The Wednesday interview

Reading time: About 2 minutes Christopher Amato likes to take writing advice from Ben Franklin, who said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Christopher Amato always dreamed of working in law enforcement. After earning a degree with honors in criminology from Florida State University, he served as a federal agent. Upon […]

Reading time: About 2 minutes Joe Siple says he’s been able to make writing a habit — something he does every morning — no matter how he’s feeling…. Joe Siple is the author of the USA Today bestselling novel The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride. His other books include The Final Wish of Mr. Murray

Reading time: About 2 minutes Pamela Taylor says that being a successful author involves a lot more than just writing a book… A self-professed history geek, Pamela’s trip-of-a-lifetime may have been the one that allowed her to touch a 700-year-old book. Her novels include the nine-volume series Second Son Chronicles, The Rest of His Days

Reading time: About 2 minutes Rhona McAdam says she deliberately avoids streaming and other television services, which can eat up too much of her thinking, reading and writing time…. Rhona McAdam was born in BC, has lived in Edmonton and London UK, but now makes her home in Victoria. She spent a memorable year in

Reading time: About 2 minutes Laura Gale embraces the message “kill your darlings,” because she knows favourite phrases are often unclear or overdone… Laura Gale started her career as a publicist at a global publishing house, promoting books by Nelson Mandela, Tina Fey, J. K. Rowling and many more. She now works with founders and

Reading time: About 2 minutes Bill Arnott likes to inspire himself with a quote from Australian novelist Tim Winton, who advised: “Watch, listen, remember, wonder, and READ.”  Bill Arnott is the BC Book Prize bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water, the award-winning Gone Viking

Reading time: About 1 minute Melanie Jackson says that writers would benefit from adapting the Hemingway strategy of “less is more.”  Melanie Jackson is a freelance Vancouver writer/editor. As well as corporate-communications work, Melanie contributes to The Seaboard Review of Books. She’s also the author of such middle-grade/young-adult suspensers, mostly with Orca Book Publishers, as The Big

Reading time: About 2 minutes When Ryad Assani-Razaki doesn’t feel like writing, he still positions himself at his computer desk. “Whether or not I end up writing, I’ve put myself in the right conditions to do so,” he says. Born in West African Republic of Benin, Ryad Assani-Razaki moved to North America in 1999, to study

Reading time: About 2 minutes Rue Matthiessen says that taking an 18-month break from her most recent book helped her to see its flaws and understand how to fix them… Rue Matthiessen is a writer based on the East End of Long Island. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize twice, her essays and short fiction have

Reading time: About 2 minutes Farah Ghafoor encourages new writers to follow their own interests and write about what is most captivating to them.  Farah Ghafoor is an award-winning poet based in Toronto, Ontario. Her debut collection of poetry, recently released by House of Anansi Press. Shadow Price, explores the idea of value at the intersection of