#AuthorInterview with John Fennell

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Barbara Bamberger Scott is talking with John Fennell, the author of of Raven and the Panther

FQ: You say in your biography that much of what you write links directly to events in your life – can you give a specific example in Raven and the Panther? 

FENNELL: Raven's upbringing in the book is almost identical to the real Raven Anderson (who is my wife Barbara Ann). Barbara was raised by her grandmother and uncle, as was described in the book. Raven's personality is almost like Barbara's, although embellished for reader enjoyment. This connection I had in real life drove me to develop Raven Anderson's character.

FQ: Did you make a conscious decision to highlight heroines more than heroes in this book? 

FENNELL: Absolutely, I was the youngest of four children, the other three were girls ranging from 5 to 15 years older. Each one of my sisters were very successful in life, even as young teens/adults, they were highly motivated and driven. I guess that must have had a tremendous influence on me. Even early on in my life, they were spaced apart enough in age to show me a different perspective of life from their point of view, because of this, I somehow picked up on their life experiences. With that being said, I have the upmost respect for heroines due to the environment I grew up around. They were three unique individuals with different personalities.who played a big part of my childhood.

FQ: In your experience, is it typical for people in mining communities to want to stay near home, as Raven insists on initially, and to be involved in the production of coal?

FENNELL: Yes, I was involved in coal mining and worked shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of men and woman. Coal miners is a very high paying profession often out-pacing the average mining engineer's salary due to the danger and hard physical work. It doesn't matter if its underground or surface mining, I don't know of very many who have moved and left mining as their source of income.

FQ: By the end of the book, Raven has decided to leave home, leave the US – does this suggest a sequel that will reveal a change of heart?

FENNELL: Yes, the second book, Raven Gone Rogue is out and the third book, Raven and the Code Book is finished and ready to be released. In these two books I focused on developing Raven's character along with additional characters to provide more exciting adventures in both Europe and the Caribbean.

FQ: Does your interest in brain technology have some connection with latest scientific advances (such as the idea of living forever)?

FENNELL: The human brain has always interested me. The idea that we only use a small percentage of our brain fascinates me. This brings me to my other series, John Vacara. John was injured during WWII and captured by the Nazi's who preformed an unprecedented operation on his brain, enhancing his gift he was born with. Actually both series intertwine one another. I often use characters in the Raven Anderson books that originated in the John Vacara series. The Panther is a main character from the John Vacara series The Diary.

FQ: The character Naci seems to have special protection from you as the author as well as from other characters, including Raven. Is he being saved for something special in a future volume of this series?

FENNELL: Actually Naci is me, so yes he loves Raven, but at the same time understands where she is coming from. Naci was planted in Raven's home town for one purpose only, to persuade her to become an agent for The Foundation. The problem was, he fell in love with her which set up unusual situations in the book to add reader interest. Another reason I give special interest to Naci is he will have his own series in the future.

FQ: What in your West Virginia upbringing has the strongest influence on this novel? 

FENNELL: Born and raised in West Virginia, I always wanted to travel and explore the world. Yes, I was one of the very few miners who gave up the coal mining life to move onto other things. I still have a strong desire to become a better writer and provide enjoyment to those who read my novels. Not moving from West Virginia, it would have been very difficult to develop these stories. I think that was the biggest influence for both series, particularly Raven and the Panther. I have traveled to almost every location described in my novels. This alone, has helped develop stories in my mind.

FQ: Besides Raven, who is your own favorite person in this story?

FENNELL: Without a doubt, The Panther. I liked the way the Panther directed the flow of the story and the influence the Panther had over Raven. She couldn't figure out who the Panther was until the end of the book. The Panther held all the cards to her life then Raven did something, even Naci couldn't believe, at the end of the book.

#BookReview - Raven and the Panther

Raven and the Panther

By: John Fennell
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: October 2017
ISBN: 978-1979001151
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: December 29, 2018

A twisted thriller of international proportions, Raven and the Panther begins down home among kinfolk and ends with kindred souls facing a new world together.

Author John Fennell II began his life, and begins this book, in West Virginia. His central character is a teenaged girl whose wild and wily ways earn her the nickname Raven. As the book opens, she is living a quiet life at home with her aging but steely-minded mother Stella and her hardworking Uncle Bill. Her relationship with a boyfriend, Naci, has begun to heat up considerably, but when he insists he’ll leave West Virginia after high school to see the wider world, she feels she has lost him already. Then Stella passes, and she’d be totally alone if it weren’t for her kindly uncle. When he is killed, shot down in a public place while Raven is with him, Raven suddenly transforms into huntress, then spy, determined to figure out who killed her uncle and why.

The more Raven learns, the more she finds herself embroiled in a multi-level network of warring factions in her home territory and well beyond. Bill, she discovers, had a secret life as an operative for an organization dedicated to upholding politically conservative ideals against the evils of rapidly spreading liberalism. As Raven follows in Bill’s footsteps to infiltrate the enemy’s hierarchy and get revenge, she becomes a self-activated deadly weapon. Then she meets a man who is her equal, and together they go in for the final kill.

Fennell has constructed his book with episode upon episode of mounting tension and increasing violence. Set within what is apparently meant to mirror current trends, he uses the metaphor of “draining the swamp” and at one point, depicts Raven and her allies tracking down a former Secretary of State named “Hillary Benton” and giving her such a pounding that she will be ineffective in any future traitorous plans. The pauses between bloody hits and deep intrigue often involve highly erotic sexual encounters, some starring Raven, some merely casual occasions between other characters. Fennell is as skilled at painting sensuous scenes as in creating moments of raw violence. He also includes in the mix a bizarre sci-fi twist adding to the mystery: some of his characters are infused with a brain serum that gives them special, superhuman powers of cognition.

Though at times the rapid segues may prove confusing and the sex somewhat gratuitous, the author is to be commended for focusing on Raven and other admirably authoritative women as prime movers in this drama, and for keeping the action rolling on every page.

Quill says: Raven and the Panther deals with contentious, up-to-the-minute issues by highlighting powerful virtues of fearlessness and tenderness within the psyche of a resolute, uncompromising young female.

For more information on Raven and the Panther, please visit the author's website at: johnfennell.com

#AuthorInterview with Zari Reede

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Skyler Boudreau is talking with Zoe Tasia and Minette Lauren, the two authors who make up the writing team behind the pen name of Zari Reede, "author" of Blinked

FQ: What made you decide to set Blinked in 1975 New Orleans, during Mardi Gras?

ZOE: I decided on 1975 because I wanted a time with less advanced technology and I liked that era’s vibe.

MINETTE: I chose the city because I lived near The Big Easy for a large portion of my young adult life. I felt the fantasy element of our story would blend wonderfully during Mardi Gras.

FQ: Blinkedis a book co-written by two authors.  Why did you decide to write under a single pen name, rather than have both your names printed on the cover?

Author Minette Lauren

Author Zoe Tasia

ZOE: I think we both value our privacy, so we planned on writing under pseudonyms when working on our own books. I guess we could have used Minette Lauren and Zoe Tasia, but I really liked the name Zari Reede and for a reader looking for our books, remembering Zari Reede is much easier than remembering two names.

MINETTE: I know it sounds terrible, but I probably wouldn’t read a book with two author’s names on the front. I never considered using both names. I loved the name Zari. It was one of Zoe’s Characters.

FQ: As a two-person writing team, after writing three books together, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced in writing collaboratively? Does your teamwork make any part of writing easier?

ZOE: I’ve learned if I have a certain idea I really want to write about at a later point in the book, I better bring it up soon, because it may not be possible depending on what Minette writes next. We both have great imaginations and can come up with some pretty wild story twists. Writing together challenges and pushes me. I find that I take more risks when writing as Zari Reede. Co-writing is fun and much easier than writing alone. I don’t think I’ve ever had problems with writer’s block when working on a Zari Reede book. Wish I could say the same about my solo projects.


MINETTE: Zoe and I have very different reading taste, so finding a story we both want to tell is sometimes challenging. Editing is always a difficult process, but It’s nice to have back up. It takes me twice as long to write a book on my own, and co-writing holds me accountable for getting the work done.

FQ: Many fantasy novels published today are dark and serious but Blinkedis laced with humor. How do you find the comedy in your writing? Do your senses of humor differ from one another?

ZOE: I’m a firm believer that you can find humor in almost situation. I’m a bit of a social klutz and major nerd, so often when I develop comedic moments, I draw upon that. I sometimes throw Minette off with some of my geeky references, but I think we find the same things funny generally.

MINETTE: Zoe is being kind. She has a far better vocabulary than I do and an uncanny memory for details and facts. Sometimes I have to use google to investigate her meaning. She is hilarious and makes me laugh out loud when I read her scenes, but she is a closet comedian. People who know her would be surprised by her imagination. I always try to work a little humor into our stories. Sometimes it becomes a competition over who can write the funnier scene. Even our Mystery-thriller has a few chuckles.

FQ: What is one element (a character’s personality, setting, voice, etc.) that changed between drafts of Blinked? Why?

ZOE: Timing was really hard to keep track of as we moved between characters and worlds, so I know we had to make changes there.

MINETTE: Ugh, the magic! The witch was taxing for me. Zoe was a stickler for rules in fantasy, and I’ll be honest when I say, I never quite understood the rules. As a result, I probably wrote more Mindy, Jim, Reggie and Rapunzel scenes.

FQ: Is there any story behind the pen name “Zari Reede?”

ZOE: I went through my World of Warcraft account. I have one character named Zari and one named Reede. The names worked well together.

MINETTE: Zari was a character in Zoe’s familiars’ book. I had never heard the name before and thought it was different. Reede was like read, plus my sister, who was a writer,said she would write under the name Freede. I liked the similarity of it.

FQ: What does your writing process look like? Does it change with every book?

ZOE: We take turns starting stories and usually end up writing about 1,000 words before emailing it back. I don’t think it has changed all that much.

MINETTE: I love the spontaneity we start each story with, writing by the seat of our pants. About half way through, we meet up for a champagne filled lunch meeting and discuss where we are headed. After that, the cards all fall into place. I miss the writing when we finish a story together. The editing is a bear.

FQ: When a character “Blinks” in your novel, they exchange places with an inhabitant of the mysterious world Ortharos. How was this interesting idea initially inspired?

ZOE: I knew I wanted us to write a fantasy book next and I knew I wanted to yank the reader into a dramatic moment with the first line. So, as authors are wont to do, I played the what-if game and came up with the first line of the book. “I went to bed with my husband and woke up with a monster.” Then I had to ask myself, how did a monster get in bed with her without her noticing? And that’s when I came up with the concept of Blinking. From that point, Minette and I elaborated and that first line grew into this zany book.

MINETTE: We always take turns starting the stories. Zoe gets credit with Blinks’s beginning. We did have to meet once or twice to flesh out the particulars so that we both understood the balance between worlds.



FQ: Is there anything that you’ve learned from each other while writing together? If so, what?

ZOE: I learned that Minette is very much a pantser. As a plotter, I worried about how that would translate into a cohesive book. There are the occasional growing pains, but so far, the books have surprisingly come together with ease.

MINETTE: Co-writing is like literary chess. It’s an addictive game, but it takes two writers that play well together. It’s not always easy to agree and share the same vision of the story. Compromise is the best and the hardest part of the equation. We have both let go of scenes that ached to delete, but we can agree later that the book was enriched by the sacrifice.

FQ: If you could offer any advice to young writers who want to collaborate on a project, whether it be a book, short story, or other form of fiction, what would it be, and why?

ZOE: One of my favorite authors is Ilona Andrews. Ilona Andrews is a writing team consisting of a married couple. I love my husband very much, but I fear such a project would put much strain on our marriage. Prior to becoming published, I thought co-writing would be very difficult. After all, most writers do write alone or only co-write on the one-off project. Minette and I didn’t set out to write a book. That a writing exercise ended up becoming a novel, was a happy surprise, certainly to me. My advice is not to be afraid to collaborate with another author and be aware that different authors approach it in different ways. Experiment and do what works. You’ll never know if co-writing is right for you unless you try.

MINETTE: It’s great fun and easy to write with someone you know and trust. However, it’s not for everyone. I can’t think of one other person I would want to share this journey with. My husband is my best cheerleader, but as Zoe said, I wouldn’t want the added friction of writing disagreements weighing down our daily lives. Zoe and I live an hour away from each other. It’s a good buffer for co-writing.

#BookReview - Once Upon A Girl

Once Upon A Girl

By: Katie Keridan
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: November 2018
ISBN: 978-1727705386
Reviewed by: Anita Lock
Date: December 19, 2018

Rising storytelling-poet Katie Keridan reaches out to her audience as she bares her soul in her unique work, Once Upon a Girl.

Keridan opens with a nameless poem that reads:

I crumble under the weight of this pain
except…I don’t
I just wish I could

And then closes with an eye-popping commentary:

(what is the proper response for when the spouse
you were in the process of divorcing
commits suicide?)

Perking the interest of readers from the get-go, Keridan will not disappoint her audience since her poems do much more than explain her seemingly dark writing style. While the outpouring of words, no doubt, reflect a painful past, Keridan chooses to let vulnerability and transparency be her guide as she peels back facades and exposes the truth about herself, her suffering, battling with low self-esteem, and the process she’s taken to reinvent herself.

Keridan’s near 200-poem collection is exceptional on many different levels. Most prominent is her E.E. Cummings-approach to writing, which is marked with lowercase letters with minimal punctuation, and set to freeform with a light sprinkling of haikus. With no table of contents and very few titled poems, Keridan has the freedom to also reinvent her poetic approach, which functions more like a storytelling journey that chronicles her experiences.

Much of Keridan’s poetry, like the opener mentioned above, have no titles and include commentaries which offer clarity to her poems that are replete with many low-self-esteem-related themes. While general topics cover relationships, love, marriage, others get more specific, such as abuse, bulimia, self-mutilation, stolen childhood, and unconditional love, to name a few. There are inferences, too, such as codependency in relationships. Plenty of metaphors are sprinkled throughout as well. One that stands out is fire, which Keridan explains in one of her commentaries as relating to her.

A handful of poems that actually have titles made their first appearances in other sources such as “Soul Recognition” and “My Moment” in The Sand Canyon Review 2018,“The Truth of Always,” “Interludes,” and “Different and Never Enough” in Inquietudes Literary Journal 2018, “Hotel Room” in Madness Muse Press 2018, and “Space Between” in On Arrival through Eber & Wein Publishing.

Keridan’s words are straightforward from beginning to end—a reflection of the promise she made to be true to herself. But her poems serve a purpose beyond self-expression. Her hope to her readers is this: “May you know that you are not alone in how you feel.”

Quill says: Once Upon a Girl sends a powerful reminder that there is hope in the midst of hopelessness.

#BookReview - When the Rules Don't Apply

When the Rules Don't Apply

By: Gerard Shirar
Publisher: iUniverse
Publication Date: December 2017
ISBN: 978-1532036699
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: December 20, 2018

Sometimes the law of the land gives way to the law of the jungle; in this gripping crime novel, author Gerard Shirar shows both, up close and at times, very ugly.

Timothy Flaherty and Donny Faye were friends all through elementary and high school, their main link being sports. Timmy knew Donny was different from him – sometimes he had marks on his face, like he’d been hit, and he never talked about his home life. That only seemed to make the bond stronger.

When both young men are drafted and sent to Vietnam straight out of high school, that link is broken for years, as Flaherty goes to college and becomes an attorney while Donny turns to crime. And not just any crime. With nothing to lose after a dishonorable discharge from the military, he gets “work” with Percy Dwyer, a criminal overlord who needs a guy like Donny – to kill people who get in Dwyer’s way. Faye and Flaherty are destined to meet again, when Faye finds himself framed by his pitiless boss.

Told in two parts, Shirar’s narrative doesn’t spare any nerve endings. Faye’s life path as recorded by Flaherty began when his brutal father told him he was “an accident.” Faye goes on to justify his own cold savagery with the street-wise logic that “I only did to him what he would have done to me.” Even when he tries to confess, a priest will not absolve him, so he gives up on religion, relying instead on something called “Him” who might be God, an angel or the devil. Flaherty meanwhile is learning the multi-layered morality of the legal profession that can involve cutting deals while making life-or-death decisions – no more crucial than when he finds himself defending his old friend, whose sins are many, and hard to stomach.  The dilemma he faces as a lawyer - and as a human being - is whether there is a good choice, and whether he will make it.

Shirar, as an Army veteran and former attorney, has walked some of the walk he so intently details.  He writes with admirable confidence, not a word out of place. His story hinges on the teetering balance between two versions of justice. In the first half of the book, we see how a man can be degraded without becoming a total monster, and in the second, how a man may, when called upon, do the wrong deed for the right reason.  The reader can readily visualize the ambience Shirar so vividly depicts, from the gloomy underworld peopled by street thugs to the lofty and sometimes conflicted realms of legal power.

Quill says: Readers will find themselves picturing Shirar’s When the Rules Don’t Applyas a gritty, noire film, and will hope to see more output from this talented wordsmith.

#BookReview - A Town Divided by Christmas

A Town Divided by Christmas

By: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: November 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5385-5685-6
Reviewed by: Gina Montanha
Review Date: December 17, 2018 

Two post-doctorate scientists are sent out on a grant from the University of Chicago, to conduct some interesting research in Good Shepherd, North Carolina. Drs. Delilah “Spunky” Spunk and Elyon Dewey are an unlikely pair of opposites, but each has a skill set that will positively contribute to the completion of their genetic studies.

Good Shepherd, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, is a lively little town with a population of only 10,000. Spunky & Elyon are expected to sample 100% of them, over the course of a few months. A seemingly daunting and impossible task, the two PhD’s assimilate into the quaint town quite quickly and easily. They befriend the eighth term alderman of Good Shepherd, Eggie Loft, who has been unable to get anyone to run for mayor or even another alderman seat in all that time. The town is chock full of odd dynamics and strange relationships among its residents.

Throughout the weeks spent studying their subjects in Good Shepherd, Spunky and Elyon are entertained by an amusing mix of fun names, mysterious church rivalries and odd historical nostalgia. Spunky becomes intrigued by Eggie Loft and even the socially challenged Elyon develops his own romantic interest. As Christmas approaches, there’s a few actual references to a “Hallmark Christmas movie” in the making. 

Even though the romances are a bit predictable, this is a cute little story to be enjoyed around the holidays. And while you may figure out who’s kissing who, you may not expect the surprising ending, which reveals the real reason behind the mysterious dueling nativities.

Quill says: A Town Divided by Christmas will warm your heart, so enjoy it by the fire with a steaming cup of cocoa. It’s a quick read sprinkled with romance, mystery and an unexpected twist of an ending.

3 (Unusual!) Social Media Tips for Launching Your Book

3 (Unusual!) Social Media Tips for Launching Your Book

by Cassie Premo Steele

I woke up one morning two weeks after my new novel, The ReSisters, was released to find that it was #1 on Amazon’s bestselling children’s books about prejudice and racism.

This was quite a feat for an author who published with a small, independent press. I had no marketing budget. No agent. And I had not done a book tour. 

So how did I do it?

I used social media, but not in the usual ways. I approached my social media campaigns with the same ethic that I brought to bear in writing the novel itself: with collaboration, art, and gratitude.

It’s not about what. It’s about how.

1. Collaboration

When I decided I wanted to write a novel about intersectional feminism featuring a Native teen girl, I reached out to my friend, Amy Alley, who is an amazing artist.

I asked her if she would do the art for the novel – and I did more than that.

I asked her who her favorite Native women artists are. I asked her what Cherokee stories she liked best.

I wanted the book to be a true collaboration.

Your lesson: if you want your book to be a success, start by reaching out. Learning from others. Bringing them into success with you.

Your homework: brainstorm ways you can work with someone else on your next project. Not just use their art or ask for favors. But truly collaborate.

Your result: your social media posts will not only be “shared,” but really shared. Others will feel the mutuality of your work and want to be part of that.

2. Art

Social media is visual. People respond to cat GIFs and cute puppy pics and clever memes.

But most of all, they respond to real art.

For 26 days before my book release, I posted a painting a day on Instagram. I’d painted the paintings to coincide with the themes of the novel. I allowed people to get a sense of who I am and what I care about. 

Art is about authenticity.

So much of social media is about surface shallowness.

People know the difference.

Your lesson: if you want your book to be a success, ask yourself who you are and what you care about.

Your homework: brainstorm ways you can use social media to share aspects of yourself as an author in ways that are authentic and genuine.

Your result: your social media posts will feel true because they are true. Don’t be afraid to reveal vulnerability and fear and darkness. We all share this, and we turn to authors and their books to be the light through it.

3. Gratitude

Before, during, and after the launch of the novel, I expressed gratitude. Regularly and often.

I thanked people who signed up for my newsletter on my website by giving them a ReSister Self-Care Kit. I thanked people who had attended my writing workshops in the past by sending them special emails. I thanked the writers who wrote blurbs for the novel by mailing them signed copies of the novel. I thanked everyone who attended the book launch party by giving them little gifts. I thanked everyone who shared a post about the book on Facebook and I thanked everyone who wrote a comment of congratulations.

I did this because I truly am grateful. To have readers. To have supporters. To have people who care about books and want the world to know that books can change the world.

Your lesson: if you want your book to be a success, ask yourself who has helped you and how you can thank them.

Your homework: brainstorm ways you can express gratitude in advance. Don’t wait. Give first. Receive later.

Your result: your social media presence and online communication will focus on others, not on yourself. This is a rare quality, and we need more of it these days.

Good luck. May your journey as an author bring you success and happiness and may you share this with others.

-

Cassie Premo Steele is the author of The ReSistersand 15 other books. Her website is www.cassiepremosteele.com

Link to The ReSisters on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/ReSisters-Cassie-Premo-Steele/dp/1732723710/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1540566620&sr=1-3

Links to my profiles on

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiepremosteele/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassiePremoSteele

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PremoSteele