Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with author Heidi Skarie. Thanks for dropping by. Can I offer you anything to drink?
Yes, thank you. Sparkling water with lemon would be great. While you’re at it a GF brownie would make my day.
It just so happens I have all of that!
I read that you are from Minneapolis. Did you know I wrote a poem about that wonderful city? Would you like to hear it?
Sure!
[clears throat]
Minneapolis
So many bike paths
So many restaurants
So many trees
So many neighborhoods
And if you look
Many oddities
A tiki bar
(that’s not too far)
Psycho Suzi’s it is called
(actually in St. Paul)
So many lakes
So many paths to take
Go for a week
And you won’t see it all
Oh yes…
There is a mall
Fun poem. Have you ever been to Minneapolis?
I have, not for quite a few years. Beautiful city.
You’ll have to visit and we can go to Psycho Suzi’s together.
It’s a date!
You write in a few different genres, science fiction, historical fiction, and have collaborated on some prose and poetry collections. Can you pick a favorite?
My favorite is science fiction. It allows for a lot of creativity and imagination.
What is your latest project?
I’ve been writing a science fiction series called The Star Rider Universe. The sixth book in the series, Golden Cord of Light, is coming out in a few months. The book continues the fight for freedom in another galaxy.
According to some information on Goodreads, you are also a time traveler.
Care to comment? I mean, if you are going to screw up any timelines, I’ll understand if you can’t.
You’re making a rash assumption. I might have been born in the late 1800s for all you know. Seriously, though the Annoure and the Dragon Ships was published in 2015 not 1915.
What was the first book you read on your own?
The first I remember was the Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. The book helped me learn to read because it was fun and silly, unlike the boring grade-school book like Dick and Jane.
What authors influenced you?
J. R. R. Tolkiens’ Lord of the Rings, Mary Stewart’s Merline Trilogy, Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and Eye of the Needle, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, George Lucas’s Star Wars, and Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Do you have a favorite book?
No, I love lots of books in many genres.
I always like to talk about musical tastes. What are yours?
I like Enya and other Irish music, classical like Beethoven and Mozart, Celtic Woman, Helen Jane Long- piano music
Any local musicians worthy of a shout out?
Bill Mann a singer and guitar player.
I’ll make sure to look him up later.
Are you ready for the lightning round?
Humm what is that?
Just a series of quick questions. Let’s go!
Mall of America. Worth the hype?
They have a big aquarium, Sea Life. Then there is the Nickelodeon theme park for the kids and a movie theater. Another feature is shopping for clothes. We don’t tax clothing here so, yeah, people fly in to shop. It’s close to the airport if you want to come here to buy a new pair of cowboy boots.
Have you ever been to Duluth?
I’ve been to Duluth many times. There is a beautiful view when you’re driving in and looking over Lake Superior from up high.
Favorite city?
I enjoy the west coast: Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco
Weirdest food you have eaten?
I bought a can of alligator meat in Florida once, but I never had the courage to try it. I had Persian food last night, does that count? It wasn’t weird—but I’m from the land of casseroles, jelly, and potato salad so it doesn’t take much to be weird.
I had alligator sausage in New Orleans.
Cheesiest attraction in America?
How about Wall Drug in South Dakota? I’ve never seen a more advertised place. There are all these billboards when you’re driving to Mount Rushmore. Wall Drug is actually kinda cool. I went there this past September. We needed something from the drug store and wouldn’t you know it, the drug store was closed. But the place is huge so there were lots of other places to see and things to do, including a Western Art Gallery and Buffalo Bill exhibit.
This has been a pleasure. Thanks for chatting.
Thanks for having me. The brownie was great.
Any links you want to share?
https://www.heidiskarieauthor.com/
Read Call of the Wind to join the fight for freedom today!
Reviews of Call of the Wind
“Call of the Wind beautifully oscillates between adventure, romance, and mystique. I was enthralled by the exciting plot that blends in spiritual thoughts. Skarie is a master in weaving her wisdom into stories that remain in your heart even after you have turned the last page.” —Iva Kenaz, author of Manifested
“Call of The Wind,the latest in Skarie’s Star Rider series, is more than a powerful tale of the cosmic battle between good and evil. It’s also a compelling vision of the enlightened transcending the confines of time and space, even death. —Barbara Deese, author of the No Ordinary Women series
The story behind Free Book Friday:
I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Here are this week’s promos to check out:
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnel
StoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
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Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.
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Start at the beginning: The View from Here
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
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Lines by Leon 