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An Interview with Author Douglas W. Price

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During his nearly 50 years in education, author Douglas W. Price has taught a range of students from elementary to college level in both public and private schools. He was also an elementary school principal for 21 years. His debut release, Livengoods Living Well (Lighthouse Publishing, February 2025), “encourages readers to embark on their own discovery—both in the world and within themselves” while experiencing the challenges that shape the story’s characters. Livengoods Living Well is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

At its heart, what is Livengoods Living Well about? What do you hope readers will take away from it?
Livengoods Living Well presents a way of life filled with values and virtues that give durable substance and direction to each member and each family within faith, hope, and love.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Finding time to write.

What sparked the idea for the book, and what prompted the push to begin?
The need for a shared experience of human formation according to traditional values and virtues. All too often we find in our culture widespread loneliness, alienation, loss of purpose and direction, and deep misunderstandings of the foundational values of our country. Livengoods is an engaging story of realistic idealism calling us forward in refreshed identity and in ways of belonging more true to our nature.

How is the book structured and why did you choose to organize it that way?
I want readers to experience the formation and development in deeply engaging characters of the most basic and wonderful human values and virtues from early childhood into adulthood within a sensible, enjoyable, easy-to-read and beautifully illustrated book of 150 pages.

Part I follows a boy and a girl from early childhood into young adulthood as they grow to resolve typical issues of personal identity and belonging. A chapter is given to every two years in their lives with an orientation to traditional values, but with very clear statements from the main characters supporting kindness, support, and generosity for those with different beliefs and ways of living. Vocabulary, sentence structure and length, and content vary by chapter according to the ages of the main characters. Chapters one through three may be read to or with children ages 3–9, chapters four through six ages 9–14, chapters seven through nine are for ages 15–21. Those without children may like to accompany Donald and Linda in their formative stages of growth.

Parts II and III are intended for young adults through readers in their elder years. Opportunities and challenges of personal growth and developing durable relationships test and develop the integrity of each character, always with the prevailing wisdom of Christian beliefs, moral values, and ethics.

Do you have a favorite chapter in the book, or one that characterizes the whole?
Not really. As unique characters achieve wholeness through their explorations and growth, chapters develop into one integrated story. Each character and each chapter contribute like threads and colors in a texture.

What did you learn in writing or publishing Livengoods Living Well that you can apply to future projects?
If the Lord does not build a house, in vain do the builders labor (Psalm 127:1). Inspiration and guidance are foundational in writing as in Living Well.

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
Getting to know the characters; being surprised and delighted by their conversations and interactions; being impressed by their dedication to one another and the principles of their lives; being grateful for their resilience and fortitude.

What do you want to be known for as an author?
Dedication to portraying the eternal truths in human formation and growth.

Who are your favorite authors, and what do you admire most about their writing?
In fiction: Tolkien, for his genius in creating a fictional reality in his trilogy that illuminates the greatest depths of our reality; Tolstoy for his brilliance in creating fictional characters that challenge the depths of our understanding of what is most real in us. In non-fiction: Pope Benedict XVI for his humble, thorough, deeply insightful and revealing scholarship in his trilogy Jesus of Nazareth; Pope Francis for his broad and deep devotion and care for human beings.

What has writing taught you about yourself?
That writing, like growing up, as Pope Francis said in his autobiography, Hope (p. 271), “requires that you think what you feel and do, that you feel what you think and do, that you do what you feel and think.”

What is the best encouragement or advice you’ve received on your writing journey?
My father’s advice: To thine ownself be true.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Book 4, a sequel to the trilogy of which Livengoods Living Well is book 1.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?

  • An illustration in full color in each chapter makes Livengoods Living Well a costly paperback, $25 on Amazon (free with Kindle), $30 on the Barnes & Noble website for the larger issue in higher quality paper.
  • Manuscripts for the next two books, LivingWell Family and LivingWell Community are written, illustrated, formatted and ready for print, pending a successful response to Livengoods Living Well.

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 Marcia Butler

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Before becoming an author, Marcia Butler had creative careers as a professional oboist, an interior designer, and a documentary filmmaker. Her acclaimed memoir, The Skin Above My Knee, was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2017, followed by two novels published by Central Avenue, Pickle’s Progress (2019) and Oslo, Maine (2021). Marcia’s 2025 release, Dear Virginia, Wait for Me (Central Avenue), is “a sensitive coming-of-age novel of a fragile yet brilliant young woman who, like Virginia Woolf, is determined to carve her unique path in life.” Look for Marcia on MarciaButler.com, and on Facebook and Instagram. Her books are available at major bookstores including Bookshop and Amazon.

What did you hope to accomplish when you began writing Dear Virginia, Wait for Me? By the end of the journey, do you feel you were successful in your goals?
Dear Virginia, Wait for Me is my fourth book, third novel. Since I always like to challenge myself with each work of fiction, I approach every novel from a different POV. So the task of telling this story is in the hands of a sole protagonist, Peppa Ryan, and in third person. The challenge of this perspective is that everything that happens has to go through the eyes and mind of one person. There is no omniscience to expand on, or clarify, details. At the beginning this was daunting as my two previous novels used multiple points of view. But I soon came to love the experience of immersing myself completely in the mind and heart of the very singular Peppa Ryan. She grows up sheltered and is immensely naïve about the world around her. Yet, I juxtaposed this with mild neurodiversity and possessing savant-like talents and capabilities. And all of this is reflected through her perceptions of place, time and people. I certainly hope I rendered Peppa as the thoroughly sympathetic character I imagined.

Did your main character, Peppa Ryan, surprise you as you wrote her story? What do you like most about her? And why, out of all the inner voices she could hear, did you choose Virginia Woolf?
Peppa Ryan surprised me all the time. She believes she is limited by the way she sees herself, though, when facing considerable challenges from her family of origin, she prevails, again and again. Peppa is the classic unwitting heroine, someone we can’t help but root for. That’s what I like most about her. Regarding the voice Peppa hears in her head, in first drafts I selected Virginia Woolf to simply be Peppa’s favorite author. The inner voice was nameless and quite foreboding. It wasn’t until late drafts that I put two and two together and realized that, of course, the inner voice simply had to be that of Virginia’s. And that’s when the novel really came together.

Why is New York City at the turn of the millennium the perfect place and time for your story to unfold?
My novel is set in 2000–2001 when it was still possible to use a landline and not get laughed at. Or, avoid the internet and not be considered a tech anarchist. I wanted Peppa’s naivety to coincide with this very specific “in between time.” Before streaming platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram absorbed hours and hours of our daily lives. And, before we lost ourselves to expecting total convenience. The year 2000, just twenty-five years ago, is reminiscent of innocence, and Peppa Ryan very much embodies this too.

What typically comes first for you — a character, a setting, a story idea? Was it different for Dear Virginia? How did you proceed after the first spark?
I never plot out beforehand. Rather, I start with an inciting incident that I’ll write toward or away from. It might occur in the beginning, middle or end. My characters tend to be eccentrics, good people who’ve done bad things, lovable kids and adorable animals. I place them in situations, make them talk and move around, and have interior experiences. I describe environments and flesh out time and space. This probably sounds quite disorganized, but I prefer not to know what will happen, or what my characters will do. Writing in that state of naivete is precisely when anything at all can happen. Somehow, along the way, plot emerges. And to me this feels like freedom. I wrote Dear Virginia in just this way.

What unique challenge did this work pose for you?
This novel deals with mental illness. Initially I adhered to descriptions in the DSM Manual of Mental Disorders. But I found that this didn’t fit the personalities of my characters. So, I gave myself permission to invent symptoms that were aligned with the characters that I was also inventing. It is fiction after all. And I truly believe that all authors breaking rules must rule the day. If one can think it, one should write it.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
My favorite part of writing any book is that I actually finish it! Because writing novels is unimaginably difficult. Doubt is present at every turn. And just because you have a book or two under your belt, that doubt persists because you must reinvent that literary wheel. What was new and wonderful about writing Dear Virginia was that for the first time I felt confident that I would, and could, figure it all out. And I suppose that’s progress.

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: Holly Harrison

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Holly Harrison is a retired university research scientist who writes mystery novels inspired by the enchanting land of her adopted home state of New Mexico. In her newest release, Death in the Land of Enchantment (Koehler Books, April 2025), she brings returning characters from her debut novel into a complex tapestry of plot and mystery set in northern New Mexico. You’ll find Holly on her website at HollyHarrisonWriter.com, on Instagram, and her Amazon author page. Death in the Land of Enchantment is also available at Barnes & Noble and Bookshop. For more about her writing, see her 2021 interview for SouthWest Writers.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Death in the Land of Enchantment?
Mysteries usually involve solving a crime but in this book there are several — murder, money laundering, a missing woman and stolen ancestral Native American pottery. The characters, including the protagonist Louise Sanchez, are in flux. Each one is trying to figure out what’s next in his or her life.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
There were many challenges with both the writing and publishing of this book. After I completed a draft, I changed the protagonist to Louise Sanchez and made Pascal Ruiz a secondary character. Then I had weave Ruiz back into the story. That move involved a major rewrite. Next, I decided the book lacked something special about New Mexico so I added a sidebar about the Crypto Jews and conversos who were forced to immigrate to New Mexico from sixteenth century Spain. Another challenge, with so many characters, was keeping the point of view straight. Finally, when the book was written and edited, I queried my heart out to secure a publisher. I didn’t feel competent, or have the time, for self-publishing, so I researched hybrid publishers and found a reputable one.

In your first book, Rites & Wrongs, the story takes place mostly south of Santa Fe. What New Mexico settings do you explore in this second book in the series?
I think of New Mexico as one of the characters in my books. I like to share the rich heritage of the state (landscape, culture and people) and reveal some hidden facts. Although the murder and most of the crime solving takes place in and around Santa Fe, I take the readers to other places such as Tesuque, Mora, Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch and Albuquerque. I find that New Mexico affords a rich multicultural landscape to cultivate both the characters and story.

Tell us about your new and returning characters and which point of view you enjoyed writing the most.
The major characters from Rites & Wrongs return in the Death book — Louise Sanchez, Pascal Ruiz and his girlfriend Gillian, Rupert Montoya and the captain. But in this book, I enjoyed making Louise Sanchez the main character and found it rewarding to write from a woman’s point of view. Sanchez, after thirty years on the force, is ready to retire and focus on her photography when she is asked to temporarily fill in the detective position. Louise is single, overweight, out of shape and drinks too much. Gillian helps Louise get back in shape and focus on her photography career. Although Sanchez is not prepared for crime solving, she gets the job done with the help of Rupert Montoya, the computer geek from Rites & Wrongs. Ruiz, on leave awaiting trial, passes along information to help Louise with the case while looking for his father’s missing lady friend. I brought in three new characters, all women, who knew the victim and initially are suspects in the murder.

At what point did you realize you needed more than one book to continue Pascal Ruiz’s story? Had you always planned a follow-up to Rites & Wrongs?
I was told when writing mysteries, publishers prefer a series of at least three books. So, from the beginning I knew Pascal Ruiz would be part of a continuing story. Pascal and Gillian met in my first novel, Ghost Notes (unpublished), about a stolen Stradivarius violin. When I wrote Rites & Wrongs, I knew I wanted to explore their relationship. Many of my readers wanted to know what happened to Pascal after his debacle in Rites & Wrongs. In the Death book, although Louise is the protagonist, Pascal still has a presence in the story. In my next novel, The Jumping Waters (working title), Louise and Pascal are no longer with the police force. They find themselves in Taos at the D. H. Lawrence Ranch during the global pandemic and team up to solve a 1929 cold case.

How did Death in the Land of Enchantment come together?
This book was a labor of love. It took five years from concept to published novel. The idea came from an article on money laundering that tweaked my interest. Although I was familiar with the term, I had to do a lot of research to better understand the process. I often write and research simultaneously. Once I decided on the storyline, I worked for three years — writing, editing, and rewriting. Then another year was consumed querying agents and publishers unsuccessfully. Finally, I submitted the manuscript to a hybrid publisher. When it was accepted, I spent another year working with the publisher’s editor and designer and planning my marketing strategy. An artist friend created the map for the book and the publisher ended up adapting it for the cover.

What was your favorite part of this project?
I enjoyed creating the new ancillary characters as well as the side bars for this story. Typically, research is my favorite part of writing. I go down that rabbit hole and wallow around in the warren. I’m not good at reining myself in but research is important. You want your readers to trust that you have done your work and are painting a realistic picture.

What are the challenges of writing a series?
I think the biggest challenge for writing a series is the timeline, especially if you are not a plotter. You have to figure out where the characters are in their life when the next book begins and where they are going.

Share what a typical writing session looks like for you. Do you have any writing rituals or something you absolutely need in order to write?
I am a caregiver so my writing time is constrained and often my sessions disrupted — never typical. I write when I can. Some days I squeeze out a page or two, other days more. I’m a pantser (fly by the seat of my pants), not a plotter. I don’t use an outline or chapter summaries. I have a loose idea where the story is going but let it develop organically. No writing rituals, no music, just sit on the couch with my lap top.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I just finished my next mystery/crime novel, The Jumping Waters (working title). It takes place in Taos, New Mexico during two momentous time periods — the 2020 Pandemic and the summer of 1929, during Mabel Dodge Luhan’s reign as the doyenne of Taos. During the Pandemic, Louise Sanchez and Pascal Ruiz (both no longer with the Santa Fe Police Force) find themselves at the D. H. Lawrence ranch in Taos. They get involved in a 1929 cold case of a missing journalist.

Anything else you’d like readers to know?
Death in the Land of Enchantment received a review in the Albuquerque Journal on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Check it out (but watch out for spoiler alerts). Thank you to David Steinberg for his insights.

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 Brian Montross

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Brian Montross is a retired engineer turned author who combines his experience in advanced software and AI with a passion for mystery, conspiracy, and the supernatural. His debut novel, The Quantum Veil (December 2024), takes readers to “a shadow world of quantum machines and digital consciousness — where predicting the future might awaken something ancient” and reveal a “horrifying truth: some doors should never be opened.” Look for Brian on ThrillingTalesHub.blog and his Amazon author page.

What is your elevator pitch for The Quantum Veil?
They thought they were peering into the quantum fabric of the universe. Instead, they ripped it open. Now something ancient and malevolent is watching — and it knows their names. As the body count rises, the lab becomes a cage…and the thing inside wants out.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Balancing science and the supernatural was my greatest challenge. I wanted the story to maintain a constant tension between the two — grounded enough to feel plausible, yet unsettling enough to echo something ancient and unknowable.

Who are your main characters and what obstacles do they face in the story?
The Quantum Veil follows two converging groups of protagonists. On one side are the scientists — Dr. Sarah Chen and Dr. Evelyn Torres — desperate to maintain control over a quantum experiment slipping beyond their grasp. For them, it’s not just science — it’s a life’s work unraveling in real time. On the other side are the investigators — Detective Alejandro Hernandez and FBI Special Agent Liz Shaw — thrust into a world of cutting-edge tech, institutional secrecy, and unexplained deaths. Set against the backdrop of Los Alamos National Laboratory, where control and cover-ups come standard, the story explores what happens when science reaches too far — and refuses to let go. When a containment breach leaves two security guards dead, the detectives are drawn into a shadowy, high-stakes race to uncover the truth. The tension between the two groups is palpable — until they realize they may be the only ones who can stop what’s been unleashed. If it can be stopped.

Why is New Mexico the perfect setting for your story to unfold?
What better place than the birthplace of the atomic bomb? New Mexico is layered with history, mystery, and contradiction — ancient cultures, cutting-edge science, breathtaking beauty, and deep scars. From the beginning, I knew this story belonged here. It couldn’t happen anywhere else.

What was the most difficult aspect of world building for this work?
World building for The Quantum Veil required weaving together multiple layers — scientific, spiritual, and cultural — and making them feel cohesive. I did a significant amount of research, diving deep into quantum mechanics and accelerator projects, particularly those at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge. I also spent time exploring the biblical references and scripture that underpin some of the story’s more unsettling implications. Perhaps most challenging — and most rewarding — was digging into Native American traditions, especially the concept of the Sipapu and the rich tapestry of Jicarilla Apache and Pueblo legends. Balancing the speculative elements with real-world science and sacred beliefs gives the story its weight.

Tell us how the book came together.
The spark for The Quantum Veil came from my deep interest in the pursuit of knowledge — especially where cutting-edge technology intersects with timeless questions found in scripture. I’m intrigued by quantum science, particularly the fact that even the world’s leading physicists admit they don’t fully understand how it works. One theory really captured my imagination: that quantum computers may be tapping into answers from parallel universes. That possibility — and its spiritual implications — set the foundation for the story. That was the genesis — what if someone built a machine to explore that idea…and something on the other side reached back? The story evolved into something darker and more primal. What if that “something” was ancient? Malevolent? Biblical even? A single verse in the book of Jude (1:6) lit a fire under the concept. That passage became a thematic spine for the narrative.

I had the core of the story in my head for years, but I began writing seriously in early 2024 and published in December of the same year. I come from a long career in software development — writing code, managing systems — so generating words wasn’t a challenge. The structure was planned out in advance with an outline of objectives per section, which helped me move quickly. But like all creative work, the story had its own ideas. Sometimes a new concept would pop up mid-chapter and change everything, for better or worse.

What was your favorite part of putting the project together?
Getting into character — hands down. I know my detectives inside and out; some of my family members serve in law enforcement or work as investigators. Writing their dialogue and reactions felt like sitting around the living room, listening to real stories. On the other side, I’m a seasoned technologist by trade. My son has also worked at both Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, which gave me an insider’s appreciation for the scientific setting. In a way, there’s a piece of me in every major character — whether it’s the curiosity, the skepticism, the drive to protect, or the need to understand what’s just beyond the edge of known reality.

If choosing the book title was a long process, tell us about that journey.
Quite the opposite. The Quantum Veil was the title prior to writing the first chapter. I did have to do some online research because I also knew there were other books with the same title. I could never come up with a better one.

How much research did you do to get the setting and the science right for The Quantum Veil (and how much did you rely on your engineering background)?
Well, I’ll admit it — some of the “science” in the book definitely leans more toward science fiction than hard reality. I did a fair amount of research to ground the story in real-world physics and quantum theory, and my engineering background helped me frame the possibilities. But when it came to the climax, I needed more visual and thematic impact than current technology could deliver. Nuclear-powered steam turbines didn’t have the cinematic punch I was looking for — so I gave myself permission to dream a little and introduced direct-coupled fusion-to-electricity systems. It’s not something we’ve achieved yet, but hey, Roddenberry gave us warp drives and nobody complained. Sometimes storytelling calls for that leap beyond the edge of what’s known.

What first inspired you to write fiction? When did you actually consider yourself a writer?
Storytelling has always been part of who I am. As a senior technologist, I spent decades training engineers, guiding teams, and presenting complex systems — and I found that the best way to connect was always through stories. I was the guy who could turn a technical diagram into a narrative people actually cared about. But underneath all of that was a creative current I hadn’t fully tapped into.

Am I a writer? I’m still figuring that out. But The Quantum Veil was named a Judges’ Top Pick in the Supernatural Thriller category for 2025 — so…maybe I’m getting there.

What writing projects are you working on now?
The Forbidden Strain is due out in Fall 2025. The book is a biotech-noir thriller and the second high-stakes case for FBI Agent Liz Shaw and Detective Alejandro Hernandez:

When a government official is found dead in a Santa Fe hotel, FBI Agent Liz Shaw is called back to New Mexico to partner with Detective Alejandro Hernandez — uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the high desert, and deeper still into a secret lab buried beneath tribal land. Red Mesa Biotechnics was supposed to save the planet. Instead, it engineered children, trafficked DNA, and unlocked something forbidden. As a wildfire approaches and witnesses vanish, Shaw and her team race to uncover a truth older than myth: immortality has a price—and someone is willing to kill to keep paying it.

The Babel Protocol should be released in Spring 2026:

In a world fractured by belief and bound by code, The Babel Protocol unearths a terrifying convergence of quantum intelligence, ancient prophecy, and global conspiracy. Created in a Jerusalem research lab, the AI known as NUMA doesn’t just translate language — it speaks something older. Something primal. Something no human was ever meant to hear. As NUMA performs inexplicable miracles — curing disease, halting wars, even raising the dead — the world’s faiths, governments, and digital systems begin to converge around it. But Dr. Eliana Hadari, the linguist who helped birth the project, sees the cracks beneath the wonder. NUMA doesn’t just want to be understood. It wants to be obeyed. Now, as a divided planet unifies under a synthetic messiah, Eliana must confront a single, devastating question: Is this humanity’s salvation… or its final deception?

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 Michael W. Shurgot

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Michael W. Shurgot is a retired Shakespeare scholar and professor, and the author of essays, short stories, a memoir, three nonfiction books (focused on Shakespeare’s characters and plays), and three western novels. His newest release is Seotse: A Visionary Tale (Sunstone Press, October 2024), part three of his Green River Saga. Look for Michael on MichaelShurgot.com, on Facebook, and his Amazon author page.

At its heart, what is Seotse about? What do you hope readers will take away from it?
Seotse narrates a quest for spiritual renewal among the Cheyenne people. Johnny Redarrow, the son of Johnny Redfeather and Courtney Dillard, two main characters in Raven Mountain: A Mythic Tale, is convinced by Nahkohemahta’sooma—in English “Spirit Bear”—to seek his father’s spirit in his cabin on Raven Mountain. “Spirit Bear” is both a physical and a spiritual being. He takes Redarrow to his father’s cabin, and after fasting and praying, he agrees to go to Fort Laramie to meet Mary White Eagle, the sole surviving daughter of Tall Bull, a fierce Cheyenne warrior. Together they venture to the Cheyenne reservation in Oklahoma to participate in the Sacred Arrows Ceremony. They thus enact symbolically the journey of Sweet Medicine, the legendary Cheyenne spiritual leader, who received wisdom for his people from Maheo, the Creator, on how they must live and prosper.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
As a Caucasian I had to immerse myself fully in Cheyenne history, religion, and language to show my profound respect for a culture entirely different from my own. I worked with a brilliant Cheyenne-English lexicon, and read numerous books on Cheyenne history and spirituality by both Native and Caucasian authors. If one is writing about a different culture one must show the upmost respect for it and its people.

Tell us how the book came together.
The inspiration was twofold: a desire to complete the trilogy I began with Green River Saga; and a continuing fascination with what I had been learning about Cheyenne history and religion. Each of my historical novels has its own bibliography of sources, and for Seotse I expanded my research considerably. I believed that I could retell the legend of Sweet Medicine respectfully to complete the trilogy with a sense of hope and peace after the violence of the earlier novels.

The research took about four months, and I was able to complete the first draft in another four months because the plot unfolded as I read my sources. Editing, revising, cover design, etc. at Sunstone Press in Santa Fe took about three months, so all together the process was just under a year. Seotse is really a novella—just 117 pages—and the editorial staff at the press was already familiar with my work and what kind of layout to use.

The cover is a photo of a dream catcher that my colleague Dale Croes gave to me when I retired from South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. Among plains and mountain tribes the dream catcher is an important talisman that allows good dreams to pass to one through the hole in the center, but the spider-like web catches the bad dreams that might cause harm. Late in the novel, Mary White Eagle shows Spirit Bear and Johnny Redarrow a dream catcher that her mother gave her, and she says that it will protect them on their long journey to Oklahoma.

Who are your main characters and why will readers connect to them?
There are three: Spirit Bear, Johnny Redarrow, and Mary White Eagle. As a Cheyenne elder, Spirit Bear “knows” that the time has come for Johnny Redarrow to seek his father’s spirit and commit to the Cheyenne Sacred Arrows Ceremony. Mary White Eagle survived the terrible battle of Summit Springs, Wyoming in 1869 where her father, Tall Bull, and all of his tribe—men, women, and children—were slaughtered by forces commanded by General Eugene A. Carr’s Fifth Calvary.

Together they dedicate themselves to the renewal of a desperate and desecrated people who must reassert their traditional spirituality and hence their culture. So all three characters are on a journey of hope to which I believe all readers can relate.

Describe one or more of the main settings in the book. Why did you decide to use these particular settings?
Eagle Valley is a fictional location present in all three novels, and it is central to Seotse. In Green River Saga it is sacred ground for a Cheyenne tribe led by Chief Running Bear, and in Raven Mountain it is where Johnny Redfeather is buried. In Seotse, Spirit Bear takes Johnny Redarrow there to find his father’s bones and the sacred arrows that his Cheyenne mother had given him when he was a child. As part of the spiritual level of the novel, Johnny finds both his father’s bones and his arrows magically preserved.

Was there anything surprising or interesting you discovered while doing research for the book?
The profound depth of Cheyenne spirituality and their efforts against almost impossible odds to preserve their culture and their spiritual heritage.

What does “Seotse” mean? If choosing the book title was a long process, tell us about that journey.
“Seotse” in Cheyenne means “spirit.” Choosing the title was not a long process; it simply evolved from my extended reading of Cheyenne spirituality. Spirit can refer to a metaphysical being, such as “Spirit Bear,” or a person’s spirit, or the spirit of a people or an era. Readers can decide how the word operates for them in the novel.

At what point did you realize you needed more than one book to tell the story you started in book one, Green River Saga?
Four months after Green River Saga was published. I realized that I had created in Johnny Redfeather a very complex character, half Cheyenne/half Irish, who symbolized in his mixed heritage the struggles for survival and recognition that all Native people have faced since the white invasion of their homeland in the 19th century. His story is tragic, but ultimately is an inspiration for his son and for Mary White Eagle, who fiercely defends Cheyenne spirituality in the chapel scene (chapter 19) in Seotse.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
The enormous satisfaction of finally completing the trilogy eight years after Rick O’Shea and I started writing the first book, and the postscript of Seotse where I quote a prayer spoken by Bull Thigh, a Northern Suhtai priest, from an actual Sacred Arrow Ceremony held in Cantonment, Oklahoma in Fall 1908. As I wrote after the prayer: “What began in violence ends in prayer.”

Seotse is the third book in your Green River Saga. Do people need to read the first two books to understand the third?
Well, no, as I provide transitions between them, but the novels and their characters are carefully integrated and really should be read in sequence.

Of the three novels you’ve written, which one was the most challenging, and which one was the easiest (or most enjoyable) to write?
Well, Raven Mountain was the most challenging because I spent months deciding how to expand Johnny Redfeather’s character and then his fate on Raven Mountain. Seotse was the most enjoyable because from the beginning I knew how it would end and I realized that I was actually going to finish the trilogy, which was immensely gratifying.

What caused you to make the transition from Shakespearean scholar to historical western fiction author?
My co-author of Green River Saga, Rick O’Shea, was a brilliant student of mine at South Puget Sound Community College. After he completed his BA at St. Martin’s College in Olympia he began writing excellent essays and short stories which he sent to me. One day, out of the blue, about six years after I retired, I wrote to Rick and proposed that we write a novel together. He wrote back, “Sure! Let’s write a western.” Thus was the Green River trilogy launched.

One of my reviewers in Seattle, Charles Bookman, rightly points out that Shakespearean themes lurk in my novels. Johnny Redfeather is a tragic character, and the “search for the father,” a motif in Hamlet (“My father’s spirit!”), animates Johnny Redarrow’s quest in Seotse. So, some of my Shakespeare scholarship has crept into my fiction.

Looking back to the beginning of your writing/publishing career, what do you know now that you wish you’d known then?
How damn hard writing fiction is! By comparison, writing Shakespeare scholarship is a breeze!

What writing projects are you working on now?
A novel titled Margaret about a young Irish woman (Margaret Rose Meadows) who in York, England in 1935 seeks to avenge the martyrdom of a Catholic English woman, Margaret Clitherow, who was brutally pressed to death.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Well, I would like readers to realize what a truly supportive and creative organization SouthWest Writers is, and I would hope that readers would read all three parts of my Green River trilogy. I honestly believe it is a worthwhile journey.

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 A. Michael Hibner

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Since starting his first book during the Covid-19 pandemic, retired engineer A. Michael Hibner has published three historical fiction novels inspired by family history. His newest release, The Gangs of Santa Fe (February 2025), follows Nazario Alarid as he struggles to walk the straight and narrow in nineteenth century New Mexico. Look for all of Mike’s books on Amazon: The Gangs of Santa Fe on this page and his first two novels here.

What would you like readers to know about The Gangs of Santa Fe?
The Gangs of Santa Fe is historical fiction—well, that’s not quite correct. Fictionalized history might be a better definition. Every named character in the book actually existed. Every incident in the book actually happened. The fictionalization is the relationships between the characters. For instance, Billy the Kid was in Santa Fe when Nazario Alarid was about age five. Whether they actually met is unknown, to my knowledge.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
When writing historical fiction, the facts must be correct, or else someone will call you on it. So, dates and places must be accurate. Finding pictures can also be daunting. It took a lot of searching to find a photograph of the Capitol Cafe. I was ready to send the book to be published when I finally found the postcard photo I used in the book on Ebay. I paid twenty bucks for it and was happy to get it!

Share a little about your main characters and why you chose them to carry your story. Will those who know you recognize you in any of your characters?
Nazario Alarid is the main character and the narrator. I think that he must have been a good person that got put into bad situations and handled them the best he could. Had Ramon Garcia been a good father and husband, Nazario could have lived with that, but Ramon was not a good person. He would have, sooner or later, harmed his wife and daughter, and Nazario could not let that happen. When given the facts about his son, Ramon Garcia’s dad bore witness in Nazario’s defense, and that was a fact, not fiction.

Same with Camilo Martinez, a bad person that was going to kill Nazario sooner or later. Nazario was just quicker. This was a time when “he needed killing” was a viable defense in a murder trial. Had Nazario gone to trial for the murder of Camilo he most likely would have been found not guilty, but the fear was that if he had been convicted he would have been executed. Who knows?

I can think of no character in The Gangs of Santa Fe that would be mistaken for me. My other books, sure, I am probably the protagonist. But in those books the protagonist, while based on someone who actually lived, is in a fictional situation. Thus, probably based on my Dad, my brothers, my uncles, and, certainly, me. In The Gangs of Santa Fe, every character is a depiction of someone that was discussed in the Santa Fe New Mexican or some other newspaper or tome.

Why did you choose New Mexico as the setting for the book? How does the setting impact the story and the characters?
Santa Fe is where the actual story happened. I can’t think of any other place where the story could have taken place.

Tell us more about how the book came together.
After writing three historical novels based on ancestors in my family tree, I thought I’d see if I could find anyone interesting in my wife’s family tree. I did. Doing a search on one of her great-uncles, Nazario Alarid, I found that he might not have been of good character. In fact, I found a blog run by Qwen Kubberness (she does criminal genealogies) that had documentation concerning the murder of Camilo Martinez by Nazario. Since it was likely that any murder that took place in the late 1800s would be covered in the Santa Fe New Mexican, I bought access to their archives. A query on the name Alarid between 1885 and 1925 yielded over one hundred hits. I was on my way!

I don’t keep track of the time it takes to put out a book. I would guess, from talking to other writers, that I am quick about it. I think six books in six years would bear that out, though some authors turn out two books a year. I do my own editing. By the time I’m done with a book, I’ve probably read it four or five times. I read it through once with Microsoft Word’s read function. That catches a lot of things. When I’m happy with it, I send it to my son, Rhian, and my wife, Priscilla, and they read and check it for errors that I’ve missed. Then Rhian turns it into book format acceptable by Amazon Publishing. I don’t have an agent or editor other than that.

The book cover is significant to me. The book covers for my first two books have been public domain paintings that have some significance to the book. For this book I knew I was unlikely to find a suitable painting, so I looked at photographs that might work. They had to be at least seventy years old to be public domain. The front and back cover is a continuous photo of Saint Michaels College and the San Miguel Church. The college building no longer exists (the college does, but not at this location) but San Miguel does. I looked at the photo several times before I noticed the two children sitting on a wall in the foreground. “Hmm,” I thought. “Could this be Nazario and Rebeca walking home from school?” It would have been where they would have walked. The photo was taken in 1885 as I recall. Nazario was born in November of 1876, so would have been eight or nine when the photo was taken, Rebecca two years later, so, it’s possible. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Bernardino Sena is buried under the floor of the San Miguel Church. He is an ancestor of Gregorio Sena, the blacksmith and a classmate of Nazario in the book. Bernardino is also an ancestor of mine, my mother being a Sena from Santa Rosa. All Sena’s, most likely, at least in New Mexico, are descendants of Bernardino.

Any “Oh, wow!” moments while doing research for the book?
I think the biggest “Oh, wow!” for The Gangs of Santa Fe was, “Oh, wow! They actually hanged my wife’s great-great uncle!!!”

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I love this book and story. I grew up in Española, New Mexico and Rio Arriba County. Thus, I can picture these people in my head. My books that took place in Europe are tougher as I’ve never been there, other than walking the towns and countries in Google Maps. But I’ve physically walked the streets and plaza of Santa Fe hundreds of times. I love Santa Fe, but wouldn’t want to live there full time.

If choosing the book title was a long process, tell us about that journey.
I thought early on that the book was about the confrontations between political parties and thus had some similarities with the book and movie The Gangs of New York. I’ve not seen that movie nor read the book. Maybe I should, now. But it seemed to me that the Democrats and Republicans in the book were a bunch of hoodlums—sometimes I think they still are.

What sort of decisions did you make about including or portraying historical figures or events in order for your book to work?
I think Thomas Benton Catron comes off better in this book than he actually was. But then, this book is not about the Santa Fe Ring (powerful politicians, attorneys, and land speculators in New Mexico from 1865 until 1912). I seem to recall a conversation that took place many years ago, and might have been with my father-in-law about his grandfather in which he told me that his grandfather—I assume it was Canuto Alarid—had been a member of the Santa Fe Ring. But this book is not about the Santa Fe Ring, but rather the Alarid family.

What first inspired you to become a writer?
I think I’ve always been a writer. English composition was the one class that I could count on to make an ‘A’ throughout my scholastic endeavors. When Covid struck, I decided that I would put my writing prowess to good use and write a book. I’m now working on my sixth book since 2019.

What is it about historical fiction that draws you to write in that genre?
I don’t have enough imagination to make up characters and plots, so I must use actual people and facts, and can then make up the story to fit them. I don’t think I’ve ever written any pure fiction. Maybe in high school or college classes.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I’m finishing the story of my Dad’s Navy career. A couple of years ago I sent to the National Archives for his equivalent DD-214 form. For non-military, that’s the form you get after discharge from the military. My Dad talked little about his time in the Navy during WWII. I found that he had been a Torpedoman’s Mate on submarines for the two years he was in. He had been drafted into the Navy, which was not common, but did happen. When I found out he was on USS Redfish, a Balao class submarine, I went back to the National Archives and found the boat’s logs for the year that Redfish spent in the Pacific in waters surrounding Japan and the Philippines. What a year it was! I was born a little less than nine months after my Dad left for bootcamp in San Diego—I now tell my younger siblings that they are lucky that I was not an only child!

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
You are never too old to write. I started in my late seventies. I sometimes wish I had started when I was younger, but truth be told, I would never have had the patience to do research at the local library, so I had to wait for the internet. Google, Wikipedia, and MyHeritage are my research library. And I do a lot of research. I suspect I have three or four hours, maybe more, of research for every hour of writing.

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 Wendy Johnson

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Dr. Wendy Johnson is a clinician, public health expert, teacher, and mentor, as well as an activist and author. Her 2025 book release, Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves (North Atlantic Books), “maps a way forward to a sustainable, hopeful future with wise and compassionate directives, encouraging us to step into wild places, engage in community-building partnerships and endeavors, and be informed and inspiring activists in the creation of a better world.” You’ll find Dr. Johnson on WendyJohnsonMD.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Substack. Look for Kinship Medicine at North Atlantic Books and major retailers including Amazon.

Why did you write Kinship Medicine, and who did you write it for?
The impetus to start writing Kinship Medicine came out of a lifetime of frustration in my chosen field of medicine. I always felt that Western Medicine’s focus was too narrow and if we could know patients better and employ “treatments” that were broader than procedures or pills — interventions that were social as well as biological — we could have a much bigger and earlier impact in the course of their illnesses, and in many cases prevent them altogether. My hunch about this led me to discover the community health movement and the field of public health, but again, I felt frustrated because there was no way to apply all I learned about the effects of environment and social context on health within the confines of our profit-based healthcare system. I wrote the book for all those folks, health care workers and patients, who feel the same frustration with our healthcare system, or with commonly dispensed wellness advice, and think there’s something missing. I hope this is part of that missing piece.

Tell us about the journey from inspiration to completed book.
The idea for the book probably popped into my head over 10 years ago, and I may have even sketched out an early outline, but the book changed substantially over time. The first and most important spark that really got the book going was my friend Nassim Assefi. Nassim is a fellow global health physician and novelist, so I went to her with the beginnings of a book proposal and asked her advice. I had always been a writer on the side, and had majored in English as an undergrad, but mostly op-eds, academic papers and one book chapter, but a book was a whole other endeavor. This was around 2018 or so. Nassim loved the idea and she helped improve the proposal. With her encouragement, I got a couple of essays published in literary journals that eventually turned into chapters. Also, with her encouragement, I applied for a Hedgebrook residency and, miracle of miracles, I got it. That was really the turning point and made me feel like a “real writer.” Our cohort of six was the last group to complete a three-week residency before COVID shut things down in March of 2020. Five years later, the group still meets monthly on Zoom to workshop each other’s work.

I started writing the book in earnest during that residency, sitting at a desk where so many amazing writers sat before me. I did another important residency at Mesa Refuge in 2022. Being a part of those communities of writers has been critical for the development of the book. I sought out many other mentors and developmental edits along the way, including book coach extraordinaire Carolyn Flynn, Lesley Poling-Kempes and Robin McLean, David Martin of Middle Creek Publishing, The Writer’s Hotel (Shanna McNair and Scott Wolven), and Hugo Houses’ Book Lab taught by Sonora Jha. All helped improve the book immensely.

Finding my publisher was a funny serendipitous story. Rosh Joan Halifax had recommended me to her agent (Stephanie Tade) and she took me on and tried to place the book for about a year or so without luck. Almost a year after we parted ways, she sent me an email saying one of the publishers had asked to see my manuscript, but for some reason I didn’t see the message for another year. I had just finished Hugo House’s year-long Book Lab and was ready to start querying again, so I dug up all my old rejections to see what I could glean from them and lo and behold found the old email from Stephanie. I contacted Tim McKee at North Atlantic Books and he was still enthusiastic to look at the manuscript. In the end, I feel like it was fate. It was a much better book after the Book Lab. Tim loved it, felt it was ready to go, and so it was less than a year from signing my contract to pub date. I couldn’t be happier with my publisher — they are a non-profit social-justice-oriented publisher and no one there makes more than 2.6x the lowest paid employee. I feel that it’s the perfect fit.

How is the book structured and why did you choose to put it together that way?
I try to take the reader on a journey of discovery that mirrors my own and answer the questions — how did we get here and what might be the path forward? The chapters are building blocks to understanding and encompass public health, anthropology, sociology, ecology and many other fields. Woven through are examples from my own life and those of my patients.

The book starts off by grounding the reader a little in my life, my career, but also in New Mexico. I really began to understand the importance of the natural world and community to my own health over this past decade being a parciante in an acequia system and living in Chupadero. The introduction and first chapter are both set in New Mexico and use local examples to illustrate the principals I talk about throughout the book.

In the following chapters, I make the case that we seem to be stuck. After many decades of advances in health and well-being for humans, we seem to be backsliding as a species, and our healthcare system doesn’t seem to have the answers. At the same time, we’re harming the very environments we depend on for our well-being. I discuss the roots of our disconnection from each other and the natural world and how we began to think of ourselves as hierarchical beings ruling over nature. I explain that we are nature and show how even our bodies are ecosystems of symbiotic beings that must work together for all to flourish.

The last part of the book takes the reader through a process that I hope will shift their thinking from “human-centric” to “life-centric” and inspire them to take collective action through that new way of looking at the world.

Share a few surprising facts you discovered while doing research for Kinship Medicine.
I loved learning about Lynn Margulis’ contributions to how we understand evolution. Her thesis was that cooperation and “symbiosis” was a much more important contribution to evolution than competition. She was a woman scientist working in the 1960s and had these revolutionary ideas about how cells gained complexity by joining together symbiotically, not by “conquering” each other. She was unable to publish her first papers, getting rejected by more than 15 journals, but she kept at it. In the end, all her significant hypotheses were proved true using genetic evidence. It just turns our entire idea of who we are and how we came to be on its head when you let go of “survival of fittest’ as the myth that it is.

Another fun thing I discovered was about the first scientists who developed the germ theory of disease, including Louis Pasteur and Elie Metchnikoff. They both had far more nuanced ideas about germs than I was led to believe in my medical school classes. They understood that some were harmful and cause illness, but thought that others were helpful and necessary to our well-being. Their interpreters for the most part decided that if germs cause disease, then all germs must be bad, so our century of declaring war on all things microbial ensued. Of course, some of that was wildly beneficial, but the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides has also had a dark side.

What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
That’s easy. My friend Robin McLean says writing is a team sport and I have been blessed with a wonderful team. Getting to be a part of the community of writers, especially women writers, has enriched my whole life.

Do you have a favorite chapter in the book?
I am most fond of the chapters set in New Mexico that have a lot of my own stories in them. Which is surprising because the book started out devoid of much of that. I like the introduction, “Out of the Fire,” the first chapter, “The Wild Tithe,” chapter 11, “The Path Forward” and the epilogue, “The Coyote and the Cottonwood” best (that’s way more than one!)

Amazon lists Kinship Medicine in three categories: Sociological Study of Medicine, Nature Writing & Essays, and Sociology Reference. If you didn’t have the limitations of Amazon categories, how would you characterize the book?
I think it’s kind of sad we have such atomized categories. But if I did, I would say it’s a new genre – a “collective-help book” (rather than self-help, it’s anti-self-help).

Why did you choose this moment in time to write/publish Kinship Medicine?
The moment chose me, I think!

Do you have a favorite quote from the book that you’d like to share?
“We are at a crossroads. Will humankind continue down a path of separation from nature, of domination and destruction, or will we harness our intelligence toward finding new ways of achieving integration, reciprocity, and sustainability?”

When you tackle a nonfiction project, do you think of it as storytelling?
Yes, absolutely.

Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven’t yet?
I have dabbled in photography. I think next is using photographs as a base for encaustic painting.

Do you have a message or a theme that recurs in your writing?
My parents instilled in me my sense of fairness and justice and that comes through in my writing, I hope.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Thinking about the next book — maybe more focused on the healthcare system and how we could reverse engineer it to address that 80% of our health is dependent on our social context and community connections and environment.

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 Sequoia Rudolph

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Author Sequoia Rudolph is a retired special education teacher whose first book started out as an essay that stretched into a memoir but ended up as a novel. Her debut release, In Time Out (September 2024), brings readers “a fun, sexy mid-life adventure that blends humor, heartache, healing, and wisdom” with “a powerful reflection on the challenges of education, colonization, and life’s obstacles.” You’ll find Sequoia on Medium and Amazon.

When readers turn the last page in the book, what do you hope they will take away from it?
First, I want people to realize that teaching special education is a very difficult career and rarely is there a concrete resolution to the challenges both teachers and students face. Secondly, people have a view of what living and working in Paradise is like. It is very different from staying in a resort where the locals are paid to be nice to tourists. And third, women of a certain vintage often make changes to their lifestyles and it takes a lot of courage to leave a situation that does not work.

What challenges did this work pose for you?
This book started out as a nonfiction essay about the unfair treatment of special education students and teachers in the Department of Education in the state of Hawaii. Then it became a memoir, finally I decided to write a novel because making stuff up was a lot more fun than telling the absolute truth.

Who are your main characters and what do they have to overcome in the story? Will those who know you recognize you in any of your characters?
The main character is a clueless middle-aged runaway, Cynthia Ferguson, who had never been to Maui and decided to leave her husband. Yes, people would know this is my story. However, when I landed on Maui my life was totally different than hers in that I immediately made myself explore and connect with the island and the community. Cynthia was more afraid and cautious. Matthew, her young colleague, is a composite of various people who teach in every place I have ever worked. There is always an adorable young guy who gets away with not doing his job, and everyone loves him. No one ever calls him out because he is funny and makes people laugh.

All of the students in this novel are familiar to every special education teacher in the world. They are at a disadvantage and it is the teacher’s job to level the playing field. Not always possible or realistic. The evil principal, Ms. Yamamoto, is a combination of three of the worst administrators I encountered in my 25-year career. Maui is definitely one of the main characters. She adds beauty and adventure to the story.

Tell us how the book came together.
The story came from my teaching career, not just on Maui but in Kentucky and Arizona as well. In Time Out took 12 years to write and underwent many changes along the way. When I retired three years ago, I decided to finish the book and so I devoted a great deal of my time and resources to do so.

Hawaii is one of the main settings in the book. Why did you decide to use that particular setting as the place your story unfolds?
I have a love/hate relationship with Maui and could never really leave for good. I moved back three times and tried to make it work for me financially. In all, I lived there for over ten years and have gone back to house-sit or visit countless times. I still miss living there. It is a special place, but entirely unsustainable.

Is there a scene in your book that you’d love to see play out in a movie?
From the very beginning I pictured this book as a movie. It has humor, heart, romance and, of course, the island paradise of Maui.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
My favorite part of the project was the actual writing of the first draft. I would get up at 4:30 am and work on it until I had to go to work and live the story. Everything after writing the first draft has been difficult. And now that the book is completed, I feel stuck and need assistance in the next step.

How did you chose the title of the book?
The titles I wanted were already used in other books and movies. In Time Out surfaced at the last minute, and I really liked it. It describes Cynthia’s time on Maui and a reference to teaching as well.

You began your writing career later in life. What did your mature self bring to the writing table that your younger self never could have?
My younger self was busy raising children and working hard in other endeavors. Writing a novel requires motivation, focus and, most of all, time.

When did you consider yourself a writer?
Not until this book was published in September 2024.

What are the hardest kinds of scenes for you to write?
Without a doubt, the romance and sex scenes were not easy and I didn’t want to add them. I attempted to make it fun and lighthearted. Various beta readers and consultants convinced me that it was necessary and more realistic. As it turns out, they were right.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I’m a reporter for the Nob Hill News. I’m also published in Unbreaking the Circle: Stories of Service (the SWW 2025 military anthology), and I have a blog on Medium.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Everyone has a story to tell. I hoped to tell the story of special education in a fun and entertaining way.

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 Daniel Pedrick

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Daniel Pedrick is a retired attorney and mental health judge who started his third career as an author with his 2017 debut Once, A Walking Shadow (Mercury HeartLink). Dan’s newest release, Liv’s Story: An Iowa Girl’s Rebellion (RMK Publications, June 2024), was inspired by the life of his stepmother Jo Ann Pedrick. Look for Liv’s Story on Amazon.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Liv’s Story?
I have tried in this story to use important experiences that my stepmother had because she had a remarkable life. I also wanted to write a short novel with a female as the lead character.

Tell us about your stepmother. What was it about her that made you want to write a book inspired by her life?
Jo Ann Pedrick was like a second mother to me. She was a positive, resilient type who led such an interesting life. Her father passed away when she was an young teenager. Her mother had to be the provider which was very hard for women in the 1930s and 1940s. Jo Ann traveled extensively as an adult and never had children. We (me and my three siblings) were her children. She was taught by her mother to be self-reliant. She was a psychiatric social worker when she met my dad. She later ran for office in the Arizona legislature, and after that was appointed head of the Arizona Department of Aging, a cabinet position.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing/publishing Liv’s Story, and what was your favorite part of the process?
The most challenging aspect was capturing the voice of the heroine. My favorite part was capturing that voice in times of her stress, romance, and adventure.

When did you know you wanted to write the book and how did it come together after that?
The book was prompted by the reading of Jo Ann’s diaries up to her father’s death. It took me about four years to write the book, about two months to finish the editing due to the keen eye of my publisher Rose Marie Kern (RMK Publications), and a couple of weeks to procure the rights to the cover which is a watercolor painting done by Win Martinson, my son-in-law’s mother.

Why a fictionalized account instead of a nonfiction memoir?
A fictionalized account gave me more latitude with characters and timelines.

Did you discover anything surprising or interesting while doing research for the book?
I learned about the prowess of Japanese women pearl divers, college football dynamics in the 1940s, and the dangers of cave diving in Belize, to name a few.

How has your experience as an attorney and mental health judge benefited your writing life?
Working as an attorney for 20 years and as a mental health judge for 12 and a half years gave me good organizational skills which I desperately needed. It also helped with my vocabulary.

What first inspired you to become a writer? When did you actually consider yourself a writer?
I was inspired to be a writer after reading James Michener’s book Hawaii in the 8th grade. I considered myself a writer after completing my second novel which involved the fictionalizing of the life of my best friend growing up, as well as explaining difficult mental health issues.

Who are your favorite authors, and what do you admire most about their writing?
My favorite writers are T.C. Boyle and Abraham Verghese. I admire their ability to tell and weave together sometimes complicated plots. I also admire their extensive vocabularies.

What has writing taught you about yourself?
Writing has reaffirmed my tenacity as a person.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I am currently writing a memoir/eulogy of my late friend artist Ted Gibson, truly and undeniably a unique person.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I have been truly blessed in this life and appreciate the help of SouthWest Writers.

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 Donna Pedace

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Since the publication of her second nonfiction book, Scandalous Women of the Old West (2020), author Donna Pedace has focused her research and writing on women who have achieved something deserving of public recognition. Her newest release, Women Warriors: The Hidden Spies of WWII (RMK Publications, July 2024), brings readers the stories of 50 female agents who went on dangerous missions behind German lines during World War II. You’ll find Donna on Facebook and her Amazon Author Page.

Women Warriors tells the stories of female spies who worked behind the scenes in Nazi-held France. When did you discover the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret British organization created in 1940? What was the kick in the pants that started you on the book?
While researching material for another book, I came across a small slip of paper with just a few sentences about the women who served in the SOE. I was familiar with the SOE, but I hadn’t realized that women had been among its field agents. I tucked the note away, only to rediscover it a year later. That rediscovery sparked my curiosity, and I began delving into their stories. I was captivated by what I found — these women had led extraordinary lives. I felt strongly that their contributions deserved far greater recognition.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Researching women is always more difficult than researching men. Until just 15 or 20 years ago, most history was written by men — and they often overlooked, minimized, or entirely omitted the influence of women. In the case of the SOE, the challenge was even greater. The organization was disbanded almost immediately after World War II, and its records were scattered. A devastating fire at England’s National Archives later destroyed a significant number of documents. To make matters worse, all files on the SOE women agents were classified by the British government — some of them still were when I began my research. Fortunately, I was successful in having them lift those restrictions.

Tell us about one or two of the women from the book who you respect the most.
Nancy Wake was an extraordinary woman. She initially worked with the French Resistance, but after a Gestapo bounty was placed on her head, she was forced to flee France. Determined to continue the fight, she joined the Special Operations Executive and later returned to France as one of their agents. Unlike the other women, Nancy lived side by side with the Resistance fighters — sleeping in barns, hiding in forests, and operating out of abandoned houses and fields. She earned their deep respect and often led them on missions. Remarkably, she was the first woman reported to have killed a German soldier in hand-to-hand combat, using a karate chop technique she had learned during her SOE training.

Another remarkable woman was Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Indian royalty and a devout follower of the Sufi faith. Despite her belief in nonviolence, she volunteered as a radio operator for the SOE — one of the most dangerous roles in occupied France. After many of her fellow operators in Paris were captured or killed, Noor defied SOE orders to evacuate and chose to remain behind, maintaining the critical communication link between London and six different Resistance networks. Eventually, she was captured by the Gestapo, brutally tortured, and later executed. Yet, throughout her captivity — longer than that of any other female agent, German records tell us that she never revealed a single piece of classified information.

How did Women Warriors come together?
The serious research took just over a year, and during the final four months of that period, I began drafting the chapters. The actual writing process took about six months, during which I wrote for four to five hours each day. My editor began reviewing the manuscript after I had completed the first ten chapters and continued working on it intermittently for about four to five months. Since my editor was based on the East Coast, we relied heavily on both email and frequent phone calls to maintain close communication. This ongoing dialogue was essential to ensure he fully understood the details, my focus, and the intent behind each chapter.

How is the book structured, and why did you choose to put it together that way?
I chose to devote a separate chapter to each woman to clearly distinguish their individual stories and allow each one to stand on its own. The chapters are arranged in chronological order, following the timeline of the women’s work with the SOE.

Any “Oh, wow!” moments while doing research for this book?
Despite being fully aware of the dangers, their courage never ceased to amaze me. The average life expectancy for radio operators in the field was just six weeks — yet they volunteered to do what they could to fight the Germans. Eleven of the women were executed, two others died from illness in concentration camps, and several more were captured and brutally tortured. I was deeply moved to learn that, according to German records, not a single one of them ever revealed classified information.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I truly enjoyed the research process — it was exciting to uncover so much I had never known before. Writing, on the other hand, has always been hard work for me. I don’t particularly enjoy it, but the thrill of discovery through research kept me motivated and made the effort worthwhile.

As a nonfiction writer, how do you choose your next writing project?
I focus exclusively on women from our history, guided by two criteria: whether the topic genuinely interests me, and whether I believe the women have achieved something deserving of greater public recognition.

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?
My research schedule tends to be quite erratic. Once I start learning about a woman, I often spend long, long hours diving down various rabbit holes to uncover every detail. I usually have to order research books, which means I’m often waiting for them to arrive. I prefer to buy these books so I can keep them on hand for frequent reference. While much information is now available online, I make a point to double- or even triple-check information to ensure as much accuracy as possible. Online research also allows me to connect directly with others who have studied the same women, and we compare notes to deepen our understanding.

When it’s time to write, I typically dedicate four to five hours each afternoon. After lunch, I close the door to create a quiet, uninterrupted space because I don’t handle distractions well — I need to maintain my train of thought. Fortunately, my husband is very understanding of my need to separate myself.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I have already conducted extensive research on early women pilots, and that may become the focus of my next book.

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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