#Authorinterview with J.F. Collen, author of The Path of Saints and Sinners

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Alma Boucher is talking with J.F. Collen, author of The Path of Saints and Sinners.

FQ: Nellie’s path is as much about her inner self as it is about the places she travels. What motivated you to carry on her story in such a politically charged setting like Great Salt Lake City in 1857?

COLLEN: I have been fascinated by the history of Salt Lake City since I first visited it as a kid, on a camping trip with my parents. With each visit, my curiosity grew. I found a whole different world in Salt Lake City, with a different culture than the Northeast. I was intrigued by the history of the city’s founding and started to research the details. As with any story there are conflicting statements of fact, controversies and multiple points of view—the perfect ingredients for a novel.

Author J.F. Collen

FQ: The book paints a vivid portrait of a divided city on the brink of conflict. What strategies did you employ to blend historical truth with narrative fiction during this turbulent time in American history?

COLLEN: As an historical fiction writer, I think the first step is to pick a side! Since I had created Cornelia Rose’s back story and personality in books 1 through 3, I tried to view my historical research from the lens of my fictitious main character, making her background and point of view the rubric for the readers’ experience of this moment in time. Thinking she landed in a utopia, Nellie finds herself plopped into the middle of a long-percolating controversy, and she needs all her resources to figure out where the danger to her family truly lies. I wanted to tell the story as it would have happened around my character at the exact moment of her arrival in Great Salt Lake City (the original, full name of the Utah capital.) Rumors and falsehoods swirl all around her. Access to information is sporadic at best. I wanted us to feel Nellie’s panic while she ferrets out the ‘truth’ of the controversies and tries to decide what to believe.

FQ: Obadiah’s position as a federal judge puts him in a delicate situation between two different worlds. What were the challenges in creating a character who is required to uphold law in a lawless and mistrustful environment?

COLLEN: I needed to build a character with a strong sense of self-worth and self- confidence, but human enough to recognize he needs a counterbalance and a helpmate. His backstory shows the strong moral fiber at his core and his belief in his ability to determine the right path and pursue his dreams. Obadiah acts with deliberate care, strategically navigating a path. I needed this character to be a strong head of the household, a good match for Nellie. He is well trained to use his exceptional wit and his great education to negotiate his family’s wellbeing.

FQ: Nellie’s strength lies not in open rebellion but in quiet resilience. How do you balance portraying a woman true to her time with giving her a voice modern readers can connect with?

COLLEN: It was a challenge! I tried to give Nellie the ability to challenge the status quo, even though she is a product of her upbringing and could not help but be ‘brainwashed’ by her time. I think Nellie vacillates between wanting all the things she was taught to want in life – a husband, a family, an education – and rebelling against those things as ties that bind her.

My theory is that people are the same, throughout history, even though their thoughts and opinions are shaped by their milieu. I think that people living in the past faced the same dilemmas we face today, and that, with access to the philosophies and thoughts of some of the great thinkers of that day through extensive reading, Nellie and some of the actual historic people she meets in my novel had the same perspectives on the events of their day that we share today.

FQ: Themes of faith, identity, and loyalty are central to the novel. How do you think these themes resonate with today’s readers, particularly in these divided times?

COLLEN: I think humans are always challenged to find a rubric of beliefs and create their identity and it is always interesting to me to see what path this takes. Some people think about their lives carefully and create themselves purposefully, and other people’s identities just come about from their circumstances. But I know I love a good fiction that illuminates a character’s evolution to a better person.

In today’s divided times I think we can find some solace in history. People in Utah in 1850 faced similar challenges to today’s and they resolved many of the issues through diplomacy, dialogue, kindness and empathy for the other’s plight. Maybe we can too.

FQ: Nellie’s marriage to Obadiah is layered and nuanced. What did you want readers to take away from their relationship, especially in the context of power, love, and gender roles?

COLLEN: All good relationships are layered, and nuanced and evolve with time. Hopefully they change for the better, and love smooths out the differences in power and gender roles.

I tried to understand women’s position in the 1850 and it led me to a sincere appreciation for the opportunities available today. Women had few rights in America in the 1850s. In the Netherlands, and some other countries, they had more at the time, but in the U.S. women could not vote, of course, and laws even constrained what property they could own. Women had to marry to have an income, social status and any rights at all. My review of primary sources confirmed many women put up with less-than-ideal marriages because there were no alternatives. Unmarried and widowed women had no voice.

So many circumstances marginalized people in general at that time – gender, poverty, lack of education, social status and extreme prejudices. I believe good historical fiction can help us examine the mindset and obstacles of former times and rejoice in how far we have come – even though, of course these same factors still block the path for many.

FQ: What kind of research went into capturing the conflict between the Mormons and the U.S. government during this era? Were there any surprising facts or stories you uncovered that made it into the novel?

COLLEN: As a lawyer, research is second nature to me, and a weird kind of fun!

I not only tried to visit as many of the places in my books as I could, I also searched for all available primary sources of information about the events and that time period. I have read the diaries of women who trekked across the country in search of a better life. I found shocking reports from Elders in the Church of the Latter-day Saints confirming the orders Brigham Young gave to vandalize and burn the United States Army’s wagons. I discovered letters from Elizabeth Wells Randall Cuming, the federally-appointed Governor’s wife, telling her family of the deprivation, starvation and extreme cold she suffered in the Mormon-burned Fort Bridger. And I laughed at Samuel Clemens and Horace Greeley’s accounts of their meetings with Brigham Young. Federally-appointed Judge Waite’s wife wrote an entire book about the intricacies and deep secrets of the Mormons at that time. And I read further accounts from the Mormon faithful of their quest to bring judgement on those who did not believe. There were so many surprising facts, so many interesting historical tidbits, that I could not cram them all in the book. But I did include all the best ones!

FQ: Humor and wit add unexpected lightness to a story filled with tension. How important is it to you to include moments of lightheartedness in your historical fiction?

COLLEN: Humor is imperative! I could not bear the vagrancies of life without a sense of humor, and neither can my characters. The comedic aspects of life are what keep us going in times of adversity. And times of happiness! Although, humor is a tricky business. Something is only funny within a specific context of time and place; it does not seem to transcend cultures. But I found my love of a good pun sometimes withstands the test of time.

FQ: Nellie’s daughters play significant roles in aiding her journey. Could you elaborate on how you portrayed these intergenerational relationships and the significance of women uplifting each other?

COLLEN: Our intergenerational relationships not only pass the wisdom of the ages down to modern times, but they comfort and sustain us. The mother/daughter relationship, I think, is timeless. Certainly, mothers gave different advice to their daughters in 1850, because the definition of what it meant to be a successful woman was different, but the intent was the same. Most mothers only want what is best for their offspring and they go to extreme lengths to try to obtain it.

I believe women must empathize and support each other’s choices – we need a sisterhood of understanding and help. No one achieves their goals without a little help from someone. We need to be each other’s someone.

FQ: How does The Path of Saints and Sinners build upon what you established in previous books? In what aspects has Nellie evolved, and in what aspects has she stayed the same?

COLLEN: I have taken my same characters and grown them up! As people grow, they change, and I have tried to make my characters do the same, while being true to their core selves. It has been fun putting them into situations and seeing how they react! I think Nellie has become a little less silly and flirtatious and a little more focused on what it takes to be a responsible mother, a loyal wife and a dedicated healer. I hope I have shown her to be less focused on her own whims and more focused on establishing a home and a community for those she loves.

 #AuthorInterview with William Overstreet

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diana Coyle is talking with William Overstreet, author of Halley's Gathering.

FQ: One of the first things I do when I read a book by an author I’m unfamiliar with is read the author’s bio to get to know them better. Would you please tell us a few things about yourself so that new readers, like myself, can learn about you?

OVERSTREET: I certainly understand the curiosity—I do the same thing, checking out a new author’s bio—but, personally, I’d rather be as anonymous as possible. So I’ll meet you half way. I was born in Troy, NY, grew up in various towns in the Hudson Valley, and went off to college at Cornell University. I also have degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Binghamton University. After that, I always earned my living as a nonfiction writer, mostly in the area of international politics but, for a time, specializing in medical technology. I’m married, we have twins (girl and boy), and live in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

FQ: Can you please tell our readers a brief synopsis of your book, Halley’s Gathering, and what specifically makes your book unique?

OVERSTREET: The quickest synopsis I can give is from the back cover:

New Mexico Territory. 1910. Julia Halley, unlikely owner of the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post on the Navajo Reservation, has attracted a small but devoted circle of friends—her “gathering”—both Anglo and Navajo, all with their own stories to tell. Among them, a Southern doctor who opened a free reservation clinic after the Spanish-American War. A Navajo woman, also a healer, who survived the Long Walk of the 1860s. A self-taught photographer and former Franciscan brother. A young surveyor drawn to the Southwest by a fascination with the ancient Anasazi ruins. And living deep in the canyon, Clement Yazzie, half Navajo and half Hopi, whose ruthless reputation conceals a shadowy legacy, and Johanna Yazzie, his enigmatic younger sister, mute since birth.

HALLEY’S GATHERING. A sweeping tale of a new century. When the dawn of the modern is supplanting the violence and isolation of the Old West, but also endangering the Navajo way of life. Where the magnetic Julia Halley struggles against the dictates of polite society to follow her own uncompromising path. Where the controversial explorer Richard Wetherill and the celebrated photographer Edward S. Curtis are among the notable names who play a part. And where, coincidentally, the return of Halley’s Comet is just over the horizon.

It’s unique in the combination of setting and time, the Southwest USA, and more specifically the Navajo Reservation, from roughly 1898 to 1911, a time when the Old West was fading and the Modern was arriving, with all the attendant conflicts and adjustments.

I need to say a bit more about the magnificent Navajo Nation, where I lived for four years. It’s vast, the size of West Virginia, and much of it is sparsely populated. As a result, you can easily find yourself in a landscape that has been virtually untouched by the modern world. (Of course I’m not referring to areas that have been strip mined for coal, and so forth.) For that reason, I had no difficulty describing it as it might have been in 1910.

I think Halley’s Gathering is also rather unique in that I decided from the very beginning to give all of the main characters their full stories, from childhood on, and to provide each with a unique explanation for why they end up at Julia Halley’s trading post. If you’re going to have eight or nine main characters, you’d better make sure they stand on their own.

FQ: I loved how well-written and detailed Halley’s Gathering was and how you wrapped the storyline around characters living during the early 1900’s. In doing so, you wrote in exceptional detail how different it was to be living during this period of time. What made you want to create a storyline specifically set back in the 1900’s?

OVERSTREET: I’ve always loved Westerns—not so much the typical genre Western, though there’s certainly an art to it, but the outliers: Frank Norris’s The Octopus, Willa Cather’s frontier novels, Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy. And I have to throw in such classics as The Ox Bow Incident, The Searchers, Shane, Warlock, Butcher’s Crossing, and of course Lonesome Dove, which is the quintessential myth-maker. But I didn’t want to repeat what had already been done so well. The trigger, for me, was that change from the Old West to the Modern.

FQ: What made you decide to have Julia Halley run the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post as an independent owner, which was a rarity for women to do during that time?

OVERSTREET: That was the center around which everything else revolves. Julia had to be more than just unique. (I’m pretty sure I’m safe in saying that in fact no woman of that period ran a Southwest trading post on her own.) She had to be somewhat isolated from the daily pressures of Anglo (white) “civilization,” and she had to be charismatic enough to attract a small circle of devoted friends who were willing to go far out of their way to gather around her.

FQ: Are there any future novels in the works? If so, can you tell us any information about them?

OVERSTREET: Yes. The one I’m closest to finishing takes place at the end of World War II. Totally different time and place, obviously, and with no overlap.

FQ: Where do you look upon for inspiration for what you write?

OVERSTREET: What attracts me is something that hasn’t been written about before. I don’t mean that in a pretentious way. I like to find some actual event, some circumstances that haven’t been fictionalized before. I try to be very careful to anchor what I’m writing in fact. Sometimes I find connections almost at random. In Halley’s Gathering, for example, Julia’s last name was originally Haley, for no special reason. I had already decided on 1910 as the central year because I wanted to tell some of the story of the explorer and trader Richard Wetherill, which has a dramatic conclusion in that year, but well into the writing, I learned that Halley’s Comet had returned in 1910. Several things fell into place at that point, including the central episode when I bring all of the principal characters together in a mountain meadow to view the comet.

FQ: Please tell us what is your writing routine like?

OVERSTREET: I don’t really have one. I do lots of research before beginning, but that continues through the process. I write illegible (to anyone but me, but also sometimes to me) bits on paper as they occur to me, and revise and revise and revise, and I do a lot of writing in my head, working ideas over and over. At some point I sit down at the computer. I don’t necessarily start at the beginning of the story. Most of the actual putting of words on the screen happens in the afternoon or evening, very rarely in the morning.

FQ: To wrap up our interview, is there anything you would like to add to tell our readers?

OVERSTREET: Read the book. Pass it on or recommend it if you like it. It’s out there now, and I’m completely inessential.

 #Bookreview of Halley's Gathering

By: William Overstreet

Publisher: WRp

Publication Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 979-8992216400

Reviewed by: Diana Coyle

Review Date: August 8, 2025

In the New Mexico Territory in the year 1910, we are introduced to an unlikely business owner named Julia Halley in Halley’s Gathering by William Overstreet. It isn’t every day you see a woman running a business by herself, but that doesn’t stop Julia. Running the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post, located on the Navajo Reservation, is how Julia makes the money she does to survive. She has a small circle of friends, which are both Anglo and Navajo, that remain close to each other and look out for one another. Will she be able to survive and thrive, along with her friends, during these changing times?

When readers open this novel, they are instantaneously transported to 1910 living the older way of life along with the characters that graced the pages throughout. Julia Halley wasn’t your average woman of the time. She lived by herself and owned and operated the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post as a means of financial support during the hard times everyone was experiencing at this time. As readers get to know Julia, they will immediately be in awe of her strength and courage for running a business by herself and managing her property. She is a strong character that readers will easily fall in love with and will find themselves rooting for her to push forward and thrive on her own. One thing to note was how William Overstreet led the readers along by supplying them with information, especially about Julia, in installments so you gradually get to know the characters as if you were getting to know a new friend. This was especially enjoyable considering this was an extremely lengthy novel. The details the author supplied to the readers were intentional and well delivered at just the right times throughout the book.

The cast of characters was an extensive one and Overstreet took his time in carving each one to be uniquely different from one another, while they also played a vital role in moving the story along. Readers will easily take a liking to some of the characters, like Julia, very early on because they feel like real people who you want to get to know personally. What is also worth mentioning about these characters was that even though they may not have gotten along with each other and drove each other crazy from time to time, each one depended on each other to help them through whatever obstacles they were facing at the time. Their loyalty, especially to Julia, was commendable to see throughout this detailed novel.

I loved how intricate this novel was in descriptions of not only the characters, but also the surrounding area the characters lived in from day to day. I felt like I was living in 1910 and felt and saw things directly through my eyes as if I were another character in the story. Overstreet supplied intricacies to every nuance of this engaging story that will engross his readers deeper and deeper into it.

Quill says: Halley’s Gathering by William Overstreet will capture the reader’s attention right from the very first page. If you’re looking for a detailed and captivating story that will entertain you from the first page to the very last, then look no further. Overstreet clearly has a winner with this one.

For more information about Halley's Gathering, please visit the author's website at: williamoverstreet.com

 #Bookreview of Journey to Superhero School: An Oliver and Jessica Prequel to The Vork Chronicles

By: Gracie Dix

Publication Date: March 2, 2020

ISBN: 979-8636975403

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: August 6, 2025

Journey to Superhero School: An Oliver and Jessica Prequel to The Vork Chronicles by Gracie Dix is a delightful and heartfelt prequel that introduces readers to Oliver and Jessica, twin siblings whose journey into the world of extraordinary abilities is as heart-warming as it is adventurous. Written with young readers in mind, this fast-paced, character-driven story lays the foundation for the world Dix continues to build in The Vork.

The story begins with a scenario that many parents can relate to: Mrs. Fletcher comes home from work to find her young children engaging in chaos. However, this is not just any kind of chaos. Oliver is flying through the air with Jessica being pulled along, with a blue protective force field. The twins have just discovered their superpowers, and with them, a world of confusion, secrecy, and loneliness. Too different from their classmates to fit in, the twins form a quiet, unbreakable bond, confiding only in each other about their abilities.

Shortly after that, something strange happens during one of Oliver's exams. The figures on the exam paper appear to escape the confines of the page and reassemble into solutions, as if they were reacting to his mind. As a result, Oliver advances to a higher grade after that, and the twins have to adjust to spending less time together in class.

The heart of the story lies in their loneliness, children who are special, but without anyone to understand them. Their lives take a dramatic turn on a particular day when they must use their powers to rescue their mother and her co-workers from a burning building. Among those who survive is Mrs. Macintosh, a teacher from the Superhero School, who recognizes the twins' incredible potential.

A week before their thirteenth birthday, their parents share the thrilling news that they are considering enrolling the twins in a different school. While Mrs. Fletcher is decorating their birthday cake, she receives a call from Mrs. Macintosh, one of the people rescued from the fire. Impressed by the twins’ bravery, Mrs. Macintosh invites them for a tour of the school.

From this point, the story unfolds into themes of hope and acceptance. Oliver and Jessica accept the invitation to explore the Superhero School, where they encounter other talented kids, build friendships, and start envisioning a future in which they can still be unique but also feel like they have a place to belong.

Gracie Dix’s writing is engaging and insightful, blending humor with emotional depth in a way that connects with middle-grade readers. The pacing is brisk, the plot is easy to follow, and the themes —family, courage, friendship, and embracing who you are —stand out brilliantly without feeling forced.

This prequel serves as an excellent starting point for exploring the Vork universe and will excite readers about Oliver and Jessica’s upcoming adventure. Whether you are a newcomer or already a fan of Dix’s work, Journey to Superhero School delivers a feel-good, empowering tale that reminds young readers that being different is often the first step toward becoming something extraordinary.

Quill says: An inspiring and thrilling origin story, Journey to Superhero School is a must-read for young enthusiasts of superhero stories. Gracie Dix captures the magic of discovering who you truly are with a dash of superpowers to make it unforgettable.

 #Bookreview of The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir

By: Maureen Stanton

Publisher: DLJ Books at Columbus State University Press

Publication Date: March 15, 2025

ISBN: 979-8991456500

Reviewed by: Nellie Calanni

Review Date: August 6, 2025

In The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir, Maureen Stanton offers a deeply intimate and harrowing memoir that explores the fragility of life, the fierce tenacity of love, and the moral complexities that arise when survival is on the line. Set against the backdrop of rural Michigan in the 1980s, Stanton recounts her relationship with Steve, a man she met in her twenties, as they built a life rooted in simplicity, self-reliance, and shared dreams – only to have it upended by a devastating cancer diagnosis.

What follows is an emotional and ethical odyssey. As Steve battles for his life, conventional medicine proves insufficient and prohibitively expensive. Enter Joey, Steve’s childhood friend and a struggling addict, who offers to help by selling Steve’s prescription painkillers on the street to fund experimental treatment. The decision sets in motion a chain of events that is both heartbreaking and haunting, culminating in a stark reminder that not all who fight survive – and not all who try to help walk away unscathed.

Stanton writes with unflinching honesty and lyrical clarity, weaving a narrative that’s as much about caregiving, loyalty, and moral ambiguity as it is about illness and grief. She captures the brutal grind of life within the medical-industrial complex, the quiet heroics of caretaking, and the gray zones where desperation and love intersect. This is not a story that offers easy answers – it offers something far more powerful: truth.

Themes of devotion, loss, working-class struggles, and spiritual reckoning pulse through every page, and Stanton’s gift lies in her ability to hold both tenderness and tragedy in the same breath. Her prose is immersive and unguarded, honoring not only Steve’s life but the entire web of relationships – romantic, platonic, and familial – that shaped their journey.

Quill says: Maureen Stanton’s The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir is a breathtaking, morally complex memoir about love’s endurance in the face of impossible choices. It’s a poignant, painful, and ultimately redemptive story of two people trying to hold on to each other – and to hope – against overwhelming odds.

For more information about The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir, please visit the author's website at: maureenstantonwriter.com

 #Authorinterview with William Burke

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Ephantus Muriuki  is talking with William Burke, author of Doomsday Planet.

FQ: First off, huge congrats on the book! From the start, there’s this creeping sense that reality is slipping, like things aren’t what they seem, even before the real chaos begins. Was that slow-burn unease always part of your plan, or did it just kind of happen as the story came together?

BURKE: I intentionally opened the book with two simultaneous, but seemingly disconnected events. One being Reno’s dropping into orbit around the moon, and the other, Hugo Visser’s earthbound presentation of his new VR/AI technology. Both events quickly fly off the rails due to alien intervention. Neither character knows why they’ve been selected by two opposing races of aliens, neither of which seems trustworthy. Reno is (literally) naked and afraid, experiencing things that would give most of us a psychotic meltdown, while Visser is given the red-carpet treatment. During the first draft process, I realized the opening chapters were weird and slightly off-putting. Most smart writers would have restructured things, but I decided to lean into that weirdness, partially because I love when writers give us an ‘ah-ha’ moment of realization. I hope I delivered that moment before the chaos begins.

FQ: The idea of a “Doomsday Planet” feels very big and heavy. Were you drawing from anything in the real world when building that world like climate, tech collapse, or a war?

BURKE: Absolutely. Once upon a time, the list of global issues I lost sleep over could fit on a single sheet of paper, double-spaced. Now, they could fill a Stephen King-sized book. I could rant like an old man chasing neighborhood kids off his lawn, but instead I’ll share a quote from Gustav Meyrink’s novel The Golem. “Power without compassion is tyranny.” Our current captains of business and government have graduated from amassing wealth to seizing power and influence with no compassion for those less powerful or fortunate. Doomsday Planet’s Hugo Visser exemplifies that; he’s a man willing to sell off his species to gain absolute power. Visser is the ultimate tech mogul, controlling space travel, media, and electric vehicles. He feeds the public instant gratification via social media, overnight delivery, lightning-fast Google searches, and online porn. It’s a diet that’s all candy without meat or substance, and that addiction to immediate gratification becomes the alien’s primary weapon against us.

If I were to make a historical comparison, the Zagan aliens are King Ludwig, Earth is the Congo, and Visser is Kurtz… I know Kurtz was fictional, but you get it. Strangely enough, these days, many people reading Heart of Darkness for the first time might consider Marlow to be too woke, and Kurtz to be a visionary businessman… and that, well, sucks.

Let me add that Doomsday Planet also features Vikings fighting robots riding dinosaurs with laser cannons bolted to them, so all that social commentary is delivered in shiny pulp wrapping paper.

And readers, after all my ranting about instant online gratification, please mention my book on social media so I can amass untold wealth. My hypocrisy is boundless.

FQ: What really stuck with me was how much the story explores identity not just Reno, but all these people pulled out of time, forced to fight without any of the roles or structures they knew. Was that theme always in your head, or did it grow out of the characters themselves?

BURKE: I wanted to explore the concept of a literal ‘man out of time,’ though I don’t mean to imply a specific gender. Each person’s reaction to this brave new world is unique. Torsten, his band of warriors, and Olga are all swept into an entirely new reality and then immediately thrown into battle. Reno lived in our technological, modern world, but was never at home there. He can pilot a lunar shuttle craft, but probably refuses to own a cellular phone. Oddly enough, Torsten, who died in AD 899, adjusts easily because to him, technology is just another word for magic, which he accepts as fact. Prehistoric animals are dragons, and a high-tech rifle is just a bow and arrow for untrained idiots. As for battle, well, if there weren’t a war, he’d probably start one. As a WW2 pilot, Olga witnessed the horrors of an invasion and feels she has no choice but to do what is right.

FQ: Some of those Arena scenes are so raw and intense. I imagine they weren’t easy to write but more so I was wondering- were they kind of cathartic or satisfying to write?

BURKE: Honestly, I do it to myself every time—by that I mean creating a finale that involves interlocking action seen from multiple perspectives, including the enemy’s point of view. I’m a fan of history, including historical fiction like Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels, which brilliantly depict the sprawl and confusion of battle. In Doomsday Planet, we simultaneously have the Zagan attack on the encampment, the Viking defense, Reno and Olga’s assault on the Zagan base, and the enslaved Daric staging a Spartacus-like revolt. Oh, wait, during that, Pi and Junior were also caught up in a space battle. What was I thinking? Creating that chaotic tapestry and getting it all to intersect was a genuine challenge and very satisfying… when it was finished. The process was grueling, but it’s cathartic to write something so daunting and complete it.

FQ: Now that the book is out, is there a particular scene or moment that still lingers in your mind, something that keeps coming back to you for whatever reason?

BURKE: It was the scene depicting the night before the great battle, where campfire revelry masks their collective dread. Even the tentacled alien, Junior, winds up dancing with the Viking women. It’s also when the ghosts haunting Reno are exorcised. Up to that point, he suffered from a condition Olga calls Toska—a Russian word with no simple translation, alluding to a kind of spiritual anguish and malaise. It took Nabokov several pages to define that single word, and he still didn’t think its meaning was accurately conveyed. On that same night, Olga honors her past and present by naming her biplane, Nadezhda, after a lost comrade. She also sagely summarizes the cultural and philosophical differences between her and Reno, stating, “Americans expect too much, while Russians accept too little.” They wind up holding hands under a brilliant alien Aurora Borealis, which is about all the romance this book has time for. It’s a quiet scene that sticks in my mind. Maybe I have something to learn from it, though I probably won’t.

FQ: Reno’s arc is such a slow rebuild. I found him sarcastic and rough, but I could feel something shifting in him over time. What was the toughest part about writing someone who doesn’t even know if he deserves a second chance?

BURKE: Reno was influenced by the 1970s pulp literature I grew up reading, much to my family’s chagrin. His name was partially a homage to Remo Williams, the reluctant hero of The Destroyer novels, and also to Major Marcus Reno, the real-life cavalry officer who didn’t get all his troops killed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and was reviled for surviving. My fictional Marcus Reno spent a lifetime pioneering space exploration, only to become a forgotten footnote in its history. He watched Visser’s corporation transform space exploration into space exploitation and retreated to a lonely vigil piloting a lunar shuttle for the man he loathes. If that’s not self-inflicted punishment, I don’t know what is. He is sarcastic and bitter, but deep down, his moral compass still finds true north.

The challenge was to ensure readers caught a glimpse of a diamond beneath his gruff exterior by demonstrating that he instinctively does what’s right. He risks his life trying to rescue the astronauts from the Chinese lunar base. The fact that his corporate space company bosses ordered him not to attempt a rescue only strengthens his resolve.

At the opening of the book, he is a living fossil who feels the world has marched on without him, and not for the better. But once he finds renewed purpose as a leader, he opens himself to a surrogate family and rejoins the human race. The real turning point was the scene where he goes on a hunting trip with the Vikings and rediscovers the camaraderie that he’d lost but secretly yearned for.

FQ: There’s a lot of grief simmering under the action. How did you balance that emotional weight without letting it stall the pace of the story?

BURKE: I think we’re all defined by our scars, both inner and outer, and by the ghosts that travel with us. But those dark places in our soul are where potential greatness hides. From Greek myths to Viking sagas, all heroes must endure crippling loss and sadness before rising to a challenge. So, thanks to Homer, the recipe was already there. Thanks, Homer! The story’s eccentric time-tripping nature meant that each central character’s introduction was also their death scene. The emotional adjustment would have been very different if these characters had been plucked from the past in the prime of life. They would have felt violated, like hostages. The grim reality that nothing was lying ahead made their losses less emotionally crippling.

But the pacing was tricky. While I wanted to delve deeper into their psyches, I kept reminding myself that Doomsday Planet is, to an extent, pulp sci-fi, meaning the characters’ spiritual recovery and growth had to occur within scenes that drove the action forward, and (hopefully) ended with something blowing up. But those limitations were secretly a blessing. There are about 25,000 words of emotional scenes I had to slash or reincorporate in some truncated form. Reno was existing more than living, so the adventure renewed him. Olga, though only eighteen, had experienced enough death for a dozen lifetimes, including losing her family. Once she was assured that the Nazis had been defeated, meaning all those sacrifices hadn’t been in vain, she embraced her new destiny in the cosmos. The villainous Hugo Visser’s Kafkaesque metamorphosis (no spoilers) should have been tragic, but instead allowed him to find peace and happiness.

FQ: Pi was fascinating to me, kind of helpful but deeply unsettling. Was that blurry line between savior and manipulator something you aimed for from the start?

BURKE: I think a character that tinkers with time, life, and death is an unsettling concept. Pi is like a colonial era missionary, in that while his intentions may be sincere, the repercussions can be tragic for those “less evolved” creatures he manipulates. And, like a missionary, he doesn’t fully understand the culture he is interacting with, and often bungles the job. For example, any supply sergeant knows not to store all of the company’s foodstuffs in one location. Yet, despite his super intellect, Pi does precisely that, and as a result, his recruits nearly starve. His species thrives on being psychically linked to others of their kind, but he’s traveled far beyond such contact… so maybe that isolation has driven him a little bonkers.

As the story progressed, I chose to create Junior, his clone/alter ego, who travels with the humans to the surface. Junior’s interactions with humans challenge the preconceived notions he inherited from Pi. After mere days of human contact, Junior becomes a far more evolved creature than his father. If the Doomsday Planet saga continues, that personal growth might put the two very much at odds. Hey, I’d better write that one down!

FQ: The story plays a lot with free will, as in, how much of what the characters do is their choice vs what they’re being guided toward. Did writing this make you think any differently about control even in real life?

BURKE: I did reflect on that to a degree. We can all choose our destiny, but the modern world has certainly made that into sailing against the wind; you can still do it, but the constant zig-zagging it requires will consume your time and energy. The book’s secondary thread is that the diversity of the group, who are all from different cultures and eras, becomes their strength. That unity of purpose above personal differences is a superpower. These days, people willingly close themselves off, only interacting online with those who already share their beliefs, allowing those beliefs to become twisted. Intelligent discourse has been reduced to incoherent shouting matches and awkward Thanksgiving dinners. It inspired me to get out and widen my social contacts… by that I mean actual social contacts, not social media nonsense. And folks, please mention my book on your social media. My hypocrisy once again rears its pointy head.

FQ: That ending really walks the line between huge cosmic stakes and something very personal. Did you always know where you wanted it to land, or did it shift as you went deeper into the story?

BURKE: It evolved during the writing process. The more I wrote, the more attached to the characters I became, and I wanted to revisit them. As a result, many characters survive (I’m not saying which), leaving openings for more stories. Their experiences have changed every character, and they are about to become the lords of an entirely new planet. If the saga continues, I’ll be introducing actual historical characters into the mix, including Ueno Tsuruhime, who led a band of female samurai during Japan’s 16th century, Sengoku Period. Ancient Vikings interacting with a platoon of female samurai is a recipe for fun. Olga believes in a Marxist/Leninist classless society, so her relationship with a samurai leader who considers peasants to be little better than animals will be… precarious. Other alien species will take a sudden interest in Earth, and might even be capable of time travel. Oh, the places we’ll go… if the book catches on.

Thanks for conducting the interview, and thanks to those reading this for supporting my writing.

 #Bookreview of Doomsday Planet

By: William Burke

Publisher: Severed Press

Publication Date: July 12, 2025

ISBN: 978-1923165700

Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki

Review Date: August 1, 2025

Doomsday Planet by William Burke is a deliriously imaginative sci-fi action thriller that follows a grizzled lunar pilot resurrected by an alien AI to lead a ragtag army of time-plucked warriors against a galactic apocalypse. It reveals themes of identity, redemption, free will, and the enduring scars of trauma, all wrapped in a genre-mashing rollercoaster of chaos, satire, and heart.

The main character, 63-year-old Marcus Reno, a lunar shuttle pilot with a chip on his shoulder, a past haunted by guilt, and a record-breaking amount of time spent in solo spaceflight, starts off like the classic washed-up space veteran. After he dies following a mysterious alien attack, he’s brought back in a younger, stronger body by an alien intelligence named Pi to serve a higher purpose. That’s when things start to spiral in the best way. He ends up leading this band of misfits who were plucked from the brink of death across time. I didn’t expect to care so much about them, but I did, especially Reno and Olga, a Soviet pilot from World War II and one of the most memorable members of the resurrected, time-plucked army that Marcus Reno is chosen to lead. Their growth, their baggage and their grit hit me in a way that’s hard to explain.

What really impressed me was how William Burke juggles tone. One minute you’re laughing at a training-room fight between a Viking and a Soviet pilot, the next you’re wading through a terrifying psychic assault or watching a media mogul lose his grip on reality thanks to a whispering alien artifact. The story is part psychological horror, part military sci-fi, part mythic dream sequence and yet, it flows seamlessly.

I started reading this book expecting something gritty and grounded (and it definitely starts that way), but by the end I was cheering on a crew of alien-fighting Vikings, a Soviet pilot, and a reborn astronaut in a battle for the soul of the universe. That escalation was so wild and so unexpected that I kept pausing just to say, “Did that really just happen?” And yet, somehow, it never felt like too much. It is sharp and punchy but not afraid to pause and breathe. Burke has a knack for making even the most surreal settings feel tangible. The lunar scenes are cold and sterile, but later we’re in these glowing alien caves and myth-soaked ruins that feel like something out of a dream. I was constantly surprised, and I loved that about it. Reno’s arc, especially his guilt, his inner torment and his slow rediscovery of self-worth caught me off guard. I loved how he wasn't just trying to save the world, but earnestly trying to figure out if someone like him deserved to be saved at all.

Quill says: If you’re looking for tight realism or hard science rules, this may not be your choice, but if you’re open to something strange, heartfelt, funny, and just a little insane, Doomsday Planet by William Burke might be the quirky gem you didn’t know you needed. It’s a book that starts with lunar cargo drops and ends in a cave full of cultists and ancient cosmic whispers. Somehow, you will find yourself right there believing every second of it.

For more information about Doomsday Planet, please visit the author's website at: williamburkeauthor.com

 #Authorinterview with Ekta R. Garg

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Alma Boucher is talking with Ekta R. Garg, author of The Witch's Apprentice and Other Stories.

FQ: What motivated you to compile The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories? Was there a particular moment or concept that ignited the creation of this collection?

GARG: I’d written three of the five original stories a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the entire process of creating them: the writing, of course, but also how they explored those little spaces in the original stories that were never addressed before. When I started considering what project to tackle for my third book, I realized that I could turn this exploration into a collection and that the underlying theme would be how I filled in the gaps of the fairy tales and nursery rhymes we all know and love. Classic nursery rhymes, in particular, are really interesting, because they tell a story but do it with such few details that I think there’s an easy opportunity to round them out.

FQ: In “The Witch’s Apprentice,” the apprentice takes a deliberately self-interested action to succeed in her evaluation. What prompted you to prioritize themes of selflessness and decision-making in the apprentice’s journey?

GARG: In many ways, I’m an incredibly practical writer. I think this comes from my journalism training where we’re required to look for the five Ws and one H—the “who, what, where, when, why” and “how”—of the facts before we can write an article or report on it in a broadcast format. Because of this, whenever I start anything creative, even if it’s about apprentice witches :>, it’s important for me to figure out these elements of my characters and story worlds.

For “The Witch’s Apprentice,” I spent time figuring out the process of the apprenticeship. How long would that training take? What would it entail? What kind of “final exam” or other tangible effort would an apprentice need to complete in order to prove they were capable of being sent into the world as a full-fledged witch? Who would do that granting? Once I answered those questions, it was easy for me to do the worldbuilding for this short story.

The theme of decision-making, particularly when it comes to making a decision solely for one’s self, was critical to show how the protagonist apprentice goes from what her cousin wants her to do and be to what she wants to be for herself. It’s also important because the protagonist’s cousin ultimately thinks she’s not capable of anything; in order for the apprentice to believe she was capable, she had to make decisions that would bring her to that realization. Those decisions needed to help her move away from what she thought would be the ideal—the High Witch—and into the place where she would learn and believe she was enough.

FQ: Several stories in the collection reinterpret or expand upon classic fairy tale motifs. What is it about this genre that captivates you, and how do you approach reinventing familiar archetypes?

GARG: I love fairy tales! As a kid, I loved the typical things many little girls do: the tiaras, the clothes, that sense that a princess is beautiful and kind and loved by all and that no matter what challenges come her way, she’ll always have a happy ending. When I was a teenager, I was drawn in by the romance of these same things. I also grew up on a steady diet of Bollywood films, and anyone who’s watched any of the classics or the Hindi movies of the 1990s knows that the fairy tale idea was pretty much baked into each one. So romance and fairy tales were ideas and structures that I absorbed fully.

As an adult, though, and especially as a published author, I appreciate just how universal fairy tales are. Not only do they tell us stories that we can relate to—Cinderella just wanted to be loved!—but also it’s interesting how universal they are in terms of culture. Most fairy tales that we think of in the Western tradition of storytelling, such as from the Brothers Grimm, are actually found in other countries. Some of the details of the stories might be different or culture-specific, but at their core they’re the same tales. There’s something so special about that, because it means that no matter where in the world my readers might be they have something in their immediate experiences that allows these stories, and by extension my stories, to be relatable.

For this particular micro-collection, I didn’t want to reinvent or “fracture” anything. Many incredibly talented authors have done this with classic tales in the past; the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer or Wicked by Gregory Maguire are great examples of this. Authors like them and so many others have taken the familiar and given them new twists and turns by changing the genders of characters or the genre. They’ve offered really thoughtful, fun examinations of these classics, and I’ve enjoyed reading them.

I wanted to challenge myself with something different, however. My purpose in this collection was to take the stories exactly how they were written and to fill in the gaps of those original tales. As I say in my author’s note at the beginning of the book, it’s the equivalent of moving into a new home and leaving all the walls up but finding a new purpose for some of the rooms or maybe even a hidden alcove. What happens when you take what’s already there but look at it differently? What changes about the existing space? That’s the way I looked at the original stories and then wrote my own to complement them.

FQ: The collection explores themes of power, identity, and destiny. How do you maintain a balance between fantastical elements and these profoundly human concerns?

GARG: It’s easy to do, because the original fairy tales and nursery rhymes are about profoundly human concerns. That’s what makes them universal and ubiquitous. It’s why, even today, filmmakers and authors and songwriters and other artists are still trying to find new ways to look at these timeless tales, many of which are centuries old. The source material is so rich that I can, with my writer’s imagination, go in and play “What if.” In fact, in some ways, there’s some relief in not having to create the base for the story; the characters, the plot, the outcome, all of it is already there. My job in this collection was to go in and find something new, which was an exciting challenge all on its own.

FQ: Did you have a particular story in this collection that you enjoyed writing the most? Which one presented the greatest challenge, and for what reasons?

GARG: It’s hard to say that I enjoyed writing one over the other, because they were all such fun to write. I did wrestle with “The Beauty Before She Sleeps” during the drafting process. The story went through so many iterations, because I was having a tough time figuring out where to start. This combined homage to “Sleeping Beauty” and “Goldilocks” had so many potential opening scenes that it was hard to pick one, and every time I did the story became much longer than what I’d originally envisioned. I had several false starts before I finally found a rhythm and then was able to go back and get the opening that I wanted.

FQ: In “The Honor of Emperors and Thieves,” you expertly weave humor and satire, creating an engaging and sharp narrative. What message were you aiming to convey through the misadventures of Simon and Samuel?

GARG: Honestly, that these two guys were like anyone else trying to make a paycheck and get through the day. 😀 I was also really intrigued by the fact that the original story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” never tells us where the two conmen who made his “clothes” come from. More than that, when the emperor is marching down the lane without a single stitch of clothing on, the conmen get away long before anyone has the guts to say anything.

When I was growing up, the story was used as a cautionary tale about the dangers of extreme vanity, but when I reread it as a possible source story for this collection the part of the story that stuck with me was that these random people come to the emperor and are so charming that they can talk their way into his palace and convince him and all his advisors that they’re actually designing and creating a wardrobe. No one stops to question them, ask for references, or wonder why on earth they’re asking for so much money when there’s not a single spool of thread to be found anywhere!

That kind of brashness and borderline arrogance was fun to play with, but, again, due to my analytical nature of writing, I had to figure out where these guys came from and why they would do what they did. Once I came up with the thieves’ guild, it was easy to build Simon and Samuel’s adventures from there.

I was also well aware that this story sits between two darker, more serious stories in the collection. I placed it there to offer readers a little bit of a reprieve from those pieces.

FQ: Your stories frequently highlight characters who are often overlooked or underestimated. How deliberate was this choice, and what do you hope readers will take away from these portrayals?

GARG: I didn’t set out to deliberately write about overlooked characters, but the fact that this is how the collection turned out shows that there’s still so much space in the original stories for exploration. Every retelling or fracturing of a fairy tale handles its own way of filling out some of these details, and I enjoyed doing the same.

More than anything, I want readers to have fun with these stories. I hope they’re inspired by the book to revisit some of their favorite classics. I included a note at the end of the book telling readers that if they enjoyed the collection, they should let me know what some of their favorite classic stories are so that I might be able to write a new short story based on that for a future book!

FQ: Can you describe your writing process for one of the stories in the collection, from the initial concept to the final draft?

GARG: “Denying Hamelin” was a really interesting writing experience. It’s the shortest of all the stories in the book—really flash fiction more than anything else—but for me, it’s the one that carries the most weight. The original Grimm story about the Pied Piper of Hamelin focuses on the piper and the kids who went with him. When I reread the story to prep for this collection, I couldn’t help being struck by the fact that the parents got left behind. As a parent myself, it’s challenging to watch the news or to listen to how my children have to practice shooter drills at school and know that every day I send them into a world that could potentially do them harm. Even if it’s not a major harm that’s life-threatening, just the fact that they might disagree with a friend or have an encounter with a teacher or coach that they think is unfair can sometimes be difficult. Parents want the best for our kids. We want them to grow up safe and healthy and happy and excited about their futures. The world, however, doesn’t always agree with that desire.

In rereading about the Pied Piper, I kept thinking about the parents and how they must be beyond devastated that their children are missing. They never found out what happened to them. Then I did some research and discovered that the story of the Pied Piper is rooted in fact. On June 26, 1284, a piper wearing colorful (“pied”) clothes played his pipe and lured 130 children away from Hamelin, Germany. Unfortunately, the most important artifacts telling us why this happened have been lost, although we do have several pieces confirming that the event did actually take place. Through the centuries and retellings, the story took on a larger-than-life quality and new information (like the fact that the piper originally came to lure the rats away from the town and then wasn’t paid like the townspeople promised him they would.) The modern-day town of Hamelin has embraced this part of its identity and is a tourist destination for all things piper-related.

As I read and researched, I kept coming back to the parents and how they must have felt. That piece about not paying the piper also stuck in my mind, and I knew the story had to have a “call and response” setup between the past and the present time in the story world. I also wanted the story to be short, because I wanted it to have maximum emotional impact in the least amount of space. Lastly, unlike the other stories that are more standard prose, I leaned into a more lyrical approach for this story. I paid close attention to the images readers would get to experience to dial into the quiet resignation these parents feel after having to face another year of their children being gone. Also, it’s the story that went through the fewest drafts, because it was one of those rare cases that when I finished writing it the first time, I knew it was close to being complete as I created it.

FQ: The tone of your narratives combines whimsy with emotional resonance. How do you achieve that balance in your writing?

GARG: For me, the character is the most important element of writing. The plot, the story, the conflict and tension, all of that and the other craft elements are built around the protagonist and the relationships that person has with the other people in the piece, including and especially the antagonist. Emotional resonance comes from knowing that every single thing that happens does so because of how the protagonist acts, reacts, reflects, and changes. Without the main character doing those four things time after time, the plot won’t move forward, the story won’t ring loud with emotions, and the conflict is never encountered. I ground myself in the emotions of my characters, living their tale as they’re living it, and I’m actively accessing my own emotions and life experiences while I’m writing so the characters’ emotions ring true.

For the whimsical side, I just let myself go in and have fun. Writing is my playground. It’s where I allow myself to be whatever I want. I get to play pretend for my career, and I don’t put too many boundaries on myself while I do so. In stories set within fairy tale structures, there’s automatically going to be a sense of whimsy because of that genre so I just actively dial all of that up to 10 and see what happens next.

FQ: Are you planning to create more stories within the same universe as The Witch’s Apprentice? What projects are you currently working on?

GARG: I don’t have plans right now to write again within the universe of the title story, but I absolutely would do another collection similar to this. It was such a blast to play the “What if” game and to challenge myself in this way, because I have the freedom to do whatever I want with the characters I create but I’m also bound by the original stories. For some, that structure might feel restrictive. For me, with the parameters already set, I get to force myself to be really creative within them.

As for current projects, I’m toying with a couple of ideas for my next book. I don’t have one nailed down yet, although I do have a printout sitting on my desk of an opening scene. Periodically, I’ll turn to that printout and make a few notes on it. But I’m not sure yet if that’s going to be the next project or something else will. When I have something concrete, however, I’ll be sure to announce it so my wonderful readers—who enable me to do this as my life’s work—will get to follow the journey.

Thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed!

 #Bookreview of Immune Heroes: Ready or Not

By: Namita Gandhi, PhD

Illustrated by: Tamika Bramwell

Publisher: Nimitry Books, LLC

Publication Date: August 15, 2025

ISBN: 979-8291318539

Reviewed by: Kathy Stickles

Review Date: July 30, 2025

In Immune Heroes: Ready or Not, author Namita Gandhi has taken what is often times a scary part of a child’s life and turned it into a fun and fact-filled story that will entertain and, hopefully, remove the “scary” part of getting a vaccine.

As the story begins, Mayu is supposed to go to the doctor for a vaccine. He tells his mother that he does not want to go because he does not like shots. Mayu thinks that if he can just avoid germs then he will not get sick and, therefore, he does not need to get the shot. His sister Nimi quickly starts to explain why it is so important to have the vaccines and what could happen if he does not do what is needed. This is when the story becomes simply wonderful, in my opinion, as the reader is given two different scenarios to choose from…what happens if Mayu goes and gets his shot and what happens if he chooses not to get the shot.

Immune Heroes: Ready or Not now branches off into each option and as the reader meets Captain T. and all of his helpers as they show what happens inside the body in each case (to have a shot or not) and how they all work together in an attempt to get a part of the virus and fight against it. The setting where Captain T. is resembles a school where each of the helpers has a particular job and they all learn from each other in order to understand the virus and how to fight it. Of course, in one scenario the reader sees them fail in their attempt and Mayu gets sick and in the second this tough little group of “germ fighters” learns about the virus and finds a way to create an immunity that will keep Mayu from getting sick.

Immune Heroes: Ready or Not is such a fabulous way to teach young children about how their bodies work and how important it is to get their vaccines. The writing is flawless and takes scientific concepts and words that might be very hard for a child to understand and turns them into something that anyone can grasp. The way that Namita Gandhi set up the story, allowing the child reading it to choose which situation they wanted to learn about first, made the story even more interesting and different. This way of writing the book will make children more involved in the story and it will hold their attention.

The colorful and amusing illustrations by Tamika Bramwell definitely set the book apart from others. The germs and the helpers in the illustrations are quirky and cute in their expressions and shapes while they still seem accurate in terms of what children might expect the things inside their body to look like. I loved these particular illustrations and think that they really made a great story into an exceptional one.

I would recommend Immune Heroes: Ready or Not to all parents, schools, and doctors’ offices so that children can learn about these important scientific concepts that are a part of their lives. Not only is it charming, it is an incredible tool to use to teach kids and I think that it will be enjoyable to adults and children alike.

Quill says: Immune Heroes: Ready or Not is an intriguing and educational look at a part of life for kids, taking a difficult topic and making it easy to understand.

For more information on Immune Heroes: Ready or Not, please visit the author's website at: www.immuneheroes.com

#Bookreview of The Witch's Apprentice and Other Stories

 By: Ekta R. Garg

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Publication Date: August 12, 2025

ISBN: 979-8891327405

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: July 28, 2025

In The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories, writer Ekta R. Garg presents an enchanting and insightful collection that transports readers into richly imagined worlds, where themes of power, identity, and fate intersect. With every story, Garg draws inspiration from fairy tales and classic fantasy, while simultaneously infusing her stories with a contemporary emotional depth that is both timeless and refreshingly original.

In “The Witch’s Apprentice,” a bold young apprentice takes her fate into her own hands, choosing her mentor and demanding to be released from the Spell of Inhibition. The stakes are high: only by completing a selfless act and defending it before the High Council can she earn her place in the Witch’s Guild. Denied a proper test, the apprentice forges her path through time, armed with The Witch’s Complete Guide to Safety and Security in Travels. Her journey leads her to a new and completely unexpected life. This story cleverly weaves together themes of self-empowerment, irony, and transformation.

In “The Honor of Emperors and Thieves,” the annual arrival of a legendary band of thieves disrupts the routine of a quiet town. Their code of honor and wealth make them impossible to turn away. Among them, Simon and Samuel rise to infamy by fooling the emperor himself, leaving the entire kingdom stunned as their ruler struts through the streets in nothing at all. Their clever ruse earns them the crown of “kings of thieves” and hints at their next scheme, involving none other than some mysterious magic beans. With biting satire and rich world-building, this story reimagines a classic tale with mischief and flair.

“The Beauty Before She Sleeps” takes on a more reflective tone. Princess Talia, who has been sheltered her entire life, challenges her boundaries and ventures outside her kingdom for the first time. Talia encounters a strange portal that she had previously passed by without issue. This time, it yanked her in forcefully, only to spit her back out shortly after. As she bends over a riverbank to catch her breath, her heart races. Reflected in the water's surface was not the princess she recognized, but a version of herself that bore a striking resemblance to Goldilocks.

What distinguishes this collection is not merely the imaginative narratives but the depth of significance lurking beneath the surface. Recurring themes of power, transformation, self-discovery, and altruism weave the stories together in a cohesive and fulfilling manner. Readers are likely to reflect on the destinies of Garg’s characters long after they have reached the last page. Garg’s poetic writing style and engaging storytelling are enhanced by her considerate approach to character development. Whether set in enchanted forests or distant realms, her characters confront decisions that resonate profoundly, even within their fantastical settings.

This collection stems from the author's innate curiosity. Fascinated by the overlooked aspects of classic nursery rhymes and fairy tales, Garg pondered the question "Why?" and allowed that inquiry to shape her narrative. The outcome is a series of stories that preserve the allure of the originals while providing enhanced emotional and psychological understanding. The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories is essential reading for those who appreciate their fairy tales infused with depth, emotion, and a hint of surprise. It is ideal for readers who have always been curious about what lies just beyond “happily ever after.”

Quill says: The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories is a captivating and reflective collection that reinvents well-known stories with enchantment, wit, and deep emotional understanding.

For more information about The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories, please visit the author's website at: ektargarg.com

 #Bookreview of The Path of Saints and Sinners

By: J.F. Collen

Publisher: Evolved Publishing, LLC

Publication Date: July 15, 2025

ISBN: 978-1-62253-641-2

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: July 23, 2025

In The Path of Saints and Sinners, author J.F. Collen once again brings to life the unyielding spirit of Cornelia Rose. Alongside her steadfast husband, Obadiah Weber Wright, and their beloved children, Nellie leaves behind the struggles and hardship of the Overland Trail, finally arriving in the much-anticipated sanctuary of Great Salt Lake City. But what awaits them is not a warm frontier welcome: it is suspicion, tension, and a city on the brink of political unrest.

This westward journey was intended to signify a new beginning; Obadiah’s recent appointment as federal judge for the Utah Territory was expected to bring stability and direction. However, the family discovers itself in a city divided by two ideologies and two potential futures. The Mormons, who have fiercely defended their hard-earned independence in what used to be Mexican land, now feel the pressure of the U.S. government’s authority. Resistance is brewing. The distinction between faith and insurrection is becoming increasingly tenuous, and Nellie and Obadiah find themselves balancing on precarious and shifting ground.

With Collen’s skillful writing, Nellie’s inner life flourishes on the page. She is not a mere bystander in her existence; despite being constrained by the norms of 19th-century femininity, she continues to exhibit a quiet resistance. Caught between expressing her beliefs and maintaining harmony in a contentious environment, Nellie must confront the significance of belonging, whether to a family, a marriage, or a nation in turmoil.

Her marriage to Obadiah is as intricate as the political environment they have stepped into. Although Obadiah, in his role as a judge, attempts to protect Nellie from the more extreme repercussions of his position, Nellie’s voice, despite being muted, never completely disappears. Her power resides not in defiance but in perseverance. With her daughters supporting her and a husband who appreciates her advice, even if not her active involvement, Nellie taps into a profound reservoir of inner strength to establish a place for herself and her family in this shattered new reality.

Collen’s narrative style intertwines historical accuracy with contemporary emotional understanding. Her writing is sharp and witty, interspersed with touches of humor and deep reflection. The rhythm of the story flows smoothly and captivates, never dragging on too long, yet stopping briefly to allow the emotional significance of each scene to resonate.

What makes The Path of Saints and Sinners particularly outstanding is its intricate thematic depth. Themes of belief, self-discovery, authority, and femininity are delved into through a group of profoundly relatable characters. Nellie is daring and flawed, a woman who seems out of sync with her era, yet she remains firmly rooted in it. Surrounding her are both virtuous and immoral figures, and she must navigate her way through them without compromising her own identity.

J.F. Collen has once more created an expansive historical tale filled with emotion, struggle, and the stark beauty of a woman's relentless trek westward with her family. It serves as a tribute to female resilience and the understated bravery of persevering when all signs suggest turning back.

Quill says: The Path of Saints and Sinners vividly depicts life on the frontier and the strength of women. This historical novel is deeply personal and moving. Collen has achieved another remarkable success.

For more information about The Path of Saints and Sinners, please visit the author's website at: enjella.com

 #Bookreview of The Observer: Book 1 in the Spirit Saga

By: Brian Thompson

Publication Date: May 5, 2025

ISBN: 979-8282551426

Reviewed by: Lily Andrews

Review Date: July 22, 2025

The Observer: Book 1 in the Spirit Saga is a gripping supernatural fantasy and the first book in the "Spirit Saga" series by Brian Thompson. Told through a surreal, out-of-body experience, it tells the story of Frank, a 42-year-old middle school teacher who wakes up in a dark, empty space with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

As the story unfolds, Frank comes to the startling realization that he has died and become a spirit. We see him caught up in a frozen moment in time in a room where a doctor is using defibrillators on his body, a nurse is crying, and his wife Angela and son Franklin Jr. are grieving, as he lies motionless in a hospital bed. But just as Frank begins to accept his fate, a mysterious figure bathed in orange light appears suddenly appears, interrupting Frank’s spiral of confusion and grief. Though he looks like a teenager, the figure, named Michael, claims to be over 4,000 years old and what he reveals shatters everything Frank thought he knew about death, purpose, and the afterlife in a twist that changes everything.

Michael identifies himself as a Guide whose job is to help new spirits, like Frank, figure out what the afterlife is all about. He profoundly and patiently explains that death isn’t really the end, but more like the start of something much bigger, which, as you can imagine, completely throws Frank for a loop. Michael furthermore informs Frank that he is now an Observer, a spirit whose role is to watch the world quietly and sometimes help the living not directly, but through tiny nudges, gut feelings, or flashes of intuition that will gently push people in the right direction. He also teaches Frank how time doesn’t behave the way it used to, how energy fuels everything in this new realm, and that there are other spirits out there, some kind and others terrifying, including Demons who thrive on pain and suffering. These revelations are like nothing Frank ever gave thought to when he was alive. Soon, we see him begin to understand that the world he’s entered is not only more complex than he ever imagined, but it’s also filled with danger, mystery, and a purpose he never expected to have.

As Frank trains under Michael’s watchful eye, he begins to unlock abilities he never imagined such as glimpsing the future, slipping through time, even influencing the thoughts and emotions of the living. But every act of intervention and great power comes a painful cost. Every time Frank taps into his spiritual abilities, whether it's offering a subtle nudge to the living, sharing his energy to protect someone, or confronting a dark force, he draws from the very essence that keeps him anchored in the afterlife. Too much, too fast, and he risks fading away entirely, a second and final death that not even Michael can stop. Frank learns this the hard way when he hears the story of James, Michael’s first student, who burned out after giving too much of himself to save a soul from a Demon. It's a turning point for Frank, forcing him to weigh his compassion against survival, even as a desperation to help grows.

The deeper he dives into his role as an Observer, the more he begins to question the system he has now become part of. We see him question why some spirits are chosen to guide, while others are twisted into demons as well as who are the Gods that built these rules in the first place. When whispers of rebellion stir among the spirits and a forbidden truth about his own past threatens to unravel everything, Frank is forced to choose either to stay within the lines of cosmic order, or risk everything to rewrite the fate of the afterlife itself.

This is a unique story that creates a different version of the afterlife, one where spirits are portrayed as emotional beings with jobs to do and roles to undertake. It’s a fresh take that moves away from traditional beliefs about the spirit world as floating around or haunting people and builds something both imaginative and meaningful. One of the strongest elements in the story is its use of time travel—not just as a gimmick, but as a smart, well-explained tool that helps the reader explore the limits of spiritual power and the value of patience. Even though the story is full of supernatural elements, its heart is very human, captured through flashbacks that are touching, and which give the story a strong emotional base.

Brian Thompson’s writing style makes this book a really smooth read, the language is clear and never tries too hard, the pacing moves along quickly, and the dialogue feels like real conversations you might overhear even in the middle of all the supernatural stuff. The protagonist's thoughts are a major highlight: he’s funny in a dry, sarcastic way that brings some lightness to even the heaviest moments, and that humor makes him incredibly easy to relate to. What really stands out is how detailed the world-building is, and how it never overwhelms you with information. You get to learn about the spirit world slowly, naturally, as the protagonist learns it himself through his conversations with Michael. And even when the book takes time to explain the spirit rules or the cost of powers, it always breaks that up with either some strong emotion or action, so you never feel bogged down by it. Various scenes are unforgettable such as where a young slave is forced to fight a massive, demon-controlled warrior in a brutal arena match, and another Observer is trying to help but things don’t go as planned. But beyond the action and the spiritual battles, the book is filled with emotional truths that stick with you such as how grief and guilt follow you even after death, how power needs to be used with wisdom and patience, and how even though you can’t fix the past, you can still change what comes next.

Quill says: Whether you're into time travel, fantasy worlds with rules that actually make sense, or stories about second chances and quiet redemption, The Observer delivers all that with heart, clarity, and a surprising amount of emotional depth. This is a story for anyone who loves supernatural tales that aren’t just about magic or monsters, but about people trying to figure out who they are, what they’re meant to do, and how to make peace with the lives they’ve lived.

For more information about The Observer, please visit the author's website at: brianthompsonwrites.com