Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
Give a big wolf welcome to Stephen McGill
A young African American husband and father of 3, Stephen graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University. His mother, an English teacher in Baltimore City for over 30 years, introduced him to literature at an early age. He read a book to his class in kindergarten and has had a passion for reading and writing ever since. Currently, he works for the Federal Government in the IT field and is a personal trainer. He spends his free time lifting heavy objects, listening to good music, watching super hero movies and organizing his sneaker collection.
Wolf: So, Stephen, you like super hero movies. If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Stephen: I would absolutely want superhuman strength and agility. I would be able to fight off every villain there is. I would also like the ability to clone myself. That way, I can send a representative of myself to locations, events, and functions when I don’t actually want to be there.
Wolf: That could be very handy. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?
Stephen: I absolutely need a vibranium suit. It would help heighten my super powers (see above) and I could be bulletproof in the process.
Wolf: There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?
Stephen: RUN! I don’t have super powers in real life!
Wolf: The world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?
Stephen: Meet up with as many friends and family as I possibly can. That way we can all enjoy the last moments on earth together.
Wolf: Who’s world is this, anyway?
Stephen: The World Is Yours!
Wolf: What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Stephen: When I was in college, I had a dish from a Nigerian restaurant: Goat stomach. Felt like I was chewing for days!
Wolf: I’ve had goat before but never stomach. Speaking of animals, (Not the kind you eat.) do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?
Stephen: I’m allergic to them and they’re too sneaky, so I don’t like cats. Dogs would be ok if they learned some sort of litterbox technique or they could be potty trained. It’s not in my job description to scoop up dog poop.
Wolf: What story are you working on now?
Stephen: Currently, I’m finishing up The Electrifying Adventures of Mr. Powers, Vol 2.
Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Stephen: When I’m not writing, I’m probably working out, making a playlist or listening to a podcast, or watching basketball.
Instagram: @StephenHasPowers
@TeamPowersWorld
Facebook: Stephen McGill
Kenneth has been living and teaching in Baltimore City since 2010 with his wife, Sarah, and two daughters, Mirus and Amare. In that time he has taught 6-10th grade English in Baltimore, Maryland. Kenneth earned a masters degree in education from Johns Hopkins School of Education, the number one ranked school of education in the country. Since growing up and moving from Peoria, Illinois, he graduated from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 2008 with a dual degree in Political Science and English, he has written and published five novels. Those six novels are: Thoughts in Italics, a book of short stories that range from speculative to science fiction; Writing in the Margins, a novel that intertwines the characters of Jack Mueller and John Rubaker that makes the reader question what is reality and fiction; Sequence, a dystopian science fiction novel telling the story of Andrea Remus and Thomas Charon through each memory they are forced to relive as they are downloaded in a computer known as the Pandora Complex to save the human race; The Diary of Oliver Lee, the first in a young adult trilogy that tells the story of Oliver Lee, his ability to “stream” stories from the minds of those around him, and his search for the first couple he ever “streamed”; Love and Fear, book two in the Liturian trilogy which tells the story of Kevin and his continued search for Oliver Lee and answers to his possible future and fate; Raped Black Male: A Memoir which tells Kenneth’s story of what it means to be a male rape survivor, overcoming stereotypes of what it means to be black, and male, and that men can’t be raped; Heroes, Villains, and Healing: A Guide for Male Survivors Using DC Superheroes and Villains, which uses comic books and back research to help male survivors of child sexual abuse understand and heal from their childhood sexual trauma.
Grady is a science fiction author who is diagnosed with high functioning autism. He is a connoisseur of the science fiction, fantasy, and superhero genres. In addition, he is an autism ambassador, hoping to demonstrate the potential benefits one can gain from being autistic. As a writer, Grady P. Brown utilizes his autism to visualize the story taking place inside of his head like a movie. Also, he has a very strong memory, allowing him to store information about his characters and stories in his brain as though it were a computer hard-drive. He is also a passionate pit bull lover and owns a pair of sweet and loving pit bulls named Wally and Fitch.
This week I welcome DIANNE K. SALERNI. Dianne is the author of the Eighth Day MG fantasy series, described by Kirkus as “an exciting blend of Arthurian legend and organized crime.” The first book in the series, The Eighth Day, has been on state lists in Maine, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana. Dianne has also published two YA historical novels. The Caged Graves is a Junior Library Guild Selection and has been nominated for reader’s choice awards in Vermont, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. We Hear the Dead was the inspiration for a short film, The Spirit Game, which premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Alan Zendell spent more than forty years as a scientist, aerospace engineer, software consultant, database developer, and government analyst, writing really boring stuff like proposals, technical papers, reports, business letters, and policy memoranda. But trapped inside him all that time were stories that needed telling and ideas that needed expression, so with encouragement and cajoling from a loving baby sister he plunged into fiction.
A. L. Sirois is also a developmental editor, graphic artist and a performing musician. He has had fiction published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Fantastic, Amazing Stories, and Thema, and online at Electric Spec, Every Day Fiction and Flash Fiction Online, among other publications. His story In the Conservatory was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Other works include a children’s book, Dinosaur Dress Up (Tambourine Press / William Morrow). His graphic novel, THE ENDLESS INCIDENT, based on a video game, was published in February, 2016. Al has been playing drums for over fifty years in rock and jazz combos. As an artist, he has hundreds of drawings, paintings and illustrations to his credit. Al has contributed comic art for DC, Marvel, and Charlton, and has scripted for Warren Publications. He wrote and drew “Bugs in the System” for witzend #12, the famous comics fanzine started by for MAD artist Wally Wood. He lives in Rockingham County, North Carolina with his wife and occasional collaborator, author Grace Marcus. Together they are writing a Young Adult novel set in ancient Egypt.
Submariner, engineer, and Jules Verne fan, Steven R. Southard pens stories that showcase people as toolmakers, gadget-masters, dreamers and tinkerers, creators of devices and victims of them. He’s written in the genres of steampunk, clockpunk, science fiction, alternate history, fantasy, and horror. His stories have been published in over ten anthologies, including In a Cat’s Eye, Hides the Dark Tower, Dead Bait, and Avast, Ye Airships! Another story will appear in the upcoming anthology, Dark Luminous Wings. Tales in his What Man Hath Wrought series span all human history as well as timelines that might have been, featuring the drama and danger of invention and discovery. 
