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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 Dita Dow

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Dita Dow, former police detective, private investigator, and consultant, is an award-winning, best-selling author of short fiction that showcases her passion for mysteries, thrillers, and the supernatural. She became a novelist in June 2025 with her debut release of Sins in Black (The Sinister Falls Series Book 1), a slow-burn thriller that ushers readers into the story of a brutal murder, a town that wants it forgotten, and a detective who won’t walk away. Look for Dita on DitaDow.com, on Instagram and Facebook, and her Amazon author page.

Dita, please tell us a little about your recent release, Sins in Black.
Sins in Black is a crime thriller set in a Pacific Northwest town that’s hiding more than anyone wants to admit. Harlie Whitlock, a former Dallas detective who returns home to Sinister Falls to care for her ailing mother, is hoping for some peace and distance from her past. But when a young woman turns up murdered, Harlie is pulled into an investigation the town’s elite are desperate to shut down. It’s a story about ill-gotten power and a detective who refuses to look the other way.

You had a career in law enforcement. Do you share traits with your protagonist, Detective Harlie Whitlock, or is she an amalgamation of people you’ve known?
My experience in law enforcement shapes how I write Harlie and her world. While she’s not a direct reflection of me, parts of her are: her sense of justice, determination, and the way she carries emotional scars without letting them define her.

Harlie is tougher, more reckless, and more willing to break rules than I ever was. She’s a blend of people I’ve known. Her flaws, resilience, and dark humor all come from real personalities and moments I’ve witnessed. I wanted her to feel real, not idealized.

My background also brings authenticity to the investigative side. I know what it’s like to walk into a scene, to feel pressure mounting when justice threatens power. That all bleeds into her story.

Why will readers connect with Harlie?
She’s authentic. She’s not a superhero or a perfect detective, but a woman who’s been through a lot and keeps showing up anyway. She’s tough, but her strength comes from surviving loss, pushing through trauma, and still choosing to do the right thing. She makes mistakes. She doubts herself. She struggles with anger, with grief, with trust. But that vulnerability makes her relatable. Harlie isn’t out to save the world — she just wants to speak the truth, protect the innocent, and hold people accountable, even when it puts her at odds with powerful forces.

No doubt your years of service have given you a vantage point regarding mysteries and crime. When pulling from your memories with law enforcement, how do you go about not crossing the line regarding revealing too much?
My years in law enforcement gave me a front-row seat to the reality behind crime and investigations. But I never use real names, locations, or specific case details. That is non-negotiable. It’s not about retelling real cases — it’s about translating the psychology, the tension, and the humanity into fiction that resonates.

What unique challenges did Sins in Black pose for you?
The biggest challenge was the shift from short fiction to a full-length novel. I had to learn how to stretch tension, build emotional depth, and let the story unfold at its own pace. Sins in Black is a slow-burn thriller, and it needed room to explore not just the murder, but the trauma, corruption, and inner conflicts woven through Harlie’s world.

Another challenge was letting go of control. Early on, I forced the plot — but it didn’t breathe until I let the characters lead. Trusting Harlie’s voice changed everything. That shift taught me patience, humility, and how to truly listen.

Tell us how long Sins in Black took to write and what your editing process looked like.
I first started writing it 15 years ago, but because of life, work, doubt, other projects — take your pick — it got shelved. The story back then was very different from what it eventually became. It had the seed of Sinister Falls, a version of Harlie, and a hint of the mystery, but it didn’t have the voice or depth it needed. It wasn’t ready. And neither was I.

The version that became the published novel took about a year to write, once I truly committed to finishing it. And thank goodness for my editor. She was instrumental in helping shape the final product. I had written it in third person, but she suggested it might be more powerful if told in first person — from Harlie’s point of view. Once I rewrote it that way, the story clicked. Harlie’s voice came alive. Her thoughts, pain, and defiance — all of it landed harder. It gave the story a pulse I didn’t realize it was missing.

You write mysteries and thrillers, but you’ve also written horror shorts, as well as magical realism. Do you have a preferred genre?
That’s a tough one because I love all of them for different reasons. Mysteries and thrillers are where I feel most at home. I enjoy the structure, the tension, the slow unraveling of truth — building a puzzle and letting the reader piece it together.

But horror holds a special place for me, too. I’ve written several horror shorts, and what I love about the genre is how it’s not just about monsters or gore — it’s about dread, trauma, isolation, the dark corners of the mind. Horror lets me explore emotions and ideas that don’t quite fit into a traditional mystery.

Magical realism is more rare for me, but when the right story calls for it, I love the freedom it offers. There’s beauty in blurring the lines between the real and the surreal. It allows emotion to bend the rules a bit — and sometimes, that’s exactly what a story needs.

For me, it’s less about fitting a category and more about finding the right frame for the characters and questions I want to explore.

What are you most happy with, and what do you struggle with most in your writing?
I’m most happy with writing characters who feel real. When readers connect with my characters, it means everything. I don’t just want to entertain; I want people to feel something that stays with them. I’m also proud I kept going. Writing is rarely a straight line. Doubt, silence, and setbacks nearly stopped Sins in Black, but persistence got it done — and that’s its own quiet kind of win.

What I struggle with most is letting go. Knowing when to stop tweaking and trust the work is ready. And navigating self-doubt. Impostor syndrome is real, especially when writing darker stories. But leaning into discomfort often leads to the most honest work. The business side of writing is hard, too — self-promotion doesn’t come naturally. Balancing creativity with visibility is still a work in progress.

Your website is multifaceted: A blog, a writer’s resource list, music you’ve written, samples of your artwork, and most recently, an inspirational email called Words to Inspire Your Days. What prompted you to start the latter?
It came from a place deep inside me — born not just from my love of writing, but from what I’ve witnessed in life, particularly during my years in law enforcement. Working in that field, I saw the darkest parts of the human experience. I saw people weighed down by trauma, stuck in cycles of abuse, addiction, and pain, but couldn’t seem to escape. I also saw something else: people who had survived equally horrific pasts, but somehow, they rose. They became advocates, mentors, creators — people who had every reason to fall apart but instead became whole in a way that inspired others.

That contrast haunted me. Why can some people rise from the ashes, while others remain trapped in the fire? What’s the difference? And while my fiction allows me to explore trauma, justice, and the complexities of human behavior through storytelling, it wasn’t fully feeding the side of me that wanted to offer hope — tangible, honest encouragement for people still in the thick of their battles. That’s how Words to Inspire Your Days was born.

I now send out two newsletters per month — one is my general author newsletter with updates, releases, and writing news. The other, which I send mid-month, is my motivational letter. It’s filled with insight, mindset tools, and encouragement for anyone struggling to keep going — whether they’re readers, writers, survivors, or simply people trying to find meaning in their day.

That’s how I came to my tagline: “Stories to Haunt Your Nights. Words to Inspire Your Days.” Because I believe we are all capable of holding light and shadow at once. My fiction explores darkness, but the newsletter is my way of reminding people the darkness doesn’t get the final say.

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you started your writing and publishing career today?
I think the biggest thing I would do differently is give myself permission to begin publishing sooner. I let doubt, perfectionism, and fear of not “doing it right” hold me back. I had stories in me, but I kept them tucked away until I thought I was “ready.” The truth is, we’re never fully ready. You grow by doing.

I also would’ve learned the business side of writing earlier on. Publishing isn’t just about telling good stories — it’s about understanding how to position those stories, how to market them, and how to navigate things like editors, cover design, branding, and platforms. I’ve since learned to embrace that part of the process — it’s not a distraction from the writing, it’s a tool to get your words into the hands of the right readers.

I’d be kinder to myself. I would remind myself that growth doesn’t happen in straight lines, and success doesn’t look the same for every writer. I would’ve stopped comparing my path to someone else’s and just focused on telling the stories that mattered most to me.

What marketing techniques have been most helpful to you?
Building my email list before publishing was one of my best decisions. It gave me a direct connection to readers who truly cared about my voice and helped create a supportive community from the start. Word of mouth has been invaluable. When readers share my books — through reviews or conversations — it builds trust in a way traditional marketing can’t. I’ve also found social media, especially Facebook and Instagram, useful for authentic connection. I share behind-the-scenes moments and focus on real engagement, not sales. Ultimately, what works is staying genuine. Relationships — not just sales — are what sustain a writing career.

When’s the next installment for The Sinister Fall Series?
The next installment is titled Sins in White, and I anticipate its release in early 2026. This time, Detective Harlie Whitlock finds herself investigating a new wellness center in Sinister Falls that promises healing but may be hiding something beneath its pristine exterior.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I want readers to know how much I value them. Every time you read, share, review, or reach out, it means more than you know. It reminds me why I write.

Though my fiction often explores dark places — crime, trauma, corruption — it’s always with purpose. I write about the shadows because I believe in the light. At the heart of every story is a fight for justice, healing, and truth. My characters are messy and flawed, but they’re survivors. My hope is that readers see a part of themselves in that struggle — and in that resilience.

Su Lierz is a horror writer in the Land of Enchantment. Her short work can be found in anthologies and several publications including Grey Sparrow Journal and The Horror Zine. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico with her husband Dennis.



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 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 Heidi Marshall

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Before coming to the United States, author Heidi Marshall wrote more than 50 radio scripts of children’s stories. After immigrating, she became an award-winning short story author published in several anthologies. In September 2024, she released The Town That Lost Its Colors, her debut children’s chapter book “written in the tradition of fine tales of courage and respect, with modern themes of inclusion, forgiveness, and kindness.” You’ll find Heidi on her Amazon Author Page.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in The Town That Lost Its Colors?
It began in Spanish, my native language, as a short radio script, with the title El Pueblo que Perdió sus Colores. The story had a few elements of the book as published many years later, but vastly different themes and characters.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Finding the right ending, once I committed to re-write the book for a grandniece’s birthday, after it had been set aside, sometimes for years, because of life’s more demanding expectations. I tried several endings that only brought the book to a standstill — until that Eureka moment. After that, ideas flowed, and the sentences practically wrote themselves. I never did tell my grandniece which birthday I was talking about…just in case.

Who are your main characters and why will readers connect to them?
Princess Imogen, the main character, wants to help her people but has no notion how to go about it. She figures things out as she goes, improvises, and that makes the readers want to help her succeed. I hoped to draw enough empathy for the little unicorns’ plight for the reader to take part in their story. The monster, well, his broken horn broke my heart, and I was just making that up.

Who did you write the book for? What topics does The Town That Lost Its Colors touch on that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom? 
I feel that the topics of acceptance, forgiveness, inclusion, and respect for differences have become more important now than ever before.

As to the first part of the question, I could never have written this book for a specific age group. My respect for children’s wonderful ability to imagine is too much to box them within age brackets. I wanted my words to trigger the children’s own imagery of the story. I understand that a book “for all ages” seems to be a bad idea nowadays commercially, but I believe that if parents love a story, the more likely they are to read it to young children, or gift it to children beginning to read chapter books.

How did you feel the first time you held your book and saw your story come alive in the artwork of illustrator Adrienne Kinsella?
It was wonderful to hold a complete version, although it was only a proof.

Tell us how the book came together.
The story and I changed and grew old together. It took that long! The illustrator Adrienne, from a talented branch of the family, happened to be available at the right time. The editing process evolved from my SouthWest Writers Sage challenge submissions.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Seeing the book become real. I learned so much! Illustrations coming to life by Adrienne’s hand. The book falling naturally into chapters, which made the illustrations also fall in place as introductions to each chapter — captions and all! Kathy Louise Schuit with her considerable talent and attention to detail making all the book elements come together seamlessly with her design and layout.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What is the first piece of writing you can remember finishing?
It was when I read in front of my elementary school fourth grade teacher and classmates an assignment about the first Hispanic woman ever to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral. The kids looked blank, but I saw my teacher surreptitiously wipe a tear from the corner of one eye. I wanted my written words to cause that reaction in people. I realize now that a lot of youthful, heartfelt purple prose could have caused that tear.

What is the best encouragement or advice you’ve received in your writing journey?
Learn the craft. Talent is only the beginning.

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 Gary Lucero

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Gary Lucero is an author, poet, and software engineer who has published poems and short stories, as well as a book of photography dedicated to his best friend and constant companion Geordi. Gary’s newest poetry collection is The Unknown Race, released in April 2025. Look for him on his website GaryLuceroWriter.com, Facebook, Instagram, and his Amazon author page.

At its heart, what is The Unknown Race about?
About humanity and our passions, our mistakes, and about how we are often controlled by that one percent of the world, the richest of the rich.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
I always struggle with structure. How to put a book together so it makes some sort of sense. What poems to include, in what order. I had those same concerns with The Unknown Race. It’s a delicate process that requires concentration and constant revision and review.

What inspired you to put this collection together? How many poems did you write just for this project and how many were already written?
The books I’ve created so far are all collections, so it’s a matter of writing, revising, and finding enough content of a similar type to create a book. About a third of the poems are from late last year, and the rest were written specifically for The Unknown Race.

How are the poems organized and why did you arrange the collection that way?
I created three chapters based on the poems I completed. Ramblings is a collection of poems about humanity, and many of these are older poems from Fall/Winter 2024. Ravings are rants about big money and the government that enables it. Regrets are about my life, its disappointments, etc. The title poem, which ends the Regrets chapter and the book, is my big rant, which looks at my life and how insignificant it is when compared to the grand scheme of things.

How did you choose the title of the book?
I came up with the title in the late 1990s. At the time I was thinking about how we’ve treated the Native American people, and how that kind of process where you take a race and sterilize and destroy it causes them to lose themselves, and how they might forget who they are. Of course, this kind of process isn’t specific to Native Americans as it’s been going on for as long as man has lived. More recently, I started thinking how the concept of The Unknown Race applies to anyone who forgets who they are, where they came from, or why they exist. It could be from an external source like slavery or ethnic cleansing, or sometimes we do it to ourselves by running away from our culture and the pressures it places on us. However it happens, we might become an unknown race.

The Unknown Race is your fourth collection of poetry. How does it differ from the other three, In Life There Is No Escape (February 2025), In Letting Go (October 2024), and When I Flew (March 2024)?
In Life Is No Escape is a collection of extremely negative poems that I quickly threw together. I came up with this idea of a person who has lost everything and has tried to end their life, but God refuses to let them die. It came together at a very low point in my life, and I felt very strongly about it at the time. Unfortunately, I don’t think I quite achieved what I was aiming for. In Letting Go has mostly older poems, some from as far back as the 1990s. It’s my “catch-up” collection. When I Flew is now unpublished and its poems overlap with In Letting Go.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I believe the cover turned out nicely, despite its somewhat unusual appearance. And the book was fun to create and came together quickly. I felt less nervous and more self-assured about The Unknown Race than my previous books, and I think the content overall is of better quality.

Of all the books you’ve written, which one was the most challenging to write?
In Letting Go was difficult because I had to figure out the order, and which poems to include, and I was hesitant to include the final chapter, “And So It Is With Heroes.” I struggled with that book, and while I’m generally pleased with it, it could be better.

You write poetry and short stories. How has your experience with one affected or benefited the other?
Sometimes when I’m having a difficult time developing new poems, or good poems, I create small prose fragments, and they help me work through my feelings and try different things in a manner that’s easier than trying to pen a poem. So, I think they are complementary forms of writing, and I will continue to pursue prose, but I don’t know if I’ll attempt to release more short stories or not.

Do you have a preference for poetry structure or form when you write or read?
Truth is, I didn’t read poetry before the end of last year! I learned about poetry in high school but never realized it has its own set of rules, and that there are scholars of poetry, and people who look at it with such a critical eye. My poetry was always based on lyrics in music, mostly rock and progressive rock. I’m learning about poetry now, which is difficult, to say the least. It’s been challenging. But to answer your question, I mostly write in free verse but I’m still trying to get a handle on it, so my poetry structure changes from day to day.

How important is accessibility of meaning? Should a reader have to work to understand a poem?
I think accessibility is extremely important, and my personal style is pretty basic. Personally, I prefer reading poetry that isn’t a puzzle, and much of the poetry I read turns me off because it’s too esoteric or rambling or self-absorbed.

When did poetry become important to you?
In 11th grade, I took a creative writing class and as soon as I learned about poetry, I started writing and never stopped. I don’t remember if our teacher, Mrs. Barnes, read to us from any of the great poets or not, but she was always supportive of the terrible poetry I wrote, so I just kept writing. Over the decades since, I’ve continued to write, but it’s become much more important in the last couple of years.

How does a poem begin for you, with an idea, a form, an image?
Usually, it’s a line or two from something I think, or see, or hear. Then I keep working on it, revising and expanding until I think it’s complete, or I abandon it. For me, poetry is something I try to work on daily, mostly on my phone. I’m constantly shuffling poems around from one folder to another, deciding if they belong in the book I’m currently working on, or maybe a future book, or if they are left unfinished or aren’t good enough to consider for any book.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I’ve been told by a couple of professional poets that my poetry is not poetic enough. That it’s often more prose than poetry, and it lacks proper use of metaphor, simile, rhythm, etc. So I’ve started a new book where I take my poems and turn them into stories and musings. I turn them into prose, which is an interesting process, and one I’m excited to see how it turns out.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I’ve never been part of the poetry scene, and I’m still not. I feel like an un-poet in many ways, estranged from what is considered proper or good poetry. I don’t know if I’ll ever appreciate real poetry or find my way past my amateur status. I might not. But if I can entertain or challenge a group of readers, then I’ll have had some level of success.

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 David F. Menicucci

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David Menicucci is a professional researcher retired from Sandia National Laboratories who still volunteers part-time as a research professor for the University of New Mexico. He has published three nonfiction books and is the author of, or contributor to, nearly sixty research publications. His newest nonfiction release, Two Centuries to Freedom, The True Story of One Family’s Two-Century Migration from Lucca, Italy, to New Mexico and Other American States (Sunstone Press, March 2025), is a comprehensive view of early 20th-century Italian immigration as seen through the eyes of the Menicucci family. The book contains over a hundred historical photos, maps and diagrams. You’ll find Dave on Facebook and his SWW author page. Look for Two Centuries to Freedom on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

When you began writing your family’s history, what did you hope to accomplish? By the end of the journey, do you feel you were successful in your goals?
I wanted to tell a fascinating true story, one fully annotated and referenced. Most importantly, I strove to tell what drew these dirt-poor immigrants to this country. America’s free market capitalism allowed them to own their own business and the freedom for self-development. The story of Catholicism is a large part of the story, especially how the Italians used prayer to generate hope in the most calamitous of situations. There are detailed accounts of the grandiose midnight Masses at Immaculate Conception Church in the 1950s that required ticketed reservations for a seat in the pews. Whether the book is successful remains to be seen. The goal is to educate people by encouraging reading. The Albuquerque Public Library has nine copies, and an e-book will be available shortly.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Wringing out the juiciest information, such as the story about the Menicuccis’ and Matteuccis’ experiences with depression. The book provides vivid details about the ravages of mental dysfunction in Albuquerque in the 1950s and the impact it had on the early Italians who feared it like a dreaded disease. But obtaining the information was difficult because people feared speaking out lest they be blamed for spreading scandalous information, even if the information was verified and all the participants had been deceased for decades.

When did you know you wanted to write the book that became Two Centuries to Freedom? What prompted the push to begin the project?
My mother, Emma Dalle Menicucci, in about 2000 knew by my many publications that I could write. She suggested that the family story would be interesting for people to know because it exemplified the features of America that drew the immigrants here and how those features allowed the family to thrive. She supplied interesting material and stories, which piqued my interest. But it was Rick Nathenson’s Albuquerque Journal article in 2010 that sparked my effort. In that article, he asked whether a gang of local Lucchese (Lucca Italians) chased a Chicago Mafia gang out of town in 1928. He left the question unanswered, and it intrigued me sufficiently that I set out to answer it. That led to intriguing discoveries that convinced me that a compelling story about Italian immigration was waiting to be told. The answer to Nathanson’s question is on page 225 of Two Centuries, section entitled: “Lucchese to Albuquerque’s Defense.”

How is the book structured and why did you choose to put it together that way?
The book covers a chronological period beginning in the 1780s and ending in the 1980s, thus the “two centuries” title. It is structured by date. Appendices provide additional detailed information on specific ancillary topics but of significant importance. About eighteen pages of references provide the source materials that I used. The Notes explain how I used these sources to develop my conclusions in each chapter. My self-imposed constraint was to meet the International Genealogical Standard of Proof, which generally requires two independent sources to verify a conclusion.

Tell us how the book came together.
I wrote the book and then sought out a publisher. Rose Kern suggested self-publishing, but the book is large (644 pages), has many references, and a hundred pages of notes, including tables and other graphics. So, due to the complexity, I hesitated to take this on myself. Because of my affiliation with the university, I began soliciting publishers, starting with UNM Press. Unfortunately, they are not community-inclined. I solicited others until I found Sunstone Press. I was able to negotiate a fine deal.

The book comprises three phases of effort: 1) Ten years of research, 2) Two and a half years of writing, and 3) Two years of marketing. My marketing plan has three targets: 1) Family and Friends, 2) Local folks in Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties, and 3) National and international, especially Italy. I am in phase 2. I will launch phase 3 at the world’s largest international genealogy conference in Salt Lake City in March 2026, where I will speak.

What are some of the most surprising facts you discovered while doing research for this project?
Three surprises. First, how crazed most Italians are over Porcini. Some of the anecdotes are on par with Three Stooges skits. Second, the amount of alcohol consumed by the Italians. A typical immigrant family fermented about 200 gallons of wine and distilled 5-10 gallons of grappa annually. (Grappa is a low-quality brandy, ~70 proof, produced by fermenting and distilling the leftover skins and seeds of squeezed wine grapes.) My grandfather took four shots of grappa daily—in coffee, lunch, dinner and before bed. And he drank water and wine at meals. My grandmother drank about ¾+ bottle of wine daily. They both died in their 80s, 90s of old age. Third, the profound nature of scandal in immigrant Italian culture, which exists today. Scandal is an innate fear in many Italian families that rivals horror tales of goblins and evil specters. It impacted my ability to collect data. I visited my aunt in Louisiana three times to convince her to relate intriguing inside stories that she had been harboring for decades. Only when all the participants in the story were dead—fortunately, she had survived them—did she reveal the details. An appendix is devoted to the issue of scandal in Italian culture.

What was the most rewarding aspect of writing Two Centuries to Freedom?
Researchers are educators. My goal is to discover new things and tell other people about them. Publishing a detailed, properly referenced, fully annotated report of my extensive findings is immensely satisfactory.

How do you conduct your research? How does your research continue once you begin writing?
My process of discovery is involved, and I will have more to say in some workshops I am planning for SouthWest Writers. But simply, I collect a lot of information, then sort through and quality-assure it and subsequently categorize all. I look over the categories and decide what kind of story they tell. If the emerging story is worth telling, I synthesize the categorical information into a coherent narrative. One of the book’s most unique features is that it tells this story in the context of history. This means it explains what the people did and the coincidental historical conditions that influenced their decisions.

Naturally, once the writing begins, discrepancies arise that require additional research. These interruptions can disrupt a train of thought in a writing session, so I triage each new side-finding and decide whether to table it for later or interrupt the work and integrate it into the trove of data. Diversion is typical in research and is one way that novices can be sidetracked into unproductive paths of inquiry. I keep my eye on the main goal at all times.

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?
Every author has his/her way. I focus on the reader. I imagine speaking directly to him or her in simple words. I make liberal use of parables. I like to tell stories that engender my primary goal—to educate. I measure everything in the book against that standard. I ruminate much before I write. I began the process by imagining the whole story as one—where does it start, where does it go, and where does it end? That encapsulates the project and provides a clear goal. Then, I put myself in the reader’s shoes and ask what might be interesting and important to understand the story.

I contemplate much and write a little. I frequently mull things over for weeks, usually at one of my retreats, such as our mountain cabin, home greenhouse, basement brewery, the Jemez streams, UNM golf courses or my workshop. I bring a notepad and jot things down as I think about them. At some point, I have enough to begin drafting. Once I start, I sprint to the end. Typically, for a writing session, I select a goal, such as completing a fixed number of related sections. I had several 72-hour periods where I slept a total of eight hours and ate nothing but a couple of cups of soup and a sandwich. I do not recommend this but it has served me well since graduate school, and I have many publications and two professional careers as evidence.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I have several planned, all related to Two Centuries to Freedom. Presently, I am working on The Culinary Principles and Practices of Albuquerque’s Early Italians. This will explain how the Italian immigrants in the city cooked, what foods they ate, what practices they brought from Italy, how their food impacted the local populace and culinary fusion with the Anglo and Hispanic cuisines, especially the use of New Mexico chiles in Italian food. I am also in the process of telling the Two Century story visually, in a screenplay.

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 2025: Zachry Wheeler

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Zachry Wheeler is an award-winning science fiction author who has published over twenty books across four series. His newest release, Starship Eternity: A Sci-Fi Horror Short (January 2025), is the fifth addition to his Twisted Simulations series. Look for him on his website ZachryWheeler.com, his new YouTube channel, and his Amazon author page. For more about his writing, see his first interview for SouthWest Writers and his interview update.

Zachry, there’s a lot to catch up on in your world. You’ve taken a hiatus from writing to focus on photography. What lead up to that decision?
This is how I avoid burnout. I never shelve my creative drive, I just point it at something else until my batteries recharge. Photography has always served as a great counterweight, in that it scratches the creative itch while also forcing me to touch grass.

When you’re working on both writing and photography, do they share your time in equal measure?
Not at all. There is always a primary focus, otherwise the quality suffers. At the moment, I am delving deeper into photography while casually working on writing tasks. I still promote my books and develop new ideas, but without any goals or time pressure. For now, my brain is focused on what camera settings produce the best hummingbird photos.

As a creative, do you find one medium (writing or photography) more intimate than the other?
For me, writing is more intimate. I really enjoy the challenge of snapping good photos, but I’ve spent decades with my story characters and know them like family members.

What is the most rewarding aspect of both artistic endeavors?
In photography, it’s a perfect moment. You are constantly hunting for perfect weather, perfect lighting, and perfect timing. When you “get the shot,” it’s a fantastic feeling.

In writing, it’s a happy reader. When you put so much time and effort into creating, editing, and publishing a story, there is nothing more rewarding than a fan telling you why they loved it.

You’ve made big changes regarding your interaction with social media. According to your website, you’ve moved away from all platforms and you’re focusing more on your website, blog, and mailing list. You stated social media was “actively harming” your brand. Can you explain what you mean by “harming” and in what ways has changing focus helped your brand?
We all know that social media is catastrophic to mental health. In my opinion, trying to leverage it effectively is not worth the stress and reputational risk. Brands have done serious damage to themselves by posting the wrong things at the wrong times, no matter how innocent. It’s also a massive time sink that eats into valuable creative time.

In my own experience, I noticed that I was wasting too much effort chasing engagement. The resulting frustration would derail my process and cause me to rant in writing groups, which is never a good look. I realized that social media was more bane than boon, so I deleted all of my accounts and walked away. The resulting peace of mind was immeasurable. Many authors are waking up to the fact that you don’t need social media to be successful.

If I’m not mistaken, you spent some time as a script doctor. What was that experience like and are you still called upon from time to time to help?
I lucked into this role, which I found to be surreal yet enjoyable. Long story short, my novel Transient (Immortal Wake #1) got optioned for a feature film and landed in development for a time. That got my foot into the door and a few chance encounters resulted in some work as a script doctor. It’s different from writing the screenplay (which I have also done), in that you’re using your author skills to polish dialogue, fix structural errors, and find plot holes. It’s actually quite fun and engaging. I haven’t done much doctoring in recent years, but I’m always up for it when the producers need me.

What marketing techniques have been most helpful to you?
I spent many years in the marketing trenches, where I flushed piles of cash down the toilet. As with everything in advertising, some things work, most fail. I have found that the only surefire bet is BookBub. Their featured deals are very expensive and hard to get, but they offer the only guaranteed ROI in the game. It took me several years of patience and perseverance to get into their regular rotation. Now it’s the only service I use. I compiled my strategies into a marketing guide on my blog, which you can read here: https://zachrywheeler.com/an-authors-guide-to-marketing/

I’m seeing more and more authors put out short stories and novelettes in chapbook form. Has this been beneficial in gaining visibility for your work?
Very much so, and for many different reasons. First and foremost, it expands your readership net because the attention economy is a difficult nut to crack. People who read novels and people who read short stories are rarely the same. But, if they enjoy your writing and become fans, then they will cross over. In addition, shorts and novellas are much easier to produce and publish. It’s a great way to mitigate risk if you want to experiment with different styles or genres. Shorts are also great fodder for freebie promos and reader magnets.

What draws you to the dark side of literature?
I have always been a big horror fan, so it was only natural that it would creep into my writing. My first true horror title was The Bone Maiden, a prequel novella to the Immortal Wake book trilogy. I greatly enjoyed that writing process, which got me thinking about a new horror series. That became Twisted Simulations, a collection of short stories with sci-fi horror themes. This is another series that I have an abundance of ideas for, so I’m sure it will continue.

You have a tech noir series, Immortal Wake; a sci-fi comedy series, Max and the Multiverse; and a collection of chilling tales called Twisted Simulations, to name a few. All are diverse. Do you have a favorite?
I am proud of them all, but if I had to pick one, it would be Puki Horpocket Presents. This is a sci-fi comedy series that spun off from Max and the Multiverse. It’s about a famous journalist who profiles extraordinary beings in the cosmos. The stories are so much fun to write because I blend so many different styles. I use interview formats, first-person commentary, third-person narration, you name it. I definitely want to return to this series at some point because I have so many ideas for new tales.

What authors influenced your writing?
Douglas Adams has been my favorite author since childhood and his influence can be seen all over my works. Andy Weir is another big influence, as I greatly admire his ability to blend sharp humor with hard science. On the darker side, I have a wide range of influences, everyone from Max Brooks to George Orwell.

I always like to get an author’s take on critique groups: some can help, some can hinder. Do you work with a critique group or share your work with anyone prior to putting it out into the world?
Critique groups are double-edged swords. Good ones can elevate you to new heights. Bad ones can destroy your motivation or blind you to obvious issues. I have experienced both and it took a while to find what works best for me. I have a small group of trusted peers who serve as my beta team. The key is to find people who enjoy your work, but are willing to give you fair and honest feedback. Seems simple, but they are very hard to find. In my experience, most people are either pleasers (everything you do is great) or punishers (everything you do is crap). Sadly, fair is rare. And for the love of all that is good and holy, be receptive! A good critique group is worthless if you aren’t willing to heed the advice.

What’s on the horizon for you? Will you be adding to these series, or are there other series or standalones percolating that you can tell us about?
I honestly have no clue, but that’s only because I’m currently enjoying a hiatus. I have several new ideas and many works in progress, so who knows.

If you want to stay in the loop, the easiest way is to sign up for my newsletter. As a special gift, I will also send you a free limited edition eBook!

Su Lierz is a horror writer in the Land of Enchantment. Her short work can be found in anthologies and several publications including Grey Sparrow Journal and The Horror Zine. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico with her husband Dennis.



An Interview with Author Roger Floyd

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Roger Floyd is a retired research virologist who is now a science fiction author of short stories and novels. He harnesses a fascination with outer space and space travel to bring readers on a journey with his characters to other planets and the stars beyond. In his debut novel, Explorer: Part I of the Anthanian Imperative Trilogy (August 2024), a team of explorers from a dying planet investigate their civilization’s best chance for survival. Look for Roger on his website RogerFloyd.com. Explorer is available in most bookstores, through IngramSpark, and from Amazon.

What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Explorer?
I think the most important takeaway for readers of Explorer is the fact that space travel isn’t going to be as simple and easy as all the popular fiction stories make it out to be. We see TV, movies, books, comics, etc, all the time which make it so easy to just get on a spaceship and travel to all sorts of places in the galaxy. Or even out of it. While these stories are fun and enjoyable, they’re somewhat misleading. It won’t be that easy. There’s a certain naivety in that concept, a certain laissez-faire attitude that can’t be brushed aside in real life. We’ve already seen some of the most unfortunate results of that attitude: Apollo 1, Apollo 13, Columbia, Challenger. Yet in the popular media, characters travel thousands of light years in a short amount of time in comfort and ease. I suggest we modify our expectations of space travel somewhat and realize it won’t be as wonderful as we make it out. We humans are highly sophisticated in terms of understanding our world and the environment around us, certainly, but we still have a lot to learn about other worlds, even just the ones close by. I, personally, would love to be among the first to land on Mars, but it still will be a very dangerous journey.

What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Since this was my first large scale work, and in fiction (I’d only written scientific articles before), I had to learn how to write in a completely different way. I’d never done fiction at all. I started by getting subscriptions to writing magazines. I picked up books on writing, especially writing sci-fi, and I began attending meetings and conferences. I’d read mostly nonfiction in my early years, but I’d read some fiction, and I thought I knew enough to at least get started. So I did. But the challenges of fiction still made it necessary for me to delve into the process of writing in a big way.

Tell us a little about a few of your main characters and why you chose them to carry the story.
At first, the two main characters, Lilea and Jad, were simply two names out of ten that I developed when I was laying out the main story of the book. My first thought was to not use any one person as a main character and tell the story from the POV of each of the different characters. But I soon realize that concept wouldn’t work—too many characters for the reader to keep track of. I settled on Lilea because she was the youngest on the team, and the one with the least amount of space experience, and the least amount of training. What better person to watch grow as the story unfolds? Jad, on the other hand, was highly experienced and well trained, both in space flight and in his chosen field. Growth for him would be much more difficult. An interesting juxtaposition.

How did the book come together?
The main story idea came about over a period of several years. I was living in Cincinnati at the time, and the autumns in Cincinnati are spectacular. While watching the leaves fall one year, I wondered what a visitor from another world would think if he (she?) landed on Earth at that time. Would they think the trees are dying? From that basic concept I developed the story that became Explorer. Of course, I had to develop a good reason for them to visit Earth, and from that work back to their homeworld and make up all the details that went along with it. I started the book in 1998, and got a first draft of 248,000 words finished around 2003. Wow. Way too big. I began cutting and revising and cutting and revising for years, and never really finished it until 2023 when I declared it finished and copyrighted it. Done. (In the meantime, I wrote the second and third books of the trilogy.) Probably the most difficult aspect of writing was learning how to cut. Cut–cut–cut. I kept telling myself, “Everything I cut always makes the book better, even if I’m cutting out some things I like.”

What was the most difficult aspect of world building for Explorer?
The most difficult aspect of world building was not only developing the characters’ homeworld of Anthanos, but finding out what Earth looked like around 15,000 years ago when the story takes place. Research was essential more for the second point than the first. I did a lot of Google research, but much of what I needed wasn’t online. Living in Cincinnati, I went over to the library at the University of Cincinnati and found several books on Earth around the time of the Pleistocene Era, the time of the Ice Ages.

What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
Getting the first books from the printer.

Was it always your plan to write a trilogy? If not, at what point did you realize you needed more than one book to tell your story?
I didn’t start out to write a trilogy. That developed after I finished the basic story for Explorer and realized I wanted to continue the story. That developed into Traveler (part 2) and later into Warrior (part 3).

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?
Probably a life of research which required absolute attention to detail and a commitment to finding out everything I could about a research project.

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you started your writing/publishing career today?
Writing the second and third books of the trilogy went more quickly than Explorer. The second took about five years, the third about three. I suspect I learned a lot about writing just by writing novels.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research?
I have an affinity for both creating and editing. Research comes naturally, having done it for years.

What does a typical writing session look like for you? Do you have any writing rituals or something you absolutely need in order to write?
I tend to write in the afternoon and evening. I’m not one of those who gets up at 3:30 am and writes just because it’s quiet or I’m rested or the kids are asleep. Generally, I like quiet when writing, or if I play music, it’s classical music. Rituals? No. Just sit down and boot up the computer.

What writing projects are you working on now?
Right now, I’m finishing the second in the trilogy, Traveler, working with the artist to get the cover and interior art done, and formatting the manuscript to get it ready for the printer. All very enjoyable.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Yes. Buy the book! It’s available in most bookstores (highly recommended), through IngramSpark (also recommended), and from Amazon.

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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