My name is Herbert Grosshans. I’m a writer. Most of my stories are Science Fiction, but I also write  Erotica, Thrillers and Mysteries.

Interview with Jeremy John Sheppard

Beverley: What’s your name?

Jeremy: My name is Jeremy John Sheppard. I’m a Captain with the Solar Union Special Forces.

Beverley: Where did you grow up?

Jeremy: I was born and raised on Ceres, an asteroid in the asteroid belt of the Solar System. I’m a Belter.

Beverley: During what time period does your story take place?

Jeremy: About a thousand years in your future, give or take a few centuries.

Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

Jeremy: I joined the Solar Union Space Navy when I was 18 years old, against my father’s wishes. He was an asteroid miner and he would have liked to see me follow in his footsteps, like my younger brother, Alfred. I wanted to get away from all of that. I dedicated my life to the military. At age 26 I became a member of the Solar Union Special Forces. I always believed in law and order, and in a way that was my undoing. I rose quickly in the ranks, and when I became a major, I joined a Special Crimes Unit. We investigated corruption in the upper ranks of the military and we found plenty. When I accused one of the generals of having ties to the drug cartels, I was framed on trumped-up charges, stripped of my rank and sent to a prison planet.

I won’t go into details how I managed to be exonerated of the alleged crimes. You can read all about that in my story. Let’s put it this way, I had a benefactor who believed in me. I didn’t get back my rank, but I did manage to rise to Captain. I worked mostly undercover with a Black Ops unit. It seems history repeated itself. I must have stepped on somebody’s toes and was sent on a suicide mission. We ran into an ambush, all the members of my team were killed, only I survived. I was accused of collaborating with a criminal organization. Nothing could be proven, but I was sent to the outpost on this godforsaken planet I’m on right now. They call it Savanna, a backwards planet, populated by hostile natives. All of the other men on the outpost are nothing but a bunch of losers. This place is supposed to be the end of the road for any of us. The commander of this post, Colonel Wainwright, is a drunk and doesn’t care about discipline or anything else.

At first, after arriving here, I was resigned to the fact that my career was over, but I soon discovered a sinister plot that could change life on Savanna and threaten the peace between humans and the other spacefaring races in this part or the galaxy.

Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?

Jeremy: My goal is to survive on a hostile planet and thwart the plot planned by one of our own.

Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?

Jeremy: I am facing conflict with one of my superiors and the criminal organization behind him. I also must save a group of civilians incarcerated on the outpost under false pretenses.

Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?

Jeremy: Yes, I do. Of course, I can’t do it alone. I must rely on the help of a civilian, a colonist by the name of Dennis Collins. He inadvertently stumbled upon the reason for this conspiracy.

Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

Jeremy: Perhaps I should mention that I was a trooper under the command of Master Scout Terrex Stonewall on the planet Epsilon. That was more than fifteen years ago. Scout Stonewall was not a military man, but he was the equal of any military commander I ever served under. Commodore Chelzic put him into a position of command a lesser man would have struggled with. Scout Stonewall was a man of honor and dignity and he was the reason I joined the Solar Union Special Forces.

You can read about my story in a book written by Herbert Grosshans called ‘Savanna’.

Blurb for Savanna:

Assuming the existence of a Star portal on the planet Savanna to be a secret, the humans don’t know that the Accilla, the Spiders, and other spacefaring races are fully aware of it.

Jeremy Sheppard, a newly appointed Captain of the Solar Space Force to the military outpost and Dennis Collins, a civilian, must join forces to thwart a conspiracy to control the Star portal.

Buy Links for Savanna:

Melange Books, LLC: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/herbertgrosshans/savanna.html

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Ei1Qaj

Nook press: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1131652188?ean=2940161181874

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/940056

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/savanna-1

LULU-print: http://www.lulu.com/shop/herbert-grosshans/savanna/paperback/product-24068189.html

Follow Herbert Grosshans at:

http://hegro.blogspot.com

http://hergros.blogspot.com

http://www.fictitioustales.weebly.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hergros

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

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/herbertgrosshans/index.html

Melange Books:   http://www.melange-books.c om/authors/herbertgrosshans/index.html

     Lorelei Confer lives on a peninsula in the mid-west coast of Florida with her high school sweetheart, now husband, and AJ, her long-haired Chihuahua.

     In the fourth grade, she wrote her first story—something about getting a shot at the doctors—that was produced by the teacher for parents and students in an assembly. When she was older, she spilled her guts in a journal every night and wrote long newsy love letters to Vietnam.

     She is a multi-published author of romantic suspense with two series: The Deadly series and the Saddle Creek series. She also has written numerous novellas and short stories.

     She loves to hear from her readers so if you want to stay “in the know” visit her website, sign up for her newsletters and contact her.

Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?

Lorelei: I prefer to read and write romantic suspense and thrillers, even some true crime, i.e. Sandra Brown, Harlan Coben, Nora Roberts, etc. It’s what I grew up reading and it’s stuck.

Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?

Lorelei: My fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Spotts, made one of my writing assignments, something about a ‘going to the doctor to get shot’ into a play where a few of the students were cast members. The parents and other classes were invited to attend the assembly as well. It was a huge pat on the back. She also suggested I keep a diary and later I kept a journal and wrote every night. When my high school sweetheart left for his first tour of duty in Vietnam I wrote newsy love letters to him every night. Writing has become a great outlet for my angst and fear of the unknown. I give some of my worries and concerns to the characters in my books. LOL

Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?

Lorelei: Thinking about the characters in my story I have plotted in my head but have yet been able to put on paper. Plot points, their sacrifices, their conflicts, and their motivations are swirling and dancing in my head so when I do sit down to write it all comes right out.

Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?

Lorelei: I remember Might Mouse, ‘came to save the day.’

Beverley: Who would you love most to meet ‘in person’ and why?

Lorelei: I would love to meet Harlan Coben. He is such a prolific writer and his research is spot on and in-depth. I can’t imagine his process from beginning to end and how long it actually takes him to right one of his complex thrillers.

Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do with it?

Lorelei: Read…Never enough time.

Beverley: What are you working on now?

Lorelei: I have a new release, Deadly Homecoming, the 5th in the Deadly series on preorder now and releases Feb 18th , 2020.

Then, April 14th , A Cowboy’s Sweet Spot, will release and ne a part of Romances on the Range 2020 Cowboy/Western Anthology.

Lost and Found (working title but another book in the Deadly series) will release in Jun/Jul.

Moonlight Kisses and MugShots, 4th in the Saddle Creek series will release about Sept, 2020.

And then I have Saddle Creek Christmas Romance 2 which will release early November.

My plate is pretty full with release but I also have a couple others written and in various stages that I’ll carry over into 2021.

Blurb for Deadly Homecoming

One is the loneliest number…

Madelyn (Maddy) Morris returns home to arrange her mother’s funeral.  While struggling with her grief she encounters the one man she never wants to see again, the ex who broke her heart and, in more ways, than one.

Garrett Fisher,   her closest childhood friend and now an FBI agent assigned to the human trafficking task force, never stopped loving Maddie. When he sees her at her mother’s funeral, he decides to finally tell her his true feelings. 

Does Garrett have a second chance or has her ex stolen her from him again?

Buy Links for Deadly Homecoming

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Website:       https://www.loreleiconfer.com

Twitter:           https:// twitter.com/loreleiconfer

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

Pinterest:     https://www.pinterest.com/loreleiconfer/

Goodreads:    https:/ /bit.ly/2U1jLw9

Amazon Author Page:   https:/ /amzn.to/2V2kV6U

Newsletter:    https://bit.ly/2UZyQe1

Instagram:     https://www. instagram.com/lorelei.confer/

A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.

After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Beverley: What’s your name?

Sara: Sara Richards

Beverley: Where did you grow up?

Sara: I grew up a Navy brat, so we lived many places. Until I was 17, I lived with my parents in Virginia Beach, Virginia. That summer—the summer of my high school graduation—I was sent to live with my aunt in Beaufort, South Carolina, and that’s where I became an adult—and had my baby.

Beverley: During what time period does your story take place?

Sara: 2005, with flashbacks to 1970.

Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

Sara: Why Anne Krist decided to tell my story in Burning Bridges I’m not sure. Back then, living in a Navy town, with sailors, marines and soldiers still going off to Vietnam, my story was probably a common one. I think she loves Beaufort, and that’s what decided her. Also, she fell in love with a guy in Virginia Beach that her father didn’t approve of, so maybe from that respect she thinks we’re somewhat alike. I’m just glad she decided to write the book!

My story is, I met a guy. I know, all romances start that way. He was 20 and I was 17—jailbait, as they used to say back then, but I wasn’t too young to know when I fell in love. Just before he left for Vietnam, we spent a night together. Then he was gone, and I never heard from him again. When I discovered I was pregnant, I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. I went to live with my aunt in South Carolina and to have the baby, then give it up for adoption. Then I heard that Paul had died. After that—despite the fact he’d never written or tried to contact me—I couldn’t give up our child, our beautiful daughter. The life I built is one in which I burned lots of bridges.

Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?

Sara: To keep my life as it is. I have a good relationship with my mother who lives nearby, and a wonderful adult friendship with my daughter and her boyfriend. They live in Charleston, about 72 miles away, so we get together frequently. I also have a boyfriend, if a grown man can be called that. He’s a Marine stationed here at Parris Island. I have a job I love, and a family I love. My life is perfect. My goal is to keep it that way.

As my father used to say, some people are born to be disappointed. Life doesn’t “stay” for anyone.

Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?

Sara: In one fell swoop, my life became a maelstrom of change. My daughter is leaving, my mother betrayed me, and even my close friend, Matthew is being transferred. My business has to move or close. I feel empty and at a loss as to how to continue. Then, something even more catastrophic happens. I feel that I’ve been tossed into a whirlpool in the middle of the ocean.

Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?

Sara: What does one do but take things step by step. I have to accept that I have no control over some things. Those aspects I can control, I just try to do my best. No plan, not really. Maybe that’s been my problem for a while—I’m too reactive instead of proactive.

Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

Sara: I try to be a good person. I loved a good man, and that action affected my whole life, and then the life of my daughter. But I can’t regret that love. That’s what I’d like people to remember me by when the time comes to be 

  remembered—that I loved strongly, and that love is something I would never regret.

Blurb for Burning Bridges:

Letters delivered decades late send shock waves through Sara Richards’s world. Nothing is the same, especially her memories of Paul, a man to whom she’d given her heart years before. Now, sharing her secrets and mending her mistakes of the past means putting her life back together while crossing burning bridges. It will be the hardest thing Sara’s ever done.

Excerpt from Burning Bridges:

Sara stared at the letters arranged before her in numerical order. The moment in time she and Paul shared was long ago, yet her dream had conjured his presence as though she’d just seen him. In her mind, his blue eyes darkened with passion before his lips captured hers, and he moaned his appreciation when their tongues met. She tasted his sweetness and knew the steel of his arms as he held her. How many nights had she put herself through hell reliving those memories? Too damn many.

After the concert, they’d met clandestinely on weekends, mostly at Sandbridge, where they could walk and talk undisturbed. With each meeting, stirrings built deep in Sara that pushed her to want more, but Paul insisted they restrain themselves because of her age.

Then the weekend before he shipped out, she’d planned a surprise and her life changed forever.

The kettle screeched, bringing her back to the present. Sara prepared a cup of tea and then picked up the envelope marked twenty-eight. At one time, she would have given her right arm to hold this letter. Now, curiosity and the desire for a brief escape drove her more than the passion of youth. Blind love had faded when she’d had no word to bolster her during the long weeks after the ship left.

First had come the waiting. No letters arrived, even though she wrote him daily. There were no phone calls, no notes, no anything, for days that dragged into weeks then crept into months.

Anticipation morphed into anxiety. She worried he was sick or hurt and unable to write.

One day sh e admitted that Paul must be afraid to write for some reason, and she feared what he would say if she did receive a letter. That their time together had been a mistake, that she was too young to be in love. That he really loved someone else and Sara had been only a stand-in while he was in Virginia. Perversely, she began to sigh with relief when she arrived home and found no word.

Now, knowing why she hadn’t received mail, what would she feel if she opened this letter and her old fears proved to be true?

“Nothing,” she murmured. “Paul’s dead. He can’t hurt me anymore.” At the very least, his letters might allow her to put his ghost to rest. For that reason alone, she had to read them.

She slid her thumb under the flap and ripped the envelope open. A single sheet held his hurried scrawl.

Buy Links for Burning Bridges:

KU  mybook.to/BurningBridges

Website:   https://nomadauthors.com/annekrist/index.html

Kathy L Wheeler loves the NFL, the NBA, musical theater, travel, reading, writing and karaoke. She recently migrated from Oklahoma to the Pacific Northwest with her musically talented husband, her sweet dog Angel and snooty cat Carly.

Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write?

Kathy: I write historical and contemporary romance. All, usually, with a twist of suspense. The historical ranges from Regency, to Vintage, to Western. The why? That is the story that hits closest to home I suppose. 😊

Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Kathy: Jayne Ann Krentz and Susan Elizabeth Phillips come to mind. I read and reread a lot of their books because I love them so much and every time I reread I feel I learn something new.

Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?

Kathy: Sitting my ass in the chair and typing…or going to the sports bar up the street and pulling out my paper and pen. (I can tune anything out.)

Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character?

Kathy: I used to LOVE Mighty Mouse. He was the cutest. Why? I’m not sure why. I will state however, that there were two and I didn’t like the skinny one. I liked the stout one.

Beverley: Who would you love most to meet ‘in person’ and why?

Kathy: Ellen DeGeneres because she says “Be kind to one another” every day.

Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do with it? Kathy: Sleep!!!!

Beverley: What are you working on now?

Kathy: I am currently working on two things. The first is the second book in my Rebel Lords of London series, The Marquis’s Misstep.

The second book will be interesting. My sisters wanted to write a mystery and they are not writers, per se. The good news is that we are spending a lot of time skyping and have planned a sisters’ retreat to Kansas City in late February. Why KC? Not for the weather, that’s for sure. One sister lives near there, so I will be flying from Seattle to Denver, intercepting the other sister on the way.

Blurb for Mail Order Bride:  The Counterfeit: 

After a disastrous first marriage, Will Jeffers hasn’t the stomach for another emotionally entailed union. All he needs is a wife to cook, nurse his mother, and look after the homestead. But good women are few and far between in Colorado mining country. A mail order bride is the perfect solution.

Amelia Johannasen is running for her life. Her mother has decided it’s time her daughter joined the family business, shattering Amy’s dreams of marrying for love. Imagine her surprise when she is mistaken for Will Jeffers mail order bride. She’ll take it

With a head for numbers and talent for spinning tall tales but no notion of how to cook or nurse a manipulative old woman how can she reach the heart of a man once burned so badly, he’s sworn off love?

Blurb for Mail Order Bride:  The Breakaway: 

Tragedy sent Sherman Elias McHuay west twelve years ago. But his troubled past barrels in like a runaway train or—more appropriately—smacks him over the head in the form of a violet-eyed miss without a lick of common sense to her name. If one could actually determine her name.

Amaris Johnston’s carefully laid plans to head west as a mail order bride ratchet up when an announcement for her impending nuptials to the son of a prominent US Senator are set to go public. Not that she’d agreed to marry in the first place. A forced engagement and her family—a conniving slew of ambitious and power-hungry tyrants—send her running for the Colorado hills.

Can a slow talking sheriff and a headstrong girl bent on recklessness outwit her powerful family?

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Writing can be a lonely profession. It can be nice to have the support of others who hear voices and talk to characters in their head. It’s also nice to have other writes to bounce ideas off and use as sounding boards. Some people are lucky enough to live near a writing group or have several friends they can meet with and discuss their books. Others live in areas not near writing support.

After many years I’ve recently resigned from my online writing group. Instead of continuing to be a supportive group, a small number of members, some who joined recently, have decided to tear it apart. So now I’m looking around to see what else might be available. I write contemporary romantic suspense, some with a paranormal twist and some set on ranches in Montana. I’m Canadian and there’s nothing in my area, so I’m mostly looking for online support. Here’s a list of some groups I’ve found and I’m researching.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.    

Sisters in Crime Started in 1986 – online presence (Guppy Chapter $12/year) plus local meetings (not in my area) $50/year 

Mystery Writers of America – 11 regional chapters some online presence $115/year

Women’s Fiction Writers Association – Online – Started in 2013 $48/year

Western Writers of America – Not sure if online support – Started in 1953 $75/year

Authors Guild -Started 1912 – supports writers and authors rights but not really an online presence $135/year

Association of Writers and Writing Programs Started – 1967- support but not really online access $85/year

Paranormal Romance Guild – Online – Started in 2009 $50/ year