The Stories Behind the Stories
In-depth conversations with indie authors about their books, their writing process, and the journey of independent publishing. Get to know the people behind the pages.
JW
Inside the Mind - J.R. Wirth
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What inspired you to start writing?
Time and a desire. I had left a job or 21 years (along with a teaching job and one as a DV group counselor), which turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me. I then had time and wanted to do a thriller, screenplay based on my domestic violence experience. I had a thousand stories to tell and just needed to pull it together. I finished it and actually had an agent who was interested in it, with only a few tweaks. While that was happening, I was encouraged by a friend to write the book with all the stories first. The 15th draft is still waiting to be completed ;) I then started writing for number of online outfits and have numerous stories floating around - including a couple of poems. Then, I answered a call to add a story to a Halloween collection that would be published. And that was that. I started writing holiday themed paranormal/supernatural short stories staring my family. The collection is in the Twisted Family Holiday Collection, published by Books To Go Now publishers.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest published novel (2025) is a thriller about an adolescent who is sent to an institute for behavioral change. The institute, however, is doing nefarious, secret experiments that involve brain chips (first draft written long before the current Neuralink et al. experiments). A volunteer at the institute, 17-year-old Melissa Jenkins, begins to see the evil within the facility. Soon after, she meets and takes a liking to Noah (admit) and vows to rescue him. Meanwhile, Noah's stepbrother senses something is wrong and enlists the help of a couple of lifelong friends to drive the 500 miles to breakout Noah out. The friends (twin brothers) are dragged in naturally as the do some research and find that their father has ties to the institute. It becomes a race for time, you might say.
Inside the Mind - Bobby Nash
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What inspired you to start writing?
I fell in love with the idea of telling stories as a kid. I would reenact cartoons and TV shows I enjoyed. Then, I discovered comic books and I was hooked. I started writing and drawing my own comics then later tried my hand at short stories then novels. I still love the creative process. It's fun.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is NOWEHERE TO RUN - A Deputy U.S. Marshall William Teague Survival Thriller. This is the first starring novel for Deputy Teague, who appeared as a secondary in a couple of my other novels. Teague helps capture a dangerous hijacker. The FBI taskforce puts him on a plane. Bad idea. The plane crashes on top of a mountain. Teague and a mysterious local guide head up the mountain in search of survivors. Time is running out as temperatures continue to drop and a massive storm is bearing down on them. If they can't rescue the survivors in time, they'll be forced to weather the storm on top of the mountain where the odds of survival are zero. Nowhere To Run is currently having a launch event on Kickstarter that ends July 20th. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bobbynash/nowhere-to-run-0 Nowhere To Run goes on sale worldwide in hardcover, paperback, and ebook on August 1, 2026. Written by Bobby Nash. Published by BEN Books.
RG
Inside the Mind - Ron Glick
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What inspired you to start writing?
I have honestly dreamed about being a writer for as long as I could remember. I was always an avid reader, and coming up with my own ideas for stories just seemed natural. But it was not until I was able to tap into Indie publishing that I was able to realize my dream.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
The latest book I am presently writing will be my 13th novel, 31st book overall. Though this will technically be the fourth book in my Godslayer Cycle Series, Bracken is actually labled as the First Interelude of the Godslayer Cycle. Most everyone believes Nathaniel Goodsmith to have died, but his companions seek to prove otherwise. Only before they set out on the quest to learn the truth, Bracken, the stalwart dwarf of the group, gets a message from beyond the grave compelling him to return home to reveal the truth behind his sire's murder. So leaving the quests for the swords behind for a time, Bracken sets out to explore new, previously unrevealed locations in Na'Ril as he travels across the countryside in his effort to do right by his father.
Inside the Mind - Debby Myers
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What inspired you to start writing?
I've been writing since first grade when I was published in 'Children's Digest'! For many years, while I was raising kids and working, I typed late at night on an old word processor. I still have those pages. It wasn't until I was diagnosed in 2016 with MS and had to leave work and go on disability that I really began to write about the disease and my feelings. Since then, I've evolved.
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How do you create your characters?
They are all characters I based on characters I've known or encountered in real life.
MJ
Inside the Mind - Michael J. Sahno
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What inspired you to start writing?
I always wrote compulsively. There was no need to seek inspiration, unless I felt a little depleted--in which case, I'd wait a while and soon be back to writing again.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
Aghast at American cinema's descent into boundary-pushing violence, famed Hollywood director J. Edgar Schnatz decides to move in the opposite direction-a celebration of sexuality. But making the world's first mainstream adult film comes with its own unique set of challenges, from finding a willing cast and sufficient financing to getting that all-important NC-17 rating. This book is selling but needs reviews. Maybe readers are afraid to attach their names to something with this theme.
My Writing Journey, Maggie Keefe
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What inspired you to start writing?
I've always enjoyed writing in my journal and found retirement the perfect opportunity to fulfill my dream of being an author. When COVID hit, I found myself with plenty of time on my hands, so I decided to try my hand at a children's book. Having worked as a software engineer for most of my career, I had no idea what I was getting into. I did not know anything about query letters, ISBNs, editing, or illustration costs, and went in completely blind. The query letters resulted in several (well, more like 25) rejections, and that is when I decided to go the self-publishing route. If I waited around too long, I would never get published. I was also inspired to write children's books by my grandchildren. This year, my 5-year-old granddaughter brought one of my books to school and dressed as the book's character. I was so inspired and touched by this. My stories are my legacy.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest children's book, Five Different Boo-Boos, encourages kids not to let a few boo-boos get in the way of an adventurous day. Told through the first-person perspective of an energetic and bold girl, we follow her throughout a week of adventures. Joined by her band-aid-toting dog, she ventures from home to school and to the park, where she finds multiple ways to acquire a scrape, bump, or bruise. Five Different Boo-boos teaches kids that they might get a scratch and a bump, but they can always get back to playing. And, even if they get hurt the first time they try something new, it just means there’s more to learn and more fun to be found.
The Calling (Obeying God in the Midst of the Storms) by Rebecca Ann/Grace Turqueza
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What inspired you to start writing?
God pursued me to write. For a Christian who has challenges in herself by doubting her capabilities to finish her calling to write was an achievement. Rebecca Ann life stories fills with hopes and dreams that has been shattered but relying on God’s time of restoration. It is happening presently one events at a time which she appreciated much.
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How do you create your characters?
Because it’s a memoir characters are real (except for their names). As well as the events that took place.
Inside the Mind - Michael Feeley
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What inspired you to start writing?
I began having a lot of other-worldly experiences and wanted to document them in the best way I knew how, a book, which turned out to be a multitude of books. I had always been an evidential writer from my time in the police force, this was still evidential writing, just a different subject matter.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
'The Movement - Illumination of the World' is a book that explains the cosmos and the world, the science hidden from us and the true meanings of religious writings that the church hid from us and why. It covers all things esoteric and secret...
AC
Inside the Mind - Andy Casey
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What inspired you to start writing?
My Mother was an avid book reader and had read all the classics, Dickens, The Austens, Shakespeare etc. She was also a passionate devotee of poetry and her influence can be felt by me in the two collections of my poems that have been published (Curses & Verses and Reflections)
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book 'Traitors' is a complete change of direction for me from the sad but compelling published story about my dog 'Olly & Me' to a fictional tale of murder, intrigue, double-cross and plot twists that hopefully keeps the reader on the edge of their seats throughout.,
CB
Inside the Mind - Cliff Ball
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What inspired you to start writing?
My parents instilled a love of reading in me at a very young age and by 10 years old, I wanted to write.
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Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel, Second Chances, is about a man my age in 2020 (47) who wonders what it would be like to relive his teen years and change things for the better. He gets a chance to do that.