#WriterWednesday Interview with Kim Davis

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Kim Davis to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Finding the time to sit down and actually write! I’m an integral part of caring for my special needs granddaughter and have her 3 days a week. On the days I don’t have her, I have the usual household chores, errands, appointments, blogging, book marketing (which, as you know, Heather, takes up way too much time), cooking, etc. that always needs my attention. It can sometimes be weeks without writing on the next book.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Procrastinating, lol! When I finally find that rare window of time to write, I often fall down the rabbit hole of “research”. In my case, it’s researching the theme of the book (with my latest book featuring the theme of Día de los Muertos, I had costumes, makeup, food, history, and traditions to research). Plus, I generally have ten recipes in each of my Cupcake Catering Mysteries, so I hunt down ideas for what I’d like to include and start cobbling together recipes to experiment with, which takes me to the kitchen instead of my computer to work.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Caffeine! I start with coffee in the morning and then move on to tea when the afternoon slump hits. I have to time the afternoon tea just right because if I wait too long to drink it, I won’t be able to fall asleep that night.

Things that hamper your writing:

My mini-goldendoodle, Missy, gets annoyed with me for not paying her enough attention. She can be very loud in demanding a walk, or another treat, or needing me to throw the squeaky ball for her when she’s done with me being on my computer. I’ve trained my husband not to interrupt me when I’m writing… now if I could only do the same with our dog, lol!

Last best thing you ate:

We recently made a trip up to Solvang for a few days, and I hit the Danish bakeries (for research, you know…). One of them had Sarah Bernhardt Cookies, a delectable base of almond cookie, topped with chocolate cream, and then dipped in dark chocolate. Oh, goodness… swoon-worthy!

Last thing you regret eating:

Some chili beans. Unfortunately, I have a variety of food allergies, one of them being foods from the nightshade family. I really have to avoid tomatoes (or tomato-based products), peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc. The tomato-heavy chili beans were so good though, but my tummy paid the price because of those darn allergies.

The last thing you ordered online:

Groceries. While I’m blessed to have several grocery stores nearby, when I’ve got a lot of deadlines staring down at me, I often order groceries to be delivered. Since my husband and I both have several food allergies, it’s a lot easier to find substitutions online (i.e. dairy-free and gluten-free) than for me to walk up and down every aisle, reading labels. I’ve also found that while the physical store might not have the product I need, the warehouse or central local store will.

The last thing you regret buying:

The wrong size leggings for my special needs granddaughter… now I have to track down the receipt to return them and hope I find the right ones 😊

Things you’d walk a mile for:

Those Sarah Bernhardt Cookies mentioned above! Heck, I’d walk two miles for one of those!

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Any creature that belongs outdoors and NOT in my house… like spiders, insects, rodents, lizards, etc. Big heebie jeebies!

Things you always put in your books:

Recipes! Even if it’s not a culinary cozy, I can’t help but put a supporting character who bakes into the storyline, and then I have to find recipes to go along with whatever they’re sharing.

Things you never put in your books:

Steamy romance… which I’m not opposed to, but it doesn’t fit with what I write. True story: I was at my very first writers’ conference, and I sat next to a lovely young woman during lunch and started chatting. Turned out she was one of the writing instructors, so I asked what her class was about. We were in a loud environment, but I was positive she said she taught neurotic writing… “Well, count me in! I’m neurotic,” I said. She almost fell off her chair laughing so hard… she taught erotic writing!!! Yeah, I skipped that class.

Things to say to an author:

Keep up the good work! Or if their work isn’t your cup of tea, say something like you admire their dedication to all the hard work it takes to create a book.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

“I’d write a book if I weren’t so busy, but I have the perfect plot, so I think you should write it instead.” And then go on and spend 15 minutes telling you about the story and how you should go about writing it.

Now, I will say that authors like collecting ideas and hearing about real-life happenings from our family, friends, and readers, but we don’t want to be lectured on how to put those ideas or headlines into our next book. For example, in my latest book, Catering to the Dead, I spent 1-1/2 hours stuck in gridlock traffic trying to get my youngest granddaughter to LAX airport Thanksgiving week last year. We passed the time talking about what the themes of my next couple of books should be. She tossed out a lot of ideas, and we finally landed on the Dia de los Muertos theme because her parents had thrown an elaborate party several years before. Brainstorming together or mentioning a headline you’ve seen is MUCH different from lecturing and giving point-by-point instructions on what you think an author should write and how they should write. But of course I know without a doubt none of you would be that presumptuous!

Favorite places you’ve been:

Hawaii. There truly is something magical about the islands. I had the good fortune of getting married (second time was the charm) on Kauai, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Places you never want to go to again:

Lake Havasu, Arizona, in August… 118 degrees (F)… need I say more?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Decorating elaborate cakes and cookies. Once my granddaughters came along, I decided to take some cake decorating classes so I could make their birthday cakes. As time went on, my birthday cakes and end of school year summer pool party cakes and special party cakes all became bigger and more intricate with each passing year. In fact, the cake featured on the cover of Catering to the Dead is the cake I designed and made for my family’s Día de los Muertos party.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Creating so many recipes has brought about quite a few kitchen disasters. The biggest disaster I had was while developing a recipe for cocktail cupcakes using Fireball Whiskey. When I opened the oven to rotate the cupcake tin, the cupcakes all flambéed, shooting blue flames that filled the oven! Fortunately, the flames died out when I slammed the door shut. The next day, my husband placed two fire extinguishers in my hands to keep in the kitchen just in case I ever had another fire-related disaster. Oh, and I finally got the recipe figured out after another couple of tries, and it’s featured (along with my disaster) in Cake Popped Off, the second book in my Cupcake Catering Mysteries.

Your favorite movie as a child:

While not a movie, I was obsessed with Scooby Doo. My love of mysteries started early, especially those featuring dogs!

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult):

The Shining really did a number on me, even though I was in my 20s when I saw it. It took me a week or more to stop having nightmares. To this day I have a strong dislike of Jack Nicholson simply because of that movie. Apparently, I can read horror books without too much distress… my brain downplays the violence and the super scary bits, but there’s no escaping it on screen.

About Kim:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. For over ten years she’s written the Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder culinary cozy mystery blog, and has recently joined the permanent group of bloggers at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

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#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Doug Lawrence

I’d like to welcome Doug Lawrence back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a creative environment to work within. I did a private writing retreat one time that seemed to work alright. I was able to write 30-40 pages of content.

Things that hamper your writing: Trying to write in a place where there are too many distractions.

A few of your favorite things: My favorite thing is my laptop. I would break into a cold sweat without it. I took a short break and went to visit a dear friend for a week. I was without email and other things for a few days and I was panicking. Sounds funny but it was stressful.

Things you need to throw out: I have two closets of clothes that I need to cull out. I also had some food in the pantry that needs to go. I had a friend who was kind enough to help me purge some of the stuff but we could do more. It is like a new beginning.

Favorite foods: I like steak and mushrooms

Things that make you want to gag: Liver and onions. I can handle the onions but the liver is definitely off limits.

Something you’re really good at: Mentoring others to help them grow personally and professionally. That would include help with their healing journey from mental health and grief related issues.

Something you’re really bad at: I wouldn’t say I was bad at something. I would say that I had room to grow. Using negative connotations doesn’t improve things.

Last best thing you ate: Schnitzel

Last thing you regret eating: Liver and onions

Favorite places you’ve been: Dubai

Places you never want to go to again: Shanghai

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Ken Blanchard or Oprah Winfrey

People you’d cancel dinner on: I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I would look at this as an opportunity to learn more about someone and to also learn something more about myself.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Mentor a young entrepreneur with mental health challenges

Biggest mistake: Allowing a mentee to not be accountable for her mentoring sessions. Only happened once and that was the last time.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip line in Mexico

Something you chickened out from doing: Bungi cord jumping

About Doug:

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and is focused on all things mentoring as a solution provider. Doug Lawrence is an International Certified Mentor and holds two Mentor Certifications; Certificate of Practice – Mentor and the Certificate of Practice – Journey Mentor from the International Mentoring Community. Doug is the only one to hold the Certificate of Practice – Journey Mentor in the world today.

He has over 30 years of mentoring and leadership experience and is recognized as a thought leader in the mentoring space. Doug authored the book entitled, The Gift of Mentoring and his second book entitled, You Are Not Alone became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in North America and the UK and is a bronze medal recipient in the Global Book Awards. Doug’s third book, Grief, The Silent Pandemic was published April 20, 2025 and was the recipient of two bronze and one silver Global Book Awards. Doug is an International Best - Selling Author.

Doug works as a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with American Corporate Partners (ACP) in the United States helping military personnel transition from service life to civilian life.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doug.lawrence.1610/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

Twitter: @DougLawrenceJM

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4YC1GkfHrQtFYgYrf8baQ

Website: https://www.talentc.ca

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Patrick Sangimino

I’d like to welcome Patrick Sangimino to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Most of all, I need to be ready to write. It’s a mental state. Once there, music is a requirement, with no lyrics. Jazz or classical. With words, I find myself singing, which hinders my ability to get lost in the story I’m trying to tell.

Things that distract you from writing: Conversation. Human interaction. I love good conversations. Unfortunately, they can’t happen when I am in a writing zone. Years of working in a newsroom – surrounded by others – trained me. I learned to put on headphones when it was time to write.

Favorite snacks: Without question: Nothing fancy. Poporn or chips and salsa. Maybe some fruit.

Things that make you want to gag: tofu, definitely tofu.

Something you’re really good at: I’ve been told I am a great storyteller. I’ve made a living telling stories in the written form but have entertained loved ones with my ability to tell a story that will cause laughter.

Something you’re really bad at: Playing any kind of musical instrument, guitar especially. I have a profound respect for musicians and their ability to make magic. Much of that respect comes from my own lifetime of musical failures that have become some of the stories in my repertoire.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Originally, I wanted to be a lawyer, but that ambition changed the first time I saw Jack Klugman in the old sit-com “The Odd Couple.” From that point on, I wanted to be a sportswriter.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: After years as a newspaper columnist, writing a book always seemed like a bridge too far. And then I found the wherewithal to write one. Holding it in my hand for the first time – seeing my name on the cover – was an emotional experience.

Something you wish you could do: I wish I could play the piano. I always wanted to be that guy who could walk up to a piano at a party or crowded barroom and belt out something that would leave people speechless.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: While paining houses – interiors and exteriors – is a good skill to have acquired, it’s something that friends and family members have taken advantage of over the years. As if helping to paint your best friend’s house over the course of a weekend can be compensated with pizza and beer. The things we do for love.

Last best thing you ate: The crab cioppino at a small family-owned Italian restaurant in San Francisco.

Last thing you regret eating: The four-alarm buffalo wings at a national chain. The wings were good at that moment. The heart burn that followed wasn’t nearly as pleasant.

Favorite places you’ve been: St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands. Great beaches and weather. Clean place with friendly people. Wonderful food and a good place to recharge.

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas. Sin City earned its monicker. And while, I’m not a prude, such sin comes with a heavy price tag – figuratively and literally – I’m not willing to pay anymore.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Billy Joel, Warren Buffet, Paul Giamatti and Tiger Woods.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Any politician, television evangelist or anyone who judges someone else simply by who they voted for.

Favorite things to do: I adore being outside, working in the garden or playing golf. I also enjoy going to a ballpark on a warm day to watch school-aged kids – say, ages 12-18 – with a passion for the game and enough skills to catch my attention – play baseball.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Paying the high-dollar costs for parking, concessions and entry to the ballpark to watch professional ball players, without a doubt world-class athletes, often times go through the motions while taking part in a game once meant to be played by children. Ironically, there was a time when I earned my daily bread by chronicling their daily endeavors. Sports writing, it’s been said, is a young man’s game.

Best thing you’ve ever done: My daughter is evidence that I did something right in this world. She is smart (an attorney), funny and grew up with a love for “Seinfeld” reruns and an early knowledge of how to read the Major League Baseball box scores each morning. She’s a daddy’s girl and the apple of my eye.

Biggest mistake: My biggest regret is failing at marriage. Two meaningful careers took precedence over what should have been a happily-ever-after. We never factored job relocations into the equation. Happily, my ex-wife has become a dear friend, but our divorce is my greatest failure.

The funniest thing to happen to you: Running a five-kilometer race the morning after staying up to hit a late-night deadline was an achievement, especially since I ran a personal best. However, just a few steps from the finish line, I threw up, sending my morning coffee spewing like a geyser toward those congratulating the finishers. It was a moment that was captured and chronicled in my best friend’s next column.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: My embarrassing moment has evolved to shame. My bad behavior as a boy after my father’s best effort to turn my bicycle into a motocross by painting my handlebars black and screwing a broomstick across the bars, a makeshift renovation that was ridiculed by my friends. Years later, I am more embarrassed by the way I lashed out at my father, who was only trying to give me something our family just couldn’t afford.

About Patrick:

Patrick Sangimino worked as a journalist for over forty years, writing for large newspapers throughout California and the Midwest. He worked during the print journalism golden age and saw it slowly shift into the digital age. From beat reporter to award-winning columnist, Patrick wrote about some of the biggest sporting stories of all time, including eight seasons of the National Football League, World Series games, and local legends who made athletic history.

A self-described “ink-in-the-veins” writer, Patrick was not merely a journalist, he was a weaver of tales. His craft was motivated by a native curiosity, relentless doggedness in pursuit of fact, and the deeply human understanding that accompanied membership in the communities he served. His columns were read devotionally, acclaimed for their humor, pathos, and biting acuity.

Having retired in 2024, Patrick devoted himself to fiction. But whereas his columns were anchored firmly in the real world, so too is his fiction. Dogs Chase Cars is his first novel, but it feels like the accumulation of a lifetime of experience unvarnished, perceptive, sometimes self-aware, always uncompromisingly truthful.

Sangimino now spends his retirement doing what he’s always done best writing. Whether looking back or making up stories for the future, his pen still pursues meaning, memory, and perhaps a little bit of mischief.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.patricksangimino.com

Instagram: @patricksangimino

Twitter or XL: @psangimino

 Facebook: @patsangimino

#WriterWednesday Interview with Dave Pratt

I’d like to welcome Dave Pratt to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Surrendering the outcome of my writing efforts to God, knowing he’ll take them where He wants them to go, to the people I need to reach, whether by traditional publisher, independent publishing, magazine article, and so on.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing the first draft of a story, article or novel.

Words that describe you: Christian, husband, friend, writer. Quiet, unless I believe in a cause or concept that needs defending or teaching to others. Addicted to writing.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Not always as good, humble or nice as I’d like to be. I very often lack self-confidence, although that’s not always apparent to others.

Last best thing you ate: My wife’s made-from-scratch, everything-left-in-the-fridge breakfast scramble. It is always amazing.

Last thing you regret eating: Three double chocolate truffles over within 5 minutes. But they tasted so good!

Things you’d walk a mile for: A forest scene with rushing water, mountains, old-growth trees, deer, fox and birds.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: A group of people too interested in hearing themselves talk to listen to input from others – in business and in writing groups.

Things you always put in your books: Positive, satisfying endings, conflict, martial arts, and a little romance.

Things you never put in your books: Profanity and gratuitous sex scenes.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: At 16, on a State Department sponsored People-to-People Student Ambassador tour to Rumania, then behind the Iron Curtain, I played sick, skipped a supervised tour, snuck down the hotel’s fire escape and went to the sections of the city we were told we were not allowed to visit. I was followed but not caught and saw things that changed my perspective on life. That evening at our restaurant, a waiter attempted to attack me with a knife, presumably because of what I did. Our group’s male chaperone intervened and guarded my door that night and we left the country the next day.

Something you chickened out from doing: As a gymnast through junior high, high school and college, I elected not to do the high-bar event and became a pommel horse specialist. Doing giant swings terrified me back then.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my writing was similar to Cussler and Ludlum.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That a simple event where my character fell off his horse on purpose, to escape his captors, had deep social meaning. That was an important lesson for me, however.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: At a time when I was not looking for a relationship with a woman, I met my wife, Rafaela. In the first book in my Home Team series, the main character, Sam Anthem, trips across Consuela during a mission. She changes his life in many ways; helps him realize his faith in God and find the self-confidence he needs to do what he needs to do as a military/covert operator.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: They believe the character of Sam Anthem, in the first book in my series, is me, with all his emotional and spiritual wounds from a past operation gone bad, the covert operations work, expertise in empty-hand martial arts, and not finding Jesus until later in life, which helped him reconcile his jog with his faith and saved him. I certainly didn’t intend that.

The first 8-track, record, cassette, or CD you ever bought: One, by Three Dog Night.

A type of music that’s not your cup of tea: Symphony and Opera. I fall asleep during performances.

My favorite book as a child: Any of The Hardy Boys books.

A book I’ve read more than once: A Wizard in Spite of Himself, by Christopher Stasheff. Also, all of Louis L'Amour western novels – some many more times than once.

Your favorite movie as a child: Lt. Robin Caruso, U.S.N. with Dick Van Dyke. Funny, positive, silly, foolish, and I was certain I wanted to find someone like the character Nancy Kwan played when I got older. A big crush!

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): The Haunting, starring Julie Herns and others. Kept me scared for years.

About David:

Dave Pratt is a native of most of the west coast of the United States – and now makes his home in Middle Tennessee with his wife, near his recently relocated grandkids.

A freelance writer since 1977, Dave has authored more than sixty published articles, poems, short stories and novels. He has also written for a local newspaper and edited newsletters for charitable service groups and businesses. His latest books include the first two novels in the 5-part Home Team Series, released in November 2022 and 2023, respectively, and published by Ambassador International. The third book in the series, Homesick, is scheduled for release in November 2025.

Dave holds master’s degrees in Hospital Administration (Baylor University) and Management (Webster University), and a B.S. in Psychology from Washington State University. He is a retired army officer and more recently retired as a project management consultant. Dave has taught at the corporate, graduate and undergraduate levels and has been a speaker at numerous professional conferences on writing and project management. Dave is a 4th Dan (degree) Master in Tae Kwan Do, proficient in Tai Chi, Hapkido, and staff, and was a member of the U.S. National Tae Kwan Do Poomse Team in 2015.

Dave thanks Jesus Christ for his inspiration and the countless blessings in his life.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.DavePrattBooks.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/daveprattbooks

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

LinkedIn: (22) Dave Pratt, PMP, PMI-ACP | LinkedIn

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#WriterWednesday Interview with Patrick MacPhee

I’d like to welcome Patrick MacPhee to the blog for a fall #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite fall traditions: Definitely Canadian Thanksgiving – we enjoy the usual homemade pies (from scratch). For the longest time, we would take the kids to one of the local farms and do the whole farm thing (tracker rides, ball crawls, corn maze).

Something autumn-related that you’ll never do again: I had a hard time thinking about this one. A lot of the fun outdoor activities aren’t being done too much, given that the kids are much older now. However, who’s to say those activities won’t ever happen again if some grandkids come around…

Favorite fall treat: Homemade apple pie from scratch.

A fall treat that makes you gag: Pumpkin pie. I personally can’t stand the spongy texture. Reminds me of cheesecake.

Something you only do in the fall: As a teacher, fall always has that particular “school is starting” energy. Technically, the year may start in January, but for most of my life, the true start to the year has been September.

Something you’d never do in the fall season: Water park. Just don’t do it. Those tickets are on sale for a reason.

Favorite fall smell: The savory smell of a woodfire stove, especially those first few times on those crisp autumn nights where the sky is that rich azure.

Something that makes you hold your nose: We live in a rural area and sometimes the farmers apply some fertilizer to their fields. I tell myself that the smell means food and fertility, but it can be pungent sometimes. Only lasts a day or two depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Best fall memory: Walking with my wife and kids and the dogs through a valley filled with trees blazing in fall colors.

Something you’d rather forget: It seems like October is a time when someone is always getting sick. We’ve lost enough vitamin D by then that more often than not, someone is bedridden for a few days.

A tradition you share with others: We get into Halloween. Our neighborhood is like a Hollywood version of trick-or-treat. We’re talking hundreds of kids milling about in waves. They get dropped off, too. Just recently, we had over 250 kids (a slow year).

A tradition that can be retired: Ice Skating on frozen ponds and rivers is probably one I can do without. It always sounds better than it ends up being.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: I can bake a pretty good hashbrown casserole. Lots of potatoes, cheese, and plenty of garlic and other spices. It’s always a hit at the dinner table.

Your worst kitchen disaster:

I’ve been baking pizza from scratch since the lockdowns. One day, I thought “let’s try calzones”. I also decided to brush some olive oil on it to give it a bit of a glazed/burnished effect. Yeah, not a good idea. Some of the oil dripped to the bottom of the oven and decided it was hot enough to start burning. The calzones weren’t too bad. A bit… smoky.

Funniest pumpkin-carving story: I don’t know about funniest, but I once managed to carve the Star Trek symbol with a “42” inside of it. Actually turned out pretty good and it wasn’t from a pattern.

Your worst pumpkin-carving story: One time, I had some pumpkins for my class, but we had a miscommunication about who was supposed to bring the carving utensils. It got a little messy that day.

Favorite pumpkin spice item: Coffee.

Something that should never be pumpkin-spiced flavored: Gum. It didn’t work for me.

Best Halloween costume ever: I went as Kakashi Hatake once to my school. I was running the anime club at the time, and had a lot of kids coming over for selfies with “Kakashi Sensei”. I bought a Hidden Leaf shinobi top, but the rest was homemade. I got a white wig and styled it with Level 10 “like cement” hair gel, but what sealed the deal was the sharingon contact lenses.

Worst Halloween costume disaster: I remember being very young and going as E.T. but I had trouble seeing out of the costume and kept falling over.

About Patrick:

Patrick teachers high school English and creative writing in Ontario, Canada. When he’s not writing, you’ll often find him playing video and board games with his wife and two children or going for walks with his two golden retrievers.

Let’s Be Social:

Twitter/X: @macphee225

Instagram: @macphee225

Website: http://Patrickmacphee.com

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Kim Lengling

I’d like to welcome Kim Lengling to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite fall treat: Pumpkin Bread with cream cheese frosting.

A fall treat that makes you gag: I can’t think of any that I dislike 😊

Favorite autumn beverage: Hot coffee
A drink that gives you a sour face: Pumpkin Spice in any drink

Favorite fall smell: Leaves crunching underfoot as you walk through the woods.
Something that makes you hold your nose: The smell of skunk.

Best fall memory: Growing up, we used to rake leaves into a huge pile under the tree, climb up to a lower branch, and jump into the pile we had created. So fun! Looking back, wow, was that dangerous! 😊

Something you’d rather forget: The death of a high school friend that happened in the fall. Not to forget the person, but the sorrow and heartache…

A tradition you share with others: Heading out for an afternoon to go look at the colors of the leaves.

A tradition that can be retired: It’s not my tradition, but the addition of pumpkin spice everything in the fall could disappear, and I wouldn’t mind a bit!😊

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: Apple Pie

Your worst kitchen disaster: Raspberry Pie, ended up like soup. I’ve never been able to perfect it, so I stick with apple pie or apple crisp. 😊

Favorite place you spent a fall day: Anywhere outdoors

The worst place to spend a fall day: Indoors

Your best Halloween costume: Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac) – I had so much fun creating a costume with all the flowy scarves, skirt, and high-heeled boots.

A Halloween costume that wasn’t quite what you imagined: I usually stuck with costumes I knew I could create on my own. I don’t have one that was a fail. Witches, gypsy, Stevie Knicks, She-Devil…they all turned out great and I had a lot of fun with them!

Favorite pumpkin spice item: None

Something that should never be pumpkin-spiced flavored: Anything. 😊

Best Halloween memory: taking my daughter on her first Trick-or-Treat night. We were both dressed as good witches. It was so cold and even snowed a little bit. We were dressed for winter with our costumes over our winter coats. We looked and felt silly and had the best time!

Worst Halloween experience: I was around 10 years old. I lived in a small town, and trick-or-treating was our night! I was in my costume and had my pillowcase filled! A few older kids decided to scare us as we were walking home. In fear, I tripped, and my pillowcase fell out of my hands as candy flew everywhere. I lost more than half of my haul that night ☹

About Kim:

If you spot someone walking through a field with a coffee mug in one hand and a dog leash in the other—that’s probably Kim Lengling.

A multi-published author, podcast host, and all-around champion of hope and real talk, Kim is the voice behind the Let Fear Bounce podcast, where she shares stories that remind you hope is real, kindness matters, and you’re never alone, even on rough days. As a veteran living with PTSD, Kim knows the power of small, hopeful moments.

She’s the lead author of six heart-hugging anthologies (the latest, Paw Prints on the Kitchen Floor), and her book, Nuggets of Hope: Cultivate Kindness, drop real-life stories that lift you up when the world feels heavy.

To continue her kindness mission, her newest release, 15 Ways Pets Teach Us Kindness, is available as an eBook with print copy coming soon.

When Kim’s not writing or recording, you’ll find her relaxing with a good book, filling her coffee cup (again), or walking with her dog, Dexter, living her best nature-loving life.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://kimlenglingauthor.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kimlengling

GoodReads: https://bit.ly/4lHUlMl

Let Fear Bounce: @Letfearbounce

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tLAznvUG8hVVsTXdvTMTk?si=a828003ace2b4a9f

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetFearBounce

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-fear-bounce/id1541906455

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letfearbouncepodcast and https://www.facebook.com/kim.lengling

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlylengling/X

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

X (Twitter): https://x.com/KimLengling

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@klengling?lang=en

#WriterWednesday Interview with Robert F. Lowell

I’d like to welcome Robert F. Lowell to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: The soul-crushing emptiness of the blank page. Slightly worse than the soul-crushing emptiness of marketing.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with bad ideas. Bad ideas are essential to any creative endeavor. Researchers who study innovation and creativity all agree that the best way to have a few good ideas is to have lots of bad ones. Make sure you write them down.

Words that describe you: Grateful, reliable, respectful, affectionate, committed, disciplined, curious, tenacious, introspective.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Predictable, cautious, dad-bodded.

Last best thing you ate: Shakshuka at the Blue Barbikan, a Polish restaurant in York, England.

Last thing you regret eating: The Sunday roast beef at a pub in York that will not be named. I almost asked the waiter for an axe.

Favorite music or song: Classic rock and hot country. If Eric Clapton and Chris Stapleton ever tour together I'll ask if Ticketmaster accepts payment in blood.

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy metal. No, Led Zeppelin was not heavy metal. Neither was Steppenwolf.

The last thing you ordered online: An excessive amount of artisan roast coffee.

The last thing you regret buying: Loafers. I swear my feet must have variable geometry.

Things you always put in your books: Dialog between two or more people who don't trust each other.

Things you never put in your books: Open-door sex scenes. Sorry, ladies.

Things to say to an author: "Your last book changed my life." "Can I pre-order your next book?"

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: "I've always wanted to write but I've never had the time."

Favorite places you’ve been: Florence, Cornwall, Lake Tahoe. In my imagination Heaven looks just like Tahoe, but everybody's naked.

Places you never want to go to again: Zheleznogorsk, Siberia. The people were very friendly, even the Russian secret service guy who was tailing me, but dang it was cold.

Favorite things to do: Travel, eat fine food, drink wine, whisky, or beer, watch movies, snuggle with my wife. All the above at once.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Changing diapers, home repair, packing to move to a new house. If you've never eaten chapulines (Mexican-style grasshoppers), give them a try.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: D. J. Butler, pirate-hatted science fiction and fantasy author/publisher.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Clint Eastwood. Saw him in Carmel one night and thought he was the ghost of Arnold Palmer.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: "[Your story "Ghost Wolf" is] something that today’s survivors of Iraq and Afghanistan would understand completely."

The craziest thing a reader said to you: "Wait, your name is Robert?"

My favorite book as a child: Charlie Brown's All-Stars by the great Charles Schulz. I loved the Peanuts gang as a kid, and they'll always hold a place in the sandlot of my heart. Snoopy is my spirit animal. According to one strip, I'm the same age as Charlie Brown. He's aged better.

A book I’ve read more than once: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. If you ever get a chance to see Max McLean's stage adaptation, do it. Your soul will thank you.

About Robert:

Robert F. Lowell is a Writers of the Future winner and Baen Fantasy Adventure Award finalist. His complicated relationship with reality began when he was born between two movie studios in Burbank, California. In previous professional lives he researched and wrote about international relations, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism. He taught at universities in the US, Costa Rica, and Switzerland and was kissed by a dancing horse in Siberia. Now he expands the universe of online learning as an instructional systems designer and writes about swords, sorcery, robots, aliens, and magic rabbits as a member of the Wulf Pack Writers. He, his wife, and at least one dog live in a town with very expensive weather on California’s Central Coast and travel in search of enchantment. 

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.robertflowell.com

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

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

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Shamayne Olivia

I’d like to welcome Shamayne Olivia back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: For free time anytime I like to create art using a coloring app. For longer periods of free time, we like to attend live music venues or the theatre.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Grocery shopping.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Peace and quiet with natural light. I like to write in my bedroom because it’s in the back of the house. I have windows looking out to the garden in our backyard.

Things that distract you from writing: perfectionism

Hardest thing about being a writer: Self-doubt, In the beginning, I think I spent as much time convincing myself I could do this as much as I did actually writing.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I’m still thinking about that one.

Something you’re really good at: intuition, organization, and time management

Something you’re really bad at: backing into a parking spot or parallel parking on the street. I get nervous.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: an oceanographer

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: that I would write and publish a book then own my own business

Something you wish you could do: Sing with a strong voice.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I wish I’d never learned to doubt my own abilities.

Last best thing you ate: Chicken Piccata on our anniversary at a swanky Italian restaurant. At one time the restaurant was called Romeo’s. The new owners named it Juliet’s.

Last thing you regret eating: Pork belly. One bite was enough to know.

Favorite places you’ve been: National Parks in Colorado and Utah

Places you never want to go to again: Over-crowded tourist towns

Best thing you’ve ever done: Coach my daughter through labor and delivery of both my grandsons.

Biggest mistake: not retiring sooner.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: the people I have met. Each stage of my writing journey introduced me to the people I needed in my life at that time. Some are well known and others are like me, but one step ahead and could offer guidance.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: It’s hard to say since I never imagined I would be a writer. My life as a writer unfolded as I worked to rebuild a life untethered from a painful past. The writing was part of the journey.

About Shamayne:

Shamayne Olivia is an author, speaker, and facilitator whose journey of reclaiming her authentic self has defined her life’s work. The eldest of four children, she carried adult responsibilities far too young, navigating the emotional needs of both siblings and parents. After her parents’ divorce at age eight, she was shaped by the lasting effects of alcoholism and rigid religious beliefs. Refusing to be defined by these patterns, she chose a path of healing and transformation—breaking the generational cycle and guiding others to do the same with courage, hope, and resilience. Her first book, Shoes That Fit Her Soul, explores these intricacies, removing the layers to uncover the fundamental steps needed to recover one’s identity and enjoy a more meaningful life.

Through decades of seeking her true identity, she uncovered profound insights and revelations that became the foundation of her business, Shoes That Fit Her Soul, LLC. Drawing from her own experiences, she created the Shoes That Fit Her Soul workbook, digital workbook, and workshop—resources designed to help others reclaim their voices, rewrite their stories, and step boldly into lives of purpose.

Shamayne lives in the Texas Hill Country, near Austin, with her generously supportive husband, Craig, and two affectionate cats, Wrigley and Ivy. She is the mother to three remarkable adult children, Sydney, Nathan, and Daniel, and “Maymie” to her beloved grandchildren, Emerson, Joaquin, and Jude.

When she’s not writing or leading workshops, Shamayne finds joy in family time, traveling, live music and theatre, major league baseball, and practicing yoga. Simple practices that remind her to stay grounded in gratitude and wonder for each new chapter.

Her hope is that every woman who encounters her work discovers the same truth she has embraced: it’s never too late to reclaim the light within you.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: About Author – Shoes That Fit Her Soul