SAM Magazine

W.L. Hawkin, writes “edgy urban fantasy with a twist of murder” from Vancouver Island, B.C. Her novels—To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, and To Kill a King each stand alone but form the Hollystone Mysteries series. This coven of West Coast witches, and their eccentric friends, solve murders using ritual magic and a little help from the gods.

Although she’s an introvert, in each book her characters go on a journey where Hawkin’s travelled herself. She researches all her locales (Ireland, Scotland, the B.C. Coast) to soak up the sensory landscape. In 2017, she climbed Croghan Hill in Ireland to survey the land her king would rule in To Kill a King, a romantic time-travel thriller set in Iron Age Ireland.

A seeker and mystic, fascinated by language, archaeology, and mythology, Hawkin graduated from Trent University, Ontario, and has post-bac diplomas from SFU in B.C. Her background in Indigenous Studies and Humanities informs her work. She found her voice publishing poetry and Native Rights articles in Canadian news magazines and is now an Indie author/publisher at Blue Haven Press. ⁠http://bluehavenpress.com⁠. Today, we are going to learn about the bog body and Iron Age Ireland, mixed with intrigue and witchcraft.

Dr. Roger Leslie is a scholar in the fields of success and education. Through major literary houses, medium and small presses, and his own publishing house, Leslie has published fiction and nonfiction books in multiple genres: historical fiction, inspirational self-help, spirituality, writing and publishing, movie references, teaching and librarianship, biography, history, and a memoir. 

Roger has won numerous national awards including the ForeWord Book of the Year, The Ben Franklin Award, and Writer’s Digest’s #1 Inspirational Book of the Year. At its inaugural event, Roger received the Houston Literary Award for his body of work. Roger is in demand as a teacher, coach, and keynote speaker. He leads FLY (First Last Year) courses based on his blockbuster memoir, My First Last Year. He draws from decades as an author, editor, and in response to a spiritual dream, Roger lived a year as if it were his last. Today, Roger and I talked about his latest book, Light Come Out of the Closet.

https://rogerleslie.com/

Multi-published author, Yvonne Maximchuk is with me in the studio. Many readers are familiar with Yvonne's paintings, pottery and books. Yvonne is an artist of the Broughton Archipelago, where her new novel, Murder Rides A Gale Force Wind; an Island Mystery, is situated. Throughout the eight years of writing this book, Yvonne drew on the complex and rich beauty of her home environment, the Broughton Archipelago and used it as the framework on which to hang the story. Tales from neighbour Bill Proctor, plus thirty-six years of small-town life provided plenty of material to set the story in the small coastal community of Echo Bay. The author weaves the past into the present, along with the various social, political and personal issues that demand everyone’s attention, and of course, a mysterious death.

⁠https://www.yvonnemaximchuk.com⁠

⁠https://www.amazon.ca/Yvonne-Maximchuk/e/B00JAM5TL4%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Kelly Shuto and D.F. Wibley were the 2022 Canadian Book Club Award Winners. They are the first two authors to kick off my summer series as Official Podcast Host for the 2022 Canadian Book Club Award winners. I've included the link if you want to find more information about the ⁠Canadian Book Club Awards⁠, presented by the ⁠Self Publishing Agency⁠ .

Kelly Shuto is a kindergarten and grade one teacher on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada. She has two boys who are active in sports and a cat who is active in sleeping. She loves exploring nature, spending time with friends and family, and morning walks with a coffee. Kelly values big smiles and a good belly laugh. We talk about her award-winning book, What Does It Mean to Be Your Best.

She is passionate about helping children to recognize their self worth, their own bravery and their individual accomplishments by celebrating all successes. One of her favourite ways to share messages with her students is through thought provoking picture books that allow for meaningful connections and introspection. Her goal is to help the children she works with to leave each school day feeling happier and more confident then when they entered the classroom that morning...and, of course, to make them laugh.

⁠https://kellyshuto.ca/⁠

⁠Kelly Shuto on Amazon⁠

D.F. Whibley  was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, his career took him around the world several times. His award-winning book, One Arctic Night, is based off several experiences and observations he made while travelling the Canadian Arctic. D.F. Whibley describes village life in a Canadian Arctic town in a way you will feel like you are walking through the town with his characters. Having travelled the world for many years, he brings an in-depth point of view regarding social problems that cross all borders.

⁠D.F. Wibley on Amazon⁠

Ling Ge is a Pushcart nominee who studies creative writing and works as a statistician in Toronto. In her literary work, she uses a combination of Eastern and Western styles. Her work has appeared in the Spadina Literary Review, Ribbons, the Rising Phoenix Review, and the Wales Haiku Journal. Today, we talked about Ling’s writing life, her short story She Left as if She Never Came, which can be found online at ⁠Ricepaper Magazine⁠. Ling wants to write about unrealized beauty, unrealized issues, and unrealized stories.

Podcast art provided by ⁠Ricepaper Magazine⁠. Illustration by Anderson Lee. 

Scott Overton was a well-known radio morning host for more than 30 years in Ontario, Canada. Scott has now built a second career as an author. His radio-themed debut novel Dead Air was shortlisted for a Northern Lit Award in 2012, and his science fiction/thriller novels The Primus Labyrinth, Naïda, and The Dispossession of Dylan Knox have been well-received too, with readers most often comparing them to the work of Michael Crichton.

Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo award-winning author says about Scott's latest novel, Augment Nation, “Scott Overton is a terrific writer and his vision of tomorrow is both realistic and frightening. Read this book!” Scott's a member of the ⁠Canadian Authors Association⁠, ⁠SFCanada⁠, and a past President of the ⁠Sudbury Writers Guild⁠. Today, we talked about Augment Nation.

⁠http://www.scottoverton.ca/

D. C. Gomez is an award winner, USA Today Best-selling Author, public speaker, mentor and podcaster. She writes in multiple genres from Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Lit, YA, Children’s Books, and even Devotionals. She has a quirky and at times dark sense of humor that can be seen across her different books.

When she is not creating new stories, D. C. is working on her podcast, Inside the Minds of Authors. The podcast features upcoming and popular authors with new episodes each Friday. These fun and inspiring conversations provide the listeners with an inside look at the creation process of books as well as the charisma of the authors.

D.C. has an undergraduate degree in Film and Television from NYU.  After college, she joined the US Army, where she proudly served for four years. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New England, she now calls Texas her new adoptive home. On today's podcast we talked about Kickstarter, her proudest moment as an author, and of course, her latest novel, The Traitor. ⁠https://dcgomez-author.com/

Prolific author Hannah Mary McKinnon joins me today. Hannah was born in Manchester, UK to British & Swiss parents. Her family moved to Switzerland, and Hannah loved the mountains, chocolate, and cheese…or mountains of chocolate and cheese.

After completing commercial studies in Geneva, she worked as a PA for DuPont. A year later she moved to Neuchâtel and became the Purchasing Manager for a high-tech company that made motors for industrial and space applications. While working, she returned to university, studying part-time for a Bachelor of Science.

Hanna’s writing career began after her family moved to Oakville in Ontario, Canada in 2010. It is noted on her website that maybe it was the failed attempt at a start-up company, or an early mid-life crisis, but one morning she decided to follow her oldest passion, started writing, and she never looked back. Her first book was a romantic comedy, but then she switched to the dark side of suspense. Today, we talk about her latest thriller, The Revenge List.

⁠https://hannahmarymckinnon.com/

Author Marian O’Shea Wernicke joins me today. She is the author of the stellar and beautiful novel, Out of Ireland. Marian was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the author of the novel Toward That Which is Beautiful, a finalist in both Literary Fiction and Romance Fiction in the 2021 Independent Book Awards, and a finalist in Multicultural Fiction in the 2021 American Fiction Awards. The 2021 Catholic Press Association awarded the novel an Honorable Mention in Fiction.

A nun for 11 years, Marian worked in Lima, Peru, for 3 years. After leaving the convent, Marian taught English as a second language in Madrid, and later was a professor of English and creative writing at Pensacola State College for 25 years. Out of Ireland is available on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, and can be pre-ordered now.

⁠⁠https://www.marianosheawernicke.com/⁠⁠ A shout out to the talented book designer, Mimi Bark for the beautiful book cover.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mimibark.com/⁠

David A. Bowles is the fifth generation of his family to be born in Austin Texas. Both parents were from pioneer settlers. His great grandmother, Elnora Van Cleve was the first child born in Austin on April 14, 1841. His award-winning series, the Westward Sagas is based on her family and their one-hundred-year journey from Pennsylvania to Texas. David and his dog Becka, enjoy Texas from October-May. When the last bluebonnet has lost its bloom, they pack up the RV and head for cooler weather telling and writing stories. Today, David talked with me about book 5 in Westward Saga series, Sheriff of Starr County.

⁠https://www.davidabowlesauthor.com/⁠

⁠https://westwardsagas.com/david_bowles/