Joshua C. Carroll, Author of The Adventures of Sarah Ann Lewis and the Memory Thieves

Today we are interviewing Joshua C. Carroll about his upper middle grade / rural sci-fi / thriller novel, titled "The Adventures of Sarah Ann Lewis and the Memory Thieves."

*Starting Thursday, August 8, the book will be 99¢ for several days, and then it will slowly increase until it goes back up to the normal price of $6.99 on Thursday, August 15. Get it on Amazon by clicking here.*

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Sure! I’m 38 years old, and I live in Fort Worth, Texas with my wife, daughters, foster daughters, and a Miniature Schnauzer named Ginger. Besides writing, I also love to make music (I play a handful of instruments), take pictures, and cook.

Describe the plot of your new book, “The Adventures of Sarah Ann Lewis and the Memory Thieves,” in a few sentences.
Sarah Ann is, at its heart, a story about a girl learning to accept and be accepted by the people who love her. But while she’s learning that, she’s being stalked by spies, uncovering family secrets, falling into secret laboratories, and meeting mad scientists, intelligent animals, shapeshifters, and all kinds of other interesting characters. In the end, she learns what she’s really made of and what it means to accept her own identity.

Who do you think would most appreciate your book?
I wrote this book, first and foremost, for my oldest daughter. But I also wrote it for myself. We’re both huge fans of books like A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Hobbit. She loves the Percy Jackson series, and I love a good sci-fi with alternate dimensions. So I packed little bits of all of that in here. Anybody, young or old, who likes those books will find plenty of fun little Easter eggs in Sarah Ann. But this book has also been a bit of a hit with other foster and adoptive families. There are some strong themes in the book around truly belonging to the family that has chosen you whether you were born there or not. Being a foster dad myself, it does my heart good to see it resonating with other kids and parents in similar situations.

Tell us about your protagonist, Sarah.
Ahh, Sarah. I feel like she’s one of my daughters. Like a lot of kids her age (13), she’s curious about the world around her and hates going to school, but she also really cares about doing what’s right, even when that gets her into trouble. She’s had a hard life, and she lives with her Grandpa on some land in the country outside a small town in Texas. She sees herself as a nobody from nowhere, but—without spoiling anything—she’ll have to get over that if she’s going to save the day.

The book is set in 1988. What made you decide to set it during that period?
I grew up in the 80s, near the area where the book is set. In a lot of ways, the world was just as crazy then as it is now. We were in the tail end of the Cold War, and I remember doing bomb siren drills in school. But on the other hand, it was also simpler and slower. I wanted to share a bit of that world with new readers who can’t imagine what life was like the phone was connected to the wall by a coiled cord and most people didn’t even own a computer.

Author Joshua C. Carroll.

On a similar note, since life (specifically technology) has changed so much since 1988, did you find it difficult to capture the period in your writing?
I definitely had to fact-check a lot of things. There’s a dot matrix printer that plays a fun role early in the story, and it’s been so long since I’ve seen one that I had to look up some of the details. But mostly, it felt simpler writing a story where people aren’t constantly staring at screens and texting each other and posting things to social media.

Your book has elements from multiple genres – written for the upper middle grade audience with elements of rural sci-fi, mystery and thriller genres. Was this something you intended to do from the start? Or was it something that evolved as you wrote?
I just can’t focus on one thing at a time. It’s the story of my life. I’ve always been interested in lots of different things, and so when I set out to write this story, all these disparate elements found their way into it organically.

Without giving too much away, tell us about the Memory Thieves.
Ahh! That’s the question, isn’t it? Let’s just say that the Memory Thieves may or may not be who you think they are at the beginning.

Sarah must team up with strangers she would normally be at odds with. Can you tell us about Sarah’s relationship with these strangers? Does her perspective of them change as she gets to know them more?
Her relationship with these people, whom she learns are called The Sentinels, is complex. There’s a lot of fear and distrust up front and a sense of wonder as she learns more about them. People she thought of as stuck up or scary turn out to be good friends. There’s hurt and betrayal, loyalty and self-sacrifice. In the end, they become family to her.

Do you feel being a father affected how you wrote your book? Did you ever bounce ideas off your children?
Oh, absolutely. I’m working through the sequel right now, and just this week, I described a situation to my oldest and said, “How would you react?” Her response became a chapter.

Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
I hesitate to answer this question, because I know my writing style is very different from my influences—most of whom are long-dead and British. But if I had to pick modern authors whose writing I admire and aspire not so much to emulate but to learn from, the list would include Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, and Robin Hobb. Gaiman’s prose is magical. Butcher’s stories are so much fun, beginning to end. Card is a master of weaving complex, difficult themes into his stories in a way that feels both subtle and inevitable. Sanderson builds the most insane worlds and magic systems that have their own beautiful logical framework. And Robin Hobb (who also wrote some amazing books under the name Megan Lindholm) creates such wonderful, believable characters.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve written blogs and that sort of thing for a long time, but I didn’t start writing fiction until around 2013.

How do you think you've evolved as a writer since when you first started?
I’ve learned a ton, mostly by writing short fiction. I tended, at first, to focus on the plot and see my characters as objects that helped the plot advance. Since then, I’ve learned to focus in on and “play” with my characters like my kids do with their dolls until I feel like I know them. What motivates them? What do they care about? What scares them? What are they lying about? What do they need that they aren’t even aware of? And how do those things drive their behavior, their decisions, and ultimately, the plot that they generate?

What do you like about the upper middle grade genre?
Upper middle grade is a horribly underserved segment. There are lots of kids who have a hard time reading or feel that reading is a chore, and for them, there are shelves upon shelves of light-hearted, safe, easy-to-read, short little books full of fart jokes and pictures. There’s nothing wrong with that. But even at 7 years old, my daughter was blowing through those so fast we couldn’t keep up. When she was 8, we read The Lord of the Rings together, and she loved it so much that, as soon as we finished, she read through it again on her own. That—and the incredible success of the Harry Potter series—told me that, whether the industry wants to admit it or not, there are plenty of young readers who are hungry for longer, more complex books. And that’s exciting to me. There’s an opportunity to introduce these young bookworms to ideas and themes and worlds that are new and exciting to them without having to dumb-it-down. There’s a chance to treat these kids like the young adults they’re becoming. So far, they’ve responded really well to Sarah Ann, and I’m excited to keep exploring that space.

Do you have any favorite middle grade books?
My all-time favorite is The Hobbit. I remember reading that (not for the first time) in my 6th grade reading class. Our teacher, Mr. Bo, did the voices for all the characters, and they were just amazing. I’ve yet to read a modern book for that age group that comes close to capturing that level of magic, though there are some young YA books that are pretty great.

What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
I want to finish this series and write a bunch more, and I want to figure out how to better connect with middle grade readers and their parents. It’s a tricky market to get into, and a lot of writers give up and move on to other markets. I just see it as a fun challenge.

How have your readers responded to the book so far?
The responses have been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve truly been humbled. I’ve had several parents send me photos of their kids reading the book, and I’m planning to print them all out and put them next to my writing desk.

Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
I don’t dislike any part of it, but yeah, some parts are harder than others. For a lot of writers, this great emotional rush happens when they’re getting the words onto the page, but they dread the revising and editing. I’m wired backward from that. Getting the story out in the first place is a ton of hard work, but I love honing it and crafting it into a story that I’m proud of.

Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
I think writer’s block is more or less my default mode. But if I can make myself sit down at the keyboard, get into the right head-space by reading a bit of what I’ve already written, stay off of social media, and trust that the words I write will turn into something good later even if they’re awful right now, I can usually make some progress. I’m terribly slow, but I’m steady, and in the end that’s what matters.

What do you have in mind for your next project?
I’m working on the sequel to Sarah Ann right now, and I have two other novels outside this series that are already in the works. One is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi that involves quantum computing, data mining, and an alien substance that can be manipulated so that its molecular structure changes. The other is a story of a time traveler stuck in the body of the son his mother would have had if he had never been born. I’m really excited to get those out into the world.

Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
Well I don’t, but I’ll pass on a message from a young lady who reviewed it: “If you don’t order, you will live a very sorry, miserable, horrible life, knowing you did not order a book that is AWESOME.” I nearly died laughing when I read that review, and I don’t think I stopped smiling for a week.

“The Adventures of Sarah Ann Lewis and the Memory Thieves” excerpt:

What Sarah doesn’t know… 

...could doom us all. 

It’s 1988 in the middle of nowhere, Texas, and 13-year-old Sarah is about to be swept out of her boring life and into a world of danger. 

Spies are coming for her. The people next door are not what they seem. And Sarah’s family has been hiding something. Something BIG. Something not even Sarah knows. 

The fate of the world hangs in the balance. But for Sarah, all that matters is rescuing her family. What’s left of it, anyway.  

If she fails, the Memory Thieves will learn their secrets, and as a result, millions around the world will die. But to save the people she loves, Sarah will have to team up with strangers she isn’t sure she can trust. Strangers who aren’t even human. 

This story is not what you think. 

A captivating blend of rural sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and thriller, the first book of this genre smashing series will have you begging for more.

More Information
Buy the book on Amazon.
Follow the author on Twitter.
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T.K. Lukas, Author of Orphan Moon

Today we are are interviewing T.K. Lukas about her novel "Orphan Moon."

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a native Texan and a life-long horse owner, breeder, trainer and all-around equine enthusiast. I think this helps me to write convincingly and with an authentic voice about life on the rugged western frontier. My husband and I live in North-central Texas where we raise cattle and spend as much time as possible sitting in a saddle. When not busy with ranch chores or up in my office writing, I enjoy snow skiing, photography, and traveling with my husband, especially if we can sneak in a horse-back-ride in whatever country we happen to be visiting.  

Describe the plot of your new book, "Orphan Moon," in a few sentences.
A young woman, Barleigh Flanders, faces extreme personal tragedy and has to come up with a plan to save the one thing she has left: her land. Her plan is reckless and foolhardy, yet it’s her only hope. She gains an unsought ally in her scheme, an ally in the form of Texas Ranger, Hughes Levesque. They both must overcome dark secrets from their pasts, and their paths have surprisingly crossed in a complicated twist of fate. It’s the untwisting of the path - of the past - that leads Barleigh to face a choice between completing what she’s set out to accomplish, which is saving her land, and trusting this man enough to allow him into her life and into her heart.  

Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
That’s a tough question. When I first wrote the book, I envisioned it being for a “New Adult” audience, especially women in their late teens to mid-20s embarking on their first sexual encounter. However, I’ve had such positive response from people of all walks of life, from an 87-year-old German male, a mid-30s male, many young women, ladies in the 55-and-up age category, a retired Mayor (gentleman), etc... It’s been wonderful seeing the reviews come in and to know that the story doesn’t exclude anyone. I will say, though, that because of strong language, it’s definitely not a kid’s book.

Author T.K. Lukas

What inspired you to write about a young woman who has to move forward after tragedy?
Two things. My first inspiration was my grandmother, who is no longer with us. Yesterday, June 13th, would have been her 113 birthday. She died at 98. She was burned severely as a young girl before the days of antibiotics and modern medicine and wasn’t expected to live. She was a fighter and never gave up. She did recover and lived a long life. She had nine children, three of whom she had to bury, and always kept a positive, never-give-up attitude. Always had a smile and a kind word for everyone she met. My second inspiration was when I lost everything I owned several years ago in a house fire. It was a dark time in my life, I was in a very bad relationship, and I had to face what was important and what was not. I learned a personal lesson that material things can go up in smoke in an instant, and toxic people in your life have as much value as the ashes left behind. What’s important is moving forward. Rising from the ashes. Being the proverbial Phoenix.

Tell us a bit about the protagonist, Barleigh Flanders.
Barleigh is a girl with gumption. She has a big heart. A strong moral compass. But, she’s also very quick to make rash decisions without thinking through the consequences. This impetuous behavior gets her into trouble on more than one occasion. She’s feisty. Spirited. And she’s very much willing to do whatever it takes to save her land and make a home to raise her half-sister. Thrown into a man’s world, yet she retains her feminine vulnerability, a quality that ultimately causes her to face her day of reckoning with the dashing gun-slinger, Hughes Levesque.  

“Orphan Moon” is a book that seems to transcend genre, part western, part romance, part literary fiction, part action/adventure. Did you decide to incorporate all these elements from the start? Or is this something that developed as you got deeper into the story?
These elements have been a part of "Orphan Moon" from the get-go. Researching the Pony Express began over three years ago, and as I dug deeper into that, I began forming the idea of a conspiracy regarding a plot to steal the mail and President Abraham Lincoln’s letters to California – hence the action/adventure element. I knew all along that I wanted there to be a romantic element. I mean, every daring cowgirl wants to fall head-over-spurs with a handsome cowboy! It is definitely set against the backdrop of the rugged western frontier. And the fact that it has been described as literary fiction is flattering.

Hughes Levesque becomes an unlikely ally for Barleigh. What draws him to protect her?
First, he makes a promise to an old friend to protect that friend’s daughter. He’s a man of his word. However, his word and his heart get tangled up in a battle of wits when he finds himself struggling to keep another promise to that same friend – that he’d keep that friend’s identity a secret. Hughes thinks Barleigh needs to be told the truth about her mother. It’s a huge inner struggle for Hughes, a man who always keeps his word, even if it kills him.

Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
I love the writing styles of Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, and Patrick de Witt when it comes to telling a gritty western. Others I’ve always admired run the gamut of genres, from Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, and Annie Proulx, to name a few.

Who was your favorite character to write?
Oh my goodness - besides Barleigh, I LOVED writing Stoney’s scenes! He was so much fun. I have four uncles on my mother’s side of the family, and Stoney is a compilation of them. We had a family reunion over the weekend, and we had such a great time talking about the character of Stoney and how he reminded everyone of our uncles…and the memories and stories just flowed.

How do you feel about the increasing popularity of ebooks?
I’m a huge fan of ebooks. It’s revolutionized the industry of writing and bringing an author’s books to the reader. And as a reader myself, I love the convenience. I will say, though, that I love the nostalgia of holding paper in my hand. I love looking at print.

What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
Ten years? I’m focusing on the next two, at best! Seriously, my immediate goal is to finish books two and three of the "Orphan Moon" trilogy, and to finish a contemporary suspense I’m working on. As far as the craft of writing, my goal is to continue to improve by taking classes, going to writers’ retreats, entering contests, etc… Long term, signing with an agent is on my radar.

Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
The only aspect I don’t really care for is that it’s sedentary and a mostly indoor activity. I’m an active person. I start getting antsy. I start looking out the window wondering if my horses aren’t missing me and maybe I should pay a visit to the barn… Often, I carry my laptop to the patio and work outside. That helps a bit.

Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
I have had writer’s block. I envy (and suspect) those who haven’t. I deal with it in various ways. Take a jog. Go for a horseback ride. Research a topic. Read a book. Re-read the previous chapter and find a new way to edit…. Something to get the creative juices flowing. 

Do you write with a computer, typewriter, or pen and paper? Why do you use this tool?
I write on a computer because of its technological capabilities. Editing is fast and easy. Researching is a snap. But, I keep a pen and paper at my bedside and at my bathroom vanity, for quick notes. Also, I use the “note” feature on my phone for when I have a burning idea and my computer is not available.

What do you have in mind for your next project?
I’m two-thirds of the way through my next project, a contemporary suspense thriller titled “IF THE DEVIL HAD A DOG.” The release is targeted for September 1st, 2015. It’s about a very smart lady who finds herself in a nasty divorce from an evil man. Her divorce attorney advises her to disappear for a while. She heeds the warning and flees to a destination in west Texas that was recommended. There, she encounters a former US Marine turned CIA operative who can help her disappear for a while. He can help her with a lot more than that. It’s an edgy thrill ride packed full of heart-pumping suspense. 

Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
"Orphan Moon" is a story that I think readers will fall in love with, whether they identify with typical westerns, or horses, or cowboys and cowgirls, or not. It’s a life-lesson in knowing who you are and what you’re willing to do to get what you want. Better yet, it’s a life-lesson in knowing what you won’t do, what your boundaries are, and holding true to yourself. It’s good against evil. It’s a love story, although it’s not the classic knight-in-shining armor story. Our plucky protagonist, Barleigh, knows what she wants, and ultimately, when it comes to love, she’s not afraid to say so.  

More Information
Visit T.K. Lukas' website
Check out the "Orphan Moon" website
Follow T.K. Lukas on Twitter
Buy "Orphan Moon" on Amazon
Like "T.K. Lukas" on Facebook

Bart Hopkins, Author of Like

Today we are interviewing Bart Hopkins, author of the contemporary fiction novel "Like."

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m from a small island off the coast of Texas.  In my teens I surfed every day I could, but I haven’t been on a surfboard in sixteen years.  I read every night.  I prefer movies to television, summer to winter, and soda to alcohol.  I laugh as much as possible every day. I’ve got three awesome kids and my wife is my best friend.  If given a BLT each day for lunch each day until I died, life would be good.  U2, The Beatles, and the Foo Fighters are my favorite bands.  When I’m not writing, I’m an Air Force weather guy, and I’ve been doing that for twenty-one years. 

Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
Anyone who uses social media!  That’s somewhere north of a billion people, and I think most people can relate to something in this novel.

What inspired you to write a book about the power of social media?
The "Like" journey began in January 2013 when, for reasons unremembered, my wife and I had a series of discussions on the ubiquitous presence of social media.  Those talks were the genesis of this novel.  Later on, we were watching the movie "Crash," and that inspired me to alter the layout of the novel … I love it when characters unwittingly are brought together by a common thread.

The book follows four people and their experience with social media. Can you give us a brief profile of each of the people? 
There’s Greg, a married realtor who tweets, Facebooks, and blogs his way to success.  Paul is a young, good-looking businessman, who stumbles on an old crush while Facebooking.  Martin is a professor and cancer survivor who uses the power of social media for good.  And, Rose uses the Internet for the first time, and looks for someone special from her past.

Relationships will blossom and be tested as the lives of these characters, and others, unwittingly collide with one another.

Author Bart Hopkins

Do you think society is aware of the power of social media? Why or why not?
People are so smart, but social media is relatively new, so I think we’re only aware of the proverbial tip of this iceberg.  We’re only just discovering the long-term effects on people, relationships, society, business—everything.  Some extreme situations have raised awareness of bullying, sexual predators, and violence that stems from the most negative of our online habits.  What will we learn in the next ten years?  The next twenty years?

Who was your favorite character to write?
Paul brings the creepy factor.  Martin’s a charming older man and genuinely good.  They’re polar opposites, but I loved getting to know both of them, so it’s a tie between Paul and Martin.

How long have you been writing?
I filled journals as a kid, and wrote some short stories after that, but my first serious efforts were in 2001.  So, about fifteen years.

How do you think you've evolved as a writer since when you first started?
My imagination is stronger than ever, and I’m better at my craft.  I study plot elements, character development, literary devices … the things that were ignored or secondary when I was younger.  I think the rule is that we get better at things with more experience, and I mostly follow the rules.

What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
Thirty books.  I want to write at least thirty books and have a ridiculous amount of fun doing it.

Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
I mostly enjoy everything, but sometimes the revision process can be a little tiresome if I make a change that causes a series of other changes, that might cause other changes, and I’m forced to hunt them all down.

What do you have in mind for your next project?
I’m toying with two stories right now, each in their infancy.  One is a supernatural thriller related to my short story, Recalculating.  The other is post-apocalyptic fiction … I’ve wanted to give that a shot since I read The Stand in the early 1980s.

Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
Give it a shot, and if you don’t like it, I’ll give you one of my other books, free, and shoot me a line and say hey!

A short excerpt from "Like":

     Greg and Candy had been messaging each other back and forth the past couple of days since she first contacted him.  Through some sort of unspoken understanding, neither of them friend-requested the other, or moved beyond the bounds of Facebook.
     I’m married.  What good can come of this? he wondered, with no small measure of guilt.  He wasn’t sure what he was doing, or what this was all about.  Messaging my high school sweetheart?  I must be out of my mind.  This just can’t end well.
     An eclectic mix of thoughts bounced around his mind, some conflicting, some irrational, rebounding from the inner surfaces of his cranium like little rubber balls in a competitive racquetball match.  You could almost hear the thwock! as they ricocheted around in there, the mental tug-of-war that transpired.  Yet somehow he justified all of his actions, though he simultaneously wondered if they were wrong.

     It’s not like I’m cheating on Claire—it’s just a few messages, he thought.
     Then why don’t you tell her? he replied to himself.
     I knew Candy before I ever knew Claire—it was just a high school thing—she wouldn’t understand, he responded, avoiding his own question.
     She wouldn’t understand because it’s wrong!

     The arguments continued without answers or resolution.  He honestly believed that, while the situation would appear strange, he wasn’t cheating, and that his wife just wouldn’t understand if he told her.
     Heck, he didn’t know if he completely understood it himself, but the communication with his ex seemed driven by three different things.
     For one, part of him was just curious.
     Another part of him wanted to show her how well he had done, sans Candice Graves, with his life.  He was a success, and he wanted her to know that.  He couldn’t identify why that mattered to him, but it did.
     The final part, well, it was a mystery he couldn’t explain even to himself.  An enigma.  It was without explanation, or maybe the explanation was one that he dare not voice or even think.
     He rationalized the situation with an imperfect analogy: if my dog ran away years ago, and went to live with another family, I’d want to know the dog was okay, even if I never petted the dog again.
     He shook his head, snapping back to the here and now of his kitchen.

More Information
Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PE8DKRI 
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PE8DKRI 
Author web site: http://www.barthopkins.com