AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Getting to Know James WF Roberts

          

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Well, where to begin? My name is James WF Roberts, I am a 34 years old, Melbourne, Australia based poet and writer. I am currently doing my Masters of Communication and Media Studies at Monash University. I have just come back from a two week long media and the city, cultural economy study tour of Shanghai, care of Jiatong and Monash University. Several years ago I completed a double honours degree from La Trobe University, in Philosophy, Religious Studies, Literature Art and Film.  My family background is an extremely creative one. My immediate family is involved in the Arts to some degree. My late father was a multi-instrumentalist, organist and music teacher, he even is referenced on Wikipedia as a ‘notable player of the Yamaha Electone organ’. He came like fifth or something in 1977 in Japan in a major competition. My eldest sister is a music teacher worked in piano bars and in ska band and led a choir, in Holland, Tokyo and Hong Kong. My brother is a very gifted multi-instrumentalist too; my other sister used to sing in choirs, play the organ, and taught music also. And, my mother was a singer and actress before she met my father. So, I guess being in Arts is in my blood.  I have worked as a freelance writer, journalist and editor on and off for years. I used to host a late night community and digital radio show in Bendigo for almost ten years.

     What kind of writing do you do?

That is a really, really hard question. I don’t think I have a particular style that can be easily labelled.  The genre of writing I normally do is spoken word poetry. I am quite good in the erotic style, transgressive. I guess I call myself transgressive, or post-structuralist, or meta-fiction writer, maybe even a bit of a magical-realist. I think being a writer in the 21^st century is an interesting time to be a writer. I write a bit of everything though, short stories, horror, speculative fiction, erotica. Academic essays, a few articles here and there and the usual stuff, writers never admit we do to make some bread….

When did writing become something you wanted to throw yourself into?  

That is always a hard question. I guess I was always writing short stories and other ideas down for a very long time. I don’t really know when I actually made the conscience decision to be throw myself into writing as it were. I guess, when thinking about it what made me throw myself into my writing as it were, was when I was about 19 when I was in the Army. I was going through basic training at Kapooka Base just outside Wagga Wagga and I was diagnosed with high functioning Asperger’s Syndrome at the same time. I discovered I was better living in my own head instead of doing other things. I don’t know it is always a hard thing, I don’t know whether most people actually have those big reveal moments. I think most people become writers by accident, after trying their hands at many different things, it’s almost like by accident you write something good and bang! You’re a writer now!

When did you feel confident enough in your writing to unveil it to the public? 

It was about 2003 or something like that I think, or maybe even 2002 after I left the Army I was living in working in a tiny little place in Northern Queensland, called Cooktown and I sort of got this job by accident working for the Cooktown news and my first articles were published up there. I don’t have copies of them. I used to do that self-indulgent, embarrassing thing of destroying copies of old works and that usual thing, so I don’t have any copies of them anymore. They were probably crap, judging by the writer I am now, and the writer I was back then.   

Why do you write? 

After all, when you’re artist, your art is like Junk! It’s an addiction and you have to mainline, nearly every day, otherwise it’s not worth it. A writer writes. He doesn’t practice writing or rehearse writing. He just does it.

What inspired you to write your latest book? 

Satyr is based on an idea I have had for a very long time, a sex and relationship memoir from the point of view of a modern man, using the modern sexual and mild fetishistic ideas. Many of the things in the collection are based on my own misadventures and experiences with sex, polyamoury, recreational drugs and depression. It is essentially a book about a man trying to find himself through sex, drugs and booze, after a really insidious and destructive, manipulative relationship ends. What happens when have lost everything emotionally, psychologically  and spiritually—one addiction gives way to another one.  And, also as an Autist, as an ‘aspie’ as we call ourselves I wanted to investigate, develop and write about the sensuality of a person with a hyper-sensitivity to things like touch, smell, taste and light. People don’t understand Asperger’s, people think we are emotionally retarded—we are like robots. The real truth of the matter is that we feel too much. We are too intense in our emotions so we have to control our emotions as much as possible—but often that leads to not being to turn it on at all, or worse, when you re-open the seal it overflows like a flood.

What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book? 

Being honest about who I am, about my condition. Being frank about my sexuality and my passions.

What was the easiest thing about writing this book?  

Same thing really. It’s always a double edged sword being open and frank about things.

Who are some of your literary and poetic influences? 

I have a few. I studied William Blake, Allen Ginsberg and Plato and Nietzsche in my under-grad days, so have always been obsessed with those writers. Edgar Allen  Poe is a major influence on my poetic style, especially my murder and love poems.  But my major contemporary influences are, well Vanessa de Largie, is a great poet and writer and actress she is a blogger for huffington post, she has been a major influence and source of encouragement of mine over the last few years, she did a lot of proofing of this collection for me. Other Australian poets like Steve Smart, Amanda Anastasi, Hamish Danks Brown, Michael Reynolds, Omar Musa and so many others in the Melbourne and Sydney poetry scenes. Other poets like Tishani Doshi and the American Catherine Zickgraf have also been incredible sources of inspiration and poetic determination over the last few years.

Do you have any current works in progress or ready for publication?

Well, besides the Satyr collection just coming out, I am working on a piece to perform at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, in a collaborative event between designers and poets of Melbourne. I am working on putting some performance pieces into a short film idea, work on my Masters. Also working on some poem ideas I started on my recent trip to Shanghai, and finishing part 4 of Tuesday Suicide, ‘Descent’.

What advice would you give aspiring writers and authors?

There’s a Tina Arena song I often think about when I get asked this question, there’s a line in one of her songs, ‘if you wanna be a poet then write’—that is the best advice I can give to any writer. Just write. No matter how terrible, or lame or sappy or whatever you think it is. There is no such thing as bad writing. There are things that are not delivered well. But there is no such thing as a bad poem. I remember once at a writer’s festival in Bendigo, there were so major poets talking about some their collaborations and workshops they had done with people grieving over the loss of loved ones and also a poetry collection done through a major radio station, about pets or something….it was amazing how much the students from the local TAFE College bagged out those activities as being lame or beneath them, even denigrating poets working with prisoners doing hard time.  You don’t need to be an academic or university educated to be a poet, most of the great poets of history weren’t.  They just wrote. Write about your own experiences. Write about your relationships. Write about things that piss you off. Write about your fears and write about the world around you, or the world you wish was around. It doesn’t matter….just bloody WRITE!

Where can readers purchase your work?  How can they get in touch with you? 

I have several books on amazon and a spoken word collection on band camp that should all be currently for purchase.  

Hell is Other People 

Tuesday Suicide Confessions

Tuesday Suicide Spree

Tuesday Suicide Revenge

Satyr

You can find my blog and website here: 

http://redwolfpressaustralia.blogspot.com.au/

My Facebook pages where you can find me: 

https://www.facebook.com/redwolfpress/

https://www.facebook.com/Tuesday-Suicide-Confessions-206048932920031/ 
https://www.facebook.com/JamesWFRobertswords/

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Getting to know J Matthew McKern

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background 

I’m from Walla Walla, Washington—home of the Quicksilver Vacuum Cleaner Company and ACME Manufacturing. You get here by taking a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I really am from Walla Walla, but we’re better known for wine and onions than vacuum cleaners, to be honest. 

I was a fine-arts major with a creative writing minor—ish. Didn’t complete the minor because I took classes I really wanted to take. So careless of me. 

What kind of writing do you do? 

I write fiction. I’m primarily interested in writing for middle-grade readers and the YA audience. I’m also the Managing Editor of the Oddville Press. 

When did writing become something you wanted to throw yourself into?

When my daughter was born, we decided a house that smelled constantly of oil paint and turpentine might not be the best thing. I had recently made the acquaintance of an author named Patrick Carman. He had recently published the first of 30-some books and watching his career unfold inspired me. I’d always felt my paintings had a “narrative problem” and writing turned out to be a way to let the narrative run free. 

When did you feel confident enough in your writing to unveil it to the public? 

Too early. I’m not shy, and having an art background, I was interested in gathering feedback. The copy editors among us will understand. 

Tell us a bit about your most recently published book. 

The last book I released was Raven’s Secret—a YA title. My characters were inspired in several ways. I’m from a small town (as previously mentioned) and I’ve always been fascinated by urban environments. Raven’s Secret was inspired in part by a trip to Hong Kong, trips to Seattle (where the book is set), and the urge to create characters with hidden secrets. I may or may not be related to the actor, Leo McKern (The Beatles “Help,” Blue Lagoon, Ladshawke, and Rumpole of the Bailey) who may or may not have inspired a certain character in Raven’s Secret. 

What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

My latest book is in Beta. It’s a ghost story, of sorts, inspired by a trip to an old sanatorium for tuberculosis patients that had been abandoned for decades before having been refurbished. The hard thing for me is sorting through the ideas, sticking to the outline, and not allowing my mind to run away with itself. I’m not about writers’ block; I have too many ideas rather than too few. 

Do you draw from personal experience while writing?

As you can see from my previous answers, yes. I do. Though my books tend towards the fantastic, they’re grounded in experience.

Who are some of your literary and poetic influences?

I was a fan of John Irving’s work, from The World According to Garp to A Widow For One Year. In the realm of poetry, I was a fan of e.e. cummings, T.S. Elliot and perhaps other poets who go by their initials. When I was studying poetry, I was into the abstract. 

Have you read any good books lately that you'd recommend to other readers?

Lately, I’ve been reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs has a fun voice. I’m having a great time experiencing a children’s book written for teens. 

Do you have any current works in progress or ready for publication?

I’m working on a book entitled Matchstick. It’s a supernatural story for teens. The ideas came from visiting a former sanatorium where tuberculosis patients had been treated from the late 1800s through the 1930s. It had been standing empty for decades, inhabited mostly by birds. An artist had begun converting it into a hotel. It was halfway completed when we stayed there. The following day, I learned it was listed in the 100 most haunted motels. Great inspiration. 

What advice would you give aspiring writers and authors?

Read—as often as possible. Write as often as you can. Write journals, lists of ideas, and conversations you find interesting. Find your voice.  

Where can readers view your writing? Where can they purchase copies of your published work?  

http://jmatthewmckernbooks.com
http://amzn.to/1ay0z6a

POET INTERVIEW: Getting to know Greg J. Muscroft

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

My full name is Gregory James Muscroft, but most people call me Greg. I am 35 years old, I was born in Rotherham in England on the 9th of April, 1981.

I attended East Dene Junior & Infant School and then Clifton Comprehensive before going on to study for a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts at Rotherham College Of Arts & Technology

My Dad is very intelligent, but nothing like me in personality. I am much more like my Mum. I have 1 younger brother.

I worked for 15 years in the bingo industry, but now I work as a barman and, of course, a writer.

 How and when were you first introduced to poetry?

I stumbled upon poetry a bit by chance in September 2011, when I was invited by a friend to an open mic event in my hometown. I had no idea at the time if the people were reading recognized poets' work or poetry they'd written themselves. I discovered it was the latter, and I wrote my first poem, "They Came In Planes," a tribute to the 911 terrorist attack in America, there and then, while listening to others perform. Unfortunately, I have since lost that poem.

 Would you say you have a certain style of poetry writing?

My writing style has changed over the years. I started out thinking it was important to rhyme everything, only to be told, quite rightly in my view, that I should look for other words that didn't rhyme. I started to really think about what it is I truly want to say. I guess my writing now is more prose poetry. I usually write poems about love and loss.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your poems?

An ex-girlfriend is my muse for the most part. Most of what I wrote before the break up was for or about her. I continue to write about love, but in the past 12 months it is probably on a broader scale.

My inspiration for writing comes from listening to my poet friends' words. 

I also find that songs are a big source of ideas where my writing is concerned.

When did you feel confident enough to unveil your work to the public? 

I have always been confident about performing as an actor. I am used to performing in front of people. 


I do, however, find poetry harder to perform, as it is opening my heart up to people. One is never quite sure how people will react. So yes, I unveiled my work straight away, and it was well received, much to my relief.

 Do you only write poetry, or do you dabble in other styles of writing?

I used to short plays at college and imaginative stories at school, but now just stick to poetry.

 Name some of  your poetic and/or literary influences.

My main poetry influences to be honest are my writer friends.

 Do you have any current works in progress or ready for publication?

I am working on a book of my poetry and hope to publish in the near future.

 What advice would you give aspiring poets?

 My advice to other aspiring poets I guess is to not let rejection stop you from doing what you enjoy, oh and also write from the heart no matter what anyone says. Be true to yourself.

 Where can readers read and/or purchase your work?  How can they get in touch with you? 

I have a Facebook page where I enjoy sharing my work and videos of open mic readings. 

You can view it here: Greg J. Muscroft Poet

SUMMER BOOK BLOWOUT SALE!

Summer Blow Out Sale!
I don't know about you, but I LOVE a great book and a great bargain. When I can get both at the same time, even better! My shelves can never have too many books, right? DreamMiners Publishing is having a Summer Blowout Sale to prepare for their new fall titles. All books are up to 40% off their already low prices. No coupon code required!

Check out these great titles today!

The Gift That Keeps on Givin' by A.J Scott (fiction)

Off the Beaten Path by Nina Athena (poetry)

In Retrospect by Nina Athena Radke (poetry)

Shadows in the Moonlight by Moonstone

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Getting To Know George L. Babec

            

      Tell us a bit about yourself and your background (where you're from, education, work, family and family, anything you would like to share.)

I am a father of three daughters and currently live in Tennessee. I have been an electronic engineer for many years. My composition professor back in college said that I should consider writing as an option because I have a very creative imagination. I had never really considered writing as a career choice, but have enjoyed it as a hobby over the years. Due to my profession, I am a very deep thinker, keeping track of many diminutive details on a daily basis. I think this has really impacted the depth of my writing.

 What kind of writing do you do?

Up until recently, most of my writing was technical in nature revolving around electronic engineering. My first article was published in the August 1995 edition of Nuts & Volts magazine. Two years ago I decided to step outside my comfort zone and write my first novel. Voncara Cove is a sci-fi fantasy adventure wrapped around a developing love story. I wanted my readers to connect with the emotions of my characters and it seems I accomplished this since I am told that a box of tissues is required while reading.

When did writing become something you wanted to throw yourself into?

After visiting a renaissance festival during pirate week, I came up with a story that I just had to tell. I had most of the story in my mind before writing the very first page. I was unexpectedly surprised how it made me feel when my characters seemed to come to life before my eyes on the paper. They seemed to develop their own personalities which were dissimilar to mine own. This was both exciting and strange at the same time.

When did you feel confident enough in your writing to unveil it to the public? 

I was hesitant for quite some time, but finally decided to send my book to an editor. When the editor told me she was deep into the story and crying like a baby, I figured I had something worth sharing.

What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

The hardest thing, by far, was keeping the word count down. I was actually sad when I finished Voncara Cove. I missed my characters. One morning I thought; why do I have to stop there? So I added a few lines of text leading into a second book.

Do you draw from personal experience while writing?

Absolutely! My personal life, career, military service, and family have definitely impacted my writing.

Who are some of your literary and poetic influences?

Jules Verne has impacted my life since I was a child. I love to read his works.

Have you read any good books lately that you'd recommend to other readers?

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman. I like the way everything ties together in such an imaginative way. I also like the way the adventure is wrapped around a developing love story.  The action keeps you on your feet and interested in the story-line.

Do you have any current works in progress or ready for publication?

My problem is having enough time to complete the many ideas that I have. I currently am working on developing story-lines for five novels, including the next Voncara Cove. I also am working on a motion sensor design book for electronic engineers. Many nights my mind races and I cannot sleep so I write in a notebook as the ideas flow uncontrollably.

What advice would you give aspiring writers and authors?

Go for it. Publishing a book these days is easier than ever! Don't deprive the world of your inspirations.

Here are a few of my links:

http://www.georgebabec.com

https://www.facebook.com/voncaracove

https://www.facebook.com/georgelbabec

The Stages With Mathis

by E.A. Radke

What to say of his controlled reach? An instrument that would rise alongside the voices of R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock and Roll, and a Gospel sect conversion into Soul. The male register was lifting in the fifties and John Royce was taking an operatic range and controlled vibrato obtained and exchanged for house chores where no crooner of the day dared. Popular male singers content to lay at a far lower and less expressive range just right for Ike status quo. Under the guidance  of impresario Mitch Miller, Johnny Mathis would tear gracefully and ascend vocally from the tether known to his supposed genre and gender. 

 After he had his way with the Christmas album, everyone that followed was merely cashing in. My ears were young, and though I’d be off on countless, future occasion on this point I stood  correct at four feet and rising.  He came to my attention first, like many in childhood by way of the Merry Christmas album. Awed out horse drawn in a jingle fitted siren transport, cutting through a wonderland of white and back with a voice thicker than the fog, and warmer than the brandy or hearth side later past  the silver bells and ivy-snaked railings, you’d curl back down beside the pop, pop, pop and glow of flames. Pegging Lite-Brite configurations in the darkened parlor lit only by the decked out artificial fir that waited for its month or so of glory. Exhumed from the dormant in the closet under the stairs, packed in the desiccant of mothballs and cold concrete. The tree was erected religiously just prior to the Boston Globe Christmas party organized by my father. Come the twelfth of December, the Chairman reigned with hierarchy of our household. Perhaps Sinatra’s voice was one of a tiny handful of points on which this embittered couple agreed. For my brother, the significance of Mathis is contained completely in that recording jacketed with Johnny on the cover. His poles clutched in his left, skis in his right for the moment instead of a hat and gloves. John’s holiday offerings were but a small portion of his legend.

Mathis now the upstart and Sinatra for a younger generation would make the charts of the late fifties his primary address. The first of its kind, Greatest Hits unveiled in 1957 ( of which maybe one song showed up as an outtake on some previous album) would take up a 490 week residence in the Billboard Album Chart a feat matched and bested once by  Floyd’s Dark Side. A collection so stellar, so Wonderful, Wonderful, filled with Chances Are, It’s Not For me To Say, When Sunny Gets Blue (mum’s favorite), When I Am With You, When I Look At You, a windy wild aural reward tapped out on some Twelfth Of Never. Festooned with a Neptune Wooden Angel choir at the prow. Ellis and Coniff sails catching the wind as Johnny’s strings pull and commandeer  this ship through an odyssey eternal.

For me the fascination would lie dormant with that tree, until chapter two came upon the Spring of 1994. Many walks past the record stack and those two legendary covers. Johnny’s bust against gold leaf, or arms spread out on a gate against the skyline and him decked in monochromatic white polo and khakis in the cumulus strata. This cool bright of April I pulled a low-fi  version of his Greatest Hits. Face to face, left to right, radio to hi-fi speaker, record to cassette, years before the technology improved by way of a direct patch. Bicycling through the campsite and the Duraflame, more rustic waft the levels and pops diminished in the transfer but not the effect. A second season fourth month match and usurp at work, December no longer the only place his voice belonged.

 With the belief memory hasn’t failed to produce anything prior and between (perhaps there was another minor exploration in 2000) phase three of Mathis arrives in’05 mid to late February. During a weekend of song structure experimentation, tiny scenes of cinema and sleep deprivation my friend  in the gold glint of the blue and white banks visited a record store. A bargain bin Greatest Hits cassette went back in to heavy spin. One evening my father, Sinatra incarnate, gave When Sunny Gets Blue an Ol’ Blue Eyes render at Marshfield karaoke venue. Including the two djs we were among four performers  playing to a house of disinterested staff. I recall Johnny playing between the Smiths by day and blazing discovery of Donnie Hathaway by night.

Two thousand seven recently removed from the mild sultry of a friendship turned romance, with  O.C.D., erosion, etched hands, I turned to an encore performance on P.B.S. With March Madness in mid-tourney, hope muted but Spring and the darkness still in approach, I watched Johnny roll through his “Big Three”. But it was Wonderful, Wonderful that began its first notch in me.

On many a car ride, and  between the years of ten and twelve, many of Johnny’s numbers would  prominently stand  and feature on the lady’s and my own mix compilation, with artists of decades often more recent. Her father old enough to be the son of my father was a fan as well. Emerging from the album that produced by many accounts Mathis’ most towering and crowned accomplishment Misty, came the title track and a new argued favorite. Heavenly would catapult Johnny, as guesses go, and my life in to depths and altitudes my life had never by my own hands been prepared to be thrown. 

Then came the year to obliterate all contenders. Two thousand fifteen would have stood out in a sea of mini-Greek tragedies. Two months in to a romance that sprang in the last days of all months April, into a union blessed, passing in to May came Johnny again and the magnificence of the Bacharach penned Heavenly. It was one of two cassettes to feature this tune. Often I tried to inspire and lift the rising action from the piece into my own work. At a Dunkin Donuts on the north side of the Sagamore between drinking hours in went the cassette. While I was dealing out a double chute of pain in multiple directions I was  facing what might be the crush of reality on this affair to end all affairs. Johnny’s voice drawing out the tears I felt and imagined from eyes other than mine. Being drawn and halved his voice was the culmination of innocence in this blessed prophet of child, the warm and tender of a God-empress, best confidant, wife, friend and mother, and a soul-muse  that drew from elements past into an amalgamation of passion incomparable. On the 12th of May my consumptions led to broken glass and a three week sentence of incarceration trying to pass for rehab. Johnny’s voice again played in the prison courtyard. The stroll on the Yarmouth Beach pitched to Wonderful, Wonderful. The Heavenly lift in the  soft sun-drenched cloud canopy of May and a water tower visible over the barbwire that beset on all sides this amorous connection. Her pledge in penned scripture and the constant play of that tape in my absence until “the Twelfth Of Never” don’t forget”.

So Johnny still haunts and chills in this aftermath through five of my seven stages, in the steps that rise toward the sky of ceiling every, morning, afternoon and night.  In one voice, the longing, comfort and the wonder.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Getting To Know Author A.J. Scott

We had the wonderful opportunity to interview a very talented and wise author by the name of A.J. Scott, who wrote the incredibly touching tale, "The Gift That Keeps on Givin."  We are impressed with your strength and your talent, Mr. Scott. Thank you so much!

DreamMiners Publishing: Tell us a little about yourself  and your background (education, family, etc).

A.J. Scott: Really, I believe my life is summed up in the author's bio. I'm from southern California. I went to North High School, but ended up graduating from Lincoln High School, and since then I've went on to earn multiple degrees from various communities colleges. I am also the second youngest of seven siblings. As for work, I'm the supervising law clerk at FCI Victorville, and I'm a very accomplished paralegal. In my spare time, I volunteer as a suicide companion for those who suffer from the pressures of life and the trials of incarceration.

DreamMiners Publishing: What kind of writing do you do? 

A.J. Scott: I love all kinds of writing, from poetry to short stories and novels. I've even started a screen play, but I have a ways to go with that project. I've ghost written for a couple of associates which short stories were featured in an anthology published by the California Writer's Club. You can check out one of my pieces that is featured on the back cover of "Desert Gold."

DreamMiners Publishing: When did writing become something you wanted to throw yourself into? 

A.J. Scott: About ten years ago I got up the nerve to start putting my thoughts on paper in novel and short story form. But poetry (or what I called poetry, LOL) has been with me since I was in high school.

DreamMiners Publishing: When did you feel confident enough in your writing to unveil it to the public?  

A.J. Scott: Well, "confident"...I don't think that's the right word. I still get butterflies when people read my material. It's like holding your breath until you get the thumbs up.

DreamMiners Publishing: What inspired you to write "The Gift That Keeps On Givin"? 

A.J. Scott: I was reared in a two bedroom house with seven siblings. My father died from a self inflicted bullet wound when I was in the kindergarten, and my mother was left to rear seven children. I thought being poor was unique to my family until I became older and traveled the United States. At that time, I realized that the social issues that I endured as a child plagued every poor or lower class community. These issues are not unique, but are issues that needs addressing. The Gift That Keeps on Givin' is my way of trying to shed some light not only on how many people live in poverty physically, but mentally, intellectually, and emotionally as well.

DreamMiners Publishing: Give us an insight into your main character, Mr. Green. What does he do that is special?

A.J. Scott: Growing up, there was a preacher/school teacher in our community who always walked throughout our neighborhood praying when he wasn't at work. A lot of times he intervened when trouble arose, or the police showed up. He didn't owe anyone anything. He had a family, but he still cared enough to get out of bed in the middle of the night and walk around the block to make sure everything was peaceful. What he did that was special (because you don't see it everyday) is he cared about humanity regardless of our physical condition. He cared about people just like Mr. Green.

DreamMiners Publishing: Your book touches upon many social issues that are prevalent today, including poverty.  Do you see a connection between religion and poverty? 

A.J. Scott: What happens if you drain all the nutrients from the land and not replenish the earth? I believe that we are all caretakers of our communities. And those who have established businesses or institutions in the community should be held to a higher standard of accountability. So to answer your question, religion and poverty has always had a connection. If you look across the nation, the most deprived countries and people in the world are the ones who are the most religious. And in the same breath, the most prosperous people or countries are less religious. Why is that? I believe history tells us that religion and poverty has always run hand and hand because at our lowest state, we tend to cling onto hope. (WIN-Gallup International 2012, Religion and Atheism).

   I also believe that economical institution are fundamental to all societies because usually they are the source of social change. Religion and other institutions are shaped by economic and political institutions; they are something like a superstructure that simply reflects the values of those institutions - market firms, the government, and so on. So if the function of religion is to instill in the masses the values that are conducive of the dominate class, shouldn't religious leaders always be involved in the communities health, stability, and well being?

DreamMiners Publishing: What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book? 

A.J. Scott: Research. Due to the limitations on my life, I find it very difficult to gather statistics background and information when writing.

DreamMiners Publishing: Do you draw from personal experience while writing? 

A.J. Scott: Yes, all the time.

DreamMiners Publishing: Who are some of your literary and poetic influences? 

A.J. Scott: I'm more of a nonfiction reader. So I enjoy autobiographies. But the last book I've read was called "Just Mercy," by Bryan Stevenson. Exceptional book. As for poetry...Maya Angelou is one of my favorites.

DreamMiners Publishing: Do you have any current works in progress or ready for publication? 

A.J. Scott: Yes I do. I have five manuscripts that are complete, and I am presently working on two more. I also have a book of poetry I am formulating that my daughter and I wrote together. She's an excellent poet as well.

DreamMiners Publishing: What advice would you give aspiring writers and authors? 

A.J. Scott: Regardless of time restraints, environmental conditions, or the personal pressures that comes with life, always make time for your craft. Writing may be the only freedom you will ever experience.

DreamMiners Publishing: Is "The Gift" a symbolic work of literature?  Do you see Mr. Green and Pastor Warrick as representative  of the difference between religion and spirituality? 

A.J. Scott: Symbolic...I would rather say "The Gift" is a harsh reality that's experienced by millions of people in economically deprived communities. Poverty, homelessness, the mentally disabled or disadvantaged, brokenness, drug and alcohol addiction, mass incarceration, joblessness, under-education, abuse, and being reared in a single parent home are just the untold stories of millions of people. They are social issues that surpass color lines, ethnicity, and touches the heart of humanity.

 I believe religion is something that is taught. Spirituality is what we are born with: a spirit. So if "love" is the first fruit of the spirit, it is not taught. They don't teach us about love in school, on street corners, or in daily relationships because it is an emotion that's unexplained. It'll make you do things that a normal person wouldn't normally do. And we, as humans, sometimes identify with things like emotions or body language when it's visual or spoken. Pastor Warrick is not different. Mr. Green's character is who Pastor Warrick will immaculate as he matures through life and service.

DreamMiners Publishing: In your book, you discuss the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduces the disparity between the amount of crack cocaine and power cocaine needed to trigger certain criminal penalties.  Can you discuss how this act is relevant to the story, and perhaps in your own life?   

A.J. Scott: In the "80's" when the crack epidemic spread throughout African-American and lower class communities, hundreds of thousands of men were incarcerated with draconian sentences. In 1988, a now friend of mine by the name of Richard Winrow was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for a nonviolent drug offense. An offense in which the drug amounts were less than the contents of a 100 Sweet & Low packets. Twenty seven years later, he is still incarcerated. Anthony Kizzee, Peter Burkins, Ralph Thompson, Michael Raven, and hundreds of other individuals, who could not afford a paid attorney, and that was considered indigent by the court, received life sentences behind small amounts of crack cocaine. But, because President Obama pushed for and signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA), which reduces the penalty and drug ratio for crack to powder cocaine offense from 100:1 to 18:1, I've been able to advocate for some of these individuals to receive sentence reductions. But some (over 8,000 individuals who have mandatory minimum sentences) still haven't received the benefit of the FSA which Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission declared the old law before the FSA racially bias and unconstitutionally enacted.

Mr. Green lost his son to an unmerciful system that has had its lingering affects in impoverished communities for 30 years. So to acknowledge an act of compassion, The Fair Sentencing Act was more than appropriate in this story, because I believe it healed some of our social issues by giving incarcerated fathers and mothers another chance to repair their broken families. It also sheds light on my situation as well. When Congress make their final vote on the "Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (S.2123)," (which should be within the next few months), it will not only make the FSA retroactive to people with mandatory minimum sentences, but it cracks the door for my release from imprisonment as well.

Thanks for this opportunity.

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