about cockroaches that have wars and epic journeys and romance and mythology. Another book is about an alien that comes to Earth in the form of a dog and just wants to experience being a dog.

The idea of just writing people wasn’t something I was sure would have much interest for me, and I had no idea how to do it. I am a pantser, and mysteries need plotting. So, I learned outlining. I bought a board from a craft store, and some chalkboard paint, and wrote out timelines and plot arcs and all that kind of picky stuff to sort it all out. I actually enjoyed the process of writing Blood on the Ball and am working on another murder mystery, this one involving the sport of dog agility.

Why is this novel unique in the murder mystery market?
Well, I don’t think there is another one set in the world of flyball. Most people don’t even know what flyball is. Other than that, I believe it’s pretty typical. There is a cattle dog puppy that is pretty prominent, but he doesn’t have a POV or anything. He is just a cute, naughty puppy.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I liked learning to plot. I loved winding together the different plot lines.

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 Kathleen A. Hessler

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Kathleen A. Hessler is an attorney, retired registered nurse, and author. She spent most of her legal career representing long-term care providers while navigating her own mother’s journey with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her dual careers and specialized knowledge have earned her national recognition as a speaker at premier healthcare and legal conferences. Beyond her work life, Kathleen is an award-winning nonfiction writer featured in various anthologies. In her book Promise Me, Daughter: A Nurse Attorney Navigates Her Mother’s Early-Onset Alzheimer’s (October 2025) she weaves her professional expertise and personal experience into a poignant narrative of caregiving. Promise Me, Daughter is available on Amazon in digital and paperback and can be found on other retailer sites.

When readers turn the last page in the book, what do you hope they will take away from it?
I hope readers feel an immediate urge to recommend the book to others because the story moved them. Specifically, I want the book’s vulnerability and relatability to leave a lasting impact, offering genuine insights for anyone, especially those caring for a loved one with progressive memory loss or chronic illness.

One reader, Caryl Peterson, wrote: “I just finished your book and ‘WOW’ is all I can say. You are an amazing writer who is able to express everything so well. I can’t remember another book that has meant so much to me.” Hearing that others have gifted or recommended the book to friends or family is truly the greatest compliment.

When did you know you wanted to write about your journey and your mother’s story? What prompted the push to begin the project?
I knew I had to write this book when I began representing long-term care companies as an attorney. While advising healthcare providers on legal and ethical issues, I was simultaneously navigating those exact care challenges as a daughter. It was an extraordinary parallel: I was holding nursing homes accountable at work while pushing for better care for my mother at the facilities where she resided.

What challenges did this work pose for you? Were you surprised by any aspect of the project as it unfolded?
The process elicited emotions that I thought were long buried. While this is my journey and my mother’s story, it is also a shared experience with my siblings. Writing honestly required me to include our interactions, which was challenging. Throughout the writing process, I stayed in touch with my siblings to compare recollections. Two of my siblings and a brother-in-law read the full manuscript months before publication. I took their honest critiques seriously, making significant changes while also adding some of their reminiscences into the manuscript.

During the process of writing Promise Me, Daughter, it must have been difficult to relive your experiences and wrestle with revealing too much of yourself or your loved ones. How did you work through those emotions and move forward?
Yes, the emotions ran the full range of renewed grief, anger, humor, vulnerability, intense self-doubt, and resolution. In order to move forward, I reminded myself that transparency was the key to helping others feel less alone—whether they are currently struggling or looking back on a past experience. Staying on course was a given because of my strong belief in the value of the subject matter. My unique perspective on Alzheimer’s—my simultaneous roles as a daughter, nurse and attorney working in long term care—would offer both comfort and information.

The editing expertise and encouragement of my critique groups also propelled me forward. In the years before publication, when I actively worked on writing the book, I collaborated with two different critique groups. I took their feedback to heart, rewriting chapters after every meeting. My early critique group challenged me to share my emotions and cut the legalese; I believe the final narrative successfully bridges the gap.

Tell us how the book came together.
The project spanned several years, but it wasn’t until the final six months that I committed to writing every day. Early on, balancing a full-time legal career with family obligations was a constant struggle, but successes with standalone articles gave me the confidence to weave it all into a book.

Did you discover anything surprising while doing research for this book?
While my boxes of saved photos, letters, medical records, and legal documents provided factual information, and talking with my siblings confirmed or spurred recollections, the most surprising discovery was the rush of vivid memories that surfaced once I sat down and started to write.

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
The most rewarding aspect was holding the final product in my hands and receiving feedback that readers found the book engaging and important. It was wonderful to hear they wanted to turn every page to find out what happened next; to my delight, several people even called it a “page-turner.”

If choosing the Promise Me, Daughter book title was a long process, tell us about that journey.
When I decided to self-publish, my biggest realization was the importance of choosing a title and subtitle that would optimize marketing. I constantly asked myself: how do I choose a title for a difficult subject, yet encourage people to lean in, rather than turn away? Because of the subject matter, some people hesitate to read the book. They fear it will be depressing, or written in “legalese” or “medical-speak.” What they don’t realize it is a story—a narrative journey about family struggles and resolutions. Many who have read it say it is not what they expected, and once they started reading, they couldn’t put it down.

Looking back to the beginning of the project, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
Looking back, I regret waiting until I was finished writing and rewriting the book before sending queries out to agents and publishers. Despite taking many wonderful SouthWest Writers classes on writing, editing, and publishing over the years, I didn’t fully grasp how much time the querying process takes. I also did not realize that for nonfiction, it is acceptable to send queries before finishing the manuscript.

After briefly working with an agent, I decided to self-publish. I wish I had understood the sheer volume of work required for that path. While Rose Kern at RMK Publications was a huge help in formatting the book, assisting in the cover design, and preparing pictures, a self-publishing author must seriously consider hiring a reputable editor. You also need to meticulously review your book for factual accuracy and consider whether you need a legal analysis.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing?
I enjoy both the creating and editing aspects of writing. Rewriting is relaxing. It feels like painting or drawing a picture. There are so many ways to express yourself or your characters. Unlike fields such as engineering and mathematics, there is no single right way to craft a story. (Except of course, when it comes to grammar and punctuation.)

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.



2026 Call for Submissions: SWW Annual Writing Contest

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The SouthWest Writers (SWW) annual writing competition is now open for submissions.

All writers, new and experienced, are welcome to enter the contest.

Contestants don’t have to be members of SWW or live in the Southwest to participate.

First-, second-, and third-place winners will be awarded monetary prizes and the chance for publication in the 2026 contest anthology By Human Hands.

The submission window closes at midnight on June 8, 2026. Fees vary depending on submission date.

This year’s contest offers eighteen writing categories of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, plus one for short screenplay:

◆ Fiction

  • Opening Chapter of an unpublished novel/novella (three subcategories)
  • Short Story (six subcategories including Young Reader/Middle Grade and Young Adult)
  • Flash Fiction

◆ Nonfiction

  • Opening Chapter of an unpublished book (two subcategories)
  • Short Memoir, Article/Essay

◆ Poetry (three categories)

◆ Short Screenplay

Go to the Contest Page for more details and to enter the contest.

Good luck!

SouthWest Writers is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to helping both published and unpublished writers improve their craft and further their careers. In 2026, SWW celebrates forty-two years dedicated to this goal.



An Interview with Linda Bairstow

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Linda Bairstow is an educator, a retired preschool teacher, and an author whose writing is a hybrid of verse and poetic essays. Her 2025 release from Sunstone Press, Catch a Twinkle: A Foreverness of Life in Verse, offers readers “a year of literary engagement, day-by-day, that comes together in the end as if you have read an entire fresh, distinctive, narrative book. Odds are it will leave you ‘twinkling.'” Look for Catch a Twinkle on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million.

Why did you write Catch a Twinkle, and who did you write it for?
It started as a challenge I posed for myself. I noticed an abundance of books in stores with daily meditative stories, but they all had religious themes. I wanted there to be a book with daily engaging, thought-provoking, deep entries that were secular—but didn’t know if I could come up with 365 of them. That’s a lot! I started off writing it for myself, as a fun pastime, but then it evolved into something more serious.

What themes do you explore in the collection?
Themes include: nature, fundamental humanity, animals, philosophy, evolution, child development, the metaphysical, psychology, religion, the cosmos, personal relationships, self-help, aging, sports, holidays, beauty, art, new dances, music. Love. Then the themes tie together by December 31st.

What challenges did this work pose for you?
The biggest skill challenge was working with a computer. The toughest, most soul-searching decision was how personal to let it become, and how honest to be. I decided on total honesty.

Tell us about the journey from inspiration to completed book.
The spark was the self-challenge to write 365 distinctive, interesting verses. It took about eight years total, editing them along as I went. Sunstone Press published Catch a Twinkle in November 2025.

When did you know you had taken the manuscript as far as it could go, that it was finished and ready for publication?
Once I had a verse for over 400 days I felt totally drained and thought I had enough to edit out the less interesting ones, then organized the remainder into a “master poem” of the book itself, which has the theme of “personal memoir.” Having a master poem is what enabled all the other themes to tie together.

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
Throughout my life, because I’m a “quiet” person, people have tended to be at a loss to know who I am—whereas talkative folks are easier to get to know. With this book I feel I have a voice, so those who want to know me won’t have to work so hard at it. It evens us out! That’s the second most rewarding aspect of this project. What is most rewarding is indulging in the thought that maybe—a possibility—my book might heighten public understanding to the point where it’s a better world because I wrote and decided to publish it.

Do you remember what inspired you to write your first poem?
Yes, I remember! I was about 3-1/2 years old, in our back yard at the water faucet, when the most awesome, out-of-this-world-confounding thought occurred to me, and, fixed to the spot, I composed a jingly little poem. It was about the infinitesimally small probability that I existed—that any living creature existed. It can be said that Catch a Twinkle is the adult version—now a lifetime later—of that very poem.

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: Sherri L. Burr

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Sherri L. Burr is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and the Yale Law School. Following her retirement from a decades-long career as a full-time law professor, she became the Dickason Chair and Regents Professor of Law Emerita at the University of New Mexico. Sherri is the author or co-author of over thirty nonfiction books, one of which, Complicated Lives: Free Blacks in Virginia, 1619-1865 (Carolina Academic Press, 2019), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in History. Her first memoir, Living with Nephew: How I Got Voted the Meanest Parent in the World (January 2026), is “a hilarious and weighty adventure” in which “Sherri and Nephew challenge and educate each other. And in the process, each becomes a better person.” Look for Sherri on SherriBurr.com, RMK Publications, and Facebook. You’ll find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookworks, and Collected Works. To learn about Sherri’s previous work, go to her 2019 interview for SouthWest Writers.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Living with Nephew?
I want readers to know that they too have experiences that can be turned into literature. Life brings everyone unique experiences that are simultaneously universal. All individuals can transfer lived experiences into essays or a book with the appropriate training and enthusiasm.

What challenges did this work pose for you? Were you surprised by any aspect of the project as it unfolded or did it meet your expectations?
When I first started writing Living with Nephew in 2004 it was after Terrance had returned to California after living with me for two years in New Mexico. Simply put, I missed him. Drafting the book permitted me to relive the experience and decipher its meaning.

One challenge came from crafting events and scenes into a complete storyline. Moreover, the early draft was only 37,000 words and it needed to be at least 50,000. Different challenges came from potential publishers who wanted me to fictionalize parts of the story to make myself nicer. I decided to avoid turning what I believed to be a meaningful story into fiction. Instead, I changed the subtitle from “Humorous Parenting Tales” to “How I Got Voted the Meanest Parent in the World.” This way people picking up the book would not expect a different type of protagonist from the one I present in the narrative.

The project met my expectations, and I felt gratified by the positive responses and reviews the book received.

When did you know you wanted to write the memoir? What prompted the push to begin?
I began writing essays about my life when I was a teenager and still have my first rejection letter that I received as a 16 year old. I particularly like writing about relatives whom I consider interesting. My pistol-packing grandmother, who loved telling stories about the Old South to her grandchildren, shows up frequently in my writing and appears in Living with Nephew.

What prompted me to finish the book was my mother’s terminal diagnosis that immediately prompted Terrance to fly from California to help me take care of her during the last month of her life. We were once again living together and planned her services together. Living with Nephew was the book my mother most wanted to see published. She thought it would be turned into a film and win Academy Awards.

Tell us more about the book.
Living with Nephew is a double fish out-of-water story about a Yale Law School educated, globe-trotting aunt who takes on a 12-year-old Hip Hop generation kid who was failing sixth grade while remaining popular with girls. The aunt uses contracts to motivate her nephew to focus on learning.

The book turned out to be a 22-year project from crafting the first chapter to publication. I brought chapters to various critique groups for review. I workshopped the book during memoir classes at the Taos School of Writing and University of New Mexico Continuing Education. A frequent response from reviewers was to share my interior thoughts. That was hard for me, but I did it.

Early on, I secured blurbs from well-known authors and an agent who was unable to sell the book. I then submitted the book directly to university and small presses. After hearing SouthWest Writers members rave about RMK Publishers, I decided to work with Rose, the owner and a superb book designer. The cover was fashioned by the owner of Images by Rosa using pictures by Denise Tessier and myself, along with text that I supplied. It took over two dozen drafts before we approved the cover design.

Did you ever worry you were revealing too much about yourself or your family through your writing?
Absolutely. As a lawyer and historian, I write from a distance with very little of me in my over 30 published books. For Living with Nephew, the most challenging part was that I had to reveal what I was thinking and painful family events. To give the book more depth, I braided into chapters what happened to my family when I was 12 years old. In the end, I found the writing of my story to be healing.

If choosing the book title/subtitle was a long process, tell us about that journey.
Living with Nephew has always been the title, and that never changed. The subtitle migrated from “Humorous Parenting Tales” to “How I Got Voted the Meanest Parent in the World” after some publishers wanted me to fictionalize parts of the book to make myself nicer. One publisher suggested turning the book into Young Adult, but that would have made the title “Living with Auntie.” I rejected that idea because I would have had to re-write the book from my nephew’s perspective and turn it into a work of fiction. Also with the Young Adult genre, the parenting figures are incompetent or absent. My story did not fit squarely within the genre.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
The laughter. Reliving, writing, and reading the scenes with my nephew still makes me laugh out loud.

What did you learn from writing/publishing Living with Nephew that you can use in future projects?
The importance of pacing. Several people commented on how much they love the short chapters and that they kept them turning the pages to find out what happens next. This is a technique deployed by numerous successful novelists, such as Lee and Andrew Child, David Baldacci, and James Patterson. I loved Patterson’s book with Viola Davis, called Judge Stone. It was so well paced that I finished it in less than two days.

What genre do you enjoy reading the most?
I aim to read at least two books a week and over 104 books a year. I read across genres and do not have an absolute favorite. I read history, memoirs and biographies, thrillers, mysteries, and novels. All these genres can depict elements of the “fish-out-of-water” tale. Think Cinderella. There is no story when she is cleaning her stepmother’s attic. It’s only when Cinderella shows up at the palace ball that her life elevates to a realm that readers want to experience as she meets her prince.

One of my favorite examples of the “fish-out-of-water” tale is Diana Galbadon’s Outlander series. Her protagonist Claire Randall is a former English World War II army nurse on vacation in Scotland with her academic husband when she travels through the stones back two hundred years. Claire is out of her element in space and time. As a reader and viewer of the television series I enjoyed experiencing Claire navigating the environment of Scotland in 1743 and finding the love of her life whom she marries becoming a multi-century bigamist.

What are your strengths as a writer?
The ability to craft sentences that others like reading, and the gift of humor.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I am researching and writing a book with the working title Generational Impact: The Divergent Enslavement Legacies of George and Martha Washington. This project flows out of having been a 2024-2025 Fellow at the George Washington Presidential Library to examine what happened to Mount Vernon’s enslaved population after George and Martha died. He arranged to free his bondsmen in his will and most of the enslaved population attached to Martha remained enslaved until after the Civil War. My challenge is to humanize the enslaved people who were previously regarded as “this species of property” by George.

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.



SWW’s 2026 Writing Contest Opens May 1

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The annual SouthWest Writers (SWW) writing competition opens for submissions on May 1, 2026.

Hey AI, tell me a story in the style of…STOP! STOP! STOP! No one wants to hear an artificial story imitating the work of someone else, no matter how smart it might be. We want to hear you, your voice, your story, your passion, by your own hands.

The 2026 competition offers seven main contest categories divided into a total of eighteen subcategories for unpublished fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and short screenplay.

All entries that meet the rules for submission will be judged by a panel of experienced writers and/or experts. First-, second-, and third-place winners will receive monetary awards in each category that receives enough entries for judging.

The contest is open to new and experienced writers. Contestants don’t have to be members of SWW or live in the Southwest to enter. Winners have the opportunity to publish their entries in this year’s SWW contest anthology.

For details about the categories and a complete list of rules, please see the Contest Page.

SouthWest Writers is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to helping both published and unpublished writers improve their craft and further their careers. In 2026, SWW celebrates forty-two years dedicated to this goal.



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.



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