 1) Tell us about your book Bride of the Midnight King, the first book of my Midnight Palace Trilogy, was the first romantic fantasy I ever wrote. (See below for the inspiration.) It’s basically a twist on Cinderella, but I worked out a whole complex naming convention and did a lot of world building and came up with customs that worked. I’m pleased with it. It’s a novella, as are the two sequels. I find it really hard to write longer. 2) What themes does your book explore? Love and loss. Sisterhood. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? Yalira is, I think, an unusual version of Cinderella. She desperately wants to get out of her stepmother’s grasp, but she also has an agenda beyond “happily ever after.” By the second book, she’s changing things in the kingdom her husband rules, and making some real progress. I like her a lot. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? It can be read as a standalone because I never intended to write the sequels--Daughter of the Midnight King and The Midnight Queen. 5) What is next for you? I have my book for Fairy Tales in Demon Land coming up in 2024, but it’s going to be a busy year for me. I have to finish off several series—a zombie apocalypse duology set in L.A. starring two sisters. (I used a house I rented for ten years as a location), plus a final Rezso urban fantasy story about a reluctant werewolf. I am also contracted to write a Christmas movie and a Valentine’s Day movie for two different producers, which will be fun. 6) What genres do you write in and why? I started out writing short fiction that was crime-ish and noir-ish because I was going through an intense time in my life and putting dark thoughts to paper helped. But my writing mentor was writing romantic fantasy and one day I had a wild thought—Cinderella in a vampire world. And I told her about it and laughed. And she said, “Wait. What?” So I wrote it under the pen name Kat Parrish because I was still working as a reporter and didn’t want my news readers to read my vampire novels. And it turned into a trilogy. And I really liked the world. But then one wintry day about seven years ago, the wind blew down our power lines and I was in a cold rented house and started to hand-write a Christmas romance novel. (I write them under my pen name Katherine Moore.) And that started me writing in a whole new direction and I eventually earned a USA TODAY bestselling author accolade for that pen name. I’ve dabbled in horror and sci fi as well. And while I still sometimes write crime, it’s now cozy mystery. 7) Describe your writing style I mostly write in first person, past tense. Some people do really well with present tense. Oddly, I am also a working screenwriter and all my scripts are written in present tense, but it feels odd for me to write fiction in present tense. I do a lot of interior monologue. A lot. I end to use the word SO a lot. I tend to go off on tangents. If I’m interested in something, I have a character who’s interested in what I’m interested in. I write about sisters a lot, all across the genres. My little sister died 13 years ago and I miss her. 8) What inspires you to write? Everything. Weird things I read in the news. Stories people tell me. Odd ideas I have. I’m an Army brat and my family and I lived all over the place. I live in Portugal now, which is a lovely place. Living in a country not my own gives me an unusual perspective. I have been telling stories since I was eight years old and sharing a room with my sister. 9) Who are your favourite authors? Stephen King. Tanith Lee. A writer named Michael Malone who writes mysteries but also writes one of the best comic novels I’ve ever read, HANDLING SIN. 10) Tell us something unusual about you I have piloted the Goodyear Blimp. When I was editor of ORANGE COAST MAGAZINE, I went up in the blimp, and they let me take the controls. It’s like a paddle boat and it’s very loud. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I’m not really adventurous, but I’ve been caving and been hiking in the woods with bears. So all of that plays into what I write. I use everything. I’ve also catered for film sets. Been a ghost writer for a celebrity chef who stiffed me on payment. Been an extra in several movies. Sung a solo in a church choir. Been in the Nutcracker Suite. About The Author
Katherine Tomlinson writes multiple genres under multiple pen names, which sounded like a good idea until she had to start wrangling half a dozen pen names. She was born in Washington, DC and raised on Army posts all over the US and Europe. An inveterate traveler, she is currently a digital nomad living in Portugal. She is very fond of dark chocolate, red roses, train travel, and cats. If she weren’t a writer, she would probably be an epidemiologist.
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 Every year I promise myself I am going to work hard and be much more productive and I am. For a while. Then it always seems to fall apart. Are you the same? Of course for the last couple of years I discovered that this was due to my ADHD. It is hard to keep to a schedule and stay productive when you are not feeling it. And working too hard can lead to burnout. So how do you avoid that?
Well, initially, I didn't change anything, but over time I learned that if I didn't make some changes I would never get anywhere. It was always two steps forward and one step back. Here are a few of the things I changed to help me get my work completed without stressing too much over it.
Have a happy, and fun, new year.  1) What genres do you write in and why?
I dabble in science fiction and fantasy. I enjoy writing worlds without traditional rules. Having the ability to make it up as I go is a signature move. 2) Describe your writing style. I write adult style novels for people with learning disabilities and reading disabilities. I like to keep the terminology simple and understandable. I believe its important for everyone to be able to read something they will love. 3) What inspires you to write? Stubborn sheer will… Honest. I’ve written so many under a few different pen names now and I believe that I enjoy telling stories more than the responsibility of maintaining an image. 4) Who are your favourite authors? Mercedes Lackey has always been an inspiration. My father, Joel, had her entire collection. Reading was something we always had in common, and he saw a lot of her style emerge in my writing. She will always be my favourite. Mercedes Lackey | Penguin Random House 5) Tell us something unusual about you. I’m a full-on nerd. I still play Dungeons and Dragons several nights a week. I have the original set of books, First Editions. I gave them to my fiancée Derrick Smith as an engagement gift! (Look for the newest books from Heather Smith coming out next fall!) www.enchantinglyentangled.com https://www.facebook.com/enchantinglyentangled  A few days ago, a list was leaked called the 'Midjourney Style List' which held the names of over 16,000 artists whose work is said to have helped train Midjourney. None of the artists listed were credited or compensated for this. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding AI since its inception. This list proves that the creators were using copyrighted material to train the system. While this has been obvious with some of the 'artwork' being produced, this could cause major issues for the company.
One of the most prominent names on the list is Disney and Disney does not like copyright infringement. They have been known to sue small designers for breaking these laws, so there is no reason to think they wouldn't do the same to Midjourney. A lawsuit is already being brought against them and if they lose in court, the company may go under. The use of copyrighted material carries heavy penalities, but it appears in a bid to get ahead, the owners of Midjourney and similar companies, do not care about this. It may be tempting to use programs like this to create book covers, but you are only creating more problems for yourself. Using it as a shortcut or to save money is affecting your business in the long term. I recently got asked to do a newsletter swap with an author whose book cover was a blatant rip off of Transformers. Everything to how the characters were posed to the coloring of the robot was taken almost directly from one of the movie posters. Many people think they can get away with it by changing a few things so it is not an exact carbon copy, but images like that are too famous and too easy to spot. Naturally, I declined to swap with him. Sometimes the covers are harder to spot, but most of the time it is obvious. Why would you do this to your business? If someone were to issue a lawsuit against you, would you want that hanging over you? For new writers, or those who have very little or no budget, it can be tempting to go down that path. To get your book out there now so you can start making money. While not everyone will do it, I imagine a lot of readers will be put off by AI covers. Not only because they recognize the images, but most would assume that the book itself could be written by AI too. I personally believe this is a fad and that a lawsuit will bring in stricter regulations. Do yourself and your career a favor and don't get sucked in by the hype. There are affordable designers out there who are willing to work with you and create a gorgeous cover that will help sell your books. They are trained to know what your genre trends are and many now have payment plan options available. The future of AI could be on shaky ground.  1) What genres do you write in and why?
Mostly fantasy, though I have dabbled in horror, humour, science fiction and slice of life in short stories. I enjoy fantasy set in our world the best, both to read and to write. I love the idea that the magic is out there waiting for us to discover. 2) Describe your writing style I’m a discovery writer. I rarely outline and usually start a book with only a vague idea where it’s going and let my characters tell the story. 3) What inspires you to write? Anything and everything. I’m a big people watcher and listener in to conversations and random things I see and hear often make it into my stories. For example on a recent trip while standing in line in airport security, I saw a woman wearing a really interesting necklace with beads that resembled small scrolls. I pondered the necklace and decided that the scrolls must contain magic spells and that necklace along with the spells is now part of my current work-in-progress. 4) Who are your favourite authors? Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Cornelia Funke, Charlie Holmburg, D.R. Perry, R.R. Virdi, and Jen Ponce to name a few. 5) Tell us something unusual about you When I’m not writing fiction I write puzzles for magazines and have had puzzles published on the walls of a bagel café and a coffee mug! About the Author Debbie Manber Kupfer grew up in the London. She has lived in Israel, New York and North Carolina and somehow ended up in St. Louis. She lives with her family including two very opinionated felines. She works as a writer, editor, and puzzle constructor. She is the author of the young adult fantasy series, P.A.W.S. which features a secret international organization of shapeshifters. She is the editor of the Sins of Time horror series and the charity anthology, Catstruck and has stories in several anthologies including Fauxpocalypse, 13 Candles, Winter Wishes, and Corvid 19. When not writing or editing fiction she writes puzzles for Penny Press magazines and has also published a book of puzzles, Paws 4 Logic with her son, Joey. She believes that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything! Visit Debbie Manber Kupfer on her website |
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
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