Check Out by: Debra Parmley

Check Out

By: Debra Parmley

When Debra asked me to review this book, I of course, couldn’t refuse her, because I happen to know she is an amazing writer. And once I find someone whose writing has my attention, I am a fan for life. So as always, I was honored to do her the honor of this.

And once she sent it to me, I fell in love with the cover instantly. It is a beautiful cover, looking at just makes you feel like pulling up a chair next to the fire place, and sitting down with a good book, like this one!

In the book, “Check Out” we meet a marine vet by the name of Nash Ware, who is also quite a bit handsome. But Nash wears an eye patch, and his ex-fiancé was intimidated by it, and walked out of a perfectly good relationship because of it. Because of this, Nash feels that women are no longer part of his calling.

However, one day Nash decides to go into the library where a shy Betsy Bobbin works, and she can’t help but notice Nash. And not just because of his eye patch, she also noticed his masculine body, and even his attitude. She is immediately drawn to him.

You know how luck or fate help to guide you onto the right path, and put two people together? Well what happens next seems like fate, a chance meeting, and it just makes everything fall right into place perfectly. 

Betsy ends up with a flat tire, but not only is it flat, but it is during a storm. And guess who comes to the rescue? Every woman loves to be rescued, especially by a hunk like Nash.

Betsy gets to learn about Nash, and that he has PTSD, and that he isn’t sure if he wants to let anyone in his life. Betsy feels torn, but she also feels that she just might have found the love of her life.

Nash does have feelings for Betsy too, but he has his own wounds, and problems to deal with. He isn’t sure what to do. 

The book “Check Out” is a deep love story portraying that our Military Vets do get wounded in so many ways, both physically and mentally. And from those wounds come even deeper problems. Not only does Debra tell you an enlightening and touching story here, she also gives you the perspective into the military veterans, and how one is coping. It is a truly eye opening five star read. I found it very enjoyable and think everyone should read it! I could not put it down; I just had to know what was going to happen every step of the way! Debra truly made this work!

My questions for Debra: 

1. What made you write this book and how long did it take you?
~

I originally wrote “Check Out” after my publisher Secret Cravings invited me to be part of a military box set where the proceeds would go to Operation Troop Aide. Then just as the edits were finished, they announced they would be closing their doors. That was a sad day and it was a thrill for me to finally see the book in print when I re-released it through Belo Dia Publishing. I wanted to write a story about a veteran who has PTSD but I didn’t want the story to be so much about that issue that the story became about the PTSD. I see a lot of that in military romance when it is used as a plot device. For me the story people become real and just like meeting a new friend, Nash’s PTSD is just a part of who he is. If you met him you might not know the entire story of why he has it or exactly what he does to deal with it. But you’d see him functioning in the world just like anyone else that does or doesn’t have it, if that makes sense. I have a lot of friends who are veterans so I wanted to handle Mash’s story like I might handle theirs and I wanted to give him a happy ending. 
 ~

2. Why do you write?
~

I write because I love to write. I’d write even if no one read what I wrote. J I’ve written poetry for years even though people say you can’t make money writing poetry. As if that were the only reason to do to write something.
 ~

3. What are your hobbies?
 ~

I enjoy primitive camping and stepping back into medieval times with the Society for Creative Anachronism, shooting my Mongolian horse bow (primitive archery), shooting long guns and shooting pool. I also enjoy yoga, belly dancing, reading and travel. I also love to collect seashells from each beach I have visited. 
 ~

4. What are you working on now?
 ~

I’m finishing the expansion of A Change of Scenery, which was out as a short story with Secret Cravings. Readers wanted more, so I am expanding the story and it will be the first book in my Hunger Roads trilogy. Set in the future it is a world of big pharma running the govt, GMO’s and a secret group of former Special Forces veterans who are fighting to protect the constitution and to bring down the corrupt government. A sweet belly dancer that just happens to grow healing herbs in her spare bedroom finds herself on a government terrorist list (herbalists have been classified as terrorists) and a former SEAL rescues her and then they are on the run. It’s taken me longer to rewrite/expand because I decided to make it part of a trilogy which means threading everything that needs to be in before the next two books. There’s a lot of weaving new parts into the first version and that kind of writing is always slower than writing a brand new story.
 ~

5. Do you imagine yourself as one of the characters when you write your books?
 ~

It is more like I am their friend and they are sharing things with me most of the time. I do step inside sometimes and that can get emotional, much like empathy, when I feel what they are feeling. I read one of my Christmas stories for maybe the tenth time and it still made me cry the last time I read it. But I always give them a happy ending and I know it is coming so maybe that is a little bit silly, to get so emotional. You know that scene in the movie Romancing the Stone? Where she cries when she’s at the end of her book? Well that would be me.   
 ~

6. Do you ever get writers block?
 ~

I once had it for a very long time. Six long months after my golden retriever Trixie died, I could not write. I vowed after that never to have it again. So here is how I avoid it. I change where I write by moving around with my laptop. I change what I “need” to be able to write by writing longhand with a legal pad and I have even talked into my phone to record a scene. That way there is no “I can only write if…” in my mind because I think I need it. Because Trixie sat by my side when I wrote so when she was gone that loss froze my writing, as I got too emotional every time I sat down to write. So after six months of that, I wanted to find all the things that might freeze it again and work to avoid it ever happening again. I also work on more than one story so if things start to get slow on one I will switch to another. I will not spend time in front of a blank page for very long. No more than five minutes. And I have all kinds of exercises that I can do if I sit there and am getting close to the five minutes. When I was teaching classes locally and doing a lot of mentoring I passed those on to my students because I know they work. I also don’t stick “write every day” in my head so there isn’t the huge pressure if for a day or two I don’t get to write. That has served me well when I had to be in the hospital or when my father passed. It is okay to give yourself permission to take time off from your writing. I used to be so hard on myself but ironically now that I’m not, the writing is always flowing unless life gets in the way. 
~

7. Do you have any photos of the characters or maybe character descriptions for this book?

I don’t have any photos as I could just close my eyes and see them but I always have to describe my characters for Sheri, my wonderful cover artist. Nash Ware is six foot tall with dark hair that has grown out enough since he came back from active duty that it sometimes falls into his eyes. Or would if he had not lost an eye in the war. He wears a dark eye patch to hide his scars and it’s winter so he wears a fatigue jacket and military style boots when he comes stomping into Betsy’s library and her world. Betsy Bobbin has long blonde hair and always wears red lipstick. She’s a shy librarian who dresses modestly. Her younger sister Leann has dark hair and dresses more to catch a man’s eye. Unfortunately she caught the eye of the campus stalker, which turns dangerous for her. 
~

8. If you could meet ONE Author who would it be?
~

Oh it is so hard to pick just one. I get to chat with so many authors on my radio show on Tuesday nights and I wish I could meet them all in person too. Okay so just one. I would love to meet Alice Hoffman. She is one of my favorite authors. I was just thinking about her book Practical Magic the other day. It was made into a movie and I’ve put it on my list of movies to watch around Halloween. 
~

9. What is it that led you to writing in the first place?

~

When I was a small girl I would imagine stories but never wrote them down. In college I started writing short stories and eventually switched to novels. I still write short stories and you can find a few of those out in eBook. So I have been writing stories in my head ever since I was a child.

~

10. What all education have you had?
~

I went back to college when my sons were in high school and junior high and got a bachelors degree in English. I’d been working at a bank as a head teller and you couldn’t get a higher-level job in banking without a degree. So I went back to finish my BA and then still couldn’t find a job after I graduated because we lived in the Pocono mountains, where there just weren’t that many jobs. That’s when we moved to the Memphis TN area to be near family and I started working at a weekly newspaper. That was twenty years ago and now here I am writing books and using that degree. So people are no longer asking me “What can you do with an English degree?”
~

11. Please share with us your book links and social media links:

Author Media Links:

http://www.debraparmley.com/

Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/Debra-Parmley-19909053561/?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/debra.parmley

https://www.pinterest.com/debraparmley/

https://threadingtheweb.wordpress.com

Book links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Debra-Parmley/e/B002BM9H4A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1473839815&sr=1-1

My eBooks and audio books on itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/author/debra-parmley/id411082477?mt=11

My eBooks on Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/search?query=debra%20parmley

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/debra+parmley

Smashwords https://www.scribd.com/author/259824716/Debra-Parmley

All Romance eBooks:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

My audio books on Audible: http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=debra+parmley&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

12. Anything extra to add?

Thank you for this interview and for reviewing 'Check Out!' I always enjoy answering your questions.

My first audio book is out and I’m so excited about that. Something I wasn’t able to do when I was with the other publishers. So… Check Out is now available in audio book, it’s my first audio book and I hope everyone will check it out! (I have such fun saying that. Librarian heroine, Check Out title, check it out. Makes me giggle.) ;-)

Here are links to my radio show, which airs every Tue night 8:30 eastern http://bit.ly/BookLights

Upcoming shows Readers Entertainment on Blog Talk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/circle-of-seven

Readers can find me online and if signed up for my newsletter can win prizes.

Newsletter sign up link: http://eepurl.com/ZUyC1

I love to hear from my readers!

Check Out by Debra Parmley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Debra asked me to review this book, I of course, couldn’t refuse her, because I happen to know she is an amazing writer. And once I find someone whose writing has my attention, I am a fan for life. So as always, I was honored to do her the honor of this.

And once she sent it to me, I fell in love with the cover instantly. It is a beautiful cover, looking at just makes you feel like pulling up a chair next to the fire place, and sitting down with a good book, like this one!

In the book, “Check Out” we meet a marine vet by the name of Nash Ware, who is also quite a bit handsome. But Nash wears an eye patch, and his ex-fiancé was intimidated by it, and walked out of a perfectly good relationship because of it. Because of this, Nash feels that women are no longer part of his calling.

However, one day Nash decides to go into the library where a shy Betsy Bobbin works, and she can’t help but notice Nash. And not just because of his eye patch, she also noticed his masculine body, and even his attitude. She is immediately drawn to him.

You know how luck or fate help to guide you onto the right path, and put two people together? Well what happens next seems like fate, a chance meeting, and it just makes everything fall right into place perfectly.

Betsy ends up with a flat tire, but not only is it flat, but it is during a storm. And guess who comes to the rescue? Every woman loves to be rescued, especially by a hunk like Nash.

Betsy gets to learn about Nash, and that he has PTSD, and that he isn’t sure if he wants to let anyone in his life. Betsy feels torn, but she also feels that she just might have found the love of her life.

Nash does have feelings for Betsy too, but he has his own wounds, and problems to deal with. He isn’t sure what to do.

The book “Check Out” is a deep love story portraying that our Military Vets do get wounded in so many ways, both physically and mentally. And from those wounds come even deeper problems. Not only does Debra tell you an enlightening and touching story here, she also gives you the perspective into the military veterans, and how one is coping. It is a truly eye opening five star read. I found it very enjoyable and think everyone should read it! I could not put it down; I just had to know what was going to happen every step of the way! Debra truly made this work!



View all my reviews

 

The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. By: Sam B. Miller ll

The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.

By: Sam B. Miller II

As I began this book, I was intrigued from the very beginning. It was an Alien family. I was impressed to know that these scouts who were looking for a suitable planet, were happily together as families. Not often do you read of aliens having children with them. Maybe it’s just the mother in me, wanting to see that, I don’t know. But it instantly made a difference and impact on my read from the start. 

These Aliens made their first contact here on our beautiful planet in 1947. They had came all the way from the Chrysallman Empire searching for a perfect planet to rich with minerals, water, and land that would be suffice for them to call home. 

HG-281 or Earth as we know it, was everything the Chrysallman Empire needed and more. They had no dear of the humanoids already claiming the planet, because they could simply squash them with their own perfect minds. 

Little did the Aliens expect that mankind were watching these Aliens since they have been investigating us. We were learning their tricks, and eventually, managed to shoot one down. This wasn’t part of the plan for these lizard type Aliens. 

Once the ship was on the ground, we decided to go investigate it. As mankind often does, we shoot first, and ask questions later. The Aliens are just as defensive, and use their own powers, and hurt us as well. They explode a few things, and even slice a man in two. And mind you, these are official military men we are using. 

After killing what we determine to be all of the Aliens, the military go back inside the ship and find a young child like lizard hidden. The child like lizard alien tries to protect himself, but the military official is prepared, and aims the laser ray from the alien, at its own foot, hurting the child like alien. Yep, the alien child didn’t see that coming.

Eventually the military convince the child alien reptile that cooperation is his best bet, and he does do just that. 

Now common sense will tell you, as with any movies you have seen on Aliens, and creatures and even human nature. Everyone comes back for their families.

So you can guess what will happen next. 

While mankind is studying the young reptile like lizard creature, the Chrysallaman will return. Common sense will tell mankind, yes there will be more. These Aliens have been visiting us since ’47, they want something. Yeah, they’ll be back, especially once they determine what we did.

Now don’t get me wrong, the humans did cover up and bury the evidence of the destroyed ship. Not  only for the people, but for the Aliens. The Military has to be able to deny everything all the way around, “What ship?” 

As for the Indian and his horse, even him, they watched him be destroyed, and took him away too. But what’s even more overwhelming. Is when the Aliens come back, there is a sombrero wearing Alien now. Once I read that, I immediately remembered the man on the horse, and his poor horse in the very beginning of the book. 

Mankind must create a new defense to defend ourselves against these Aliens, and when they come back. And Chrsallaman aliens have superior physic strength and technology. It’s a good thing we have the boy….

I give this book five stars, because it entertained me from the very start. It didn’t start off slow, it kept me wanting to read from the very beginning. Not many books can do that. I also wanted to mention, I found the cover also to be very attractive and eye catching. I was very pleased with this book, and give it five awesome science fiction stars! You will truly enjoy this book, especially if you love sci-fi!

My questions for Mr. Miller:

1. What made you write this book and how long did it take you? I have thought about writing for many years but with raising 5 children and a full-time job, finding the time to write was impossible. Now I am retired and all my children are out on their own so I took the leap. This book took me 3 and a half months to write.

2. How long have you been writing? A little over 15 months now.

3. What all education have you had? I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, from the University of Tennessee.

4. What is your favorite book of all time? It's a series actually. The Skylark of Space series by E. E. Doc Smith.

5. Did you do any special research for this book? No. I have read a lot about science and over the years, traveled briefly in Europe, visited many states in the US, and with Google Earth, I can explore many interesting places. Other than a few esoteric looks at some very specific scientific theories, my story came from my imagination.

6. What do you like best about writing books? Writing is a true release for me. I can disappear into the story I'm writing and forget the troubles of the day. It makes me happy.

7. What are your hobbies? Dogs, home improvement projects and gardening.

8. What can you suggest to be persons wishing to become writers?  You need a team. You need to have people you can bounce your story off of as you are building it. You need both young and old in the team. Family and friends. I can't tell you how many times my 28 yr old daughter or my 27 yr old son would say, Dad, this sounds like it was written by some old guy. It's not fresh. Or you need to describe this character better. Or this character needs more background so the reader can really understand why they act in a certain way. Your spouse will really not pull any punches and believe me I was punched plenty while writing my novel! I had a doctor and a pilot read the book and they pointed out a couple of technical errors which I corrected. All I can say is a team is very important!

9. Have you ever met any writers? Yes. Brian Kiteley is a published author and a professor of creative writing at Denver University. Very interesting guy.

10. What are your future plans, book wise? I'm about 2/3rds of the way through Book 2 in The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. series. I'm very excited about it because I believe it is in many ways better than Book 1.

11. Please share with us your social media links and book links:

http://twitter.com/SamBMillerII

https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginofFORCE

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28397329-the-origin-of-f-o-r-c-e

https://www.amazon.com/author/sambmillerii

12. Anything extra to add: Thank you, Deneale, for the opportunity to engage with your readers. I would urge readers to buy my book and enjoy the story.

The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. by Sam B. Miller II
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I began this book, I was intrigued from the very beginning. It was an Alien family. I was impressed to know that these scouts who were looking for a suitable planet, were happily together as families. Not often do you read of aliens having children with them. Maybe it’s just the mother in me, wanting to see that, I don’t know. But it instantly made a difference and impact on my read from the start.

These Aliens made their first contact here on our beautiful planet in 1947. They had came all the way from the Chrysallman Empire searching for a perfect planet to rich with minerals, water, and land that would be suffice for them to call home.

HG-281 or Earth as we know it, was everything the Chrysallman Empire needed and more. They had no dear of the humanoids already claiming the planet, because they could simply squash them with their own perfect minds.

Little did the Aliens expect that mankind were watching these Aliens since they have been investigating us. We were learning their tricks, and eventually, managed to shoot one down. This wasn’t part of the plan for these lizard type Aliens.

Once the ship was on the ground, we decided to go investigate it. As mankind often does, we shoot first, and ask questions later. The Aliens are just as defensive, and use their own powers, and hurt us as well. They explode a few things, and even slice a man in two. And mind you, these are official military men we are using.

After killing what we determine to be all of the Aliens, the military go back inside the ship and find a young child like lizard hidden. The child like lizard alien tries to protect himself, but the military official is prepared, and aims the laser ray from the alien, at its own foot, hurting the child like alien. Yep, the alien child didn’t see that coming.

Eventually the military convince the child alien reptile that cooperation is his best bet, and he does do just that.

Now common sense will tell you, as with any movies you have seen on Aliens, and creatures and even human nature. Everyone comes back for their families.

So you can guess what will happen next.

While mankind is studying the young reptile like lizard creature, the Chrysallaman will return. Common sense will tell mankind, yes there will be more. These Aliens have been visiting us since ’47, they want something. Yeah, they’ll be back, especially once they determine what we did.

Now don’t get me wrong, the humans did cover up and bury the evidence of the destroyed ship. Not only for the people, but for the Aliens. The Military has to be able to deny everything all the way around, “What ship?”

As for the Indian and his horse, even him, they watched him be destroyed, and took him away too. But what’s even more overwhelming. Is when the Aliens come back, there is a sombrero wearing Alien now. Once I read that, I immediately remembered the man on the horse, and his poor horse in the very beginning of the book.

Mankind must create a new defense to defend ourselves against these Aliens, and when they come back. And Chrsallaman aliens have superior physic strength and technology. It’s a good thing we have the boy….

I give this book five stars, because it entertained me from the very start. It didn’t start off slow, it kept me wanting to read from the very beginning. Not many books can do that. I also wanted to mention, I found the cover also to be very attractive and eye catching. I was very pleased with this book, and give it five awesome science fiction stars! You will truly enjoy this book, especially if you love sci-fi!



View all my reviews

G.I. Joe Reactivated (G.I. Joe Omega Section Book 1) by Fred T. Kerns

G.I. Joe Reactivated

(Kindle Worlds Novella)

(G.I. Joe Omega Section Book 1)

By: Fred T. Kerns

When I received this book from Fred Kerns, I was anxious to review it because of the fact it mentioned the G.I. Joes. Let’s face it, the title alone should get everyone’s attention. Most of us who grew up in the 80’s loved watching the G.I. Joes as cartoons, and some of us even had the action figures. They were just as big as Barbie was. So, as respect to the eighties, and the real G.I. Joes, and the Military itself, I couldn’t help but give respect to Fred and this book: “G.I. Joe Reactivate.”

The cover was not what I had expected, I in fact immediately thought, ‘Wait, this just might be a more futuristic endeavor.” Just from the take on the cover. But that was just a guess, I was not sure was I was in store for. 

Reading this, I was disappointed to find that the G.I. Joes has disband, and were now being hunted. I was astounded. I was picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and I just don’t see them giving up. But maybe this is much farther into the future, and those hunks are no longer alive. 

Then again, further into the book, you learn that ‘living legends’ join forces with the new G.I. Joe unit to rebuild and transform it into a new unit, calling it the ‘Omega Section.’ This is where the legends, like Sly and Arnie do come into play, and make something into nothing, and make it even better then it was before.

Cobra, is rising again, determined to see to it to ruin the Omega section, and take them down. Cobra doesn’t want anything like the Joes or the Omega’s to be here, to better anything or anyone. Cobra just wants to do what it always has, ruined everything and caused death and destruction.

Cobra is a group of terrorists determined to take down, Omega and anyone else that plans to get in their way. The only thing Cobra didn’t plan for, is that Omega is now stronger, and wiser, and intends on keeping Cobra at bay, if not causing them to cease to exist if at all possible. 

Omega plans to give Cobra the battle of their life. But Cobra doesn’t plan on going down with ease, and if at possible, they plan to take down whatever else gets in their way too.

This book is a small novella meant to keep you entertained, and wanting to remember everything about the eighties and the G.I. Joes. After all, they matter, as does all of the Military.

This book is an excellent five star read, short and sweet, but right on point. I enjoyed the story line, and spot on it was, reminiscing and making the Joes into something new, and battling with the continuing group of Cobra terrorists. I give “G.I. Joe Reactivated” five stars, and think Fred Kerns is a author work checking out, if you haven’t already.

Here are my questions for Fred:

1. What made you write this and how long did it take you?

​ It started when I heard about Kindle Worlds. I have mixed feelings about licensed fanfiction and KW's contract terms (which states that they can take your characters and plots and use them for their own works, if I'm not misunderstanding them), but in the end it was another opportunity to tell stories and hopefully make a little money from it. When KW first started, none of the properties they'd licensed interested me, but then they worked out a deal to publish GI Joe stories about a year later. When I heard about that, I started thinking, "Hmm, maybe I could do something with this." I admit I wasn't a huge GI Joe fan, but I enjoyed the animated series when I was a little kid and loved the anime-style GI Joe: Resolute movie from a few years ago, so I figured I could have some fun with it. I didn't use any of the characters I'd created for other works because of the terms mentioned above, so I created a few characters specifically for this story, just in case they're ever taken over by KW. I figured it wouldn't get under my skin if I set them up with that in mind from the beginning. I did kind of recycle a body design for one of the characters just because I thought it looked cool, but it's a new character made specifically for this setting. (I probably should figure out one of these days why an alien species in my other books is built the same way a genetically-engineered species from Earth is built, but that's a whole other topic, heh.)

Anyway, I don't remember exactly how long writing it took. Around a month or so I think, once ideas started coming together in my head, writing whenever I could between everyday-life stuff that had to be dealt with first. It was a fairly quick rough draft, probably because it was something different and fresh, so it was more fun than usual. Once I decided to set the story a few decades into the future and play around with some of the characters long after the Joe unit disbanded, add a few of my own characters, and then show the band getting back together to face an old enemy suddenly reborn, everything chugged along pretty steadily.

​

2. Did this book take after the G.I. Joe movies, games and stuff?

​I ended up basing it mostly on a single iteration of the franchise, GI Joe: Resolute, which was written by Transmetropolitan author Warren Ellis. The cartoon from the 1980s was aimed at kids, so characters were hardly ever injured or killed, the enemy leader was incompetent, and the battles were packed with "A-Team Firing." Resolute was aimed at adults, characters were actually killed, and that's probably why I quickly decided to spring this story off from that. It was GI Joe, but I could watch it without feeling embarrassed. I set Reactivated a few decades after the events in Resolute, and just took off from there.

For anyone who's curious, here's a teaser trailer for Resolute that pretty clearly shows the difference between it and the '80s cartoon.​

3. Where do you get the ideas for your books?

​ Anywhere. Sometimes a small plot or character beat in a book or movie or video game will stick in my head and grow into something I can use. Sometimes I'll overhear part of a conversation and that'll give me an idea for some dialogue between characters. Sometimes I'll read or watch something that I end up hating, and that'll start generating ideas for a better story. For example, the myriad things wrong with Mass Effect 3 greatly influenced my ​writing of Freelancers, just because I'm hoping to come up with a better way to end the story. And sometimes news or other real-life stuff will lodge in my head and grow into a minor event the characters have to deal with or a whacky character they can encounter. I've gotten a few ideas from a web series called What the Fuck is Wrong with you?! which makes fun of bizarre or horrible things described in news articles. That show gave me a few ideas for a background character in Harbinger named Weird Walter, who's never actually seen, but his antics are occasionally discussed by the main characters. One of my favorite bits was a line of dialogue from Miko: "I still think his most glorious moment was the day he got high on embalming fluid and tried to fuck a picnic table." I've got another "character moment" for this guy in mind, and I'm dying to fit it into the dialogue somewhere.

Every now and then, I'll get ideas from something that happens in a video game. Most recently, something awesome happened in Grand Theft Auto Online that I'll be turning into an action scene at the first opportunity. I wish I'd recorded it, but to sum it up quickly: my character was being attacked by a biker gang and she was mowing them down with a helicopter minigun, a few hundred stray bullets hit a couple of their bikes, setting them on fire, and one of them exploded just as a truck drove past. The explosion launched the truck into the air and it sailed over my character's head and exploded directly above her, then almost crashed into the van she was trying to steal. It was so spectacular, I just have to use it for something in one of my stories. :D

Haha, just for the hell of it, here's an image of the character in one of her kooky moods: 

As for overall plots, I usually start by creating characters and thinking about the world they inhabit. Then, the story either forms out of that, or little things from the abovementioned sources or something else lodging in my memory will click together until I've got a solid idea for the plot. Once I know where the story is going and the plot points it needs to hit along the way, I start writing and leave plenty of room to explore new ideas that come to me, or alter the plot if I think of a better idea later on. And when I'm writing a series, once I have the first volume finished, the next builds on that, and the third builds on the second, and so on. And one of the chapters in Phil Plait's Death from the Skies! gave me an idea that I'm thinking about using for my next novel, which will be a sequel to Load, Fifteen Minutes, and Project Revenant.

But anyway, I get ideas for my books from just about anywhere.

4. How long have you been writing?

​ I started when I was a kid, and started sending stories to magazines when I was seventeen. It's been a long road, but here I am, finally starting to make some progress.

​

5. What inspires you to write?

​ I've always been a creative person. Daydreamed all the time when I was a kid. When I was in school, I was about as miserable as a kid could be, and daydreaming was my only escape until it was time to go home. In some ways, writing is kind of an extention of daydreaming. At some point all those years ago, I realized that I might be able to focus all the ideas flowing through my head into a cohesive story, write it down, and maybe make some money from it.

Ever since then, I've been driven to write. I always need to be writing something, which is probably why I'm often working on five or six stories and books at the same time. Cycling through them, writing a chapter of one and then a chapter of another, helps keep everything fresh. And when I hit a writer's block on one or two, I have others to fall back on until I can get past the block. When I'm not able to keep writing, such as the several days I was in the hospital for hernia surgery last year, or all the everyday-life stuff getting in the way during the past six or eight months, it drives me nuts. I guess it's almost like going through withdrawal. I've got all these characters and stories in my head, and I just need to write them.

​

6. What is your most favorite book of all time?

​Oh, that's a tough one. I'm not sure I could pin it down to just one.​

​It changes frequently, anyway. I'd have to say one of the books near the top of my list is a nonfiction book, Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, by Carl Sagan, because it was a huge influence on my thought processes and helped teach me how to think.

7. Out of all the books you've written yourself, what is your favorite?

​I'd say that's a tie between my latest completed novel, Project Revenant, which I'm currently giving one last edit and planning to submit it to Baen, and my work-in-progress Uncharted Territory. In both cases, I worked a lot of action into the plot and humor into the dialogue, both of which made these books a lot of fun to write.

8. What are you working on now?

​ After having my routine derailed pretty thoroughly since around the end of last year, I'm starting to get back on track. The plan right now is to finish the latest chapter of Freelancers, then another chapter of Harbinger, followed by getting back to work on Uncharted Territory, since it's been quite a few months since I've had a chance to add a new chapter. I also need to finish the final edit on Project Revenant and send it off to Baen. After that, I'm hoping to get started on that book's sequel, as well as the sequel to Reactivated, since it was published quite a while ago and I need to get off my ass and continue the series. ​

9. How many books have you written?

​Eight so far, if you count the still-in-progress Uncharted Territory.​

​Thirteen, if you count my ​fanfiction pieces. A dozen or so more, if you count the serialized Elsewhere (another one I really need to get back to work on).

10. Please share with us your social media links and book links:

​My website, which has links to some of my novels and stories (the site needs some hefty updating): http://fredtkerns.weebly.com/

​My blog, which has links to most of my work, plus a few character profiles: http://fredtkerns.blogspot.com/

​My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fred.kerns

My Twitter page: https://twitter.com/fredtk

Direct links to my books:

Load: 

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F76F9A

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288272

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/load-1

Downtime:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EX9RPUM

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353405

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/downtime-3

Fifteen Minutes:

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GIRE2U

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302456

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fifteen-minutes-4

Chaser: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PVABWM

Game Over:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TZED3VA

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566161

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/Game-Over/08X_bJrN_k-cr2_2_sEysg?MixID=08X_bJrN_k-cr2_2_sEysg&PageNumber=1

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/game-over/id970864871?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Fred_T_Kerns_Game_Over?id=eEDLBgAAQBAJ

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/game-over-fred-t-kerns/1121281297?ean=9781681056258&isbn=9781681056258

Uncharted Territory: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/uncharted-territory

GI Joe: Reactivated: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMTUUQC

Freelancers: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7443161/1/Mass-Effect-Freelancers

Game-Changer: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7187985/1/Transformers-Prime-GameChanger

Rematch: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7479137/1/Transformers-Prime-Rematch

Enemy of my Enemy: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8560078/1/Transformers-Prime-Enemy-of-my-Enemy

Harbinger: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9512800/1/Transformers-Prime-Harbinger

​

11. Anything to add?

​I've also been making a pair of video series in which I discuss writing. One uses Mass Effect 2 as a springboard for talking about good writing, among other topics. It used to have a longer title, but I shortened it recently. It's now titled, Mass Effect 2 Writing Discussion. The first video is here: https://youtu.be/Tu0NPe60Mpw

The other series is titled, How not to Tell a Story, and uses Mass Effect 3 as a springboard for discussing things to avoid when writing and how to fix bad writing. I'm currently editing the latest video in the series, and hope to get it uploaded sometime in the next few days. The first video is here: https://youtu.be/0EBy4rHvXsU

Finally, thanks for reviewing my work and giving me the opportunity to answer some questions and talk about my books. I had a blast, and I hope you and your readers enjoy the interview and check out my other work.

G.I. JOE: REACTIVATED (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Fred T. Kerns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I received this book from Fred Kerns, I was anxious to review it because of the fact it mentioned the G.I. Joes. Let’s face it, the title alone should get everyone’s attention. Most of us who grew up in the 80’s loved watching the G.I. Joes as cartoons, and some of us even had the action figures. They were just as big as Barbie was. So, as respect to the eighties, and the real G.I. Joes, and the Military itself, I couldn’t help but give respect to Fred and this book: “G.I. Joe Reactivate.”

The cover was not what I had expected, I in fact immediately thought, ‘Wait, this just might be a more futuristic endeavor.” Just from the take on the cover. But that was just a guess, I was not sure was I was in store for.

Reading this, I was disappointed to find that the G.I. Joes has disband, and were now being hunted. I was astounded. I was picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and I just don’t see them giving up. But maybe this is much farther into the future, and those hunks are no longer alive.

Then again, further into the book, you learn that ‘living legends’ join forces with the new G.I. Joe unit to rebuild and transform it into a new unit, calling it the ‘Omega Section.’ This is where the legends, like Sly and Arnie do come into play, and make something into nothing, and make it even better then it was before.

Cobra, is rising again, determined to see to it to ruin the Omega section, and take them down. Cobra doesn’t want anything like the Joes or the Omega’s to be here, to better anything or anyone. Cobra just wants to do what it always has, ruined everything and caused death and destruction.

Cobra is a group of terrorists determined to take down, Omega and anyone else that plans to get in their way. The only thing Cobra didn’t plan for, is that Omega is now stronger, and wiser, and intends on keeping Cobra at bay, if not causing them to cease to exist if at all possible.

Omega plans to give Cobra the battle of their life. But Cobra doesn’t plan on going down with ease, and if at possible, they plan to take down whatever else gets in their way too.

This book is a small novella meant to keep you entertained, and wanting to remember everything about the eighties and the G.I. Joes. After all, they matter, as does all of the Military.

This book is an excellent five star read, short and sweet, but right on point. I enjoyed the story line, and spot on it was, reminiscing and making the Joes into something new, and battling with the continuing group of Cobra terrorists. I give “G.I. Joe Reactivated” five stars, and think Fred Kerns is a author work checking out, if you haven’t already.

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