P.J. Berman's Blog, page 2
August 2, 2020
Author Interview - Anne Stryker
Hello all!I
hope you're all enjoying the summer as we step into August.
It's that time again! Today we are meeting American fantasy author Anne Stryker.
PB: Hi! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.
AS: Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me to interview with you! I’m Anne Stryker, and I grew up deep in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, USA. It took me a little while to fall in love with writing, and when I did, it was without any purpose.
I never suspected becoming an author. I never so much as thought I’d finish a book. I would write around twenty stories at once without any intention of finishing them. It was more like solo roleplay than anything else. I’d slip into different worlds and characters and play for as long as I dared. However, like most things, that changed.
PB: What made you decide to become an author?
AS: I found out I could. I was already fairly deep into the publishing world since I was helping other authors polish and put out their work. Working so close and seeing how a document turned into a book, I watched the whole process become something attainable and real, so I embraced it. And I wouldn’t trade that decision for the world.
PB: When did you first start writing?
AS: I first started writing a handful of years ago when I found some notebook paper and wrote down a song; the single song turned into a book of songs, which merged into stories. Stories and words have always been a part of my life.
All growing up, I would make up songs on the swingset or paint a story around me. The years of pretend lasted longer than most would consider acceptable, and it took a long time before I found the paper to put all my imaginings down on.
PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?
AS: My first story was a mess. An absolute mess. It was all poor grammar and typos on ten loose pages of notebook paper. Something without direction. Something with little meaning. Perfect characters and absent plot.
Despite that, it was free and fun. It was an escape from this world into somewhere else, and at the time, it all made sense. I do believe it was about a girl who wandered into the forest and had to save a fairy prince...or something. I guess the fairy part stuck.
PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?
AS: Pshhh… No. I hardly ever know the ending when I start a new story. Only very occasionally do I begin writing with the ending in mind (only very occasionally do I fully outline a story before starting). Normally, I can’t see the ending until I have a few pieces of the story in place first (the first few chapters).
It’s difficult for me to plan out characters before diving into their lives in a story format in some aspect. Until I’ve played in the sandbox with them for a moment, I don’t actually know who they are. And until I know a sliver of who they are, I don’t know where they ideally want to end up.
PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?
AS: I think I’d like to meet Flint from my story Day of Wishes and Wonder. He is such a fun character to be around, and the mischief we’d get up to would be grand. I don’t know exactly what I’d like to say to him, but I’d definitely like to make a day of wandering through the realms, frolicking without care, and breaking every rule we stumble across.
PB: Tell us about the Kingdom of Fairytales series.
AS: The Kingdom of Fairytales series is a magical getaway into a mythical world. We hadn’t expected it would be so very needed this year...but things just ended up playing out the way that they did. Kingdom of Fairytales is a series that introduces a new character each month and a new book each week.
Every book has seven chapters, for each day. All the books together have an overarching plot, and in December it will all come together… We’ve been tedious about keeping the details in line with the natural world, to the extent that we have the moon cycles accurate.
The whole series is available on Kindle Unlimited, and there are some epic giveaways tied into it as well. For anyone stuck at home and craving a bit of an escape, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!
PB: Where did the idea come from?
AS: Only the crazy beautiful minds of Ja Armitage and the other fearless leaders working on the project know. I honestly haven’t a clue where they come up with these amazing things, but I know I’ve loved working on every single project of theirs that I’ve joined.
PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?
AS: More so than being proud of any specific thing, I’m proud of the fact I’ve managed to stick around and keep going. There have been too many times when it would have been easier to walk away and forget about all the hard work that goes into being an author. I’m proud that I haven’t given up during the roughest points.
PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?
AS: I love the magic and world and characters in Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I still remember when my dad introduced the book to me. He only wanted to share one scene: Be That Cat. And I can still picture where we were when he played that portion of the audiobook on his car radio.
PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?
AS: I just want to be able to exist as a writer. Not a writer and. I want to drop the day job or ulterior form of income entirely, unless the ulterior form is another creative outlet of mine. I want to exist within the realms of what I love, not what I love mixed with something less-than-great because survival is a necessary requirement for existing.
PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?
AS: I would make magical tiaras. At least at the moment, that’s what I’d want to do. I’ve been toying with the idea for a little while now. I think it would be grand to learn how to sauter crowns and tiaras, though I’m not sure how many I’d want to give up.
PB: What’s the next target for you?
AS: I’m dreaming big. My next target is hitting the USA Today Bestsellers list. I’m planning to make that name come 2021. After that, I want next year to be the one where I quit ye ol’ day job and become self-sufficient on words alone.
PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.
AS: I love watching Minecraft Youtubers, Anime, and Cartoons. When it comes to peaceful, happy stories, I’m hooked. Sometimes life is just too stressful for anything else, and my anxiety can’t handle it to the extent that I can’t watch certain dramas without wearing out my nerves (if I really enjoy a certain drama that stresses me, I have to set it aside for months at a time).
Anything calm pulls me in and allows me the relaxation I need to recharge.
Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we wish Anne luck in her ambition to get onto the USA Today Bestsellers list.
Thank you so much to Anne Stryker for speaking to us today.
If you haven't yet tried her books, and would like to do so, you can purchase them via the links below:
Instagram
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Until next time, happy reading!
Peter
hope you're all enjoying the summer as we step into August.
It's that time again! Today we are meeting American fantasy author Anne Stryker.
PB: Hi! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.
AS: Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me to interview with you! I’m Anne Stryker, and I grew up deep in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, USA. It took me a little while to fall in love with writing, and when I did, it was without any purpose.
I never suspected becoming an author. I never so much as thought I’d finish a book. I would write around twenty stories at once without any intention of finishing them. It was more like solo roleplay than anything else. I’d slip into different worlds and characters and play for as long as I dared. However, like most things, that changed.
PB: What made you decide to become an author?
AS: I found out I could. I was already fairly deep into the publishing world since I was helping other authors polish and put out their work. Working so close and seeing how a document turned into a book, I watched the whole process become something attainable and real, so I embraced it. And I wouldn’t trade that decision for the world.
PB: When did you first start writing?
AS: I first started writing a handful of years ago when I found some notebook paper and wrote down a song; the single song turned into a book of songs, which merged into stories. Stories and words have always been a part of my life.
All growing up, I would make up songs on the swingset or paint a story around me. The years of pretend lasted longer than most would consider acceptable, and it took a long time before I found the paper to put all my imaginings down on.
PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?
AS: My first story was a mess. An absolute mess. It was all poor grammar and typos on ten loose pages of notebook paper. Something without direction. Something with little meaning. Perfect characters and absent plot.
Despite that, it was free and fun. It was an escape from this world into somewhere else, and at the time, it all made sense. I do believe it was about a girl who wandered into the forest and had to save a fairy prince...or something. I guess the fairy part stuck.
PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?
AS: Pshhh… No. I hardly ever know the ending when I start a new story. Only very occasionally do I begin writing with the ending in mind (only very occasionally do I fully outline a story before starting). Normally, I can’t see the ending until I have a few pieces of the story in place first (the first few chapters).
It’s difficult for me to plan out characters before diving into their lives in a story format in some aspect. Until I’ve played in the sandbox with them for a moment, I don’t actually know who they are. And until I know a sliver of who they are, I don’t know where they ideally want to end up.
PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?
AS: I think I’d like to meet Flint from my story Day of Wishes and Wonder. He is such a fun character to be around, and the mischief we’d get up to would be grand. I don’t know exactly what I’d like to say to him, but I’d definitely like to make a day of wandering through the realms, frolicking without care, and breaking every rule we stumble across.
PB: Tell us about the Kingdom of Fairytales series.
AS: The Kingdom of Fairytales series is a magical getaway into a mythical world. We hadn’t expected it would be so very needed this year...but things just ended up playing out the way that they did. Kingdom of Fairytales is a series that introduces a new character each month and a new book each week.
Every book has seven chapters, for each day. All the books together have an overarching plot, and in December it will all come together… We’ve been tedious about keeping the details in line with the natural world, to the extent that we have the moon cycles accurate.
The whole series is available on Kindle Unlimited, and there are some epic giveaways tied into it as well. For anyone stuck at home and craving a bit of an escape, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!
PB: Where did the idea come from?
AS: Only the crazy beautiful minds of Ja Armitage and the other fearless leaders working on the project know. I honestly haven’t a clue where they come up with these amazing things, but I know I’ve loved working on every single project of theirs that I’ve joined.
PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?
AS: More so than being proud of any specific thing, I’m proud of the fact I’ve managed to stick around and keep going. There have been too many times when it would have been easier to walk away and forget about all the hard work that goes into being an author. I’m proud that I haven’t given up during the roughest points.
PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?
AS: I love the magic and world and characters in Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I still remember when my dad introduced the book to me. He only wanted to share one scene: Be That Cat. And I can still picture where we were when he played that portion of the audiobook on his car radio.
PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?
AS: I just want to be able to exist as a writer. Not a writer and. I want to drop the day job or ulterior form of income entirely, unless the ulterior form is another creative outlet of mine. I want to exist within the realms of what I love, not what I love mixed with something less-than-great because survival is a necessary requirement for existing.
PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?
AS: I would make magical tiaras. At least at the moment, that’s what I’d want to do. I’ve been toying with the idea for a little while now. I think it would be grand to learn how to sauter crowns and tiaras, though I’m not sure how many I’d want to give up.
PB: What’s the next target for you?
AS: I’m dreaming big. My next target is hitting the USA Today Bestsellers list. I’m planning to make that name come 2021. After that, I want next year to be the one where I quit ye ol’ day job and become self-sufficient on words alone.
PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.
AS: I love watching Minecraft Youtubers, Anime, and Cartoons. When it comes to peaceful, happy stories, I’m hooked. Sometimes life is just too stressful for anything else, and my anxiety can’t handle it to the extent that I can’t watch certain dramas without wearing out my nerves (if I really enjoy a certain drama that stresses me, I have to set it aside for months at a time).
Anything calm pulls me in and allows me the relaxation I need to recharge.
Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we wish Anne luck in her ambition to get onto the USA Today Bestsellers list.
Thank you so much to Anne Stryker for speaking to us today.
If you haven't yet tried her books, and would like to do so, you can purchase them via the links below:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Until next time, happy reading!
Peter
July 31, 2020
Love Audible? King of the Republic is OUT NOW!
Calling all audiobook fans!In case you hadn't heard already, the King of the Republic audiobook, narrated by Christopher Dukes, is out now and is getting fantastic reviews!To download your copy of the historical fantasy novel that has been compared to Star Wars by reviewers, click here.
July 30, 2020
Author Interview - Yolandie Horak
Hello all,If you are reading this, you're probably in the mood for an author interview. Fortunately, that's exactly what I have in store for you today, as we will be having a chat with South African fantasy and sci-fi author Yolandie Horak.PB: Hi Yolandie! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.YH: Thanks for having me. These days, I’m a full-time author and hobbyist artist, but I used to be a graphic designer, then makeup artist and beauty blogger.PB: What made you decide to become an author?YH: I’ve always loved writing, but forgot about this passion when I entered the adult world. Ironically, my makeup artistry studies were what brought me back to writing. While looking for inspiration for my exams, I came across a few great makeup blogs, and realised I could totally do that. So my beauty blog was born. I blogged every weekday, and soon realised that the writing part of my day was better than the actual makeup application. I wrote my first novel during that time and have been in love with writing since.PB: When did you first start writing?YH: I was always writing in high school, but I began my first real novel in the early 2010’s. Maybe I’ll even edit and publish that novel one day.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?YH: I was about in Grade 7 when I wrote this story about the teenaged daughter of a mob boss. I only remember enough to cringe when I think about it.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?YH: I tend to have a vague idea of how it should end, but I’m much more of a pantser than a plotter. If the story needs to go in a different direction than I initially thought, I’m okay with that.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?YH: I really want to meet Pointy and Vendla. I’d love to have a fun day hanging around Little Mordoux, eating and laughing with Pointy. Vendla and I would have deep conversations about the history of her people, and I’d learn from her wisdom.PB: Tell us about your recent novel, A Study of Ash and Smoke.YH: A Study of Ash & Smoke is the story of a young woman who is forced to hide for her life as a male physician’s apprentice. Aelland, the kingdom where the story is set, is closed off from the rest of the world by an impenetrable forcefield called the Mantle. There’s a war outside the Mantle, an impending civil war within, and to make matters worse, a plague breaks out.The story has a steampunk flavour, and is a mix of medical elements, intrigue, politics, and spies. Basically, Grey’s Anatomy meets The Americans in a steampunk setting.PB: Where did the idea come from?YH: A Sci-Show video about the deadliest viruses known to man. I was fascinated by the idea of an invisible antagonist, something that could kill masses and bring the world to its knees. Little did I know back then that Covid-19 would hit just a year after I published this novel.I was also inspired by The Great Political Game in the Dragon Age games, and an article I read about the changing beauty standards in Victorian England. Apparently, blondes were considered the pinnacle of beauty until somewhere in the Victorian era, then brunettes spent some time in the spotlight. Of course, blondes reclaimed the throne after a time, but the idea of brunettes being more sought after than their fair-haired counterparts really made me wonder. What if dark hair was a rare thing, and everyone was blond? And boom, we had a plotline.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?YH: I haven’t been a published author for very long, so this is a short list. But A Study of Ash & Smoke was nominated for a Nommo award in 2020, and that meant the world to me.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?YH: I’m in love with the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan and have read and reread those books a hundred times. I also really enjoyed the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?YH: I want to finish the Fall of the Mantle series. A Trial of Sparks & Kindling, the sequel to A Study of Ash & Smoke, is set for publishing in July 2020. I have three more books planned in the series, but this isn’t set in stone. After that, who knows what new story idea will grab me?PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?YH: Anything art-related, or probably even editing.PB: What’s the next target for you?YH: Now that A Trial of Sparks & Kindling is on the brink of being published, the plan is to get the third book, A Curse of Venom & Scales, written and edited.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.YH: I collect mugs. I’m a huge fangirl, so any fandom I love is bound to be represented in a mug, and I also like to collect mugs from the places in the world I’ve visited.Snap! I collect mugs on my travels too. My wife says I have an addiction!Thank you so much to Yolandie Horak for speaking to us today. You can purchase her work via the links below:AmazonGoodreadsWebsiteFacebookInstagramUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 26, 2020
Author Interview - Ilse V. Rensburg
Hello all!It's always exciting for me to meet a fellow fantasy writer, and today is a prime example, as we welcome South African world builder Ilse V. Rensburg!
PB: Hi Ilse! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.IVR: Hi Peter! Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm from Johannesburg South Africa and I grew up with two siblings, loads of pets and a wild imagination. I've always loved to read and I spent most of my childhood playing outside in my fantasy worlds brimming with fairies, pirates and mermaids. Devoted to reading, my favourite day of each week was to visit my local library to stock up on more and more fantastical stories. Despite growing up and moving on from make-believe, I never stopped escaping into books. I ended up in interior design before finally realising that my true passion has and always will be writing and reading, and now, after studying a degree in languages and literature, I'm a copywriter by trade and a dark fantasy author in my spare time.PB: What made you decide to become an author?IVR: I don't think there was ever a time I officially decided to become an author. I always wrote stories and my aunt once asked if I was going to become a writer since I enjoyed it so much. I hadn't really considered the notion before but I think that was the moment I decided to write my first novel and to see what happened. That novel is still unfinished, along with many of my stories, but it sparked something inside of me and was the catalyst for my finishing Time Torn, the first book in my The Lost Days eight book saga. From there I tried agency after agency with many rejection emails before Kelan, from Sera Blue gave me the opportunity to publish.PB: When did you first start writing?IVR: I first started writing when I was about ten. I recall having to barter for paper from my brother who had bags and bags of it, just so I could write. He'd wanted some antique South African coins I'd kept in my piggy bank. I now realise I was conned, but the experience was worth it.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?IVR: The first story I remember writing was when I was ten. It was called something like Hoof Tails and it was about horses because I'd just discovered The Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant and I wanted to be just like the girls in the story and not being able to afford to ride more than twice a month I used my writing as an outlet for my horse-crazy adventures. From there I explored other narratives inspired by my favourite authors - Piers Anthony and his wildly extravagant, and at times the disturbing world of Xanth, really being what pushed me toward writing fantasy.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending? 
IVR: The endings to my books normally come to me while I'm writing. I used to write without any clear idea of where I was headed, but I realised that it left a lot of loose ends that I had to go back and fix over and over. So now I try and outline my stories from start to finish so I can write with a direction in mind, however, a lot of the time those pre-planned endings change.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?IVR: Great question! Wow, I don't know. I think it would be a toss-up between Dextra Hyde (AKA Demento, from Sleight of Hand) or Amerie from Twisted Flames. Both are incredibly powerful women with grand ideas about their place in the world. I guess I'd tell Dextra that burning the world down for power isn't always the answer and I'd just like to listen to Amerie babble about her time in the past.PB: Tell us about the Lost Days series.IVR: The Lost Days was born twelve years ago in the office of my first job as a secretary for an insurance company. My high school friend had just died and I'd bought a book on spirit communication. I never used the book to communicate with her, but I read a really interesting section on people that communicate with the dead through painting. It got me thinking about how the spirits might forewarn of the end of the world. I have always been intrigued by vampires and I knew I wanted something to happen to our world where mythological creatures of all kinds could become a reality. It was supposed to be an urban fantasy and has grown into an epic that will eventually consist of eight books exploring an alternate version of earth where magic and mythological creatures are real. The first two books are out - Time Torn and Twisted Fate. They introduce readers to a world broken by war and two characters who need to find themselves as heroes in a world they don't understand.PB: Where did the idea for Sleight of Hand come from?IVR: I was doing a Facebook interview for Books and Everything when Jason Hes, author of Our Immaculate praised me on my debut novelette, Blood Sipper. I had just read Our Immaculate and I really liked his writing style. Kelan suggested we write something hauntingly beautiful together and we decided to make it happen. We got chatting and after a number of ideas for our project, decided on Sleight of Hand. From there the idea just flowed and we built the historic 1920's world around our protagonists, Dextra and Gwen.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?IVR: I'm most proud of Blood Sipper. Not only was it my first published work but Kelan had given me a very tight deadline of a week to add three thousand words to the original short story. Once finished I designed the cover for it and started my own advertising campaign. It was hard work, but it was so worth it when I finally held a copy in my hands. I will never forget that feeling of achievement and satisfaction and it's what pushes me to write and finish more books.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?IVR: My favourite book series is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. There is something so magical and poetic about the way Laini writes. Every time I read one of her works I know that she's the kind of writer I inspire to be. Her characters are authentic and charming. The way she links everything together is genius, a genius I haven't come across since reading Harry Potter. There's foreshadowing and parts that just make you go, "what?!" ( I say this after finishing her Strange the Dreamer series which connects to this one in this way that just makes you excited for whatever she publishes next.)PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?IVR: My long term ambitions for writing is to enjoy it and to get as many of my stories out into the world as possible. I think every book holds a type of magic that changes people in ways they don't expect and if I can help someone escape from a world they don't feel they belong in and make them feel safe, then I've done my job.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?IVR: If I didn't write I might still be a decorator or an English teacher. I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and I don't ever see myself going in a direction that isn't creative.PB: What’s the next target for you? 
IVR: As South Africa is currently still in lockdown, I've been working on finishing a number of works that I would never have had the time to focus on before. I'm hoping to publish them this year, however, the pandemic is going to play a big factor in when that will be. My main target is to publish, Talisman, a story I started writing around the same time as Blood Sipper. It's another paranormal horror involving two sisters and a monster from Mexican folklore.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.IVR: A random fact about myself is that I have Trypophobia. If I see anything with small clusters of bumps or holes I'm incredibly creeped out and uncomfortable. I collect rare plants, so I come across this way more than I'd like to.Ilse V. Rensburg, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking to us today. For all you readers out there, if you'd like to try Ilse's books or get to know more about her work, you can do so via the links below:AmazonGoodreadsWebsiteTwitterUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
PB: Hi Ilse! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.IVR: Hi Peter! Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm from Johannesburg South Africa and I grew up with two siblings, loads of pets and a wild imagination. I've always loved to read and I spent most of my childhood playing outside in my fantasy worlds brimming with fairies, pirates and mermaids. Devoted to reading, my favourite day of each week was to visit my local library to stock up on more and more fantastical stories. Despite growing up and moving on from make-believe, I never stopped escaping into books. I ended up in interior design before finally realising that my true passion has and always will be writing and reading, and now, after studying a degree in languages and literature, I'm a copywriter by trade and a dark fantasy author in my spare time.PB: What made you decide to become an author?IVR: I don't think there was ever a time I officially decided to become an author. I always wrote stories and my aunt once asked if I was going to become a writer since I enjoyed it so much. I hadn't really considered the notion before but I think that was the moment I decided to write my first novel and to see what happened. That novel is still unfinished, along with many of my stories, but it sparked something inside of me and was the catalyst for my finishing Time Torn, the first book in my The Lost Days eight book saga. From there I tried agency after agency with many rejection emails before Kelan, from Sera Blue gave me the opportunity to publish.PB: When did you first start writing?IVR: I first started writing when I was about ten. I recall having to barter for paper from my brother who had bags and bags of it, just so I could write. He'd wanted some antique South African coins I'd kept in my piggy bank. I now realise I was conned, but the experience was worth it.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?IVR: The first story I remember writing was when I was ten. It was called something like Hoof Tails and it was about horses because I'd just discovered The Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant and I wanted to be just like the girls in the story and not being able to afford to ride more than twice a month I used my writing as an outlet for my horse-crazy adventures. From there I explored other narratives inspired by my favourite authors - Piers Anthony and his wildly extravagant, and at times the disturbing world of Xanth, really being what pushed me toward writing fantasy.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending? IVR: The endings to my books normally come to me while I'm writing. I used to write without any clear idea of where I was headed, but I realised that it left a lot of loose ends that I had to go back and fix over and over. So now I try and outline my stories from start to finish so I can write with a direction in mind, however, a lot of the time those pre-planned endings change.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?IVR: Great question! Wow, I don't know. I think it would be a toss-up between Dextra Hyde (AKA Demento, from Sleight of Hand) or Amerie from Twisted Flames. Both are incredibly powerful women with grand ideas about their place in the world. I guess I'd tell Dextra that burning the world down for power isn't always the answer and I'd just like to listen to Amerie babble about her time in the past.PB: Tell us about the Lost Days series.IVR: The Lost Days was born twelve years ago in the office of my first job as a secretary for an insurance company. My high school friend had just died and I'd bought a book on spirit communication. I never used the book to communicate with her, but I read a really interesting section on people that communicate with the dead through painting. It got me thinking about how the spirits might forewarn of the end of the world. I have always been intrigued by vampires and I knew I wanted something to happen to our world where mythological creatures of all kinds could become a reality. It was supposed to be an urban fantasy and has grown into an epic that will eventually consist of eight books exploring an alternate version of earth where magic and mythological creatures are real. The first two books are out - Time Torn and Twisted Fate. They introduce readers to a world broken by war and two characters who need to find themselves as heroes in a world they don't understand.PB: Where did the idea for Sleight of Hand come from?IVR: I was doing a Facebook interview for Books and Everything when Jason Hes, author of Our Immaculate praised me on my debut novelette, Blood Sipper. I had just read Our Immaculate and I really liked his writing style. Kelan suggested we write something hauntingly beautiful together and we decided to make it happen. We got chatting and after a number of ideas for our project, decided on Sleight of Hand. From there the idea just flowed and we built the historic 1920's world around our protagonists, Dextra and Gwen.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?IVR: I'm most proud of Blood Sipper. Not only was it my first published work but Kelan had given me a very tight deadline of a week to add three thousand words to the original short story. Once finished I designed the cover for it and started my own advertising campaign. It was hard work, but it was so worth it when I finally held a copy in my hands. I will never forget that feeling of achievement and satisfaction and it's what pushes me to write and finish more books.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?IVR: My favourite book series is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. There is something so magical and poetic about the way Laini writes. Every time I read one of her works I know that she's the kind of writer I inspire to be. Her characters are authentic and charming. The way she links everything together is genius, a genius I haven't come across since reading Harry Potter. There's foreshadowing and parts that just make you go, "what?!" ( I say this after finishing her Strange the Dreamer series which connects to this one in this way that just makes you excited for whatever she publishes next.)PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?IVR: My long term ambitions for writing is to enjoy it and to get as many of my stories out into the world as possible. I think every book holds a type of magic that changes people in ways they don't expect and if I can help someone escape from a world they don't feel they belong in and make them feel safe, then I've done my job.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?IVR: If I didn't write I might still be a decorator or an English teacher. I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and I don't ever see myself going in a direction that isn't creative.PB: What’s the next target for you? IVR: As South Africa is currently still in lockdown, I've been working on finishing a number of works that I would never have had the time to focus on before. I'm hoping to publish them this year, however, the pandemic is going to play a big factor in when that will be. My main target is to publish, Talisman, a story I started writing around the same time as Blood Sipper. It's another paranormal horror involving two sisters and a monster from Mexican folklore.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.IVR: A random fact about myself is that I have Trypophobia. If I see anything with small clusters of bumps or holes I'm incredibly creeped out and uncomfortable. I collect rare plants, so I come across this way more than I'd like to.Ilse V. Rensburg, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking to us today. For all you readers out there, if you'd like to try Ilse's books or get to know more about her work, you can do so via the links below:AmazonGoodreadsWebsiteTwitterUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 23, 2020
Author Interview - Gurpreet Kaur
Hello everybody,I hope you're having a wonderful day. It's that time again. We're here with another author interview, and today's guest is Indian poet Gurpreet Kaur.PB: Hi Gurpreet ! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.GK: Hey! First of all I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I’m grateful. I am an author of two modern poetry books - ‘I’m done’ and ‘Warriors’. I’m from India and am currently in my second year of studies towards a Bachelor’s in Computer Science.PB: What made you decide to become a poet?GK: I cannot pin-point the exact moment or an experience that suddenly made me want to be a poet. It was something that happened naturally over the course of time.PB: When did you first start writing?GK: I started writing when I was in school. Initially, it used to be for homework and grades but then I started enjoying writing and gradually it became one of my hobbies.PB: What was the first poem that you can remember writing?GK: I remember it was Mother’s Day. I was 9 or 10 years old. I had made a card and had written a tiny poem inside it for my mother.PB: Tell us a bit about your writing process.GK: My writing process starts with writing one poem a day. Some days my mind is flooded with ideas and I can easily pen down 2-3 poems and then there are days when it is difficult to pen down even a single poem. When I have around 200 poems, I read and re-read and then edit them. Usually halfway through this process, I come up with a theme for my book which helps me to sort out poems and arrange them in an effective order. For example – Warriors, is divided into two sections, Battles of Love and Battles of Life.PB: Where did the idea for your first book, Warriors, come from?GK: I came across this somewhere that we should never judge or be rude to someone because we don’t know what hardships or struggles the other person might be facing. That’s where it struck me that each one of us is busy fighting their own very different yet somehow similar battles and each one of us is a Warrior in our very own way.PB: Tell us about your recent book, I’m Done.GK: I’m Done is all about love, heartbreak and healing. This book is divided into 2 sections. In the first section, within a space of a page turn, readers can experience the flowery side of love and the harsh toxic reality of that love. This collection depicts the beautiful side of love, how it slowly turns toxic and finally crumbles into pieces. The second section of this book focuses on the harsh, raw reality of recovering from a heartbreak.PB: Of all the poems you have written, which is the most special to you?There’s this poem in Warriors - “heartbroken, determined to never fall in love again,she started building her defences up.as hard as concrete she built them.he came like autumn, said her nameand all those defences shed.”This one is special because when I posted it on Instagram, people messaged me that I should consider writing a book and that sort of gave me the push I needed to work on a book.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?GK: The best is yet to come, but I’m really proud of both my poetry books.PB: Who are your favourite poets?GK: Rupi Kaur, Nikita Gill are inspirations. I love the works of Shiv Kumar Batalvi (a Punjabi poet), Robert Frost and Kahlil Gibran.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?GK: Ambition comes in many forms. Poetry to me feels like home. I want my readers to feel like they are at home too when they read my poetry. I want to write something that adds value to their lives and most importantly makes them feel.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?GK: If not an author, I’d probably be a web designer.PB: What’s the next target for you?GK: Humour is one of the genres I’m looking forward to exploring as a writer. PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.GK: I love playing Badminton.A big thank you to Gurpreet Kaur for allowing us to get to know her a little more. That was fascinating. If you would like to delve a little deeper into Gurpreet's poetry, you can do so via the links below:GoodreadsAmazonInstagramUntil nest time, happy reading everyone!Peter
July 19, 2020
Author Interview - Dave Harvey
Hello everyone,It's time for another interview, and today's guest is South African thriller novelist Dave Harvey.
PB: Hi Dave! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.DH: I was born in Johannesburg and lived there until I turned 8 or 9 and my parents emigrated to what was then Northern Rhodesia. My next ten years were spent growing up on a farm, literally carved out of the bush. It was a world of adventure, long walks in the forest with our two dogs and making sure to avoid the large, poisonous snakes that were a significant hazard of the area.When Northern Rhodesia became Zambia, we moved to what was then Southern Rhodesia and I finished high school, spent three years at Rhodes University in Grahamstown and finished that, just in time to begin my entry as a National Serviceman, into the complexities of the bush war raging, at the stage, on the borders.My initial 9 months eventually dragged out to 5 years and as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, I emigrated back to South Africa and I have lived in various parts of the country ever since.PB: What made you decide to become an author?DH: In 2005, a life-changing event occurred in my life which turned my entire world upside down. Ten years later, still battling with the mental scars, I thought about a book that chronicled the events as they unfolded and what might have led to the decisions that were made, as a means of catharsis. It took me about two weeks to realise that no-one would be interested.I used to (still do) take long walks with our dogs around the mountains of Cape Town, where I live, seeking literary inspiration, whenever I had the opportunity. It was on one of these soul-searching walks that the idea of writing a novel instead, surfaced. I would become one of the characters and let my story gradually unfold like that. Which is exactly what transpired.PB: I certainly agree that dog walks in the countryside can be fantastic for inspiration. When did you first start writing?DH: My background research took approximately two years. My very first saved draft chapter was 14 June 2014.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?DH: The first book of my first trilogy, the When the Sun Blinked series.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?DH: Never. Somehow, the story evolves with the flow of the book. The only one that I did plan, was the ending for Retribution Book 6 as it was the final of the series.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?DH: Funnily enough, one of my main characters in the When the Sun Blinked series is named Andrew O’Brien. The character himself is someone, only with a different name, that I met during our first three months of training during the Rhodesian war. So I had already met him. I think if I met him as I do in the book, I would say to him … ‘So that’s what happened to you after our war.’PB: That's an awesome story! Tell us about the series.DH: Cape Town, South Africa, for all its natural beauty is tragically, amongst the most dangerous cities in the world crime-wise, for many reasons, some of which go back a long way. We as a country, in the last twelve years, have additionally gone through some terrible times, particularly in terms of blatant corruption, fraud and theft which decimated the South African economy.Several well-connected families played a major role in this, relying on their corrupted networks into law-enforcement as well as prominent political figures.Using that reality as my starting point, I created a fictional drug cartel who operate from Camps Bay, a suburb of Cape Town and use the same methodologies and connections to protect them but distribute cocaine instead.They come into conflict with a ‘family’ of three who have opened their business in Hout Bay, a small fishing village, a short distance from Camps Bay, which is the renovation of specific vehicle types. These three, have spent their lives living between South Africa and America. The two males, between them, have eighteen years of military experience spent in Iraq and Afghanistan.As early believers in the future of Bitcoin, they amassed a fortune and use some of their wealth to build their business and lifestyles. Unfortunately, the drug cartel somehow concludes that they are also drug dealers and therefore a threat, based on the belief that anyone with that kind of money can only be drug dealers.First, the cartel takes aim at them through extortion. Then they begin the harassment and then it becomes personal.Which turns out to be a serious error of judgement. Because that’s was when Retribution followed.PB: Where did the idea come from?DH: From a random 'What if?' thought.In the mountains overlooking Simon’s Town on the Atlantic Seaboard, approximately thirty kilometres from Cape Town. I would drive across to Simon’s Town as often as I could, to hike around the mountains overlooking False Bay and the town itself, which grew around the Naval Base.It was on one of those walks, staring at False Bay from the top of a mountain overlooking Simon’s Town, that a seed was planted in my mind. Over the next eighteen months, the seed become a tree, watered and mulched and cared for weekly. Copious notes were jotted down on post-it notes and my phone.Gradually the idea blossomed, the tree grew fruit and one day, the penny dropped. Also sprinkled in my later thought processes were the seeds of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 which disappeared on 08 March 2014. My thoughts turned to 'What if?'.What if an aircraft coming in to land at Cape Town International Airport disappeared from both radar and visual confirmation and was never seen again? What if it was searched for and nothing was ever found? What if it wasn’t the only aircraft to disappear at the same time?All of the above provided rich inspiration for the first book, When the Sun Blinked Book 1 – Search for the Truth. The backdrop of Simons Town, its numerous different beaches and coves were my research. Walking through the mountains, as some of my characters in the book do, I could see and get a feel for what they would experience. Albeit, just in a different time zone though.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?DH: My two sons. They went through a massive upheaval in their lives and emerged stronger. They are amazing boys. Well, men now.PB: I hope I can say something similar when my daughter grows up. What is your favourite book series to read and why?DH: The Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford. He, John Sandford has a way of bringing such amazing life into his characters. You live the books through them.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?DH: To slowly (well hopefully build more momentum as fast as I can!) get my books out in front of more readers and make each new book better than the previous one.I have made so many mistakes along this journey, but each new book, I like to believe, is a better product than the one before.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?DH: A web designer. Love the creativity and attempting to make magic happen.PB: What’s the next target for you?DH: To keep on writing but move into different genres. I am slowly putting together the opening touches and paragraphs for a new series, involving dragons and heroes but that is still in its infancy. I don’t want to be a single trick pony with only fiction and suspense. I aim to attempt something in the 10 to13-year-old reading market.
PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.DH: I have two very large dogs which have to get a walk in the mountain every day. They are still young, approximately two and a half years old each. They are thugs!!But I love them with a passion, even though they have aged me around three hundred years in thirty months!!From one dog owner to another, those dog walks in the mountains sound wonderful. Thank you so much to Dave Harvey for taking the time to speak to us. If that has wetted you appetite to sample Dave's work, you can purchase his books via the links below:Amazon - PrintAmazon - KindleUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
PB: Hi Dave! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.DH: I was born in Johannesburg and lived there until I turned 8 or 9 and my parents emigrated to what was then Northern Rhodesia. My next ten years were spent growing up on a farm, literally carved out of the bush. It was a world of adventure, long walks in the forest with our two dogs and making sure to avoid the large, poisonous snakes that were a significant hazard of the area.When Northern Rhodesia became Zambia, we moved to what was then Southern Rhodesia and I finished high school, spent three years at Rhodes University in Grahamstown and finished that, just in time to begin my entry as a National Serviceman, into the complexities of the bush war raging, at the stage, on the borders.My initial 9 months eventually dragged out to 5 years and as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, I emigrated back to South Africa and I have lived in various parts of the country ever since.PB: What made you decide to become an author?DH: In 2005, a life-changing event occurred in my life which turned my entire world upside down. Ten years later, still battling with the mental scars, I thought about a book that chronicled the events as they unfolded and what might have led to the decisions that were made, as a means of catharsis. It took me about two weeks to realise that no-one would be interested.I used to (still do) take long walks with our dogs around the mountains of Cape Town, where I live, seeking literary inspiration, whenever I had the opportunity. It was on one of these soul-searching walks that the idea of writing a novel instead, surfaced. I would become one of the characters and let my story gradually unfold like that. Which is exactly what transpired.PB: I certainly agree that dog walks in the countryside can be fantastic for inspiration. When did you first start writing?DH: My background research took approximately two years. My very first saved draft chapter was 14 June 2014.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?DH: The first book of my first trilogy, the When the Sun Blinked series.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?DH: Never. Somehow, the story evolves with the flow of the book. The only one that I did plan, was the ending for Retribution Book 6 as it was the final of the series.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?DH: Funnily enough, one of my main characters in the When the Sun Blinked series is named Andrew O’Brien. The character himself is someone, only with a different name, that I met during our first three months of training during the Rhodesian war. So I had already met him. I think if I met him as I do in the book, I would say to him … ‘So that’s what happened to you after our war.’PB: That's an awesome story! Tell us about the series.DH: Cape Town, South Africa, for all its natural beauty is tragically, amongst the most dangerous cities in the world crime-wise, for many reasons, some of which go back a long way. We as a country, in the last twelve years, have additionally gone through some terrible times, particularly in terms of blatant corruption, fraud and theft which decimated the South African economy.Several well-connected families played a major role in this, relying on their corrupted networks into law-enforcement as well as prominent political figures.Using that reality as my starting point, I created a fictional drug cartel who operate from Camps Bay, a suburb of Cape Town and use the same methodologies and connections to protect them but distribute cocaine instead.They come into conflict with a ‘family’ of three who have opened their business in Hout Bay, a small fishing village, a short distance from Camps Bay, which is the renovation of specific vehicle types. These three, have spent their lives living between South Africa and America. The two males, between them, have eighteen years of military experience spent in Iraq and Afghanistan.As early believers in the future of Bitcoin, they amassed a fortune and use some of their wealth to build their business and lifestyles. Unfortunately, the drug cartel somehow concludes that they are also drug dealers and therefore a threat, based on the belief that anyone with that kind of money can only be drug dealers.First, the cartel takes aim at them through extortion. Then they begin the harassment and then it becomes personal.Which turns out to be a serious error of judgement. Because that’s was when Retribution followed.PB: Where did the idea come from?DH: From a random 'What if?' thought.In the mountains overlooking Simon’s Town on the Atlantic Seaboard, approximately thirty kilometres from Cape Town. I would drive across to Simon’s Town as often as I could, to hike around the mountains overlooking False Bay and the town itself, which grew around the Naval Base.It was on one of those walks, staring at False Bay from the top of a mountain overlooking Simon’s Town, that a seed was planted in my mind. Over the next eighteen months, the seed become a tree, watered and mulched and cared for weekly. Copious notes were jotted down on post-it notes and my phone.Gradually the idea blossomed, the tree grew fruit and one day, the penny dropped. Also sprinkled in my later thought processes were the seeds of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 which disappeared on 08 March 2014. My thoughts turned to 'What if?'.What if an aircraft coming in to land at Cape Town International Airport disappeared from both radar and visual confirmation and was never seen again? What if it was searched for and nothing was ever found? What if it wasn’t the only aircraft to disappear at the same time?All of the above provided rich inspiration for the first book, When the Sun Blinked Book 1 – Search for the Truth. The backdrop of Simons Town, its numerous different beaches and coves were my research. Walking through the mountains, as some of my characters in the book do, I could see and get a feel for what they would experience. Albeit, just in a different time zone though.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?DH: My two sons. They went through a massive upheaval in their lives and emerged stronger. They are amazing boys. Well, men now.PB: I hope I can say something similar when my daughter grows up. What is your favourite book series to read and why?DH: The Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford. He, John Sandford has a way of bringing such amazing life into his characters. You live the books through them.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?DH: To slowly (well hopefully build more momentum as fast as I can!) get my books out in front of more readers and make each new book better than the previous one.I have made so many mistakes along this journey, but each new book, I like to believe, is a better product than the one before.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?DH: A web designer. Love the creativity and attempting to make magic happen.PB: What’s the next target for you?DH: To keep on writing but move into different genres. I am slowly putting together the opening touches and paragraphs for a new series, involving dragons and heroes but that is still in its infancy. I don’t want to be a single trick pony with only fiction and suspense. I aim to attempt something in the 10 to13-year-old reading market.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.DH: I have two very large dogs which have to get a walk in the mountain every day. They are still young, approximately two and a half years old each. They are thugs!!But I love them with a passion, even though they have aged me around three hundred years in thirty months!!From one dog owner to another, those dog walks in the mountains sound wonderful. Thank you so much to Dave Harvey for taking the time to speak to us. If that has wetted you appetite to sample Dave's work, you can purchase his books via the links below:Amazon - PrintAmazon - KindleUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 16, 2020
Author Interview - Debasree Banerjee
Hello all,It's time for another interview, and today we have the pleasure of speaking to historical author Debasree Banerjee.PB: Hi! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background. 
DB: Hello! I’m Debasree Banerjee, a mechanical engineer serving in a government owned multi-purpose power generating company based in eastern India. India has always been famous for being so culturally diverse, and it wouldn’t be out of the way if I added that I’m a Bengali, since ours is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation, so a lot about us is often attributed to our native place (although I think it’s the same everywhere). So, that kind of gives me a natural inclination towards arts, philosophy and literature; they say Bengalis have it in their genes - need I remind you about Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda or Satyajit Ray? I’m also a mom to a five-year-old boy, which has by far, been the most important aspect of my existence ever since before he was born.PB: I can relate to that! I have a two year old daughter. My life has been so much more meaningful since her birth. What made you decide to become an author?DB: I like calling myself a ‘cinephile’. I’ve been obsessed with story-telling and film-making although I hail from an entirely different background. My love for films has often compelled me to keep on returning to watch the same movie over and over, up to a time when I’m done with the story part, and more into the technicality. This led to an amount of curiosity to start thinking of films from the opposite side, i.e. from the makers’ end. Obviously, the first thing that came to me was the point of conception of any film, i.e. the script and consequently, the screenplay. I began dreaming about telling my stories with the maximum visualization of what I wanted to convey.There are a list of great books I’ve read and great movies I’ve watched, which have been instrumental to the way I’ve done my writing. All of that has left indelible marks on my thought process, but first and foremost, I wanted the world to discover the same magic I did, when I stepped inside the Romain Rolland Library in Pondicherry as a pigtailed little four-year-old, who was enchanted by the new world she’d been ushered into by her father.Technically speaking, I’d already published an e-book on Kindle back in 2016. That was a collection of short stories and a couple of novellas. However, I never quite got seriously into campaigning and promoting the book, which is titled ‘Death through a Kaleidoscope’. If you read those stories, you can still feel the cinematic appeal of the same.So, to sum up what really inspired me to become an author, full scale, that is, with publication in hard copy as well, it was my own passion for reading and movies, and my endeavour to rekindle the habit of reading which has sadly taken a backseat now, thanks to abundant usage of social media. That, in my view, is the prelude to a lot of good things like self-discovery and creativity.PB: When did you first start writing?DB: If you met me now, you’d find me quite expressive and outgoing, articulate and vocal about my views. But that wasn’t me as a child. I was somewhat precocious (I mean it in a good sense though). I began understanding values, traditions, and concepts like empathy and justice, before I turned five. That somehow prevented me from having a lot of pleasures the other children my age had. They say, ignorance is bliss, and to sum up my experience, I’d say that I was destined to be deprived of that boon. As it is natural, the things I observed, the stories I read, and whatever way I interpreted and stored them in my mind, weighed me down as a kid. Remember, a five year old can’t be lucid and expressive about these things.That kept growing until it was the year 2014 and I was faced with the happiest period of my life that turned into a period of great personal crisis. As you can see from the name of my earlier e-book, a lot of my existence dwelled upon my obsession with death, and that too, during my pregnancy, which was supposed to be a period that required me to be happy and optimistic. I was rudely thrown into a world of deep depression-anxiety during the fifth month of pregnancy, and began suffering from severe ‘thanatophobia’ and dystopian thoughts, among a lot of other things.Mental illness is still a taboo in today’s society, and I obviously didn’t encounter too many people who could give me a patient hearing and allay my anxiety in any way. It was a period when I couldn’t take medicines, and the streak remained for a long time even after childbirth. That was the turning point of my life, and I was transformed into a serious writer from a sporadic one.PB: I'm very sorry to hear that you suffered that way. I have witnessed first hand the effects that mental illness can have. I commend you for finding the strength to turn it into motivation. What was the first story you can remember writing?DB: I believe it was when I was five, and it was an imitation of a Japanese folk tale. It told the story of a thief who’d stolen a pearl from the Gods. I don’t remember much more about it.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?DB: Since I tend to visualize my stories like films, I weirdly always know the ending, i.e. the kind of shot I’d like it to fade out to, had it been a film. I may not know the beginning and the middle, but the ending, I always do.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet and what would you say to them?DB: If I could really meet any of my characters, I’d definitely want to meet Kuhlbert Artz from A Place Called Eden. I structured his character with such love and care, that he is almost the reflection of a near-perfect human being. He knows that he owes so much to humanity, but he takes his responsibilities with sensibility and such grace, that I bet even you’d fall in love with him, if you read the book. I’d say that I love him, if I ever met the man.PB: Tell us about A Place Called Eden.DB: ‘A Place Called Eden’ is the term Kuhlbert Artz uses symbolically, for all things bright and beautiful, pure and innocent. The book is my way of looking at the WW2 in a different perspective, which is much beyond Allies versus Axis Powers. I wanted to look into the human aspect of it, albeit relieving the readers of burdening themselves with the facts about Jewish genocide, something that they all have probably read about a lot. I wanted the story to be multi-angular, to raise questions among readers, so as to motivate them to do further reading, if the subject appealed to them.I wanted to show that not all of the Germans supported Fascism, and neither were all people of Jewish parentage so stoic in their stand against it. Our thoughts have been oriented in a way that has made us polarize our views about the WW2 being essentially a war between the good and the evil. The oft-repeated motifs have played a pivotal role in the process.A Place called Eden is my effort towards busting this myth, and also to open some leads for further reading by interested readers. Reading, in my view, has incredible therapeutic effects. PB: As a person with Jewish ancestry dotted across Germany, Austria and Poland, I say that your message is something very important to point out. We are all very aware that we don't always support the actions of our governments, but we often forget to judge the people of the past by the same standards. We are often quick to put people in boxes based on their ethnicity or nationality, but these factors often don't tell us who people really are. Where did the idea for the book come from?DB: The story was first written as a screenplay, which I submitted to an international contest. It didn’t reach the finals, although went further than I’d hoped for. The story was demanding and the research was very exhausting. Although I had other works in the pipeline, I decided to pick up this story and reshape it into a novel. And believe me, it was so difficult, it took me nearly six years to get it done!PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?DB: If you ask me of my literary achievements, I’m proud for having been able to complete writing this novel, which, at a point of time, looked like the most impossible feat to me. But if you ask me considering everything, I’m proudest of having defeated my depression-anxiety without prescription medication. I’ve since discovered in myself a deep-rooted spiritualism, and a penchant for understanding theology.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?DB: My favourite book series till date, have been quite varied. I loved Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe, and C.J. Lewis’ Narnia series. They were like the kind of thing I grew up on. I revelled in Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Enid Blyton’s Famous Five were like my childhood friends. There is this Bengali author, Shashtipada Chattopadhyay, who wrote ‘Pandav Goyenda’ series, fashioned after Blyton’s Famous Five, and it was simply marvellous. Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi was unparalleled. John Le Carre’s ‘Smiley’ series was equally brilliant. Ken Follett’s Century series is beautiful, and so is Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series. And then, I was introduced to the world of Harry Potter, which, I believe doesn’t need any further discourse about its ability to enthral readers from all age groups. There have been other awesome authors, I believe, whom I’ve read, but am forgetting to mention right now. I know it’s an injustice towards them, and my apologies for that.However, the series that has resonated with my sensibility and emotional quotient, and has maintained the place for the last ten years, is Spanish author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’ series, that has four novels and deals with the tumultuous times of Franco’s rule. The books are translated to English by Lucia Graves, famous poet Robert Graves’ daughter. I can say only this: Those who haven’t yet read the series, may want to open a new pathway to their own psyche, by stepping into his universe.PB: What are your long-term ambitions with regards to writing?DB: I might say, being very optimistic, and maybe a bit over-zealous, that I’d definitely like to give screenplay writing a try. Not having a formal creative writing background may deter my ambitions by years, but nonetheless, this setback can’t take away my ulterior desire to see my novels turned into films.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?DB: I’m pretty good at singing, painting, cooking and a lot of other things. So, maybe, I’d just be a happy homemaker with a lot of talents, who’d be a role model for her kids…PB: What’s the next target for you?DB: I’m presently working upon translating a much acclaimed Hindi novel to English. It is a work unlike any other, because the author, who’s a very dear acquaintance and a respected senior in the field, has used such great literary motifs and embellishments to his work, that it exhausts my stock of words within a few pages! Although he has given me free rein to translate it as I wish to, I’m the one who’s insisting upon doing it line by line, because I feel so happy when I read the original. The usage of such magnificent words and metaphors… How can I deprive myself of the pleasure of challenging the limits of my own comfort zone?And then, there are a few screenplays. Short stories come up every now and then, and sometimes poetry too. But my next target is to complete my second novel, which is a standalone one, and is about the gradual emergence of Kathmandu as the Drug capital of the east in the 1970s, along with an analysis of a lot of associated socio-political issues. Another dear friend, a very well-known author himself, often taunts me about my strange affliction. He says I select such difficult period based themes for my works, which demand extensive research, and might not prove to be as alluring for today’s readership. I, however believe in expressing myself for what I am, rather than think about writing custom-made books to fit today’s sensibility. I’m hopeful about those people who still read a book for its literary value, rather than as a pastime. PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.DB: I’m someone who writes from the very core of my understanding. For someone who resonates with my understanding, it might be shattering, hopeful, peaceful and maybe, even wonderful. And that’s because I write about things that I understand, and refrain from writing things I don’t.So, if you ask me for a random fact about myself, I may confess that I have this very secret desire to delve myself into the depths of darkness, so as to be able to understand the mentality of a millennial who does drugs, has casual sex, accesses the dark web for illicit stuff, hangs out with rough guys, has a thing for tattoos, and is quite insane… I know it’s a dangerous thing to consider, but I do have the confidence that I can emerge from there, back to normalcy, and this is with purely literary intentions and nothing else that I say so.Another random fact…. Well, I’ve been having weight issues for a very long time. Now, is that a fact?There's certainly a book in there somewhere! That would definitely be variety when comared with A Place Called Eden too.Thank you so much to Debasree Banerjee for allowing us to get to know more about her today. If you would like to purchase A Place Called Eden, you can do so via the links below:WebsiteGoogle BooksAmazonGoodreadsYouTubeUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
DB: Hello! I’m Debasree Banerjee, a mechanical engineer serving in a government owned multi-purpose power generating company based in eastern India. India has always been famous for being so culturally diverse, and it wouldn’t be out of the way if I added that I’m a Bengali, since ours is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation, so a lot about us is often attributed to our native place (although I think it’s the same everywhere). So, that kind of gives me a natural inclination towards arts, philosophy and literature; they say Bengalis have it in their genes - need I remind you about Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda or Satyajit Ray? I’m also a mom to a five-year-old boy, which has by far, been the most important aspect of my existence ever since before he was born.PB: I can relate to that! I have a two year old daughter. My life has been so much more meaningful since her birth. What made you decide to become an author?DB: I like calling myself a ‘cinephile’. I’ve been obsessed with story-telling and film-making although I hail from an entirely different background. My love for films has often compelled me to keep on returning to watch the same movie over and over, up to a time when I’m done with the story part, and more into the technicality. This led to an amount of curiosity to start thinking of films from the opposite side, i.e. from the makers’ end. Obviously, the first thing that came to me was the point of conception of any film, i.e. the script and consequently, the screenplay. I began dreaming about telling my stories with the maximum visualization of what I wanted to convey.There are a list of great books I’ve read and great movies I’ve watched, which have been instrumental to the way I’ve done my writing. All of that has left indelible marks on my thought process, but first and foremost, I wanted the world to discover the same magic I did, when I stepped inside the Romain Rolland Library in Pondicherry as a pigtailed little four-year-old, who was enchanted by the new world she’d been ushered into by her father.Technically speaking, I’d already published an e-book on Kindle back in 2016. That was a collection of short stories and a couple of novellas. However, I never quite got seriously into campaigning and promoting the book, which is titled ‘Death through a Kaleidoscope’. If you read those stories, you can still feel the cinematic appeal of the same.So, to sum up what really inspired me to become an author, full scale, that is, with publication in hard copy as well, it was my own passion for reading and movies, and my endeavour to rekindle the habit of reading which has sadly taken a backseat now, thanks to abundant usage of social media. That, in my view, is the prelude to a lot of good things like self-discovery and creativity.PB: When did you first start writing?DB: If you met me now, you’d find me quite expressive and outgoing, articulate and vocal about my views. But that wasn’t me as a child. I was somewhat precocious (I mean it in a good sense though). I began understanding values, traditions, and concepts like empathy and justice, before I turned five. That somehow prevented me from having a lot of pleasures the other children my age had. They say, ignorance is bliss, and to sum up my experience, I’d say that I was destined to be deprived of that boon. As it is natural, the things I observed, the stories I read, and whatever way I interpreted and stored them in my mind, weighed me down as a kid. Remember, a five year old can’t be lucid and expressive about these things.That kept growing until it was the year 2014 and I was faced with the happiest period of my life that turned into a period of great personal crisis. As you can see from the name of my earlier e-book, a lot of my existence dwelled upon my obsession with death, and that too, during my pregnancy, which was supposed to be a period that required me to be happy and optimistic. I was rudely thrown into a world of deep depression-anxiety during the fifth month of pregnancy, and began suffering from severe ‘thanatophobia’ and dystopian thoughts, among a lot of other things.Mental illness is still a taboo in today’s society, and I obviously didn’t encounter too many people who could give me a patient hearing and allay my anxiety in any way. It was a period when I couldn’t take medicines, and the streak remained for a long time even after childbirth. That was the turning point of my life, and I was transformed into a serious writer from a sporadic one.PB: I'm very sorry to hear that you suffered that way. I have witnessed first hand the effects that mental illness can have. I commend you for finding the strength to turn it into motivation. What was the first story you can remember writing?DB: I believe it was when I was five, and it was an imitation of a Japanese folk tale. It told the story of a thief who’d stolen a pearl from the Gods. I don’t remember much more about it.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?DB: Since I tend to visualize my stories like films, I weirdly always know the ending, i.e. the kind of shot I’d like it to fade out to, had it been a film. I may not know the beginning and the middle, but the ending, I always do.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet and what would you say to them?DB: If I could really meet any of my characters, I’d definitely want to meet Kuhlbert Artz from A Place Called Eden. I structured his character with such love and care, that he is almost the reflection of a near-perfect human being. He knows that he owes so much to humanity, but he takes his responsibilities with sensibility and such grace, that I bet even you’d fall in love with him, if you read the book. I’d say that I love him, if I ever met the man.PB: Tell us about A Place Called Eden.DB: ‘A Place Called Eden’ is the term Kuhlbert Artz uses symbolically, for all things bright and beautiful, pure and innocent. The book is my way of looking at the WW2 in a different perspective, which is much beyond Allies versus Axis Powers. I wanted to look into the human aspect of it, albeit relieving the readers of burdening themselves with the facts about Jewish genocide, something that they all have probably read about a lot. I wanted the story to be multi-angular, to raise questions among readers, so as to motivate them to do further reading, if the subject appealed to them.I wanted to show that not all of the Germans supported Fascism, and neither were all people of Jewish parentage so stoic in their stand against it. Our thoughts have been oriented in a way that has made us polarize our views about the WW2 being essentially a war between the good and the evil. The oft-repeated motifs have played a pivotal role in the process.A Place called Eden is my effort towards busting this myth, and also to open some leads for further reading by interested readers. Reading, in my view, has incredible therapeutic effects. PB: As a person with Jewish ancestry dotted across Germany, Austria and Poland, I say that your message is something very important to point out. We are all very aware that we don't always support the actions of our governments, but we often forget to judge the people of the past by the same standards. We are often quick to put people in boxes based on their ethnicity or nationality, but these factors often don't tell us who people really are. Where did the idea for the book come from?DB: The story was first written as a screenplay, which I submitted to an international contest. It didn’t reach the finals, although went further than I’d hoped for. The story was demanding and the research was very exhausting. Although I had other works in the pipeline, I decided to pick up this story and reshape it into a novel. And believe me, it was so difficult, it took me nearly six years to get it done!PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?DB: If you ask me of my literary achievements, I’m proud for having been able to complete writing this novel, which, at a point of time, looked like the most impossible feat to me. But if you ask me considering everything, I’m proudest of having defeated my depression-anxiety without prescription medication. I’ve since discovered in myself a deep-rooted spiritualism, and a penchant for understanding theology.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?DB: My favourite book series till date, have been quite varied. I loved Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe, and C.J. Lewis’ Narnia series. They were like the kind of thing I grew up on. I revelled in Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Enid Blyton’s Famous Five were like my childhood friends. There is this Bengali author, Shashtipada Chattopadhyay, who wrote ‘Pandav Goyenda’ series, fashioned after Blyton’s Famous Five, and it was simply marvellous. Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi was unparalleled. John Le Carre’s ‘Smiley’ series was equally brilliant. Ken Follett’s Century series is beautiful, and so is Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series. And then, I was introduced to the world of Harry Potter, which, I believe doesn’t need any further discourse about its ability to enthral readers from all age groups. There have been other awesome authors, I believe, whom I’ve read, but am forgetting to mention right now. I know it’s an injustice towards them, and my apologies for that.However, the series that has resonated with my sensibility and emotional quotient, and has maintained the place for the last ten years, is Spanish author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’ series, that has four novels and deals with the tumultuous times of Franco’s rule. The books are translated to English by Lucia Graves, famous poet Robert Graves’ daughter. I can say only this: Those who haven’t yet read the series, may want to open a new pathway to their own psyche, by stepping into his universe.PB: What are your long-term ambitions with regards to writing?DB: I might say, being very optimistic, and maybe a bit over-zealous, that I’d definitely like to give screenplay writing a try. Not having a formal creative writing background may deter my ambitions by years, but nonetheless, this setback can’t take away my ulterior desire to see my novels turned into films.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?DB: I’m pretty good at singing, painting, cooking and a lot of other things. So, maybe, I’d just be a happy homemaker with a lot of talents, who’d be a role model for her kids…PB: What’s the next target for you?DB: I’m presently working upon translating a much acclaimed Hindi novel to English. It is a work unlike any other, because the author, who’s a very dear acquaintance and a respected senior in the field, has used such great literary motifs and embellishments to his work, that it exhausts my stock of words within a few pages! Although he has given me free rein to translate it as I wish to, I’m the one who’s insisting upon doing it line by line, because I feel so happy when I read the original. The usage of such magnificent words and metaphors… How can I deprive myself of the pleasure of challenging the limits of my own comfort zone?And then, there are a few screenplays. Short stories come up every now and then, and sometimes poetry too. But my next target is to complete my second novel, which is a standalone one, and is about the gradual emergence of Kathmandu as the Drug capital of the east in the 1970s, along with an analysis of a lot of associated socio-political issues. Another dear friend, a very well-known author himself, often taunts me about my strange affliction. He says I select such difficult period based themes for my works, which demand extensive research, and might not prove to be as alluring for today’s readership. I, however believe in expressing myself for what I am, rather than think about writing custom-made books to fit today’s sensibility. I’m hopeful about those people who still read a book for its literary value, rather than as a pastime. PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.DB: I’m someone who writes from the very core of my understanding. For someone who resonates with my understanding, it might be shattering, hopeful, peaceful and maybe, even wonderful. And that’s because I write about things that I understand, and refrain from writing things I don’t.So, if you ask me for a random fact about myself, I may confess that I have this very secret desire to delve myself into the depths of darkness, so as to be able to understand the mentality of a millennial who does drugs, has casual sex, accesses the dark web for illicit stuff, hangs out with rough guys, has a thing for tattoos, and is quite insane… I know it’s a dangerous thing to consider, but I do have the confidence that I can emerge from there, back to normalcy, and this is with purely literary intentions and nothing else that I say so.Another random fact…. Well, I’ve been having weight issues for a very long time. Now, is that a fact?There's certainly a book in there somewhere! That would definitely be variety when comared with A Place Called Eden too.Thank you so much to Debasree Banerjee for allowing us to get to know more about her today. If you would like to purchase A Place Called Eden, you can do so via the links below:WebsiteGoogle BooksAmazonGoodreadsYouTubeUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 12, 2020
Author Interview - Lillian Clark
Hello all,I hope you're having a great day. Today we will be getting to know American young adult author Lillian Clark. So, let's meet her!PB: Hi Lillian! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background. 
LC: Hi! Thank you so much for having me! Well, long story short, I’ve built my life around books. From studying English in college to managing an independent bookstore for most of my twenties, to pursuing a career as an author, I’ve become a little one-note, haha.Bigger picture, I grew up in the mountain West (Wyoming, USA) and live by the Tetons now, so that’s a big part of who I am as well. I’ve worked as a lifeguard, a camp counsellor, at an ice skating, then as a bookseller, and now alongside writing fiction, I do freelance business writing as well. I love to snowboard and paint (when there’s time, which is rarely, haha), and I spend most of my time entertaining my 5 year-old kiddo!Books-wise, I’m the author of Immoral Code, a heist novel that’s “The Breakfast Club meets Ocean’s 8.” In it, five best friends conspire to steal college tuition for one of them after her estranged father’s wealth costs her funding and her dream of studying astrophysics at MIT. It’s a bit of a Robin Hood, do the wrong thing for the right reasons (plus consequences) tale.My next book, out June 9th, is Half Life. Pitched as “Black Mirror meets Becky Albertalli” it follows “over-achiever” Lucille who signs up to be the final beta tester for a secretive company aiming to sell made-to-order human clones. Of course, when Lucy, Lucille’s clone, comes home and ends up being better at Lucille’s life than Lucille is herself, things get a bit complicated.PB: I can certainly understand what's like being an author with a young child. My daughter is two. It's a rewarding challenge. Let's put it like that. Look at me digressing after just one question! What made you decide to become an author?LC: I’ve always liked writing. Even as a kid when I had no clue that I wanted to become a published author, I filled notebooks with stories and wrote (likely terrible) poetry on my family’s old desktop. Then, when I was 20, I had an idea that really stuck with me. I worked for years on that book, teaching myself to write fiction. Eventually, I signed with my agent, subbed that first book to editors, then when it didn’t sell, kept working on what would become my debut, Immoral Code.Mostly, I write because I adore stories. I love getting that inkling of an idea and building it into something full and layered and whole. Plus, this way I get to live in my imagination half the time, which isn’t so bad, haha.PB: When did you first start writing?LC: Probably when I was 9 or 10? But I didn’t start focusing on a complete idea until I was 20.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?LC: Haha, it’s terribly embarrassing. I was maybe 13 and in love with Britney Spears’ “Hit Me One More Time” music video. So I wrote some silly romance story, but the only thing I remember is including the blue convertible Mustang from the video. I wish I still had the story somewhere. It’d be a good laugh.PB: That's hilarious. I still do have my first proper story saved on a memory stick - locked away where nobody can find it! On a more serious note, when you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?LC: Almost always. I have a few ideas where I haven’t figured out the ending yet, but whenever I start seriously plotting out an idea, I figure out the beginning, ending, and general aesthetic first. That basic framework helps give me a practical starting point and narrows down the possibilities for filling in the gaps. Otherwise, it all feels too unwieldy.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?LC: Oh my gosh, I LOVE this question. Let’s see. I’d love to hang out with Reese from Immoral Code and all of my characters, really. But I’d especially love to meet Lucille from Half Life. While she’s not based on me by any means, she and I share a lot of the same insecurities and anxieties. So, I’d like to meet her, give her a hug, and tell her it’s okay to give herself a break sometimes.PB: Tell us more about Half Life.LC: Happy to! To expand on the first answer, here’s the copy:“There aren’t enough hours in the day for Lucille—perfectionist, overachiever—to do everything she has to do, and there certainly aren’t enough hours to hang out with friends, fall in love, get in trouble—all the teenage things she knows she should want to be doing instead of preparing for a flawless future. So when she sees an ad for Life2: Do more. Be more, she’s intrigued.The company is looking for beta testers to enroll in an experimental clone program, and in the aftermath of a series of disappointments, Lucille is feeling reckless enough to jump in. At first, it’s perfect: her clone, Lucy, is exactly what she needed to make her life manageable and have time for a social life. But it doesn’t take long for Lucy to become more Lucy and less Lucille, and Lucille is forced to stop looking at Lucy as a reflection and start seeing her as a window—a glimpse at someone else living her own life, but better. Lucy does what she really wants to, not what she thinks she should want to, and Lucille is left wondering how much she was even a part of the perfect life she’d constructed for herself. Lucille wanted Lucy to help her relationships with everyone else, but how can she do that without first rectifying her relationship with herself?”PB: Where did the idea come from?LC: Originally, I was inspired to write a YA retelling of the 1990s film Multiplicity. I loved the idea of taking the rapid human-cloning concept within that comedic realm and twisting it for a modern teen audience. I’m also inspired by real-life science, which is doing so much within this area right now (3D bio-printing! Digitization of the connectome!). But once I started writing the book, it became much more than that slip of an idea. I kept a bit of the humor, but started asking bigger questions about self-worth and the subjectivity or truth and memory. Once I did that, the core and purpose of the story clicked for me.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?LC: Hmmm… This is a tough one! When you start writing to hopefully publish, you think, okay, I’ll get an agent and that’ll be the big thing. Then, sell a book. Then, sell another book. Then, get a starred review or epic sales or a translation, and so on forever. The goal posts keep moving. Now, I focus smaller. Truly, my biggest achievement is writing a pair of books that I am deeply proud of and I hope will resonate with at least one reader.PB: That's a wonderful way to view things. What is your favourite book series to read and why?LC: Okay, I am notoriously terrible at picking favorites, haha. But I recently re-read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series for the third or fourth time, and I still adore those books. They’re so lush and epic and involved. Also, I will love His Dark Materials forever. Those books are the reason I fell in love with reading, and I still remember pestering my local bookseller for months waiting for The Amber Spyglass to come out.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?LC: I really want to challenge myself. I think that’s my continual goal, to always be learning and pushing my own boundaries. With Immoral Code I challenged myself to write 5 different points of view. With Half Life I asked myself what it would be like to write two versions of the same character, ones who share a life and body and memories, yet end up being very different people. Next up, I want to try writing something in a different voice and maybe for an adult audience. I really just love that with writing, there’s always something new to learn and try.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?LC: Haha, I have no clue. I’ve asked myself this a lot, and I’m really not sure. I like to think I’ll always be writing no matter what happens with the publishing side. But maybe teaching? Every so often I think about going back to college and getting a graduate degree to teach at the college level. That, and I’d love to open my own bookstore someday.PB: What’s the next target for you?LC: Selling another book! Publishing is pretty up and down, and there are no guarantees, so right now I’m working to fall in love with a new idea that will hopefully end up on shelves someday.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.LC: Hmm… I love horses. I started riding when I was six, taking lessons with my neighbour who was a true cowboy (grew up in a sod house and all). Then when I was a bit older, I adopted an old, retired barrel-racing horse named Dexter. He’d been sold many times over his life because, while very fast, he had terrible stage fright. But he found a lovely retirement home with me and his best bud, a three-legged rescue kitten.Thank you so much to Lillian Clark for speaking to us today. If you'd like to try her books, you can do so here:WebsiteUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
LC: Hi! Thank you so much for having me! Well, long story short, I’ve built my life around books. From studying English in college to managing an independent bookstore for most of my twenties, to pursuing a career as an author, I’ve become a little one-note, haha.Bigger picture, I grew up in the mountain West (Wyoming, USA) and live by the Tetons now, so that’s a big part of who I am as well. I’ve worked as a lifeguard, a camp counsellor, at an ice skating, then as a bookseller, and now alongside writing fiction, I do freelance business writing as well. I love to snowboard and paint (when there’s time, which is rarely, haha), and I spend most of my time entertaining my 5 year-old kiddo!Books-wise, I’m the author of Immoral Code, a heist novel that’s “The Breakfast Club meets Ocean’s 8.” In it, five best friends conspire to steal college tuition for one of them after her estranged father’s wealth costs her funding and her dream of studying astrophysics at MIT. It’s a bit of a Robin Hood, do the wrong thing for the right reasons (plus consequences) tale.My next book, out June 9th, is Half Life. Pitched as “Black Mirror meets Becky Albertalli” it follows “over-achiever” Lucille who signs up to be the final beta tester for a secretive company aiming to sell made-to-order human clones. Of course, when Lucy, Lucille’s clone, comes home and ends up being better at Lucille’s life than Lucille is herself, things get a bit complicated.PB: I can certainly understand what's like being an author with a young child. My daughter is two. It's a rewarding challenge. Let's put it like that. Look at me digressing after just one question! What made you decide to become an author?LC: I’ve always liked writing. Even as a kid when I had no clue that I wanted to become a published author, I filled notebooks with stories and wrote (likely terrible) poetry on my family’s old desktop. Then, when I was 20, I had an idea that really stuck with me. I worked for years on that book, teaching myself to write fiction. Eventually, I signed with my agent, subbed that first book to editors, then when it didn’t sell, kept working on what would become my debut, Immoral Code.Mostly, I write because I adore stories. I love getting that inkling of an idea and building it into something full and layered and whole. Plus, this way I get to live in my imagination half the time, which isn’t so bad, haha.PB: When did you first start writing?LC: Probably when I was 9 or 10? But I didn’t start focusing on a complete idea until I was 20.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?LC: Haha, it’s terribly embarrassing. I was maybe 13 and in love with Britney Spears’ “Hit Me One More Time” music video. So I wrote some silly romance story, but the only thing I remember is including the blue convertible Mustang from the video. I wish I still had the story somewhere. It’d be a good laugh.PB: That's hilarious. I still do have my first proper story saved on a memory stick - locked away where nobody can find it! On a more serious note, when you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?LC: Almost always. I have a few ideas where I haven’t figured out the ending yet, but whenever I start seriously plotting out an idea, I figure out the beginning, ending, and general aesthetic first. That basic framework helps give me a practical starting point and narrows down the possibilities for filling in the gaps. Otherwise, it all feels too unwieldy.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?LC: Oh my gosh, I LOVE this question. Let’s see. I’d love to hang out with Reese from Immoral Code and all of my characters, really. But I’d especially love to meet Lucille from Half Life. While she’s not based on me by any means, she and I share a lot of the same insecurities and anxieties. So, I’d like to meet her, give her a hug, and tell her it’s okay to give herself a break sometimes.PB: Tell us more about Half Life.LC: Happy to! To expand on the first answer, here’s the copy:“There aren’t enough hours in the day for Lucille—perfectionist, overachiever—to do everything she has to do, and there certainly aren’t enough hours to hang out with friends, fall in love, get in trouble—all the teenage things she knows she should want to be doing instead of preparing for a flawless future. So when she sees an ad for Life2: Do more. Be more, she’s intrigued.The company is looking for beta testers to enroll in an experimental clone program, and in the aftermath of a series of disappointments, Lucille is feeling reckless enough to jump in. At first, it’s perfect: her clone, Lucy, is exactly what she needed to make her life manageable and have time for a social life. But it doesn’t take long for Lucy to become more Lucy and less Lucille, and Lucille is forced to stop looking at Lucy as a reflection and start seeing her as a window—a glimpse at someone else living her own life, but better. Lucy does what she really wants to, not what she thinks she should want to, and Lucille is left wondering how much she was even a part of the perfect life she’d constructed for herself. Lucille wanted Lucy to help her relationships with everyone else, but how can she do that without first rectifying her relationship with herself?”PB: Where did the idea come from?LC: Originally, I was inspired to write a YA retelling of the 1990s film Multiplicity. I loved the idea of taking the rapid human-cloning concept within that comedic realm and twisting it for a modern teen audience. I’m also inspired by real-life science, which is doing so much within this area right now (3D bio-printing! Digitization of the connectome!). But once I started writing the book, it became much more than that slip of an idea. I kept a bit of the humor, but started asking bigger questions about self-worth and the subjectivity or truth and memory. Once I did that, the core and purpose of the story clicked for me.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?LC: Hmmm… This is a tough one! When you start writing to hopefully publish, you think, okay, I’ll get an agent and that’ll be the big thing. Then, sell a book. Then, sell another book. Then, get a starred review or epic sales or a translation, and so on forever. The goal posts keep moving. Now, I focus smaller. Truly, my biggest achievement is writing a pair of books that I am deeply proud of and I hope will resonate with at least one reader.PB: That's a wonderful way to view things. What is your favourite book series to read and why?LC: Okay, I am notoriously terrible at picking favorites, haha. But I recently re-read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series for the third or fourth time, and I still adore those books. They’re so lush and epic and involved. Also, I will love His Dark Materials forever. Those books are the reason I fell in love with reading, and I still remember pestering my local bookseller for months waiting for The Amber Spyglass to come out.PB: What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?LC: I really want to challenge myself. I think that’s my continual goal, to always be learning and pushing my own boundaries. With Immoral Code I challenged myself to write 5 different points of view. With Half Life I asked myself what it would be like to write two versions of the same character, ones who share a life and body and memories, yet end up being very different people. Next up, I want to try writing something in a different voice and maybe for an adult audience. I really just love that with writing, there’s always something new to learn and try.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?LC: Haha, I have no clue. I’ve asked myself this a lot, and I’m really not sure. I like to think I’ll always be writing no matter what happens with the publishing side. But maybe teaching? Every so often I think about going back to college and getting a graduate degree to teach at the college level. That, and I’d love to open my own bookstore someday.PB: What’s the next target for you?LC: Selling another book! Publishing is pretty up and down, and there are no guarantees, so right now I’m working to fall in love with a new idea that will hopefully end up on shelves someday.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.LC: Hmm… I love horses. I started riding when I was six, taking lessons with my neighbour who was a true cowboy (grew up in a sod house and all). Then when I was a bit older, I adopted an old, retired barrel-racing horse named Dexter. He’d been sold many times over his life because, while very fast, he had terrible stage fright. But he found a lovely retirement home with me and his best bud, a three-legged rescue kitten.Thank you so much to Lillian Clark for speaking to us today. If you'd like to try her books, you can do so here:WebsiteUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 9, 2020
Author Interview - Therese Caruana
Hello everyone,We're back with another fantasy-themed interview, and today our guest is Swedish author Therese Caruana.
PB: Hi! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.TC: I grew up in a suburb area in Sweden, my childhood was spent playing with twigs and pine cones. It wasn’t until I spent a year as an exchange student to earn my double bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands that I first found my interest for big adventures. Now live in Gibraltar, having earned an MBA and also being a member of the ACCA.This has made me into a person who likes doing too much rather than too little. Apart from consuming too much coffee and chocolate I enjoy writing complex stories with a vivid imagination, manifesting in new worlds and versatile characters. Having always been a free spirit at heart, my dream has always been to write fantasy novels in which to escape into. Your life is your dream -if you can dream it, you can live it- is my motto and when I die I expect I will have lived a thousand lives through books I have read or written myself.PB: What made you decide to become an author?TC: My debut book, Symmetry, started out as a diary not meant for publication. I knew I loved writing and making up stories but never had the self-confidence to even venture the thought of becoming a professional author. When self-publishing books took off in 2010 I started to consider that I too could try it out – as a hobby of course… I started to adjust my diary, which contained my teenage thoughts about the ‘purpose of life’ into a story, but soon realized the entire work would need to start from a blank sheet. The story still debates what in life is happiness, what is important and what are simply material possessions or desires, but subtly woven into a quest adventure where The Creator of Mass battles the ideology out with The Creator of Souls’ grandson.
PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?TC: The first story was about Rebecca…hmmm…can’t remember much about it except that it started with a scene where she walked into a sauna which had the thermostat on its outside and that someone barriered the door and turned the heat up for her to die. The attempted murder turns into an investigation and adventure. This was for an assignment in school which was supposed to be about ten pages long and turned out to be about forty-four pages long. These were the days we had compact disk storage to save the work on and I have tried to find it, but I think the story is long gone. It would have been interesting to have found it and read it now.PB: When you begin writing a new novel, do you always know the ending?TC: Oh dear, yes. I started to plot my next big series in January 2019. I use a black notepad for each of my plot planners and the one for this particular project is absolutely full to the point I’m finding it hard to find a blank page to write on. I plan out everything from fashion and festivals, cultures and cruelties, hobbies and hardship to twists and turns. I have recorded a vlog with my progress as I go along and plan to publish it to my YouTube channel when I’m finished. I hope this will make for interesting material.PB: Tell us about your recent work.TC: Okay, so in between finishing my heptology The Eternal Quest Breaker Series and before starting my new big series I’m actually co-writing a book with my mother. She woke up one morning and as she called me over Skype she told me that she dreamt an entire story for a book during the night. I said, “Go for it!” So, she wrote it down on Trello in Swedish and I’m translating and adding a few bits here and there as well as discusses the plot to make it more detailed. It has been a great team effort and I get to spend some quality time with my mother. This will be a Sword and Sorcery Fantasy which I will be looking forward to publish during or just after the summer.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?TC: Oooh, this is a difficult question. I have a few unique people in my crew. If I could get Hakon (In the Eternal Quest Breaker Series) to talk, I would probably want to see him and ask him about the future. He normally doesn’t speak about the future to anyone due to the risk of any action and reaction, but if he would tell me his secrets, I would absolutely want to meet him. He knows exactly what has been schemed by the Creator of Mass and The Creator of Souls and how it all will end.PB: Where did the idea for the Eternal Quest Breaker series come from?TC: The idea for the Eternal Quest Breaker Books came from my deep thoughts when considering the meaning of life and what happens to a soul when you die. If it were the case that it was all a circle of life how would it be explained? This is what I’ve tried to do in a fantasy quest adventure. The characters go though stages which could appear simply as only entertaining on the face of it, but it all has a symbolic message whereby you follow the journey of a soul’s importance. The debate about the human perception of souls and mass can go as deep as you want…or you can just sit back and enjoy an adventure – it’s up to you.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?TC: The fact that I keep learning new things is a great accomplishment. When I first started out in 2014 I had neither literary qualifications nor media or marketing knowledge. I am constantly observing what other authors do, what software they use and how they promote their books. I have now managed to publish eleven books with at least two more coming this year. I’m satisfied with how my newsletter mailing list has grown and I have established a good relationship with my editor Sally Dixon (https://dixons2000.wixsite.com/writeaid). I would also say that I will let out a big sigh of relief when my Eternal Quest Breaker Series has published its seventh book (Book 6 coming next month-ish).PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?TC: I mostly like reading Paranormal Romance or Epic Fantasy and have read two fantastic books of late; Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind and The Mute Prince by P.E. YoungLibby. I suppose it is biased to mention Vengeance of Hope and the King of the Republic by P.J. Berman, but they were genuinely great books too.PB: Thank you very much for the endorsement! It's much appriciated. What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?TC: I hope I will be able to keep up my writing as a hobby. I think I need both aspects in my life as work provides social stimulation in a small place such as the Rock of Gibraltar. If I would win awards and be able to publish many more books that would be a personal target. I definitely want to have completed the Eternal Quest Breaker Series, and who knows, maybe I will write two more books in the Arakzeon City Series as well. Then I hope, of course, that my daughter will have inherited my love for creating and continues with her book series, Penelope. Perhaps her drawings will become more elaborate than the current six-year-old doodles.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?TC: I am a qualified accountant with an international MBA and hence I will be working in the finance sector whether or not I write books. I enjoy all aspects of life and I find that the life outside being an author adds to the inspiration and depths of the stories. To be out in the world and keeping up with what is going on keeps your story fresh and relevant.PB: What’s the next target for you?TC: As mentioned, I have been outlining a massive epic fantasy series all of 2019 and will continue with world building and character building in 2020 too. I hope to be able to start writing the trilogy around Christmas time 2020. By that point, I hope to have completed Eternal Soul (The 7th book in the Eternal Quest Breaker Series), the book I’m writing with my mother and also a Christmas book in the Penelope Series.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.TC: For a few years Toblerone has been my favourite chocolate, but it is now threatened by Lindt Lindor and their smooth texture that melts in your mouth.Well I certainly can't wait to see how this next epic fantasy series turns out! Thank you so much to Therese Caruana for taking the time to talk to us today. If you would like to sample her work, you can do so via the links below.YouTubeGoodreadsWebsiteAmazonTwitterUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
PB: Hi! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.TC: I grew up in a suburb area in Sweden, my childhood was spent playing with twigs and pine cones. It wasn’t until I spent a year as an exchange student to earn my double bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands that I first found my interest for big adventures. Now live in Gibraltar, having earned an MBA and also being a member of the ACCA.This has made me into a person who likes doing too much rather than too little. Apart from consuming too much coffee and chocolate I enjoy writing complex stories with a vivid imagination, manifesting in new worlds and versatile characters. Having always been a free spirit at heart, my dream has always been to write fantasy novels in which to escape into. Your life is your dream -if you can dream it, you can live it- is my motto and when I die I expect I will have lived a thousand lives through books I have read or written myself.PB: What made you decide to become an author?TC: My debut book, Symmetry, started out as a diary not meant for publication. I knew I loved writing and making up stories but never had the self-confidence to even venture the thought of becoming a professional author. When self-publishing books took off in 2010 I started to consider that I too could try it out – as a hobby of course… I started to adjust my diary, which contained my teenage thoughts about the ‘purpose of life’ into a story, but soon realized the entire work would need to start from a blank sheet. The story still debates what in life is happiness, what is important and what are simply material possessions or desires, but subtly woven into a quest adventure where The Creator of Mass battles the ideology out with The Creator of Souls’ grandson.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?TC: The first story was about Rebecca…hmmm…can’t remember much about it except that it started with a scene where she walked into a sauna which had the thermostat on its outside and that someone barriered the door and turned the heat up for her to die. The attempted murder turns into an investigation and adventure. This was for an assignment in school which was supposed to be about ten pages long and turned out to be about forty-four pages long. These were the days we had compact disk storage to save the work on and I have tried to find it, but I think the story is long gone. It would have been interesting to have found it and read it now.PB: When you begin writing a new novel, do you always know the ending?TC: Oh dear, yes. I started to plot my next big series in January 2019. I use a black notepad for each of my plot planners and the one for this particular project is absolutely full to the point I’m finding it hard to find a blank page to write on. I plan out everything from fashion and festivals, cultures and cruelties, hobbies and hardship to twists and turns. I have recorded a vlog with my progress as I go along and plan to publish it to my YouTube channel when I’m finished. I hope this will make for interesting material.PB: Tell us about your recent work.TC: Okay, so in between finishing my heptology The Eternal Quest Breaker Series and before starting my new big series I’m actually co-writing a book with my mother. She woke up one morning and as she called me over Skype she told me that she dreamt an entire story for a book during the night. I said, “Go for it!” So, she wrote it down on Trello in Swedish and I’m translating and adding a few bits here and there as well as discusses the plot to make it more detailed. It has been a great team effort and I get to spend some quality time with my mother. This will be a Sword and Sorcery Fantasy which I will be looking forward to publish during or just after the summer.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?TC: Oooh, this is a difficult question. I have a few unique people in my crew. If I could get Hakon (In the Eternal Quest Breaker Series) to talk, I would probably want to see him and ask him about the future. He normally doesn’t speak about the future to anyone due to the risk of any action and reaction, but if he would tell me his secrets, I would absolutely want to meet him. He knows exactly what has been schemed by the Creator of Mass and The Creator of Souls and how it all will end.PB: Where did the idea for the Eternal Quest Breaker series come from?TC: The idea for the Eternal Quest Breaker Books came from my deep thoughts when considering the meaning of life and what happens to a soul when you die. If it were the case that it was all a circle of life how would it be explained? This is what I’ve tried to do in a fantasy quest adventure. The characters go though stages which could appear simply as only entertaining on the face of it, but it all has a symbolic message whereby you follow the journey of a soul’s importance. The debate about the human perception of souls and mass can go as deep as you want…or you can just sit back and enjoy an adventure – it’s up to you.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?TC: The fact that I keep learning new things is a great accomplishment. When I first started out in 2014 I had neither literary qualifications nor media or marketing knowledge. I am constantly observing what other authors do, what software they use and how they promote their books. I have now managed to publish eleven books with at least two more coming this year. I’m satisfied with how my newsletter mailing list has grown and I have established a good relationship with my editor Sally Dixon (https://dixons2000.wixsite.com/writeaid). I would also say that I will let out a big sigh of relief when my Eternal Quest Breaker Series has published its seventh book (Book 6 coming next month-ish).PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?TC: I mostly like reading Paranormal Romance or Epic Fantasy and have read two fantastic books of late; Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind and The Mute Prince by P.E. YoungLibby. I suppose it is biased to mention Vengeance of Hope and the King of the Republic by P.J. Berman, but they were genuinely great books too.PB: Thank you very much for the endorsement! It's much appriciated. What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?TC: I hope I will be able to keep up my writing as a hobby. I think I need both aspects in my life as work provides social stimulation in a small place such as the Rock of Gibraltar. If I would win awards and be able to publish many more books that would be a personal target. I definitely want to have completed the Eternal Quest Breaker Series, and who knows, maybe I will write two more books in the Arakzeon City Series as well. Then I hope, of course, that my daughter will have inherited my love for creating and continues with her book series, Penelope. Perhaps her drawings will become more elaborate than the current six-year-old doodles.PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?TC: I am a qualified accountant with an international MBA and hence I will be working in the finance sector whether or not I write books. I enjoy all aspects of life and I find that the life outside being an author adds to the inspiration and depths of the stories. To be out in the world and keeping up with what is going on keeps your story fresh and relevant.PB: What’s the next target for you?TC: As mentioned, I have been outlining a massive epic fantasy series all of 2019 and will continue with world building and character building in 2020 too. I hope to be able to start writing the trilogy around Christmas time 2020. By that point, I hope to have completed Eternal Soul (The 7th book in the Eternal Quest Breaker Series), the book I’m writing with my mother and also a Christmas book in the Penelope Series.PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.TC: For a few years Toblerone has been my favourite chocolate, but it is now threatened by Lindt Lindor and their smooth texture that melts in your mouth.Well I certainly can't wait to see how this next epic fantasy series turns out! Thank you so much to Therese Caruana for taking the time to talk to us today. If you would like to sample her work, you can do so via the links below.YouTubeGoodreadsWebsiteAmazonTwitterUntil next time, happy reading!Peter
July 5, 2020
Author Interview - Darren Gallagher
Hello all!It's interview day again, and today, by special request of one of my wonderful readers, we are talking to Irish horror author Darren Gallagher.PB: Hi Darren! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.DG: Hi Peter, and thank you for having me. I am a horror author of three books, two collections, “Strings” & “Abyss”, and a novella, “Love’s Curse”. I also have a short story, “The Cucumber Man” available on Kindle Short Reads.The path to becoming an Author wasn’t a straight forward one for me. I left school at 14 and when the time came that I decided to write, I had to relearn all the dos and don’ts of English, grammar all everything else.PB: What made you decide to become an author?DG: I think it was always just a part of me. I have an over-active imagination and I’m always creating different scenarios in my head. Writing them down was the next logical step.PB: When did you first start writing?DG: I’m not sure. I always wrote stuff as a kid, and I remember writing a few stories when I was a teenager. But it was only in my early twenties that I started to take writing seriously. It has been a fun journey since then.PB: What was the first story that you can remember writing?DG: The first story I remember writing was for a homework assignment in 4th class at National School. I can’t remember what prompt the teacher gave me but I remember writing a story about aliens landing in the park behind my home. My teacher loved it and gave me such praise for it. Unfortunately I have no idea where that story went.PB: When you begin writing a new story, do you always know the ending?DG: Not always, no. Sometimes I have a good idea of how it is going to end up, and then there are times where a story will take on a different direction of its own.PB: If you could meet any of your characters, who would you meet, and what would you say to them?DG: My character Kenunes in Flight of a Deadman, a short story in Strings. He is a magical being thousands of years old that has enormous wings on his back, which he easily can conceal. He has such a history that I would ask him to tell me about it.PB: Where did the idea for come from?DG: Before Strings came about, I had been getting a lot of short stories accepted for publication in anthologies. Then there came a call for submissions or either a novel or short story collection from one of the publishers. At the time I had enough stories written to fill a book so I put them all together and I ended up with Strings. The name Strings itself was an idea that I liked how everything was connected and if anything were to happen to one of the strings then anything was possible.PB: Tell us about your recent book, The Cucumber Man.DG: The Cucumber Man actually came to life in a group read on Instagram. We were all talking and having a little fun and one of the guys said, “Be careful or Darren will kill you in one of his books”. That was it, the story came to life there and then and I had fun writing it. Something short and full of dark humour for my Instagram friends.PB: Of all your achievements, which are you most proud of?DG: Finally getting Strings published. Not only was it my first book published, I also had a lot of hassle with the first publisher that accepted it. They disappeared not long after I signed the contract and wouldn’t respond to any emails I sent. So it was with great relief and delight the day I finally got a copy of the book in my hands.PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?DG: I have quite a few actually. The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower, The Broken Empire… and the list goes on. All of these books shaped me to be who I am as a person, and as a writer.What are your long term ambitions with regards to writing?I love writing as much as I love reading, and I love others reading what I have wrote. To see some of things people have said about my work is truly inspirational and I would love to keep creating more books and stories for people to enjoy.If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?I honestly have to idea. I think since the idea of being a writer has entered my mind, it has never let me consider any other alternative.What’s the next target for you?My next target is to finish my current book, “The Children are Laughing Again”. After that I would like to get back and finish my incomplete fantasy novel “The Father of Hounds”. Hopefully I will have both finished by the end of the year.Tell us a random fact about yourself.I used to be able to hold a handstand for one minute without support, now I’d be lucky if I could hold for five seconds… Time to start doing them again...:)
