Bringing Life To Characters

My guest this week is author Matt Hughes. Matt is a Canadian author, he writes crime fiction, fantasy, and space opera. He has sold 24 novels to publishers large and small in the US, Canada, UK, France, and Italy, as well as more than 100 works of short fiction to professional markets.

His magnum opus is What the Wind Brings, a historical novel with magical realism elements. It was the first Canadian work to win the international Endeavour Award. He waited more than forty years to write the novel, and spent a year composing several drafts, made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.6 publication.

My guest this week is author Carol Snow. Carol is an American author of contemporary fiction and young adult literature. After graduating from Brown University, she spent many years working as a freelance writer and editor. For a time, she wrote essays about motherhood for Salon but wisely stopped before her children were old enough to read. Her writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books and Park City Magazine.

​Eventually, Snow turned her attention to crafting heartfelt stories with wider appeal, and in 2006, Berkley/Penguin published her first novel, Been There, Done That, a Target Bookmarked Breakout selection that Publisher’s Weekly called “humorous, wise . . . romance with a bit of social commentary.” Since then, she has written five more books for adults, Getting Warmer (2007); Here Today, Gone to Maui (2009); Just Like Me, Only Better (2010); and What Came First (2011), which Amazon UK chose as a best book of the month. Her next title, The Girl on the Beach, a psychological thriller, is slated for June 2026 publication.

My guest this week is author T.K. Bush. T.K. is a seasoned radiographic/cardiovascular technologist with more than two decades of medical experience, has also been a prolific writer since childhood. Married, with a blended family of 4 children and two Bengal cats, she bravely navigates the complexities of family life, healthcare, and the stimulating world of literature. Bush’s love of reading and writing gives her a unique storytelling voice, shaped by her medical background. Drawing on her own experiences with relationships and trauma, she creates stories that guide readers toward forgiveness, acceptance, and grace, even in the toughest situations. Her debut novel, Unveiled, releases in September 2026. Bush skillfully incorporates her medical expertise into a psychologically intense thriller. Through the complexity of medical and relationship drama, she creates a haunting world filled with emotion, suspense, and deception.

My guest this week is author Alison McBain. Alison was born in Canada, raised in California, and arrived in Canada with a few detours along the way. She has over two hundred poems and short stories published in magazines and anthologies such as Flash Fiction Online, On Spec, and Litro. Her debut and award-winning novel is The Rose Queen: Book 1 of the Rose Trilogy, and was shortly followed by a collection of her short fantasy fiction called Enchantress of Books. When not obsessing over her plan of survival for a zombie apocalypse, she practices origami meditation and draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids.

My guest this week is author J.T. Ellison. J.T. is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of psychological suspense, including the Taylor Jackson series, the Samantha Owens series, and numerous acclaimed standalones. She is the Emmy Award–winning cohost of A Word on Words, the literary television series on PBS.

Over a twenty-year career, her work has earned widespread critical recognition, with titles optioned for television and published in thirty countries, and millions of copies in print worldwide.

A dedicated voice in the writing community, she also publishes The Creative Edge, a newsletter and blog for writers navigating the craft and business of fiction.

My guest this week is author Holly B. Gutwillinger. Holly is an author and podcaster from a small northern Ontario town. Her debut novel, North of Broken & Furever Home, launches February 14, 2026, exploring a woman's complex relationship with her rescue dogs.

Holly's writing is shaped by her deep love of family—she is the proud mother of two adult sons—and her commitment to the animals who enrich our lives.

She holds a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies and is currently completing her MFA in fiction at the University of King's College. Holly serves on the board of her local writers' guild and volunteers with the Women's Fiction Writers Association.

My guest this week is author Chris Underwood. Chris started seriously writing back in 2012 when his concerns of a power grid failure began to creep into his mind. His concerns festered into a storyline that continued to bug him until he got it on paper. It took five years of honing his craft to get the first book out, but it has been fun sharing the secret.

My guest this week is author Maria Gallucci. Maria is a multi-award-winning real estate agent and proud CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Growing up as one of six hearing children raised by Deaf parents, she learned ASL before English and helped her parents buy a home at just 12 years old. This experience shaped her passion for inclusive communication and helping those who are often overlooked. For over 30 years, Maria has supported homebuyers from all walks of life, with special focus on the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and LGBTQ+ communities. She's the founder of Uptown Realty Group, Gallucci Homes, ASL @ Compass Affinity Group, and ASL Realty- a national platform connecting Deaf & Hard of Hearing clients with signing agents - and ranks in the top 1% of agents in Colorado and top 1.5% nationwide. Maria serves on boards for Rocky Mountain Deaf School, DOVE, and Colorado Association of the Deaf. Her motto "just try" reflects her belief that meaningful connection starts with one small step. Her debut book Raised in Silence is both a love letter to the Deaf & Hard of Hearing community and a guide for bridging communication gaps.

My guest this week is author Terrance Niedziela Jr. Terrance grew up in Wisconsin, immersed in shows, movies, and books containing the theme of good defeating evil. He started writing books in the 4th grade, and that passion continued into his adult years. He received his BS in Ancient Middle East History with a minor in Creative Fiction at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a MA in English and Creative Fiction Writing at Southern New Hampshire University.

My guest this week is author Mandy Eve-Barnett. Mandy is an Edmonton Best Seller, multi-genre author, writing children’s, YA and adult books. With eleven books published since 2011, and one more launching in September 2026, and another nine in various stages of completion, her writing life is full. This does not include her writing in numerous anthologies and magazines, and a variety of non-fiction projects through her freelance business as well as presentations and panelist positions at various writing conferences.