Conversations with Writers

Elena Dorothy Bowman is an honors graduate of Fitchburg College where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Management. She grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts and spent 25 years working as an aerospace software engineer. She now writes full time and serves as an officer in the Massachusetts Chapter of the National League of American Pen Women . Her books include Sarah’s Landing: Contact (Writer’s Showcase Press, 2002); The House On The Bluff (Write Words, Inc., 2006) and Gatekeeper’s Realm (Write Words, Inc., 2007) . In a recent interview, Elena Bowman spoke about her writing. When did you start writing? I have been writing off and on since way back when it only cost a dime to go to the Saturday Matinee, or any other time I could scrape up the price of a ticket. And in most cases when the ending was not to my liking, I felt compelled to go home and rewrite it. I discovered I enjoyed writing stories… putting words down on paper gave me a sense o...

On Oct. 11, the Swedish Academy announced that Doris Lessing (87) had won the Nobel Prize in Literature . Most bloggers reacted to the news by recounting meetings they have had with Lessing and by discussing the influence her writing has had on them as individuals and as writers. They also discussed some of Lessing’s books and the themes she explores in her writing. A few reacted by reviewing what has been said in newspapers about Lessing and her books. An even smaller minority, like T. K. Kenyon, the author of Rabid — used the news to launch a diatribe against the “self-appointed literati and men” who had unfavorably criticized Lessing’s science fiction. There was an almost unanimous agreement that the award was well-deserved and long overdue. Nury Vittachi , author of The Feng Shui Detective responded by revealing how, a few years ago, he had gone to a book signing Doris Lessing was hosting and about how she was holding one of his books when he approached her table. “...

Nadia Aidan lives and works on the East Coast in the United States. In addition to writing erotic romances, she enjoys watching, reading and writing about strong, assertive heroines and is an enduring fan of Fight Girls , Xena , Buffy , and La Femme Nikita . Enthralled (iUniverse, 2007) is her first published novel. In a recent interview, Nadia Aidan spoke about her writing. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? I began writing about a year ago when I was finishing my dissertation, but once I finished my dissertation I didn't look at the novels again. It wasn't until my mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer that I began searching for an outlet for the emotional highs and lows of taking care of her. My mom recently lost her battle to cancer, which gave me the courage to submit my work. My mother was (and continues to be in spirit) my biggest cheerleader and support system. She was a strong, courageous woman who wasn't afraid of anything, and she raised...

Kate Hofman was born in The Netherlands. She lived in England for a few years before moving to Canada where she now lives and works. This year alone, she has published seven romance novels, among them, A Greek Love Story (Romance At Heart, 2007), Castle in Spain (The Dark Castle Lords, 2007), Navajo Dreams (Romance At Heart, 2007), Greek Fire (Romance At Heart, 2007) and A Sensual Seduction (Romance At Heart, 2007). Two more novels, A Greater Love (Romance at Heart, November/December 2007) and The Spanish Conquest (AweStruck EBooks, February 2008) are going to be released soon. In a recent interview, she spoke about her writing. When did you start writing? On April 22, 2002. The romance author Nina Bruhns , for whom I do Internet publicity, said that I should write. I was very surprised, but decided to try it, and found that she was right. Writing came easy to me. I’ll also tell you my most daunting moment: when I sat down in front of that blank page on my computer....