Tag: cats

WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Valerie J. Mikles

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.

Wolf: Say hello to Valerie J. Mikles.

Valerie cosplaying Captain Jack Harkness coming out of the TARDIS

Valerie is a PhD astronomer who found a home at NOAA working on weather satellites. She loves to travel and learn about other cultures, but considers herself a homebody the rest of the year. In September 2017, she published the first novel of her New Dawn series “The Disappeared,” and has since released several more. When not writing novels, she can be found at the community theater, acting, choreographing, costuming, or stage managing. She’s also written and produced a series of comedic short films about asexuality, inspired by her own journey of self-discovery. Her motto in life is “I can be everything I want, just not all at the same time.”

Wolf: That is a great motto. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

Valerie: I’d be some kind of fish living in warm, tropical waters. I love the ocean and I always feel cold, so a life at sea in a warm environment would be awesome. If I were a mermaid, I would occasionally beach myself on a rock and spend the night stargazing. I don’t know if I’d ever swim far north enough to see the Northern Lights (it’d just be too cold), but I could dip into the southern hemisphere to see the Magellanic Clouds. I think as long as being a mermaid didn’t require me to wear a sea-shell bra, I’d be okay with it. Otherwise, I’d want to be something simple, blue, and tropical, like a blue tang.

Wolf: How about a shell tunic? (Trying really hard not to start singing “Under the Sea”) If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Valerie cosplaying Deadpool at the Farpoint Con book sale.

Valerie: I’m stuck between knife and trebuchet. I feel like the knife is infinitely practical, portable, and reusable. As a minimalist, I also like that it can be used for many different things, like killing chickens, cutting fruit, and stabbing enemies. However, the trebuchet allows me to launch any number of weapons of opportunities a great distance, saving me the trouble of hand-to-hand combat, which I have admittedly not trained in. I don’t really foresee myself launching rocks, but I could totally launch plague-infested corpses into anti-vaxxer territory… sorry, is this getting too political? Also, if I needed an escape, I could launch myself.

Wolf: Not too political. I’m very much pro-science and pro-vaccine. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Valerie: I have broad, soft leaves and bright, rainbow-colored, fragrant flowers. I love roses, both in softness and scent, but I wouldn’t be thorny like a rose bush, nor would I attract aphids and beetles. I am not the kind of plant that bugs crawl on. I naturally repulse them with my super-plant oils. I’d flourish in tropical climates with lots of humidity. When my seeds are tossed into flood waters, the water levels instantly go down, roots spread, and flowers bloom. I’m probably edible, too.

Wolf: Awesome! Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Sky (gray), Chase (black), and Hawk (tabby) looking up from a nap because I moved a muscle.

Valerie: I’m more of a cat person than a dog person, but one of my cats thinks he’s a dog. He barks at the squirrels in the back yard. (It’s a cat-like bark, but it’s not a meow.) I have three cats, but I’m a one-cat person. But when I adopted the first one, he was so sad and depressed, and my options were to take him back or try a friend. So, I went back to the person who’d fostered him and picked up a second cat. Things got instantly better for the first cat, but the poor second cat wasn’t able to handle his neediness 24-7. The third guy really balances the house, so now I have three happy cats and I just sit here constantly overwhelmed in my cat-crowded house. I hate when people call me a “cat mom” because I consider us to be more like roommates.

Wolf: Wow. You’re the second person who said their cat was like a dog, but the first on with a cat that barks. I’d love to hear a recording of that. While walking in the woods you come across…

Valerie: A snake eating another snake. True story. I grew up in Baltimore County, north of the city, before the houses turn to horse farms. My family went hiking with our dog almost every weekend. There were places nearby with dense woods, rocky trails, streams and rivers, and the occasional log bridge to challenge one’s balance. Once, we even did an Easter egg hunt in the woods, and left a hard-boiled egg for the woodland creatures because we couldn’t find it again. Though in retrospect, it’s possible something ate it. Which brings me to the snake. We didn’t often see snakes, but one day, I guess it was just that time of year, and the snakes were out. We jumped into a cool refreshing river after a long hike, and then jumped out five seconds later because a snake slithered in. Snakes are not the best swimming companions for humans. We bolted, and it seemed every time our heart rates slowed, another snake appeared on the path. After we crossed the snake eating another snake, we just kept running until we got to the car.

Wolf: That’s a lot of snakes. It must have been a snake holiday. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Valerie at the beach

Valerie: How do I choose? When you swim in a river, your skin and hair get all soft. Fresh water doesn’t have waves, but it also doesn’t sting when you get some up your nose. It’s good for skiing… But the ocean is the ocean. Salt water has this whole other healing effect on the body. It’s soothing to stare at, more-so if you can listen to the waves crashing on the shore. You can choose your shoreline for gentle waves or giant ones. My perfect afternoon is at an Atlantic Coast beach, somewhere in south Florida. So, I guess the body of water is the Atlantic Ocean, at the part where it kisses Crescent Beach, Florida.

Wolf: Nice. What story are you working on now?

Valerie: I’m working on several. Book 6 of my series is with my editor, and I expect to have feedback on that soon so I can get it out later this year. Book 7 is ready for beta-readers, but I promised myself I’d slow down on the series. I also started work on two original novels. I’m super-excited about one called The Qinali Vaccine, which features an astral projecting asexual astronomer who is trying to save the human race from extinction. I don’t have a release date yet because I’m still wearing the rose-colored first draft glasses.

Wolf: Sounds interesting. Let me know when you’re ready for beta-reader for that one. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Ghostbuster Valerie emerging from the TARDIS with her first book!

Valerie: I do a little bit of everything. I’m a board member for my local community theater, and have filled many roles on and off the stage. My favorite role is choreographer. I love bringing stories to life through dance. I also love making films, playing piano and guitar, and sewing costumes. A few years ago, my antidepressants sent me into a hyper-mania, and I joined a gym to let off excess energy. I’ve really enjoyed getting stronger and learned some of the basics of power lifting. I can now lift a 50 lb. bag of cat litter with minimal effort. Also, I’m super excited to be able to open the fire doors at work without throwing my entire body weight behind the effort. Being strong is fun.

Wolf: It’s amazing how many writers also make costumes or another art form. The Arts are definitely connected. Thanks for visiting. Connect with Valerie through one of the links below.

Social Media Links:
http://www.valeriejmikles.com (books)
http://www.aces-sitcom.com (film)
http://www.facebook.com/vjmikles (books)
https://www.facebook.com/beanythingcosplay/ (cosplay)
twitter: @valeriebean

Star Touched

Wolf Dawn

May 8, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Jayne Barnard

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.

JE (Jayne) Barnard is a Calgary-based crime writer with 25 years of award-winning short fiction and children’s literature behind her. Author of the popular Maddie Hatter Adventures (Tyche Books), and now The Falls Mysteries (Dundurn Press), she’s won the Dundurn Unhanged Arthur, the Bony Pete, and the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Award. Her works were shortlisted for the Prix Aurora (twice), the UK Debut Dagger, the Book Publishing in Alberta Award (twice), and three Great Canadian Story prizes. Jayne is a past VP of Crime Writers of Canada, a founder of Calgary Crime Writers, and a member of Sisters In Crime. Her most recent book is When the Flood Falls, a small-town psychological thriller set in the Alberta foothills west of Calgary, and her upcoming one is the sequel, Where the Ice Falls (Dundurn, July 2019), set at Christmas in those wild lands.

Wolf: Glad you could come by. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jayne: I give my characters – most of them – other characters who love them and genuinely want what’s best for their lives. That’s not to say there aren’t miscommunications and occasional disappointments, but that underpinning the characters’ lives are other characters who support them the way I would love to be backstopped by friends and family.

Wolf: What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jayne: Just one mean thing?

Wolf: Yes, Sorry, just one please.

Jayne: I routinely cost them their jobs and financial security. I’ve made one homeless. I threaten their loved ones with danger and death. I dangle them off cliffs, punt them into flooding rivers, lock them into burning buildings. But the worst thing I’ve ever done (and it was so heart-wrenching that I had to do it off-page) was letting the dog die. Don’t ask. It was so traumatic that I still weep whenever I see a Golden Retriever.

Wolf: I hear you. I’m a huge dog person. How about you? Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Jayne: For all that I adore Goldens (and solicit donations for Golden Rescue Canada whenever I can although I’m in no way affiliated with the group; see www.goldenrescue.ca for more information), I’ve been a cat-slave since my earliest years and am never happier than when there’s one or more feline treating me like comfy furniture to nap on in the sunshine.

Wolf: Cats can be sweet. Some of them. While walking in the woods you come across…

Jayne: Funny you should ask. Lacey McCrae, my urbanite ex-cop in The Falls Mysteries, spends a lot of time walking in the woods. And jogging in them, x-country skiing, hunting for missing people…. I’ve done all those things too, in a past stage of life. Never found a dead body but I’ve searched for a few. What I’d most like to find is a lamppost. Or a wardrobe and then a lamppost. I’d give that White Witch a taste of her own Turkish Delight. Seriously – any portal to another dimension. It comes up often in my fantasy writing.

Wolf: Cool. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Jayne: Hey, I’ve read Jane Eyre. I’d get a fire extinguisher and a tranquilizer gun before I ever opened that door. But because I also found Wide Sargasso Sea compelling and highly possible, I’d bring along some chocolate and a hug. And a good lawyer for that locked-up wife, because she’d damn sure have a lawsuit worth pursuing in today’s world.

Wolf: Smart choices. Which of your characters is your favorite?

Jayne: Depending on mood and weather, I might be answering this question differently every time I’m asked. Today my favourite is Maddie Hatter, runaway daughter of Britain’s Third Steamlord, who’s making a precarious living as a fashion reporter when the story of a lifetime falls into her lace-gloved hands, carrying her by airship from Egypt to England and onward in search of batty Baron Bodmin and his legendary Bloodstained Diamond (see Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond, Tyche Books, 2015). She’s had three zany Adventures and my agent & I are discussing a further trilogy.

Wolf: What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Jayne: Definitely the Pacific Ocean. I lived on the west side of Vancouver Island as a child and ever since then have gotten dehydration of the spirit if I’m too far inland for too long. Now that I’m past my workforce years and my children are adults, I spend half the winter on Vancouver Island, rarely more than a mile from the sea. On fine afternoons I take my coffee to the shore to sit with the waves and the sea birds, listening to the seals bark, watching for whales, petting the dogs and chatting to their walkers.

Wolf: Sounds very peaceful. What story are you working on now?

Jayne: This winter I’m editing Where the Ice Falls, the second in The Falls Mystery trilogy. It’s a contemporary suspense involving people going missing in the frozen Alberta foothills, and a psychologically demanding book to edit because it also involves a terminally-ill mother and her daughter grappling with the question of whether to apply for medically assisted dying (MAID, now legal in Canada but unevenly available across jurisdictions). My father went out via that route last winter, a whole year after I had planned this book, and the storms of emotions I survived during his journey opened my eyes – and maybe my veins – to that fictional daughter.

Wolf: Sound interesting. Thanks for visiting. Connect with Jayne through these links:

www.jaynebarnard.ca
@J.E.Barnard (Twitter)
@JayneBarnard1 (Twitter)
Saffron.hemlock (Instagram)
https://www.facebook.com/FallsMystery/
https://www.facebook.com/MaddieHatterAdventures/

When the Flood Falls

Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

January 16, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Beth Woodword

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.

Beth Woodward is the author of the Dale Highland series of urban fantasy novels. The second book, Embracing the Demon, released on June 19. (Purchase from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.) She lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband and the three cats who own them.

Wolf: The universe can be dangerous at times. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Beth: Well, that would very much depend on what I needed the weapon for. Am I aiming for maximum destruction or just self-defense? (Or maybe self-offense. I could see that being a thing.)

I “invented” a type of gun in my books called the “Intelli-Target,” which corrects your aim so that you always hit your target. I think if I were looking for personal defense (or offense), I’d probably go with that, because my hand-eye coordination sucks and otherwise I’d probably shoot my eye out.

As for maximum destruction…I’d probably want something that wouldn’t damage the environment or hurt animals. I can’t see any scenario, even as a fictitious destroyer of things, where I’d be okay with that.

Wolf: Ah, an environmentally protective destroyer. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Beth: My protagonist is someone who doesn’t trust easily and hasn’t made a lot of connections in her life. So naturally, I had her learn to trust someone and make a deep connection with that person…and then that person betrayed her.

I mean, pretty much all of my fiction could be summarized as, “Beth does mean things to her characters.” But the story would be pretty boring otherwise.

Wolf: That is very cruel. I hope you gave your protagonist a chance to recover before throwing another brick at them. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Beth: My husband and I have three cats, whom we dote on excessively, and I volunteer at an animal shelter doing personality evaluations on the adoptable cats. (Yes, it is a thing.) So while I like dogs, I am very much a committed crazy cat lady.

Wolf: Achoo. Sorry, my cat allergy is acting up. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Beth: Time travel. I’m a big history geek, and I would love to experience what it was like to live in other times…but only if I can come back home to running water and electricity when I’m done!

Wolf: That’s a good one. Be careful not to step on any butterflies. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Beth: I run as fast as I can, as far away as possible. I’m a hard-core Ravenclaw. I have no need for heroics, and I’m very aware of my own limitations. If you need someone to stay calm and call 911 after those crazy Gryffindors have rushed headlong into danger and gotten their arms chewed off, I’m your girl. But I’m not going to be the person who rushes into a dark corridor without a flashlight. Or, you know, at all.

Wolf: Smart. The world is about to end. (Maybe it was all those crazy Gryffindors.) What is the first thing you do?

Beth: My first thought was, “I would drop everything, find my husband, and spend the remaining time with him.” If there was time, I’d try to get to my brother, and there’s some other friends and family I’d like to say goodbye to. But I suspect that my first instinct would override everything else. If existence is about to end, he’s the person I’d want to spend the rest of the world with.

Wolf: I’m with you. Describe a meal you would be served while visiting another world.

Beth: I’m a horribly picky eater, so having a meal on another world would not go well for me. The aliens would serve me some delicacy of their world, and then I’d feign a stomach flu because I couldn’t bring myself to try the unidentifiable dish of gray mushy stuff with chunks. (Chunks, as any picky eater knows, are the bane of our existence.) And then I’d go to bed hungry and cursing my phone and my existence—because obviously you can’t get GPS signal on an alien world—and desperately wanting to know if there’s a Pizza Hut on Alpha Centauri.

Wolf: I’ll make a note not to have you over after the next hunt. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Beth: Dolphin Cay at Atlantis Beach Resort in the Bahamas. We did a “Dolphin Trainer for a Day” experience, so we got to feed the stingrays, swim with the dolphins, snorkel with all kinds of fish, and spend eight hours learning about all the marine life they have at Atlantis. I was really impressed with how invested they are in the conservation of our oceans and aquatic life.

Wolf: That sounds cool. What story are you working on now?

Beth: I’m in the very, very early stages of planning book 3 in the Dale Highland series. It’s still mostly index cards at this point, but I’m super excited about it. Big things will happen. And Beth will do even more mean things to her characters.

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Beth: I love to travel! Even short weekend trips are great, but we do as many longer trips as we can manage, too. We just went to Italy and Spain in March, and it was amazing! I try to find a ghost tour in every place we visit; I love learning about spooky history. I’m a huge Doctor Who geek, and I’m so excited that we’ll finally have a female Doctor this fall. I read constantly, which is probably not a surprise. I would also move to Disney World and live there forever if I could.

Wolf: I’m looking forward to the new Doctor as well. You can keep the ghost tours. I don’t do well with spooky.

Connect with Beth through these sites:
Website: http://beth-woodward.com
Twitter: @beththewoodward
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethwoodwardwriter/

While you’re checking out Beth’s books, take a look at Star Touched.

August 15, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Jan Bowman

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.

Jan Bowman’s story collection Flight Path & Other Stories (Evening Street Press -October 2015) is available through the publisher or Amazon. Her next story collection, Life Boat Drills for Women is under construction. She is working on a novel based on the last story from her published collection. Bowman’s stories have won awards and been finalists in a number of publication contests, including the Danahy Fiction Prize, Gival Press Awards, Glimmer Train, Roanoke Review, Broad River Review RASH Awards, Phoebe and “So-To-Speak” Fiction Contests, among others. Winner of the Roanoke Review Fiction Award, Bowman’s stories have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, Best American Short Stories, and a Pen/O’Henry award.

Wolf: Thank you for visiting. What story are you working on now?

Jan: I am revising a new story with the working title: Dark Matter, that I envision as the fifth story in my new eight-story collection, tentatively titled: Life Boat Drills for Women: Survival Stories, that I hope to complete by late fall of this year. Then by early next year I hope to get the first draft of my yet untitled novel completed.

Wolf: Which of your characters is your favorite?

Jan: Generally, I find I like all of my characters, even the deeply flawed ones. In particular, I like the strong, kind, compassionate potential within all of them.

Since I don’t have repeating sessions with characters in my short stories, like I would if I wrote a novel, I can’t answer this fully until I finish my first novel that I’ve begun.

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Jan: I like to garden, bird watch, travel, and read all kinds of books. Poetry helps me see and feel life more intensely. Nonfiction opens up new ideas and possibilities for plots. Fiction, particularly short stories help me appreciate the complexity of crafting and revision. Usually I have multiple books going at the same time and I read a chapter or story in each most evenings.

Wolf: What are your reading now?

Jan: Currently I am reading and rereading Mary Oliver’s Devotions, a collection of her favorite poems from her previous published poems. For nonfiction, I am reading Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. I’m reading Edna O’Brien’s Select Stories: The Love Object and also rereading an Alice Munro collection, Vintage Munro.

And recently, I reread John Hersey’s Hiroshima, because I am reminded how horribly stupid and dangerous our political leaders are when they engage in casual discussions about using nuclear weapons.

Wolf: Wow. That’s a lot to keep track of. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jan: I try not to ever do mean things to anyone. No good comes from that.

We are all flawed humanity. Most of us do our best to be kind. I make it a practice to avoid mean people, and before I remove them from my life, I do them a kindness of telling them why I don’t enjoy being around them, giving them the opportunity to become more aware of their best potential.

Wolf: What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jan: I leave them with a thread of hope. Always leave people room to grow, to hope, to change, and have a better tomorrow. I’m not talking happy endings. I’m talking about hope. Characters need this, as do readers and writers.

Wolf: Do you consider yourself as a cat person, or a dog person?

Jan: I love both cats and dogs. I’ve enjoyed the company of two cats and a dog at the same time on many occasions throughout my life. They’ve all become great friends, and they grieve along with us when one of them dies. At this particular time, I have only one cat, having recently lost a very old cat and dog. My current cat often lies beside me on the desk as I write. I read passages aloud and if she purrs, I know I’m on the right track.

Wolf: Sorry for your loss. I know what it’s like to lose a furry friend. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Jan: I would like to have a cloak for invisibility and the ability to touch the most compassionate possibility within individuals. I would go out into the political world and try to touch the heart of even the most evil people, so they would not continue to do horrible things. I would want people who continue to show no compassion to others to have a powerful moment of truth that would shake them to the core. I would hope they would decide to make up for their past transgressions or remove themselves from the world.

Wolf: That would be a great super power. Today’s world is scary. Speaking of, the world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?

Jan: Assess the cause and evaluate the possibility for survival. Then gather the needed survival tools already available to me, and help others around me, organize a plan to help each other within the community, because transportation would likely be limited. And, if all else fails, I always keep a bottle of champagne chilling, for those moments we need to celebrate or to say good-bye. And. Yes. It is a bottle that is changed out monthly so it doesn’t go bad.

Wolf: So glad you could stop by.

Jan is a retired MCPS teacher, researcher and writer with a PhD in Cognitive Psychology. She taught advanced journalism and AP English Lit. and Creative Writing at Walt Whitman in Bethesda, MD for many years.

Publisher: Evening Street Press

www.eveningstreetpress.com

http://www.eveningstreetpress.com/jan-bowman.html

www.janbowmanwriter.com

email: ja*******@*****st.net

Read Reviews of Flight Path & Other Stories on Amazon and Goodreads

March 28, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Nancy Alexander

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.

Nancy Alexander devoted her professional life to helping those in need. As a psychotherapist, she provided intensive, reconstructive psychotherapy to those recovering from childhood trauma; as a mental health educator, she developed and delivered comprehensive mental health staff training programs; as the chair of the Maryland Social Work Coalition, she advocated for healthcare, mental health and social justice reforms in Maryland.

In 2017, she and her colleague, Linda Ciotola developed, recorded and launched a comprehensive online training series in Psychodrama, a reparative, expressive treatment modality. The training program can be found at www.ac-ts.com.

Nancy launched her career as an author in 2015. Five of her short stories have been selected for publication in Literary Magazines; three of her novels are available online and she has recorded seven audiobooks. Her most recent novel, Twisted Realms is available in paperback and kindle version, that audiobook will be released shortly.

She is currently working on her 4^th novel, Sun Runner. Nancy has been publishing independently and has formed her own production company, NJA Productions.

Her blogs and her novella, entitled Elisabeth, can be found on her website at www.nancyjalexander.com

Wolf: Wow. You’ve been very busy the past few years. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

Nancy: A wolf. Wolves are smart, confident and loyal pack animals. Wolf packs coordinate well with each other, care for their cubs collectively and have a high level of respect for pack hierarchy.

Wolf: Thank you. I’m a big fan of wolves myself, for obvious reasons. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Nancy: I’d pick my body as a weapon… skilled in the martial arts. I’d always have my weapon with me and be strong enough, well trained enough to fight most foes. The advantage would be surprise, because no attacker would ever suspect I have these many skills.

Wolf: Remind me not to startle you in a dark alley. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Nancy: Let them be themselves. I work to create characters who are authentic and internally valid. Once they are created I let them take the lead in the story and support their needs, instincts, conflicts and emotional complexity.

Wolf: Super. I’ve always said people should be who they are. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Nancy: Superimpose my will on them or misunderstand them. My writing works better if, once characters are created, I respect who they are and let them do the things that each particular individual would actually do.

Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Nancy: I am amazing, full of color, movement, beauty and grace. My flower blossoms are like the hibiscus plant but they cluster around one another forming complex patterns of splashing orange, yellow and red. I am tall and willowy; I stretch high into the sky like Jack’s beanstalk, moving past the clouds, flowing with the breeze; I reach toward the sun.

Wolf: Don’t go too close to the sun. You could get burned. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Nancy: I am both. I love all creatures domesticated, wild, farm, aquatic. I have had the pleasure of having many different species through the years of my long life and recognize the gifts each species has brought into my life.

I see cats as living sculptures who bring beauty, warmth and love into my world. Their cuddling warmth, calming purr and soft touchable fur, make them unique family members. They can also bring a sprinkling of chaos. Cats are to be loved, respected, admired and appreciated.

Dogs bring their pack mentality into my world, they are responsive, joyful, and intelligent; dogs move in concert with me bridging the gap between the inside and outside of the home.

My dogs wanted to be with me, listen to me and be one with me. They have loved me as I have loved them. They were my dearest friends.

Wolf: There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Nancy: First I’d hide so I could evaluate the sound. Once I knew what it was I would decide whether to run away, stay hidden, call for help or fight. Hopefully by the time I was in this corridor, I’d have my ‘weaponized body’ ready to deal with whatever opened that door!

Wolf: Which of your characters is your favorite?

Nancy: The title character in my Elisabeth Reinhardt series is a fav in that series. She and I are a lot alike, especially when in our therapist role.

As to bad guys in that series, I’d have to say it’s Jake. He’s sociopathy to its core.

In my Olive Grove Series, my fav is Rafi… though he and Ari were identical, I like Rafi’s personality. Their twin-ship is always a pleasure.

Wolf: What story are you working on now?

Nancy: I’m working on my 4^th novel, the 2^nd in the Olive Grove series called Sun Runner. It’s action-packed, fast-paced, complicated and filled with exciting ‘spy’ things.

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Nancy: I have a small private psychotherapy practice and provide consultation services to other therapists. A colleague and I have developed an online training series in a reparative, expressive treatment modality called Psychodrama. Our training series is available online at www.ac-ts.com.

I maintain a blog that leans toward social/political commentary on my website @ www.nancyjalexander.com

I am the president of the Maryland Writers Association, Howard County Chapter; I go to the gym and I see my children and grandchildren as often as possible.

Wolf: Thanks for stopping by. You can learn more about Nancy Alexander by visiting these links.

www.nancyjalexander.com

www.ac-ts.com

https://www.facebook.com/NJAProductions

https://twitter.com/njaproduction

March 21, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – D L Carter

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.

D.L. (Dee Leana) Carter was decanted from her incubation pod in the outback of Australia many decades ago. This terrifying event was closely followed by shrieks of “there, there it goes. Hit it with a brick!”

These valiant attempts to correct the existence of D.L. were, unfortunately, unsuccessful and she now resides in New Jersey, US., in a box with her toys, two human beings and a variable number of cats.

Wolf: That’s an interesting introduction. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

D.L.: Deep fried Witchetty Grub
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchetty_grub

Wolf: Lots of protein in grubs, especially that big boy. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

D.L.: Nulla Nulla
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddy
I have a scar on my upper lip from where my brother hit me when I was five.
HE has a scar on the top of his head because… well… sometimes it amazes me that anyone survives childhood.

Wolf: Sounds like you played with some interesting toys growing up. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

D.L.: In First Destroy All Giant Monsters I psychically bound a guy to his ex-girlfriend. It was, is, complicated and it almost resulted in his death. Nasty way to die, that.

Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

D.L.: Blooming Idiot.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134896951308997624/

Wolf: Interesting sense of humor. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

D.L.: I am the imperfect human slave of six cats at the moment. I have the greatest respect for my cats, four of which are Maine Coons, who are very intelligent companion animals and are very good at managing me.

I dearly love the senior Maine Coon for whom I am writing a series of children/YA stories in which a cute, fluffy cat has ambitions to become The Evil Overlord. Stay tuned.

That being said, I love Boarder Collies. I wish I could have a few of those about because they are so intelligent and determined but my life doesn’t allow for the amount of time that breed of dog requires from their humans.

Wolf: That’s a lot of cats! While walking in the woods you come across…

D.L.: A snake.
A big snake.
No, seriously it was a f###ing big snake – 15 feet long and known to be poisonous because, you know, all snakes in Australia are seriously poisonous. A black whip snake. http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Lesser_Black_Whip_Snake.php
This particular snake was better than me at climbing trees.
And eventually I had to kill it with a hand axe.
Thank you so much for bringing the memory back. Time for chocolate.

Wolf: I think I need some chocolate now too. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

D.L.: IN one of my unpublished books I have a character who is a rock singer. One of her songs is “Put Your Super On” in which she acknowledges that everyone is a Super. Super doctors, nurses, police, moms, dads, teachers, etc, . In the music video she produces everyone develops a power when she plays a guitar lick but she, at the end, walks away still herself – which is an acknowledgment that this particular character is happy just being herself.

Wolf: Cool. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

D.L.: Have lunch.

Wolf: Hope you enjoy your meal. The world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?

D.L.: Post a Facebook Meme.

Wolf: What five items would you want to have in a post-cataclysmic world?

D.L.: Adam Savage
Jamie Hyneman
Kari
Grant
… not Tory. Maybe Jamie’s storage facility.

Wolf: Interesting ‘items’ to choose. Which of your characters is your favorite?

D.L.: Millicent North – Ridiculous – This is one well adjusted, happy, adaptable lady who is determined to do what is necessary and laughs while she does.
Also makes everyone else laugh.
In the reviews I have received for this book a number of reviewers say they want to have Millicent as their BFF.

Wolf: What story are you working on now?

D.L.: Um. That is kinda a secret but on my to do list I have book three of the changing magic series, book three of the Ridiculous Lovers series and the first book of a new regency series overarching title Uncle Burnside’s Nieces in which a retired sea captain turns matchmaker.

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

D.L.: http://www.dlcarterauthor.com/about.html – scroll to bottom of page.
I paint, sketch, do needle felted animals, collect antique medical books, visit sci fi conventions and turn my characters into cats.

Wolf: You’re really making me work with all these links.

Thanks for stopping by. For more information on D. L., check out these links.

www.facebook.com/pages/D-L-Carter/410572495645067
if you want to chat – please drop by Facebook group “Reasonable Intelligent Heroines”
www.funwithghoulsandgoblins.com
http://funwithghoulsandgoblins.blogspot.com

March 14, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – J.A. Grier

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.

J.A. Grier is a speculative fiction writer and poet whose work is closely informed by her formal background in planetary science and astronomy education. More than three dozen of Dr. Grier’s poems and stories have appeared in venues such as Mad Scientist Journal, Eternal Haunted Summer, Eye to the Telescope, Liquid Imagination, Mirror Dance, and an anthology of the Maryland Writer’s Association entitled “Life In Me Like Grass On Fire – Love Poems.” Other writing credits include the textbook “The Inner Planets” published by Greenwood Press. Dr. Grier teaches workshops in poetry, and has served on panels and offered presentations at conventions including BaltiCon, HallowRead, and the Tucson Science Fiction Convention. Dr. Grier is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association, and the Horror Writers Association. She is currently seeking homes for two speculative novels, as well as finishing a book of childhood horror poetry.

Wolf: Welcome to Wolf Notes. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

J.A.: Of course I’d be a cat-dragon. But another interviewee already mentioned cat-dragon because cat-dragons are amazing. I have a cat-dragon in one of my novels, and it is so cool. But I’ll move to plan “B” here and say I’d be a couatl, which is a creature from the original AD&D. It’s a beautiful rainbow-winged serpent – highly intelligent, noble, and virtuous. A couatl is magical, has psionic powers, and keeps treasure. It destroys demons in its righteous wrath. It’s also occasionally worshiped as a deity which seems like a nice perk.

Image Credit: My pic of a couatl and stats from the hardcover AD&D book sitting right here on my shelf.

Wolf: What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

J.A.: I’m very timid about trying new kinds of food, but a few possibilities come to mind. Octopus maybe? Black squid ink pasta? Bear? Not sure which to pick. One person’s strange is another person’s everyday.

Wolf: If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

J.A.: That would be my razor-sharp wit. No wait. This woman appeared out of a lake and gave me a sword. She was saying something like I’m supposed to rule something or other but I wasn’t really listening. It’s awesome for cosplay.

Wolf: What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

J.A.: So, one character was captured by the bad guys and tortured. It was nasty. Husband says he’s never going to be the same after reading that scene, so I guess the scene works? But really the meanest thing I’ve done is to have one of my characters win the war for cosmic supremacy. Now she’s stuck ruling the universe and the job sucks.

Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

J.A.: I’m an ocotillo blooming in the desert. I’m strange but somehow compelling, and my flowers are used to cure ailments of all kinds. The full Moon touches the tips of my spines like Sleeping Beauty’s finger on a spindle. A coyote hunts the javelina snuffling at my roots. I understand the speech of the moths. I dream of rain.

Wolf: That sounds really cool. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

J.A.: Cat person. You might have guessed that from the whole cat-dragon thing. I mean, dogs have an amazing history and relationship with humans – they can predict seizures and detect cancer, just for starters. But cats … cats purrrrrr.

Image Credit: My childhood cat “Crayon” hiding in the ivy. Adored this kitty.

Wolf: If you could have a super power, what would it be?

J.A.: Probably teleportation, otherwise I want the power to choose the perfect wine to go with any meal. Actually, I do have a super power – I get to decide the order in which the Christmas presents are opened.

Wolf: The world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?

J.A.: After I stop screaming I contact my scientist colleagues. Fortunately, we’ve been studying asteroid hazard mitigation strategies, so we know just what to do. We launch a specially designed explosive that should change the asteroid’s orbit. The world watches, unable to breathe, as the asteroid approaches closer and closer to the Earth. The explosive detonates. The asteroid … sweeps by harmlessly! We all change our pants and celebrate! (Little do we know that we’ve now altered the orbit of the asteroid so it hits … well … that’s another story.)
Wolf: Thanks for saving the world. I could have used your help to stop the cataclysm in my novel, STAR TOUCHED. What story are you working on now?

J.A.: I can’t work on just one thing. I have poems, stories, and novels all going at the same time. One work in progress is a book of poetry that I’ll call ‘childhood horror.’ It explores the fears of childhood, both real and imagined. It has some poems with speculative elements like magic or monsters. Other poems could be considered literary poems with themes like illness, grief, and war. I’ve published several of the poems separately in various journals and other venues. However, the full book completes an emotional journey as it flows from beginning to end. You’ll have to read it to find out more, so keep your eyes peeled for when I finally get this thing out!

Until then try some of my other published stories and poems that are free to read online:

(1) A flash sci-fi piece entitled “The Gods of Home” – published in The Arcanist https://thearcanist.io/the-gods-of-home-a46a36fd0dd4

(2) A bit of pagan magic in short story form called “Bonfire Night” – published in Eternal Haunted Summer https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/summer-solstice-2017/bonfire-night/

(3) A couple of dark fantasy poems –

“It Snows on Camelot” http://www.mirrordancefantasy.com/2013/12/it-snows-on-camelot.html

“Stop Praying, Girls” https://liquidimagination.silverpen.org/article/stop-praying-girls-by-j-a-grier/

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

J.A.: Well, no doubt I should be reading if I’m not writing. But instead I’m probably thinking about writing, or planning writing or blogging about writing … okay I’m probably playing video games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or Skyrim. Or I’m going wine tasting. I am also a paper artist in a form called ‘Quilling’ so you might find me working on art projects (my quilling blog is at storiesstonesandspirals.blogspot.com) Barring any of those I guess I’m working at my day job in which I’m researching impact craters on other worlds or sharing planetary science with the general public.

Learn more about J. A. Grier here:

Twitter – @grierja

Blog and Website – jagrier.com

Goodreads Author Page – www.goodreads.com/author/show/6429911.J_A_Grier

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

“A unique and finely crafted debut novel, the characters touched my heart as I was drawn into their plight and compelled to finish!”

— New York Times bestselling Author Maria V. Snyder

February 21, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Donna Milward

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 Donna Milward.

Donna Milward lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with two cats and a troll. She’s dabbled in writing since grade two, but it wasn’t until an RWA conference in 2009 that she found the knowledge and tools she needed to tell the world about her dreams. Donna considers herself a feminist, a spiritual person, an insomniac, and an unabashed crazy cat lady. Despite her canning, gardening, and fishing hobbies, she much prefers city life.

Wolf: What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

Donna: I believe it’s called a Century Egg or something? It was hard boiled, black with a grey yolk. I tried it when I worked for a Chinese Food restaurant in the nineties. I remembered that I liked it—it tasted robust and pleasantly creamy. Not at all what you’d expect.

Wolf: What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Donna: I can’t say which one, but I gave her son back to her. I’m very proud of that scene, and I know I made more than one reader cry. I can’t give you more details. That would be Spoilers.

Wolf: What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Donna: I killed her dog. In my defense, I was NOT a pet owner at the time, and I don’t think I’ll ever write that kind of thing again. I became a first-time pet owner after a long bout of Writer’s Block. I realized I couldn’t kill off a cat in my WIP. It made me realize I really liked cats and animals in general. I changed the scene and went to my local Humane Society and adopted my Freya. When I destroyed the dog in the previous book, I was going for powerful emotions and I wanted to shock the reader into realizing how awful the villain was. I didn’t have the empathy I have now.

Wolf: Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Donna: Cat person! I like dogs, but I’m a crazy cat lady now. They fit so neatly into my life and I adore everything about them, even when they are bratty. There is no such thing as an ugly cat, and as they say, ‘time spent with a cat is not wasted.’ That’s either Ernest Hemingway or Sigmund Freud—depending where in the internet you look.

Wolf: While walking in the woods you come across…

Donna: …An Elemental, or a true nature god. My grandmother is Finnish, and I’ve studied some of their folklore. Their nature magic doesn’t believe in good or evil forces. Some Elementals are good and others are just more difficult to deal with. I’ve written a short story about the Elemental I met in my dreams and intend to publish it in a future project.

Wolf: The world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?

Donna: I’ve had this nightmare more than once. The first thing I always do is scramble to find the people I love, just to tell them I love them before the ozone tears and rips us all apart. Thankfully I don’t dream those much anymore.

Wolf: Which of your characters is your favorite?

Donna: I hate to call favorites, but honestly, it’s Strife. She was only meant to be a minion, but she wrote herself into a larger character. I love her personality and how she evolved right before my eyes. She fascinates me and I’m proud of her.

Wolf: Describe a meal you would be served while visiting another world.

Donna: I used to dream and write in science fiction. I visited a world where the people were mostly fruitarians and their culture and spirituality were based on triangles and trios. Their favorite food was a flat, tangy, triangular fruit that tasted like a cross between apples and apricots, so I named them Applcots. I can just imagine all the delicious dishes they could create with it.

Wolf: What story are you working on now?

Donna: I’m actually editing two books right now. One is ‘Her True Name: Volume Two’ and it’s set in ancient Scandinavia. It is a novel on its own, but it keeps in time with Volume One and the reincarnation/mythology theme. ‘Elaina’s Fate’ is about an assassin who falls for the man she’s assigned to kill. The short story about the Elemental I mentioned will be part of a collection of short stories that don’t match my brand of reincarnation angels and mythology-based stories.

Wolf: Those sound very interesting. Thanks for stopping by.

Social Media Links:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMilwardAuthor/

Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/

Blog: http://earthtothoeba.blogspot.ca/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=

January 31, 2018
A Little Something For Cat Lovers

Back when I submitted my story, Mark of the Goddess, for In A Cat’s Eye, the publisher asked for my favorite cat story. I remember wracking my brains trying to think of any stories I had read about cats and coming up blank. I’m more of a dog lover and wolf fanatic. Cats, well, I like them just fine – in other people’s houses.

After several days of hitting my head on the desk because all I’d come up with was The Cat In The Hat, I finally remembered The Boy Who Drew Cats.
The book I have was rewritten by Arthur A. Levine and illustrated by Frédéric Clément. It’s based on an ancient Japanese legend that was translated in the late 1800’s.

Go ahead and check it out. And don’t forget to get a copy of In A Cat’s Eye for yourself or your favorite cat lover.

December 2, 2016
Coming Soon: In a Cat’s Eye

Keep a look out for In a Cat’s Eye from Pole to Pole Publishing this fall. It has a fantastic line up of authors, and of my short stories will be purring along with theirs. Don’t let the cover fool you. It’s not full of cute little kitties.

Mine is titled “Mark of the Goddess”

September 29, 2016