Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We love queer novels, and Diane Billas is here to tell us about her sapphic coming of age. Diane, introduce us to your book! 

Diane: Does Love Always Win? is a sapphic coming of age young adult novel that explores coming out and understanding one’s sexual orientation. Sam “Shorty” Daniels has a plan for her senior year, but her romantic life being a hot mess was not part of the agenda. Shorty quickly discovers she’s not attracted to her newest boyfriend and fellow marching band member Zack, despite her many hours of daydreaming of what it would be like to date him. Their previous flirting had been so intense that those feelings have to come back again, right?

When Shorty’s asked to show the snarky new girl around high school, Shorty’s instantly intrigued by Kristy’s wit, and they bond over their love of writing. They quickly become inseparable, and Shorty has a breakthrough moment realizing why none of her other relationships worked out. Just as Shorty is about to break up with Zack, her bitter ex-boyfriend Bryan threatens to out her to the entire school and Shorty’s conservative parents. Will Shorty be able to overcome Bryan’s ridiculous blackmail scheme and get her dream girl?

Sabitha: It sounds both fun and meaningful. Is there a personal element to this story which inspired you to write this book?

Diane: When I was growing up, I struggled with similar issues that Shorty does, questioning my sexuality, but I didn’t have any books available to me that I felt I could relate to. My hope with this book is that someone who might be going through something comparable will look to Does Love Always Win? and see themselves reflected in it. I created the book I wished I could have read in high school.

Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Diane: My writing process is all over the place. It’s funny, for my writing day job I make an extremely detailed outline before starting a project, but for my creative writing, if I have an idea, I just sit down and write. The details and character plotting come later after I have written a scene.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Diane: I chose Does Love Always Win? as my title because of the saying that deals with marriage equality, ‘Love Wins.’ I thought it was fitting for an LGBTQ+ centered book.

Sabitha:  It fits perfectly. If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

Diane: I would really like Becky Albertalli to read my book. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was the first young adult LGBTQ+ book that I’ve seen receive mainstream attention in the publishing world, and it was even adapted into a theatrical release. I feel Becky’s work paved the way for expanding the LGBTQ+ market and showed its relevance even to individuals that do not personally identify as LGBTQ+. It would mean a lot to me if she read and enjoyed my book.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Diane: Does Love Always Win? is currently on pre-order and out June 20, 2023. You can find me here.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Pavithra Ramesh joins us to share a romance novel, Our Perfectly Blended Chaos. Pavithra, can you give us a bit of background to your book?

Pavithra: Destiny brings its twists and turns when Payal decides to set on a path that defines her fate. She was a beautiful girl with simple dreams who decided to follow her ambition to work on the job she loved. She meets a guy at the airport and it feels like love at first sight. However, she knows her priorities and moves on. Life plays its card when the guy she left behind as an infatuation followed her to prove his mad love for her. New city, new job, new people and a feeling that feels like love but is complicated. What happens later, is a battle of romance, friendship, revenge – a perfect blend of ultimate chaos.

Sabitha: That sounds like a lot of fun. What inspired you to write this book?

Pavithra: I derived inspiration from the need to give my readers a book which combines it all – mystery, romance, friendship and revenge. I often crave reading such books that keep me hooked on what is happening and help me visualise the scene in my mind while I read. That is exactly what I wanted to offer my readers. Inspiration to write also comes from my daily life.

Sabitha: Was there any music that inspired you while you were writing?

Pavithra: Not a certain specific kind of music but in general music helps me calm my mind and get into a flow that does wonders for the book.

Sabitha: Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Pavithra: Well, the cast of Friends is definitely a dream cast. I would cast Jennifer Aniston as the protagonist; she could do justice to any role.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Pavithra: The Secret is the best self-help book I have read so far. It made me believe in manifestation. Apart from that, I love The Kite Runner. It left me in tears at the end of the book and touched my heart like no other.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Pavithra: Well, my book is a blend of romance, revenge, and friendship mixed with some mystery to keep you hooked till the end. When I thought about how I could bring this mix to the title, I came up with the name Our Perfectly Blended Chaos.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Pavithra: You can find me on LinkedIn, and order my book on Amazon.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re joined by William F Gray to talk about his debut psychological thriller, The Man Behind the Door. William, can you tell us about your novel?

William: The Man Behind the Door is a psychological thriller about grief, trauma, and addiction with a ghost story spin.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

William: The inspiration for this book was actually my own father, who is the basis of Leigh Glasscock. It started out as a way to get to know him better ten years after his suicide, but it grew beyond that. He had a lot of struggles in his life, and I set out to tell his story in a non-biased, compassionate way within the structure of a fictional story.

Sabitha:  Which character do you relate to the most and why?

William: Leigh Glasscock is a character that I think encompasses the complexity of life. He does some truly heinous things throughout The Man Behind the Door , but he’s also the most likable because you understand him. You might hate him one second, and the next you’re feeling sorry for him, and then you’re actually rooting for him.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

William: The Man Behind the Door came from an early chapter, where I refer to a character that one of the children meets as “The Man Behind the Door”. As soon as I put it down, I knew that was my title. Not only is right on the nose (he’s literally behind the door) but it also fits metaphorically, because Leigh lives his life without anyone knowing him for who he really is. No one really saw who the person he was underneath the mask he wore.

Sabitha:  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

William: This is the obligatory Stephen King reference, but it’s for a better reason than “He’s my favorite author.” I was twelve years old when I first picked up The Gunslinger and was introduced to King’s universe, but it changed my life forever. I read the entire Dark Tower series while my family imploded due to drug abuse. Everyone in my family used, and I was very much alone with the exception of Mr. King, Roland, and his ka-tet. In a lot of ways, they saved my life.

Sabitha: Books can be such a powerful force for us to find understanding and strength. You’ve written a moving and personal story. What do you most want your readers to take away from reading your book?

William: This is a two-fold question. At face value, I want everyone who reads my book to feel the same excitement I do when I read a great novel. On a deeper scale (and this is one I knew from the moment I published it) I want someone to read my book and feel like they aren’t alone. I want them to see a little bit of themselves in there, whether it be in the struggles that Leigh has or making sense of his actions after the fact. It’s a rollercoaster of a novel, full of horror, both supernatural and mundane, as well as pain and bittersweet closure. I think it has a little bit of something for everyone, but I also know that every author thinks that.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

You can find my debut novel on Amazon and my website. My upcoming supernatural horror novel, The Devil Within Us All, is releasing this May via Wicked House Publishing. It’s inspired by powerful men who abuse their station (religious, political, or otherwise) to bring out the worst in others.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re talking to Macy Lewis about her forthcoming novel, Weathering The Storm. Macy, can you introduce us to your book?

Macy: I wrote my novel Weathering The Storm with a dear friend, Jim King. Jim created the title, theme of the book, and so much more. He’s very clever and we’re writing our second book now, Loma.

When two strangers are asked to investigate unexplained weather that is terrorizing the world, they must overcome the trauma and wounds in their past, to move forward with their mission and unexpected romance. Will they be able to weather the emotional storms that come their way, or will they sink in their own despair?

Sabitha:  Which character do you relate to the most and why?

Macy: I relate to my main character, Charmaine, because she’s blind like me. Char’s my first blind character, and it was so fun to write about a subject that I understand so well.

Sabitha: The book is obviously very close to your heart. What do you most want your readers to take away from reading your book?

Macy: I hope people learn that a disability doesn’t define someone, rather, their personality and heart are what truly makes us special.

Sabitha: What do you love about the writing process?

Macy: I love writing because it allows me to imagine the world in my own way, which is really special because I’ve never seen the world like most people. All of my books are collaborative efforts between me and my friends and family, who are on my writing team. My writing team are so kind to let me create characters after them, read my work and give feedback, help me find illustrators and editors who are in their friend circles, or answer questions about subjects they are experts in when I want to ensure my research is correct.

I love the whole writing process. Sometimes it can drive me crazy when I have to change a plot, or cut a scene I’ve spent so much time writing, but in the end, I know it’s worth the headache. I also love putting my personality into characters and letting my imagination run wild with the storylines I create.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Macy: They can find my books at their favorite online bookstore, but here’s my Amazon page. They can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We are delighted to have author and environmentalist Clara Hume here, to tell us about her eco-fiction novel, The Stolen Child. Clara, take us away!

Clara: The final part of the Wild Mountain duology, The Stolen Child, picks up two decades after the events in the first book, Back to the Garden, and focuses on the continued lives of the characters, and their new children, including Fae—Fran and Leo’s youngest child. A bright but reserved girl, who would rather be riding her horse in the mountains or reading a spectacular novel than socializing with the rest of the ranch family, Fae begins to shed innocence as she learns of the changing world outside her bubble. A mysterious cult is making appearances, as if extreme climate events weren’t bad enough. Rumor has it that children are missing. As Fae begins to sense she is being watched, the family is forced to move off their Idaho mountain after a wildfire ruins their homes. They make a decision to head north to an old grizzly bear sanctuary in the British Columbia rainforest. Just as Fae is getting settled in, a religious cult kidnaps her and takes her to Ireland.

Sabitha: There’s so much happening there—the intersection of climate change with extremism but also with daily life. What inspired you to write this book?

Clara: I wrote Back to the Garden (Part I) because I was wondering why climate change had not found its way into many novels. Writing about climate change, which is known as a hyperobject, is difficult to do. You have to break it down into something manageable for the reader. Back to the Garden was meant to be a stand-alone novel, but a few years later I found myself writing the sequel, The Stolen Child. I had also started the website Dragonfly.eco, which is all about eco-fiction—fiction that has strong ecological themes—so I began to find patterns and related topics, such as diaspora, that found its way quite naturally into eco-fiction. The sequel included some of these themes.

Sabitha: Was there any music that inspired you while you were writing?

Clara: My mother was born in a log cabin in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky. Her ancestors came from Ireland and Scotland, so I often heard relatives playing bluegrass. Gaelic music, along with the African banjo and Appalachian revival music, inspired a lot of my writing. We also visited cèilidhs in our own province as I wrote the novel. I based the main characters off my mother’s descriptions of how she grew up as well as my own memory of that poverty-stricken area of eastern Kentucky. The simple but resilient ways of mountain people inspired a lot of scenes in the Wild Mountain series. Many of the characters are loosely based on my memories of eastern Kentucky and our trip with Mom to Ireland later.

Sabitha: I love how you’ve woven your own story into this book. How did you choose the title?

Clara: “The Stolen Child” is a WB Yeats poem. Both its figurative and literal meanings are referenced in the novel. Yeats often wrote about cultural trappings vs. the wonderment of nature and a simpler life, which inspired the characters in the Wild Mountain series. I wrote The Stolen Child about eight years after Back to the Garden. During that gap, we visited Ireland, and I just knew I wanted to include some place-writing about Ireland. We made it a point to do some trail-running to places mentioned in Yeats’ poetry.

Sabitha: I can see that location was really important to you when you were writing this book. Can you tell me a bit about the setting in BC?

Clara: Part of the story takes place in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. I used to live near there,and we’ve traveled to many of its isolated rainforests. Of all the places I’ve lived or visited, British Columbia is the most beautiful. The rainforests there are considered the lungs of the Earth, and they offer such an amazing place to run, raft, hike, and do some amateur photography. I was fascinated by the iconic spirit bear of the area, which is a black bear with a recessive gene that makes its coat cream-colored. It’s rare, and I’ve never seen one. In the story, Fae has the same fascination and wants to see one some day. 

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Clara: You can find me on Mastodon. The Stolen Child can be ordered directly from the publisher, from Malaprops Bookstore, or from Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Emma: Anna Otto is contributing with a short story in Lower Decks Press forthcoming anthology Beyond Human: Tales of the new us. Anna, how did you come up with the idea to your story? What inspired you?

Anna: In my non-writing life, I’m a psychiatrist. Seeing the proliferation of online and computerized treatment options for mental health has been interesting and puzzling – I had always felt that humans preferred a connection with another human and believed this to be the necessary part of healing. And yet, as a past programmer, I could also envision the possibility of creating an advanced program capable of assessing human facial expressions, breaking down emotions to 0s and 1s, and responding accordingly. After all, one highly effective treatment for anxiety and depression is cognitive behavioral therapy, which at the core is a series of algorithms and “if-then” statements. As a writer, I dreamed big and created Gabriel, the AI therapist anyone would like to have. Read my anthology story, “A Work in Progress”, to see if you agree.

Emma: As you mentioned, the main character in your story, Arthur, regularly sees an AI therapist. Is it something you see will happen in the foreseeable future or is it a utopia? Is it even desirable?

Anna: While I don’t see this happening in the immediate future, I believe that humans can create AI that is smarter and has far greater capacity for understanding human emotions than what we have right now (the recent publicized stories of “creepy behavior” by AI concern me as much as anyone else). Is it desirable? The psychiatrist in me wants to say no, as I’d like to think myself indispensable to my patients, current and potential. I still believe in the human connection and mutual regard as the necessary ingredients for healing, however messy and unpredictable humans are (and therapists are human and imperfect). However, I can also see the advantages to the computerized model of treatment. AI is not subject to the negative human emotions or uncomfortable countertransference that may impact the treatment efficacy. Further, with the current shortages of mental health professionals, I see many people being forced to turn to alternatives such as AI when this becomes a possibility. My preference would be for training more psychiatrists though.

Emma: Can we look forward to something more about Arthur in the near future? What writing projects are you working on at the moment?

Anna: If I were to write more about Arthur, I fear I’d write a neat resolution – and I don’t favor those in my stories. I love him, the hopeless human that he is, and I have the best hopes for him – but I will let the readers imagine what his ultimate ending is.

I’m forever working on my series of a post-apocalyptic North America, the first novel of which is titled The Face of the Snake. The setting is but a background to messy human relationships. I’ve written two sequels – all before editing and publishing the first book. This is where all my effort is going now. I’m looking forward to sharing it with the world.

Emma: I loved your story about Arthur, and I’m looking forward to reading The Face of the Snake! Where can Night Beats readers find “A Work in Progress”?

Anna: The Face of the Snake isn’t published yet so you’ll have to wait. But you can find the anthology for pre-sale at the Lower Decks Press website!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Sarena Ulibarri joins us to talk about her solarpunk novella, Another Life. Sarena, tell us about this warmhearted eco-fiction!

Sarena: Another Life is a science fiction novella set in a peaceful ecovillage called Otra Vida. When a scientific method of uncovering past lives emerges, the founder of Otra Vida learns she’s the reincarnation of the previous generation’s greatest villain. This shakes the foundations of Galacia’s identity and her position within the community, threatening to undermine the good she’s done in this lifetime.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Sarena: What if there were a “23andMe” type test, but for reincarnation instead of ancestry? And how would a “good” person react to finding out their previous incarnation did some really bad things?

Sabitha: Tough questions! Was there any music that inspired you while you were writing?

Sarena: The playlist for this book starts with “Policy of Truth” by Depeche Mode, which captures the conflict Galacia feels about whether or not to reveal her past life to her community. 

Because they share the same soul, Thomas Ramsey’s song is also by Depeche Mode, “Walking in My Shoes.” Ramsey is who Galacia was in her previous life: he was a manipulator and con-man who knew he’d made a villain of himself, but he had his reasons. 

Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Sarena: My process seems to be to write the wrong book first, and then yank out the spine and write a new book around that foundation. I’ve done this several times, though it’s not a method I recommend. Early drafts of Another Life had whole superfluous storylines and tangents. After letting the book sit for a couple of years, I went after it with a (metaphorical) cleaver, killing darlings with no remorse until I found the core of what I was really trying to say.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Sarena: A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys. It’s such a fresh take on alien first contact and the best example of solarpunk I’ve read yet.

Sabitha: Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?

Sarena: Because the story is about reincarnation, it seemed appropriate to set it in Death Valley. It’s a harsh and extreme place, but it’s also beautiful and full of life. That contrast fits the themes of Another Life quite well.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Sarena: My website, Twitter, or Mastodon are the best places to find me! Preorder of Another Life is available from Amazon, B&N, Kobo, or direct from Stelliform Press.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Anna: Emma Berglund is a co-editor of the sci-fi anthology Into the Unknown. She wrote another short story, “In Our Midst,” for the next anthology installment Beyond Human: Tales of the New Us. This is your second sci-fi anthology outing. Tell us what attracted you to this group project?

Emma: Lower Decks Press started with me, Rohan O’Duill, and Jason Clor having the idea to put together and edit our first anthology, Into the Unknown, within our online community, as we have so many talented writers there. It all worked out well, so we said, hey why not try again! And here we are!

Anna: Your story describes an Earth after an alien invasion. Tell us more about it.

Emma: “In Our Midst” starts off after Earth has been stricken by aliens, but no one knows how they look like or what their intention is. However, what’s visible is how they affect humans. People are turned into either what we would describe as zombie-like creatures, or a sneakier version, where it’s not immediately visible whether a person is infected or not. The invasion has created suspicion in people because of this.

Anna: Is there life outside of this planet? How do you think the contact will be established?

Emma: Out of pure probability, there has to be some sort of life somewhere. Chance is we totally miss any contact tried because we don’t have the right tools to detect them. In the light of that, contact will probably be made from the alien part rather from our side.

Anna: Your story offered hope during a dark time for humanity. Do you believe it is the mission of sci-fi to help us through the conflicts of our dark times?

Emma: In a way, but I’d say that goes for any form of culture. We need the distractions, the explanations, the alternative worlds to enrich our minds, but it also helps us to enhance or be able to cope with our daily life.

Anna: What is it like to work with dozens of writers? Tell us about your editorial process.

Emma: It’s a great, yet overwhelming feeling! But to be able to follow all the writers process from their first draft to the published version is such a fantastic journey. We started with smaller groups where the first draft of the stories was read and discussed, then all the contributors have submitted their story to the three of us as the editors of Lower Decks Press. Since there are twice as many stories compared to our first anthology, we had to add an extra editorial resource person to help us out. Right now, we’re line editing and assembling the layout of the anthology as soon as we get the corrected versions back from the authors. We’re also thrilled to have fabulous illustrations by Marten Norr and a brilliant cover by Rachel A. Rosen, and we’re hoping to set a pre-sale date soon!

Anna: Find both anthologies with Emma’s stories at our website!

Emma: And you can find me on Twitter.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Joseph Picard is joining us today, to talk all things science fiction. Joseph, what book are you going to tell us about?

Joseph: Rubberman’s Exodus is the third and final novel of my Rubberman series. Following Tara, the head Engineer, and her love and partner Sasha, the multi-generational bomb shelter is put at risk when fuel for the generator runs out unexpectedly. 2000+ survivors have been hiding from the after effects of war for over a century.

In that time, they’ve regressed into sub-cultures born from necessity, but have stagnated into ignorance and dogma.

In Rubberman’s Exodus, the blackout leads to events that force them out to the surface, and re-examine their way of life. From the Engineers who run the power generator, to the isolated workforce Subjects, to Citizenry, which was created to contain the worst trouble makers.

Everyone in the facility has had a taste of conflict over the years, but the Citizenry section has suffered the bloodiest of internal little wars, and most abusive little tyrants. (The previous book, Rubberman’s Citizens is all about them getting themselves sorted out… mostly.)

As the events of Rubberman’s Exodus unfold, across the facility, (not just Citizenry,) everyone will be facing threats they have no experience with. Threats from outside, where the big war happened, and the Enemy is known to patrol above.

I’m very pleased to have wrapped up the Rubberman series in a way I’m happy with, since the advancement of my multiple sclerosis (on top of my pre-existing paraplegia, whee!) makes writing very difficult these days.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Joseph: The whole series was sparked from the notion of being trapped in a routine and job that feels meaningless, in near isolation. The characters took over, and the facility grew a life of its own, which demanded resolution. The Rubberman name comes from the Managers of the workforce, who wear rubber hazard suits, for reasons forgotten and misunderstood.

Sabitha: That is sadly very relatable. We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Joseph: 1: Cool sounding idea/concept

2: Think of a way to make it plausible

3: Throw in likeable characters who have to deal with it. And not-so-likable characters to make things difficult.

I don’t do ‘proper’ outlines, but will make a point-form list of the big plot points I want to hit. I write through point 1, with the other points being suggestions. They’re all subject to total change if ‘uncovered’ events and actions of the characters take control.

As well, I’ve been sometimes labelled as ‘hard sci fi’, because I don’t use transporters or warp drives, etc., but I like my fictional science to be in the realm of very possible. And maybe soon.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read?

Joseph: I’m frequently barking about Michelle Patricia Brown, who gives us characters with depth, and words with detail. She has a plot/character balance that’s similar to my own.

I’m currently in the middle of her After the Garden, set in a ruined future filled with shattered memories, uncanny ‘gifts’, and jerks who are basically a witch-hunting cult.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Joseph: The fastest link to type in is www.ozero.ca. My books in various formats are at my Amazon page.