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An Interview with Author Brian House

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Besides being a lawyer, minister, hunter, motorcycle adventurer, and cancer survivor, Brian House is a poet and an author of short- and long-form fiction and nonfiction. His second novel, the espionage thriller Reich Stop (Corsair, 2023), is book one in the Brock Donegan series. You’ll find Brian on his website at BrianHouseBooks.com and on Facebook and Instagram. Visit his Amazon author page for all of his books.

What is your elevator pitch for Reich Stop?
Brock Donegan — a deadly special agent for hire for the Defense Intelligence Agency — races to prevent neo-Nazis from implementing a time-warping gene therapy that could start a new world war.

What inspired the story idea, and how long did it take to write the book?
Reich Stop is a modern-day thriller set in significant part in southeast New Mexico in the Cloudcroft/Sunspot Observatory/Alamogordo/Las Cruces area. I owned a home in Alamogordo for several years while my son was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base there. During those years we spent many days at Cloudcroft and Sunspot and I fell in love with the area and its beauty. There was an incident during that time when the military descended on Sunspot to secure the facility against a security threat. That gave me the idea for using Sunspot as a key location in the book. Reich Stop came easy to me. I wrote the first draft in thirty-five days. Editing of course is another matter altogether. I kept revising the book for months through the various beta readings and editorial challenges.

Tell us about your main characters.
Brock Donegan is the protagonist. He’s a wealthy middle-aged, battle-hardened former soldier having served in the French Foreign Legion. A hard man skilled with weapons and a nose to find trouble and deal with it. He lives discreetly on a farm in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky and has an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Defense Intelligence Agency Special Agent Sandy Wallace.

Pelham Auxier III – Ox – is Brock Donegan’s best friend and faithful sidekick. He too is ex-French Foreign Legion, as deadly as Brock and content to let Brock find the jobs and lead the way.

Sandy Wallace – Special Agent with the Defense Intelligence Agency and Brock’s love interest. She brings the stolen gene therapy crisis to Brock’s front door and supplies the assets he needs to get on with the job.

Dr. Karl Wunderlich – the brilliant researcher who discovers a ghost gene and uses it to create the gene therapy that has anti-aging cancer fighting properties.

The Fortin family – wealthy wine producers with Nazi links from the second World War running an organized crime ring in France. They will do anything to get their hands on the gene therapy.

At what point in the writing process did you know the story was strong enough for a series?
I had the thought for a series in mind as I was writing the book. To be honest, it was so much fun creating the characters and putting them into the narrative, I really did not want to see them end after just one book. Later, when the reviews started coming in, people asked for more. That’s when you know. When people ask for more, you know you have a series on your hands.

What are the key issues when writing a series to keep readers coming back for more?
I think two kinds of relationships are at work here. The first is the writer’s relationship with the characters. I want the characters to be fresh and original in each story while maintaining their essential identifying characteristics. Brock Donegan is battle tested and a killer but he is not a murderer. Ox is a brilliant academic who is also a deadly mercenary who will do anything to protect Brock. Those things will never change. The second relationship is the one I have with the readers of the Brock Donegan series. I have an obligation, a desire really, to keep the stories fresh. Some of the settings will be familiar and some of the characters will reappear but the central dilemma Brock and Ox must resolve will be entirely new and involve new antagonists.

The story starts out in New Mexico and follows Brock Donegan to Bavaria. How does the setting impact the story and the characters?
The setting shifts had to happen. The story must go to Bavaria, to the birthplace of Nazism and all its evil. It will be there that Brock confronts the darkness that threatens to emerge again on the world stage.

Is there a scene in your book that you’d like to see play out in a movie?
Yes. Brock and Ox ruining the Nazi rally at Oberst Lodge. I could see some major pyrotechnic effects being used there!

How would you compare your experience with traditional publishing versus publishing independently?
I’ve had one book published through a traditional publisher. My other books have been indies. The upside of going the traditional route is the more meticulous editing and then the obvious distribution network to get your book out there. If I were forty years younger and trying to make writing my day job, I would have stayed in that world but I am sixty-five years old, a two-time cancer survivor who has made a good living as a lawyer. I am writing now because I love the art form. Indie writing is more immediate in terms of getting to market and seeing your work come to life. I like that, but you have to understand the responsibilities that come with indie writing. You have to be your own critic and editor. I am careful to seek out multiple beta readers. I literally beg for people to read my manuscripts and tear them apart. I look for all the critique and suggestions I can find.

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you started your writing and publishing career today?
When people ask me to describe my career path, I tell them I’m a writer who went to law school to feed his family who then became a minister in his forties. When I was in my twenties there was no internet, now social media, no Amazon, no print-on-demand companies. Getting “out there” was very hard. If I were twenty years old in today’s world, I would be very persistent to get my manuscript in order and then work as hard as I could to secure an agent and follow that route if I wanted to make a living as a writer. I would also keep my day job. Even Hemingway had to borrow money off friends to pay his taxes.

Of all the books you’ve written, is there a particular genre you enjoy writing the most?
I have written two thrillers which have been published, a western which I have not published, and I am finishing the edits on a romantic manuscript that falls into the literary genre. It is by far and away my favorite book. I look forward to seeing it come to market.

What kind of writer are you? Do you prefer to outline, or do you dive right in and let the story unfold organically?
I know my characters and my story before I start. I think with thrillers that understanding of character and plot line are essential, at least for me, otherwise the story would be a confused, rambling mess. The literary piece I mentioned above began as a short story I was writing for a competition but it grew into a hundred-thousand-word manuscript.

Who are your favorite authors, and how have they influenced your writing?
It depends on the genre. In terms of classic American writers, it would be Hemingway. I discovered him in my early teens. His use of tight declarative sentences influenced the way I write as a lawyer and in my books. He is at the top of the heap of writers as far as I am concerned. F. Scott Fitzgerald for the sheer beauty of his work. No one can compare to him. His was a life that ended far too soon. Agatha Christie for her witty intrigue and durability. Her books have made billions of dollars. English professors can make fun of her but her estate can buy and sell most universities outright. Clive Cussler when he actually wrote his Dirk Pitt novels. Fun stuff. Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee novels are outstanding. I have read them all. He was an amazing writer. Both Cussler and Hillerman had great storylines and kept their character development consistent from one book to the next.

When can your readers expect to see the second book in the Brock Donegan series?
Likely in 2024. I am finishing the literary manuscript this year and will put it in the editing phase. My wife and I are spending several weeks in Seattle and Coeur d’Alene this summer as part of my research for the next Brock Donegan story. After that, I will return home and see what happens.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I would say to anyone who is hesitant to write for fear of rejection — don’t fear rejection! All writers are rejected at some point, actually multiple points in their careers. All writers have been rejected by an agent. Write because you love the craft and remember to be disciplined in your work ethic and be willing to accept criticism of your work. Writers are like musicians and painters. Very few of us will ever get rich doing this but we can contribute to the art form that has been given to us as our talent, our gift. I think that is a wonderful calling in and of itself.

Su Lierz writes dark fiction, short story fiction, and personal essays. Her short story “Twelve Days in April,” written under the pen name Laney Payne, appeared in the 2018 SouthWest Writers Sage Anthology. Su was a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 Albuquerque Museum Authors Festival Writing Contest. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico, with her husband Dennis.



An Interview with Author Julie Loar

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Julie Loar is an award-winning author of eight books and dozens of articles. She is an expert in symbolism and has worked with dreams, including interpreting dreams live on national radio, for decades. Her latest book, Symbol & Synchronicity: Learning the Soul’s Language in Dreams and Waking Life (Satiama Publishing, 2021), is a practical and comprehensive guide to working with dreams and learning their language. Symbol & Synchronicity has won five international literary awards, including a Nautilus Book Award. You’ll find Julie on her website at JulieLoar.com and on Facebook. Visit her Amazon author page for all of her books.

What was the inspiration for Symbol & Synchronicity?
I’ve worked with dreams and taught about their symbolism for decades. In the mid-2000s, I wrote a series of articles (about 40) for Oracle 20-20 Magazine in Atlanta. I always wanted to do something else with that material. At the onset of the pandemic lockdown in March 2020 I had “motive and opportunity,” and I turned my attention first to 80 articles of 108 I had written for Atlantis Rising magazine. Those articles became a two-volume sky lore anthology. I had the intention to create a similar book with my dream articles, but I was captured by a muse, and the idea morphed into a completely different book that became Symbol & Synchronicity. The isolation of the pandemic offered a writer’s haven and I rose each morning and wrote for a year.

What did you find the most rewarding while writing the book?
I loved the research and the deeper wisdom I gained about symbols, dreams, and synchronicities through the writing process. While writing the book, I had several amazing dreams and experienced stunning synchronicities. I practiced what I learned and incorporated what I wrote into my life, deepening my spiritual practice. I was my own case study, and the experience has enhanced my growth.

When did your spiritual journey begin? Can you pinpoint your own “aha” moment when you knew this would be your life’s calling?
In the summer of my second year in college, I was part of a volunteer program where students from all over the country spent the summer in Mexico living with Mexican families, teaching English, or working in hospitals. About 25 of us who had been together in an orientation in Mexico City developed Hepatitis A. I nearly died, and had what I later learned was called a Near Death Experience (NDE). Although it took years of study and exploration to unpack the experience, my path was revealed. There were many twists, turns, and tests as I realized my life was a spiritual quest and I wanted to work in the area that is now called Mind, Body, Spirit.

What makes this book unique in the Mind, Body, Spirit genre?
Symbol & Synchronicity offers comprehensive and practical tools and techniques that enable readers to work with their own dream symbols and waking synchronicities. As a result of a powerful dream while writing the book, I was guided to create a Seven Steps in Dreamwork© process that is easy to use and can transform dream work. Using the unique seven-step process, anyone can learn to unlock the symbolic messages and guidance that comes in dreams and magical waking synchronicities—it’s the book I wish I had at the beginning of my journey.

Do you have a favorite quote from Symbol & Synchronicity you’d like to share?
“Waking life is like a lucid dream, and we are the dreamer, sleeping until we awaken and remember our purpose. As we choose, and receive the consequences of our choices, slowly we learn. At some critical point in our long journey a spark of divine fire from the Soul (meta-consciousness) ignites the flame of aspiration in our hearts. This flame grows into a radiance as we walk the path of the sacred and do the work required. Our heart begins to beat with compassion in a rhythm that connects us to others and the Universe.” (Chapter 7, page 67)

Of all the books you’ve written, is there a particular one you enjoyed writing the most?
Goddesses for Every Day: Exploring the Wisdom and Power of the Divine Feminine around the World because I learned so much rich information. Learning about hundreds (thousands?) of goddesses from every culture in the world was empowering and affirming as I was unaware of the breadth and depth of the Goddess tradition. I had been hired to ghostwrite a book, and the research that involved revealed what felt to me like a lost history. The story and power of the Divine Feminine is reemerging in the world today, but at the time I was astonished by what I learned and felt a “call” to share, especially with other women.

Tell us about recurring messages or themes in your writing.
The over-arching theme of my work is the spiritual path and the power of symbolism as a guidance system along that journey with the potential to be a transforming influence. I have written books about mythology, astrology, Tarot, numerology, and the divine feminine. My goal is always to facilitate understanding of how to access these ancient teachings to illuminate our lives and empower our spiritual journey.

As a spiritual practitioner, is there a particular experience you can share with your readers that has informed and guided your principles?
Once while driving into town, I had an experience I will never forget. I stopped at a red light at an intersection and was first of a line of cars. As the light turned green and I prepared to drive ahead, I heard a loud and authoritative voice say “Wait!” I was so startled, as I was alone in the car, that I did not accelerate to proceed with my left turn. Within a few seconds a car hurtled through the intersection at a high rate of speed and drove off the road on the other side. I was shaken as I realized had I proceeded through the green light, the vehicle that ran the red light would have struck me broadside with disastrous consequences. Whose voice did I hear? I believe the power of my Psyche produced an audible voice that prevented a tragedy. Such experiences shock us into another state of consciousness. In that moment I was dramatically aware of guidance, and I am deeply grateful for the influence that watches over me.

Is there something that always inspires you or triggers your creativity?
The power of an unanswered question.

Give us a glimpse of what to expect from future writing projects.
I’m working on a second edition of my first book Messengers, which is a novel about ancient Egypt and Atlantis. The first edition was published in 1997 and a lot has been discovered since then. I want to enhance the book and bring it up to date, perhaps including the growing impact of technology, which has exploded since the book was published.

What do you hope readers will take away from Symbol & Synchronicity?
If they commit, knowing they may only need to work with one or two dreams a month, their lives can be transformed and empowered. Dreams provide guidance that is tailored specifically for us and our growth, coming directly from our Higher Self. We have a built-in and customized system that can be life changing when we start to pay attention.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Although it may sound trite and a bit condescending, life is a journey not a destination. The journey involves tests, trials, and blessings, and like Bilbo Baggins stepping off his front porch in The Hobbit, or Dorothy Gale and her companions skipping up the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz, the quality of our passage depends largely on our willingness to be transformed by our experiences.

Su Lierz writes dark fiction, short story fiction, and personal essays. Her short story “Twelve Days in April,” written under the pen name Laney Payne, appeared in the 2018 SouthWest Writers Sage Anthology. Su was a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 Albuquerque Museum Authors Festival Writing Contest. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico, with her husband Dennis.



An Interview with Author Angus Robb

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Author Angus Robb is a retired mining engineer who was born and raised in sub-Saharan Africa. He used his love of that land, its people, and its elephants to create African Indaba: A Story of Adventure and Conflict, “a rich, compelling debut novel about friendship, loyalty and justice.” You’ll find Angus on RMKpublications.com. Look for African Indaba on Amazon.

What was the inspiration for African Indaba?
I considered it a necessity rather than an inspiration. About 10 years ago (at age 75), I decided to start composing an African story while I still had the time, memories, and most of my faculties. “Indaba” has different meanings in Africa, but this “indaba” means “trouble.” And that was the theme I ran on. Trouble in its worst forms. Although still employed back then, I had to find time to squeeze in my composition efforts, so it turned out to be very much a stop-go situation, with few opportunities for agility. Luckily my profession allowed me to travel the world, and those experiences, many bizarre, seemed easier to write about back then and I felt they deserved the re-telling now.

What is the most difficult aspect of writing historical fiction? What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
The most difficult aspect turned out to be ensuring my narrative “fixed” readers into the story’s many timelines and locations. The unique challenge? Making those events as accurate as possible while not detracting from the plot.

Who are your main characters and why will your readers connect to them? Do you share traits with your main protagonist or antagonist?
Callum MacKenzie. Impoverished Scots boy stowed away on a steamer to Africa in search of a better life and adventure. Readers will connect with how he fought for success in the new, strange, violent world.

Rory MacKenzie. Son of Callum and Afrikaner mother Maria De Villiers. He is the story’s protagonist, but no shrinking violet. Readers will sympathize with his main characteristics – hate, violence and vengeance and how he tried to supersede those demons in the pursuit of affection. Another positive trait found him impossibly attractive and irresistible to the opposite sex despite his diffident nature.

Inkosana Chitimukulu. Otherwise called James. Native prince who befriended Callum and promoted kindly African ways until colonial racism closed in on him. Readers will relate to how he fights back against those prejudices.

Chola. A bull elephant and main antagonist although he doesn’t deserve to be. Having experienced extreme violence from ivory hunters, he attempts to retaliate, but can’t overcome superior odds.

I share traits (mostly in my dreams) with both Rory and Chola, particularly regarding taking personal vengeance against bullies, murderers, and traitors. All three of us believe really evil people should be repaid with interest for their wrongs.

What decisions did you make about including historical figures or events?
Early on, I hit on subjects, mainly by mistake, that later turned out to be topical in today’s world such as “Save the elephants” and “Ban corporal punishment and bullying.” Call it opportunistic. Or just luck. I placed figures such as Nelson Mandela into historical perspective to give readers the feeling of “being there” with him.

Tell us about putting the book together.
It took about 10 years from first thoughts to publication with many breaks along the way when technical work became competitive with composing pleasure. Writing was the easiest part. Editing was repetitive and time consuming although I had imaginative editors, and cover design turned out to best-illustrate the “feelings behind the face of that elephant.” I was lucky to have Don Morgan as editor, Rose Kern as Publisher, and Pat Harrison as cover designer, all experts at what they do.

Was there anything surprising you discovered while doing research for this book?
Part of the book involved Callum’s military service during WWII in North Africa and Burma. I discovered he played a leading role in preparing African troops right out of their native elements into playing an important role in final victory.

What was the most rewarding aspect of writing African Indaba?
I’ve been getting good reviews from around the world without much formal marketing. This interview is the closest I’ve come to performing any publicizing of the book.

If you’re a plotter/planner, how do you know when it’s time to stop planning and start writing?
I’m not a plotter/planner, and it’s my first novel so I just picked up a pen and started writing…and rewriting…and rewriting. Probably wasted a lot of time in the process. I’ll know better next time round.

Who are your favorite authors, and what do you admire most about their writing?
Wilbur Smith, Paul Theroux, and George Orwell. A bit of a mix but all three had the storytelling gifts of clarity, brevity, and surprise.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I have had no formal training in prose writing. Most of my knowledge on the subject (apart from English classes at a Scottish boarding school) came from the Wordwrights class held by Don Morgan and Dennis Kastendiek at North Domingo Baca Senior Center (in Albuquerque, New Mexico). I learned about POV, active and passive voice, progression, short sentences, and more. This face-to-face experience (no zoom yet!) proved both educational and exhilarating. A pity it was dropped.

Su Lierz writes dark fiction, short story fiction, and personal essays. Her short story “Twelve Days in April,” written under the pen name Laney Payne, appeared in the 2018 SouthWest Writers Sage Anthology. Su was a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 Albuquerque Museum Authors Festival Writing Contest. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico, with her husband Dennis.



An Interview with Author Evelyn Neil

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Evelyn Neil writes short stories inspired by “everyday events and the decisions made by ordinary people that are so important to all of us.” In March 2022, she released her memoir Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow which has been called “a loving and brave book…a love story about life, and yet courageously takes on death.” You’ll find Evelyn on her SWW Author Page and on RMKpublications.com. Look for Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow on Amazon.

When did you know you wanted to write a memoir about life with your husband Don?
This memoir began as a group of short stories in 2013 when Don’s health issues started to limit the social and travel events we’d enjoyed in the past. I wanted to leave a part of us for our children and grandchildren. But then after Don passed in 2015, writing our story helped me to cope with my profound grief.

What makes this book unique in the memoir market?
It’s a love story about life that takes on the conversation of death and the choices people make. It is a true depiction of a full life that bravely takes on these difficult choices that others consider unmentionable.

If you ever felt you were revealing too much about you or your family while writing Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow, how did you move forward?
The first few drafts were pretty tight-lipped about some of the more raw family happenings. With the help of my critique partners, I was able to sort out what revelations were integral to this story and write about those touchy events without hurting anyone’s feelings.

What was the most challenging part of putting this book together?
Getting into and ferreting out my true feelings and emotions so as to not have the story come off as a piece of journalistic reporting. I didn’t want Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow to be perceived as a “How To” for coping with grief. I hoped this very personal story would be a window into how one woman gained strength and wisdom from the process of sharing her story.

What are the essential elements of a well-written memoir?
A good memoir must have a message or a theme, even though the author is telling of a moment in time of their life. Because an author cannot write of each happening or detail of a certain period, they must relay only those events that are pertinent to the intended theme. A well-written memoir also incorporates the use of silence. What is left unsaid is as important as what is said.

Tell us how you chose the title.
Choosing the title was one of my most difficult decisions. My working title was Hanging On. But following several reiterations, this story evolved into something beyond what that title suggested. I needed a title that would give readers the desire to look into this couple’s golden years and to learn that the pot of gold is not necessarily at the end of the rainbow but in the journey.

What was the most rewarding aspect of writing the book?
My most rewarding aspect was getting in touch with my feelings about what had occurred. In mere moments, my life had irretrievably changed. First, I had to reconcile myself to the fact that certain events were beyond my control. Writing helped me to cope with the grieving process by turning my thoughts away from the horror of what had happened. I discovered that when I committed my thoughts to paper, I no longer had to carry the full burden of those terrible events.

When readers turn the last page of Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow, what do you hope they’ll take away from it?
To live each day to its fullest. To love and take care of one another. To never have regrets about a life well lived or judge a person’s decision to choose their time to depart. By holding the memories of that departed person close to your heart, they will be with you forever.

What inspired you to become a writer?
I’d always wanted to write, but for many years life got in the way—raising children and helping to operate a successful family business. I was finally able to start writing at age 75 following my retirement from Kachina Petroleum Equipment Company. I considered myself an author three years later in 2016 when my short story “Comrades: A Wife Recollects Her Late Husband’s Letters from Korea” was published in From the Front Lines to the Homefront.

What is the first piece of writing you can remember completing?
My first short story was written in response to a prompt in a UNM Continuing Ed creative writing class. It was entitled “Side of the Road” and was about the wonder of witnessing a prong-horn antelope give birth to twins in the tall Wyoming prairie grass. This story was later incorporated into the Wyoming reunion event depicted in Dancing to the End of Our Rainbow.

When you start a writing project, do you usually have a theme or message in mind or is that something that becomes obvious as you write?
When I begin a story, I don’t usually have an overt theme or message. The theme, like a big fish swimming in dark murky waters, will surface as the story gains momentum and moves forward. I’m a pantser and use neither outlines nor note cards. I start with a basic story idea, knowing both the beginning and the ending and work from there. I do write notes on scrapes of paper whenever and wherever an idea pops into my mind.

Do you have writing rituals or something you absolutely need in order to write?
I have a special writing area set up in a guest room in my home. This is where I hang out many afternoons and most evenings to spend a few hours writing. I have no special ritual, just my ticking Grandfather clock to remind me that I have so many stories to share and so little time left.

What genre do you enjoy reading the most, and who are your favorite authors?
I enjoy reading many genres. I admire Marie Benedict for her extensive research and writing style in historical fiction. She doesn’t just tell the story, she uses realistic dialogue and narrative to draw the reader into the events as they unfold. I also like the psychological mysteries of Ian McEwan and Ruth Ward. They pull me in by the throat and take me on a wondrous wild ride.

What writing projects are you working on now?
I am in the process of putting together two short-story anthologies for publication. The first, working title Bits and Pieces, is a collection of random short stories and poems based on true happenings but written as fiction. The second, Once Upon a Prairie, is a memoir of my growing-up years as a free-range kid on the Wyoming prairie. It will include stories of my high school-years and also my short courtship and early marriage to Don.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Don’t spend all your time taking classes and listening to others talk about writing. There is no better way to learn than to put your pants in the chair and start by writing as little as 50 words each day about whatever comes to mind. By writing about what you see around you, your experiences and even your wildest ideas and dreams, you will find yourself opening up to a wondrous world of storytelling.

Su Lierz writes dark fiction, short story fiction, and personal essays. Her short story “Twelve Days in April,” written under the pen name Laney Payne, appeared in the 2018 SouthWest Writers Sage Anthology. Su was a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 Albuquerque Museum Authors Festival Writing Contest. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico, with her husband Dennis.



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