Pen Name: Athena Lynn
Pronouns: she/her
Book Series/Latest Book Published: Strangers in the Stars 

Introduce your current favorite character – who are they and why do you prefer them above all others at the moment?

The main character from Strangers in the Stars, Cole. My wife likes to joke that all of my main characters are just me, but Cole is probably the most direct example of this. She and I share a lot of insecurities, she has a challenging relationship with her family that mirrors my own pretty directly, and I’ve been thinking of her story since I was still in high school – She’s been with me for a very long time, as a result.

Who is harder to write – an interesting hero or an interesting villain? 

I don’t know that I find either harder to write, per se. At the end of the day, almost everyone thinks they’re right – regardless of whether they’d fall into the hero or villain category. Exploring what makes that character think they’re correct is always, to me, interesting, as is challenging their beliefs.

You’re trapped in an elevator with your main character. What are you discussing?

Cole and I are most likely talking about our biological families: shitty fathers, enabling mothers, distant siblings, the works. I would probably ask her what it’s like to have the powers she does and another person riding around in her mind with her, outside of what I imagine it to be like.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you? How do you conquer it?

Moderation! I’ll get an idea in my head and then go – and I’ll write like 8,000 words a day for a week straight and, regardless of how much my hands hurt, I’ll keep writing until the motivation has left me. 

If you could write a cross-over with another book/series, what would it be and why? (Or, if cross-overs don’t interest you, why?)

Several of my friends are very talented writers with deeply interesting stories to tell! Fae’Rynn released Sundered Moon in February and has plans for the future, and I would love to work with her at some point!

In your opinion, what is the purpose of storytelling?

I would hesitate to say that there is any kind of purpose to creativity, to storytelling. To the extent that creativity requires a reason, though, storytelling is all about communicating ideas and meanings to others where only speaking might otherwise fail you. I often struggle to get my meaning across in conversation with someone else, but through writing and a good story, I find I can communicate much more clearly.

Ok, last but not least… Tell us a bit about what made you want to become a writer and why you write what you write.

I became a writer because I loved reading as a child, because fiction was always kinder to me than the real world. Especially when I was young, I was almost routinely denied a sense of community and connection with other people. As a result, I often write about people who don’t think they deserve any kind of connection and find it anyway, learning about self-worth and growing to accept that they’re as deserving of love as anyone else. 

Where to find Athena:

Website: Athena Lynn Writes Books via Patreon​
Twitter: @Stargayzer1998

It’s raining here in the Washington, DC area and I have the day off of work, so I’m taking a bit of time to do some reflection. 
 
My mental health has been absolute trash for the past few months. After almost a year of thinking I could go it alone, I had a bit of a breakdown last week. I don’t feel comfortable sharing the details of my brain overwhelm, but I am back in therapy. 
 
It was very, very difficult for me to reach out and ask for help. But I did it. An important victory made through many tears. 
 
I have, however, created a writing schedule for this month that I think will be manageable. I want to get a few more chapters of Book Three down before the hecticness of the holiday season arrives. 
 
So, look for more 7 Questions from The Serrulata Saga Desk interviews here during the coming weeks. I have a lot of great guests lined up and I think you’re really going to enjoy each and every one. 
 
Thanks to all of you for your continued support. Your messages and book reviews mean the world to me. 
 
See you around!
 
Bennett’s Indie Book Reviews – September Wrap-Up
 
…with links to my Goodreads reviews:
 
The Royal Curse (Twilight Mages #1) – Eliot Grayson
The Masked Minotaur – Chace Verity
When Your Heart is a Broken Thing – Helen Whistberry

Thought I'd do something a bit fun for Bisexual Visibility Month. Meet the rogue of The Serrulata Saga...

Full name: Roland Shallowbrook (he/him)
 
Age: 25
 
Occupation: thief; a traveler on the Thieves’ Road 
 
Hometown: Charm City
 
Likes: good tavern ale, warm beds (preferably occupied with a willing partner), coin 
 
Dislikes: the coppers, the White Riders, authority in general 
 
Tagline: “Always watch where you’re going before jumping out of a window.” 
 
Featured in: Gathering of the Four, Test of the Four, Book Three of The Serrulata Saga (in the works!)
 
Art by CrossRoadArt

Pen Name: Jaimie N. Schock
Pronouns: she/her
Book Series/Latest Book Published: The Wasteland Kings

Introduce your current favorite character – who are they and why do you prefer them
above all others at the moment?

My favorite character is Dakota Crossley from my first book The Pyre Starter. He has clinical
depression because I was dealing with mental health issues at the time. I relate to him the most
because of that, and writing him helped me work through some of my issues. He’s also very
protective of the people around him, which I relate to.

Who is harder to write – an interesting hero or an interesting villain?

Definitely an interesting villain. I often feature other kinds of conflict so that a villain isn’t as
necessary. When I do write one, I find it difficult to write them as rounded and interesting,
mainly because I never write from their point of view. It’s difficult to make them interesting
without spending a lot of time with them.

You’re trapped in an elevator with your main character. What are you discussing?

I chose Bast from The Wasteland Kings for this answer. I imagine we would discuss life in the
wastelands and how to survive it. OR, he might gush about his love interest, which would
depend on what part of the story he’s experiencing.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you? How do you conquer it?

The most challenging aspect for me is bringing happier moments into otherwise dark or
devastating storylines. I have to remember that the reader needs relief now and then from all the
doom and gloom. I usually use romance or found family moments to provide that relief, but
ideally, I should do it more and perhaps even include comedy where possible.

If you could write a cross-over with another book/series, what would it be and why? (Or,
if cross-overs don’t interest you, why?)

I don’t have a book or series in mind, but I would love to write something with Neil Gaiman. I’m
a fan of his graphic novels in the Hellblazer series, and I think working on a new project with
him along those lines would be wonderful. To be honest, I would be willing to write whatever he
wanted, so long as I get to work with him.

In your opinion, what is the purpose of storytelling?

I think there are multiple purposes to storytelling. For me personally, it is to share the stories that
develop in my head in a way that people may find compelling, interesting, or entertaining. For
readers, I think finding themselves in stories is very important, which is why representation of
marginalized groups is so essential. If I can write a book that people relate to, that gives them
hope or even just distracts them from life’s problems, then I have fulfilled one of the main
purposes of storytelling.

Ok, last but not least… Tell us a bit about what made you want to become a writer and
why you write what you write.

I started as a print journalist two decades ago. I wanted to spread information to the public and
get people thinking. In 2013, I could no longer be a journalist due to health issues, but I could not
sit still, and the idea of no longer writing made me upset. I sat around thinking, and eventually a
story began to form. It ended up being a seven-book series called The Talisman War (of which
The Pyre Starter is the first book).

I always had an affinity for fiction writing and even dabbled in fanfiction before I started my
series. The positive comments I got on fan workes encouraged me to write my own stories. I
write LGBTQIA+ and disabled characters because I can relate to them, and I am like them. I also
hope that others can find common ground with my characters the way I do.

Where to find Jaimie:
Website: https://www.jaimieschock.com
Facebook: @JaimieNSchock
Twitter: @Heroes_Get_Made
Instagram: @heroesgetmade

The Labor Day holiday has come and passed here in the States, which means it is unofficially autumn now. (It was even a bit chilly when I went out to walk my dog this morning! Unusual, but not unheard of here in the DC area.)
 
I was able to get a chapter and a half done over the long weekend. I’m now fully mentally back into author mode, and I can’t type fast enough. Book Three is going to be a wild ride!
 
I didn’t get as much reading done in August as I would have liked, but I was able to bid a fabulous farewell to this summer. 
 
Now to look forward to the release of Hollow Cry! The next installment of The Serrulata Saga is out September 25. There’s still time to pre-order: (Amazon) or (Other Vendors).
 
Also – don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter if you haven’t already. September’s is coming very soon!
 
Bennett’s Indie Book Reviews – August Wrap-Up
 
…with links to my Goodreads reviews:
 
Reality Check (Weight of the World, #1) – Dave McCreery
Comfort – Chace Verity

Pen Name: Siggy Chambers
Pronouns: she/they
Book Series/Latest Book Published: The Binding of Bloom Mountain

Introduce your current favorite character – who are they and why do you prefer them above all others at the moment?

My favorite character for the last year has been Jett Valla. He is one of the two main characters of my forthcoming sci-fi horror book, Metropolis Down. He is the Head of Security for the QSR Neo-Tokyo, the ship that is the main setting for the book. He’s pretty, dangerous, emotional, and goes through a lot in the book.

I guess I prefer him for two reasons: he fits into my favorite character archetype (the small, angry, dangerous one) and his mental health issues mimic mine. He and I are both autistic, have adhd, and major depressive disorder.   

Who is harder to write – an interesting hero or an interesting villain?

I think an interesting Hero is a harder character to write. There are a lot of ways to make an interesting villain (backstory, choices, corruption, revenge, etc.). I think the variety of backstories and character arcs is smaller with heroes, at least in many books. You get the religious ones, the ones out to avenge their family/lover/child, the ones who just want adventure.    

You’re trapped in an elevator with your main character. What are you discussing?

Eddie Stone (the second mc of Metropolis Down) is most even-tempered of my main characters. I think it could get to the conversation stage, but he would keep asking me “why?” Beyond that, I think we would talk about video games. He always plays games in the AUs that I write for him and Jett.   

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you? How do you conquer it?  

I think the most challenging aspect is finishing a story. You go through so many emotions while writing that can make it easy to put down and then move on to a new idea. Staying focused and finishing and seeing the worth in writing is hard for me.

I don’t know that I conquer it, but I have a lot of friends who are very sweet and hype me up when I am down. I wouldn’t be here without them.   

If you could write a cross-over with another book/series, what would it be and why? (Or, if cross-overs don’t interest you, why?)

I have several cross-over ideas with my closest writing friends and out books, but most of those are not published yet.

I would love to see Jett in the same room as Dorian from Gabriel Hargrave’s The Orchid & the Lion, Eddie with Castor from Olive J Kelley’s Junker Seven, and Celeste (from The Binding of Bloom Mountain) with Calysto from Juniper Lake Fitzgerald’s The Modern Mythos Anomaly. Jett and Dorian would either get on really well or fight like cats. Eddie and Castor would be able to just body-double as long as necessary. Celeste and Calysto are both absolute disasters and I think they’d get drunk and just complain about stuff together.   

In your opinion, what is the purpose of storytelling?

This is a bit philosophical for me. *insert thinking emoji*

Storytelling is about sharing experiences through a medium that doesn’t put the reader in danger. It’s a way to learn to cope with trauma, or life changes, or joys that doesn’t necessarily physically impact the reader.  

Ok, last but not least… Tell us a bit about what made you want to become a writer and why you write what you write.

I’ve written ever since I was a kid. Reading and writing were comforts to me and easier ways of expressing myself when I was too little to understand that I wasn’t going to communicate normally. And then as I grew up I found that I had so many stories in my brain, I just kept writing.

I write to continue expressing myself, and for exploring myself and the world around me. I also write because I want to help other people like me (depressed, autistic, adhder, etc) see themselves in media, and not have it be a stereotypical portrayal.    

Here's where to find Siggy:
Website: www.siggychambers.com
Instagram: @vesperdoom

Are you an indie author who wants to be featured on 7 Questions? Send me an email!

I am very happy to report that my plans did not get derailed last week, as they have been for much of this past year, and I was able to carve some time out for my books.

Bonus: it looks like I’ll be able to do the same this week, too!
 
I am in the final, final read-through phase. Hollow Cry has been formatted and is (mostly) ready for its debut next month. It’s been a long time since I sat with this work and it seems that I’m catching more typos and small mistakes than I did with earlier books. 
 
(Long-time Serrulata Squad members know I feel I rushed both Gathering of the Four and Test of the Four out the door. Hopefully, that won’t happen ever again; I’m still working on learning to be patient with myself.) 
 
I think it also helps that this is the shortest book I’ve ever put out. (It comes in at a little more than 37,000 words.) Do I plan to write shorter books in the future? Perhaps! This part of the story was supposed to be included in Test of the Four, but one of my amazing beta readers suggested I try and work on it as a stand-alone. Book Three is still going to be a chonker—there’s no getting around that—but my brain is also tossing around the idea of another romance, and I’m increasingly liking the idea of creating quicker reads, so we’ll see. 
 
But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. My goal is to completely finish Hollow Cry this week. And then the work on Book Three really begins. 
 
It’s really fantastic to relish in that final read-through feeling. I’m very excited for this one! I think y’all will love it!

​Well, hello there! I’m back!
 
This summer has been a whirlwind, and I’m hoping that August will be much quieter. My writing goals this month involve, well, getting back to getting the words down.
 
Way, way back at the beginning of the year, I attempted to start the third book in my Serrulata Saga. Life kept getting in the way, however, and now months have passed and I’ve only written half a chapter. I just wasn’t in a place mentally where I could concentrate on my characters enough to get any meaningful words to go. I would start. Then stop. Then start again. Then I just gave up. I had to sort other things first if I wanted to get back in author mode. 
 
This isn’t the first time this has happened. I once stopped writing for seven whole years before committing to getting Gathering of the Four to a place where an editor would be able to give me meaningful advice. I was a different person then in a different place in time, and now I have much more of a community and sense of purpose regarding my writing to take that long of a break, but I will admit I was nervous as the weeks went by. Writing has become part of my identity, and I was scared that I was losing part of myself again. 
 
Luckily I don’t think that is the case anymore. I have carved out time to get things going again. Oh, and I’ve reserved a slot with one of my editors. Money is a motivator for me, what can I say? Now that I feel like I have an actual deadline, my confidence is much higher. 
 
This month is going to be all about balance for me. My home is in order, I have started a new exercise regimen, and my calendar isn’t overwhelming me for the first time in a very long time. I am excited to see where I’ll be as summer comes to a close.  
 
Thanks for sticking with me, y’all! 

See y'all in August!

Pen Name: Maxime Jaz
Pronouns: he/they
Book Series/Latest Book Published: My book series is Omnia Vincit Amor, a dark, queer steamy romance set in Ancient Rome. My latest release is His Lordship’s Coachman, a gay romance set in 19th century England. 

Introduce your current favorite character – who are they and why do you prefer them above all others at the moment? 

This is a very tough one… I have so many great characters whom I love. I have a soft spot for Doug, my MC in Fall, my first published novel. Doug’s a poor trapeze artist with a heart of gold, a genuine family guy with a love of books and horses, and despite his hard life, he always keeps going. The one who lives rent free in my heart is Kyle, my slave MC from Omnia Vincit Amor. Despite unimaginable trauma, pain and loss, Kyle’s kind heart shines throughout the story and balances out Marius’ darkness and deep seated traumas. He is also one I loved to write… and so many more. How to choose? I can’t.

Who is harder to write – an interesting hero or an interesting villain? 

My characters tend to be grey, there’s no well-defined hero or villain, even if the “villains” tend to be more just scumbag humans. I write my characters as they appear to me  with their own personalities, and they do shift often between “good” and “bad,” and are sometimes downright hated by readers (like Marius in Omnia, and Damian in Home) before winning their hearts over. I also have “villains” who don’t get “what they deserve,” just like in real life, sometimes, scumbags get away with things. I think the hardest parts to write emotionally are when my morally grey MCs do something truly horrible, even if their motives to do so make sense in their story. I do hope all my characters are interesting. 

You’re trapped in an elevator with your main character. What are you discussing?

Let’s then say it’s a character from one of my contemporary romances. With Doug from Fall, it would be easy. His job, horses and pets, circus life would all be topics we could talk about. With Damian from Home, we could talk about wild pigs, island life and the return to civilization and its challenges. With Roman, the vampire from In Aeternum, I’d be very curious to talk about eternal life and how he feels as an immortal. We’d also talk Phantom of the Opera as he plays the lead in it. 

What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you? How do you conquer it?

Not to let social media discussions, buzzing, “writing advice,” “genre boxes and labels,” “what will the people say?” type of anxiety inducing and limiting discussions and takes influence me. I’m firmly set in my path, which is to unapologetically write down the stories my characters show me, writing down (pantsing) the movies in my head, and to self-publish them. It is easy to be swayed by the masses, trends, so-called writing advice and hot takes, but I tend to tune out the noise and rarely participate in various debates. As I said in a tweet once, the day has not come when I will change my writing for anything. Also, another challenge is finding the time to write. I have a full-time high responsibility job, business travels, a whole family to run, and writing needs to be squeezed in here too. I try to write whenever my characters play but sometimes I’m just too tired, or I ran out of hours in the day. It’s very frustrating sometimes. 

If you could write a cross-over with another book/series, what would it be and why? (Or, if crossovers don’t interest you, why?)

I sort of have a WIP in which the history professor is researching Marius and Kyle’s relationship (my MCs in Omnia Vincit Amor, my trilogy set in Ancient Rome). This is more a fun little Easter egg than a cross-over. Any of my contemporary romances could potentially be written into a cross-over. I haven’t thought of doing one, but maybe, one day… 

In your opinion, what is the purpose of storytelling?

To me, it’s bleeding out on the paper my characters’ stories as they show it to me, to the best of my abilities, and staying true to them. Stories are meant to be told, and some stories can only be told by you, and no one else. Storytelling is an ancient art, and it’s fundamental. It makes people dream, transports them into new worlds, and makes the heart race. It’s an adventure, and there’s nothing better when readers resonate with your characters, their stories, and talk about them as if they existed. And they do exist. I firmly believe it. 

Ok, last but not least… Tell us a bit about what made you want to become a writer and why you write what you write.

Oh, this could be an essay… It started at age ten, maybe? I wrote Star Wars fan fiction, and Aliens fan fic, with a fountain pen in a small notebook. Then poetry and short stories as a teen (those are very dark), then lots of academic writing doing my language and literature Masters. Lots of writing as a teacher, and teaching creative writing, essays, and such. My own writing took a break for a long time, and at age 42, I started writing again, a scene came to me, like in a movie, a pair of boots descending a spiral staircase in a castle’s tower. This is my shelved (and maybe one day I’ll pick it up again) dragon fantasy book. This started then another scene, one I planned being a short story, the encounter between a Roman general at a countryside noble’s party and a pleasure slave… Rings a bell? From that short story started in 2019 a trilogy grew out, Omnia Vincit Amor, with this scene starting my now best-seller and legendary book Donum-The Gift. From then on, characters started pouring into my head, and I wrote several WIPs, or started writing them, then stopped, picked up others… I never write when my characters don’t play, and sometimes they don’t act for years. I’ve been praised on being a fast writer, but all the books published last year and this year have been written for years, or finished beginning of 2023. There’s no stopping now and I intend to write until my last breath on this planet.

As to why I write what I write, queer erotic romances, this also could be an essay in itself. I am queer, have always been, but of course growing up in post-communist Hungary, in the eighties, there was no information on any of this, what it mean to be queer or wanting to be a boy, or liking both boys and girls. Besides slurs, there was nothing else, but the dread that I’ll end up in hell (Catholic religion was another trauma of childhood. Thankfully discarded into the sun)… So now, at 47, and having met the queer community online during the years, and learning more about myself, it was evident to me that my characters appeared as men in love. They come from the ethereal realms of my mind, and we are intertwined in many ways, and I love giving them life, and sending them out into the world so others can fall in love with them. I’m very sexual myself, I love sex, and so I guess my characters too. Sex is pivotal in my books and a fundamental part of my characters’ lives. I don’t choose how they have sex, how they love each other, it’s all just there, and I am just the scribe. Writing queer love stories living in a country where rights and freedom of being queer are severely repressed is not easy, I can’t put my face online, and can’t be out (I’d risk my job, and my family’s security), but it is all the more important to have queer love published out there, especially in today’s world where anti-LGBTQ+ laws are rife all over the world. Everybody deserves love and everyone deserves to be loved. That is why my main motto is “Love conquers all,” as it is the title of my Ancient Rome trilogy ‘Omnia Vincit Amor.’ I firmly believe this is true. 

Here's where to find Maxime:
@MaximeJaz | Linktree

​Are you an indie author who wants to be featured on 7 Questions? Send me an email!