Author Interviews

M.J. Schwartz lives in Longmeadow, MA, with their wife, Jena, and bulldog, Chalupa Jane Schwartz, Esq. They are a graduate of Smith College, with a B.A. in psychology. Their essays have appeared in The Hong Kong Review and Ghost Girls. M.J. was the 2023 recipient of the Gertrude Posner Spencer Prize for Excellence in Nonfiction Writing, as well as the Gertrude Posner Spencer Prize for Excellence in Fiction Writing, through the English department at Smith College, and the 2024 recipient of the Tryon Prize in Writing through the Smith College Art Museum.

Kimberly Hockaday is a poet and author from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and is the 2014 Distinguished Student Poet of Eastern North Carolina. She created a monthly poetry reading gathering called Poetry Reading Extravaganza in 2013 and has had her works published in newspapers and literary magazines.

As both a passionate reader and writer, I'm at my happiest when I'm not confined to the real world, either a novel or a pen clasped in my hands. I'm a fan of pretty much every fictional genre, from YA to poetry. At fourteen, I had published a children's book of twenty-five short stories, yet I haven't really received much recognition as an author—not on a significant scale, that is. I'm currently entering myself into as many writing competitions as possible, hoping to slide the spotlight onto my work, to inspire others to chase after their dreams no matter their circumstances. There's nothing that would hurt me quite as badly as to witness others—especially the youth—wasting their time by daydreaming instead of doing what God intended them to do. I pray that I may reach success and that my generation would follow suit.

Jacob Mical is an author, reader, and avid Arsenal fan. My love affair with literature began, like so many others, by reading The Lord of the Rings. Storytelling is second nature to me and hearing others' stories has always inspired my creative tendencies. My published work includes: The Death of Kale, Into the Ink, and Invia. If just one person feels the wonder and magic my favorite stories have inspired in me because of my work, then my literary journey will be worth every moment.

Jessica McCann is a historical novelist and has worked more than 30 years as a professional writer for magazines, universities, corporations, and other organizations. One of her earliest assignments as a freelancer was covering a new surgical radiation technique for destroying brain tumors, during which she was permitted to don scrubs and observe inside the operating room. Since then, her reporting and creative nonfiction has appeared in dozens of magazines.

Melissa is a Liverpool-based writer and spoken word artist, originally from Ireland. Her main area of interest is historical fiction and contemporary drama. Melissa also holds a First Class MA in Writing from Liverpool John Moores University, along with a First Class BA in Dance from Liverpool Hope University. Previously, she has been published with the University of Oxford’s “Oxford Scientist” and with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres “Love Liverpool”. After winning WOW’s Pulp Idol 2021, a competition with judges from Harper North (an imprint of HarperCollins), Melissa has completed her debut novel, Cabbage Babies, and her first poetry collection, Everything Grows When You Bury It, both of which are in the process of querying for publication.

I'm a nearly-forty-year-old woman who's been making up stories since she was three. My grandfather taught me to use my imagination and to use stories to help make sense of my world. I've also loved reading since before kindergarten. Scifi, mysteries and fantasy have long been staples on my shelves. Writing out my daydreams has helped me deal with depression and anxiety, and telling other people the tales made them beg me to write them out. I hope my books bring my readers some joy in their difficult lives.

They say you should write what you know. As a lifelong naturist, it seemed logical to write a mystery novel set in a fictional naturist enclave. With my background as a PI and FRA, I felt qualified to write a mystery novel.

Born and raised in Canada, Ruth's adventures have taken her to the Arctic, China, and she is currently living in the Caribbean. Everywhere Ruth goes, she takes her trusty notebook, sketchbook and camera phone for when inspiration strikes! She finds inspiration in even the smallest of things and her award-winning picture books are filled with tiny characters from geckos and bugs to frogs and birds. She has named all the birds at the birdfeeder, several stray cats who frequent the food dishes on her patio and is particularly fond of an orange tom named "Oscar (who doesn't live here)" who is often found sleeping at the foot of her bed. Her favourite gecko is Stumpy who is often missing part of his tail because he is not as fast as he thinks he is!

Lia Woodall (she/her) is an award-winning essayist who experiments with form to explore her experience of twin loss to suicide. Her hybrid chapbook Remove to Play (The Cupboard Pamphlet, 2020) was a 2019 contest winner. Other work appears in Best American Experimental Writing 2020 (digital edition), under the gum tree, Literal Latté, Sonora Review, The Rumpus, Bomb Magazine, and elsewhere, and has been recognized with Pushcart Prize nominations and as notables in The Best American Essays series. She is at work on a collection-across-genre called Leaving Twinbrook: A Memoir of Duality.