Meet the Author: Liza Laird

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Liza Laird, author of Yoga of Yarn.

Liza Laird is a knitter, yogi, mama of three little humans, and a homesteader with alpacas, chickens, and a feisty shiba inu. She teaches knitting and mindfulness classes online and around the world. She trained as a yoga instructor at YogaWorks, and a yoga therapist at Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. She has a BA in psychology from Lafayette College.

Describe your book, Yoga of Yarn.
Yoga of Yarn is a unique new book which explores how yoga can help you see your knitting - and maybe even your life - in a whole new way. Inside you will discover practices, including knitting patterns, yoga movements, meditations and more to help you knit for longer.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to write this book so people could make yoga and knitting a part of their daily home life. I lead knitting and yoga retreats annually, but we can't all getaway for a long weekend. Yoga of Yarn allows people to live with intention everyday.

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
I typed the first words of this book over ten years ago. I would write at night after a day of teaching. Then, in 2014, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and hit the pause button on the project. I decided to focus on my treatment and really paid attention to what was my priority in life. After treatment I started my family and picked up the book project again with a cleared focus. My writing routine shifted and with children I fit in writing during nap times.

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
When I'm not writing, I'm knitting, practicing yoga, and baking, along with playing with the kiddos and taking care of our three alpacas, ten chickens, and Cosmo, an energetic dog who looks like a fox.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Liza Laird and her work, you can visit her website at www.yogaofyarn.com, or connect with her on Instagram and Tiktok.

Yoga of Yarn is currently available in store.

Meet the Author: Michael Geraghty

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Michael Geraghty, author of the Cosantoir Motorcycle Club series and several other romance novels.

Michael Geraghty has been writing since his early teens, when he began crafting short stories. He has a BA from SUNY New Paltz and an MA from Western Connecticut State University, and spent many years working at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point before some life-changing events occurred, changing his outlook forever. Luckily, that included finding his way back to writing and working with Scarlet Lantern Publishing. He released 6 books with them under the pen name Lacy Hart before moving over to books with his own name on them. He is the author of Finn, Preacher, Liam, Demon, For What It's Worth, Sweet Nothings, After Midnight, and Burnt, among others.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
My last release, Demon, is book 4 in my Cosantoir series. It is a small-town romantic thriller focusing on a member of a motorcycle club. The books all take place in Orange County.

What inspired you to write this book?
The character of Darryl, aka Demon, was a natural fit for the next book in the series. It gave me a chance to explore more about him and his life.

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
This book took me 6 months to complete. I write every day, even if it is just a few words, to keep inspiration going. I very often work at home, but I also go to local coffee shops for a change of pace. I get many great ideas people watching. I did research for this book for several reasons. The tree of Life plays a role in the book, along with the Caribbean island of Montserrat, so I needed to know more about both.

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
I love to cook (I even have my own cooking blog at onedadskitchen.com), listen to music, do crosswords, watch baseball, and, of course, read!

What's the next project you're working on?
I am working on a new series that will also take place in this area. It is a romantic thriller focusing on a female assassin and her relationships, and it is tentatively titled The Calm in the Storm.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Read and write! The more you read other authors, the more you will understand about the process and what may work for you. I've been keeping journals for many years and I find just doing this type of writing helps to keep me going and gives me great ideas. People watching is another great thing to do and it will inform you in many ways.

What are you currently reading?
Two books right now - Verity by Colleen Hoover (on Mayde's recommendation!) and Fight Write by Carla Hoch, a writing reference book to write better fight scenes.

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
Wow, I have lots of favorites and I don't know if I could pick just one. One Hundred Years of Solitude opened up magic realism and an entirely new way of approaching writing for me.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mitch Albom, Stephen King, Joe Hill, TC Boyle, John Gardner, to name a few.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Michael Geraghty and his work, you can visit his website at www.mikegeraghtyauthor.com, or connect with him on Facebook and Instagram.

Select titles are currently available in store and online.

Meet the Author: Dennis De Rose

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Dennis De Rose, author of Bristlecone Magic.

Dennis De Rose has been editing mostly fiction for over ten years. He caught the writing bug about eight years ago when he began writing a diary. A local ASPCA hosted a writing contest when he was in the sixth grade. He won an Honorable Mention for a short story he wrote about his dog, Red. To date, he has written five short stories (some ongoing), three poems, and his first novel, Bristlecone Magic.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
Bristlecone Magic is a YA Christian fantasy, a dialogue-driven novel about life in a rural setting… a tragedy, family, community, friendship, and so much more.

What inspired you to write this book?
I noticed a picture on LinkedIn, and oddly enough, the same photo showed up the next day — very odd for a busy feed like LinkedIn. I thought I might write a short story about it, but two months later I had written 68,500 words!

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
Bristlecone Magic took me two months to write, not including revisions and multiple reads (seven to be exact). I did very little research other than picking a real village (Rouses Point in Clinton County) and using a few real people as pivotal characters in my book (with permission of course).

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
I enjoy talking to people, camping, reading, spending time with family, hiking, fishing, writing, editing, and puzzling.

What's the next project you're working on?
I am currently writing an article for our local historical society about diners in Middletown, NY from 1915 to 1970.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Never give up. Keep a journal. Write, but please write right and when you think you've done all you can to make your book the best it can be, have it edited by a professional. Whatever you do, do NOT rush the publishing process.

What are you currently reading?
Potshot, by Robert B Parker

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
It’s tough to pick a favorite when you read one after the other. My new favorite is Bristlecone Magic for obvious reasons. But I love time travel fiction, so I have to say anything by Jack Finney.

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?
“Jesus wept.” It's so powerful.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Jack Finney, Clive Cussler, Bill Granger, Stephen King (but not all of his books), Lloyd Alexander, Jasper Fforde, Stephen Hunter, Charles Dickens, Robert Service, Robert Louis Stevenson, Julius Thompson, Koos Verkaik, and a slew of others.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Dennis De Rose and his work, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

His book, Bristlecone Magic, is currently available online and in store.

Meet the Author: Isabel C. Noboa

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with Isabel C. Noboa, author of The Marvelous Misadventures of El and Em.

Isabel C. Noboa is a Dominican-American, Brooklyn-based author and poet. Isabel often draws inspiration from the lively New York City streets and the two little bunnies she loves the most: her nieces. She earned a master’s degree in her first love, psychology, from Pace University but ultimately ended up falling in love with writing. With her psychological background, she found that writing has been the greatest creative outlet.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
My book is a love letter to my nieces and all the other zany aunts that encourage misadventures.

What inspired you to write this book?
My two nieces, Layla and Emillia, the real life El and Em. The two sweet little girls that burst into the world, stole a massive part of my heart and never gave it back. Everything about them inspires me to tap into my imagination and remember that any day is a good day for a misadventure.

Tell us a little about the book writing process.
It took about a week to write it and edit it for the first time, then it took a whopping two years to make rewrites, create the book, work with the illustrator and finally publish. At the end, it came out more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
I love to dance, explore, read, paint (terribly), travel, play board games, and the quintessential excuse for leaving your house to get an oat latte.

What's the next project you're working on?
Ta-da! Another children's book. A whimsical board picture book with a family of animals as the characters, soon to come.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Do it! The hardest part is getting the writing done but the beauty is that it's your baby! You can nurture it however you see fit.

What are you currently reading?
All About Love, by Bell Hooks. It's been on my list for so long and I'm finally getting around to it. My heart is in constant flutters.

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
You Are A Badass, by Jen Sincero. I remember being utterly lost in my 20s and finding this book. It helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life and made me realize there's nothing I can’t do.

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?
"You and I, it's as though we have been taught to kiss in heaven and sent down to earth together to see if we know what we're taught." — Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Bell Hooks, Rumi, Dean Koontz, John Saul, and of course the man, Stephen King.

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Isabel C. Noboa and her work, visit ramblingpress.co or follow her on Instagram.

Her book, The Marvelous Misadventures of El and Em, is currently available online and in store.

Meet the Author: Shawnteyana Johnson

This week in our ongoing "Meet the Author" series, we spoke with local children's author Shawnteyana Johnson.

Shawnteyana Johnson is a 26-year-old native of Middletown, NY. She is the proud product of what present and loving grandparents can do, and attributes much of her success to their sacrifice. Shawnte is an educator with over 7 years of experience in early childhood development. Inspired by her work and some of her own experiences, How Helena Got Her Name was born. The debut book of an early readers series centered around inclusion, How Helena Got Her Name is Shawnte's personal story of acceptance, told through the eyes of the person she feels knew her best: her Nana.

Describe your book in 25 words or less.
How Helena Got Her Name is a story of self discovery. It’s about the moment I developed pride in my name, my story, and excitement about my future.

What inspired you to write this book?
The book is inspired by and dedicated to Helena Ruth Prawl (Nana), in loving memory of her brilliant mind, kind heart, and constant sacrifice. I published this work as a love story to every child who’s ever felt like they don’t belong, so they know I’m rooting for them, and that not only do they belong, they are necessary!

What do you do for fun when you're not writing?
Travel! It’s my goal to see as much of the world as I can and to learn something new every step of the way.

What's the next project you're working on?
I’m working on the next book of the series! Readers will get to join Helena and some of her classmates on their next journey! It’s a holiday adventure that I think readers of the first book will truly enjoy.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
YOU are what YOU have to bring to the table. Fiction or non-fiction, show up in your stories as yourself. There’s nothing more fulfilling!

Tell us about one of your favorite books or a book that changed your life.
Finding Me, a memoir by Viola Davis, changed my life from the very first page. It reaffirmed my belief that showing up in the world exactly as we are is our superpower.

Do you have a favorite quote from a book?
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” — Viola Davis, Finding Me

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Toni Morrison, Monica Coleman, Viola Davis, and Amanda Gorman

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If you enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Shawnteyana Johnson and her work, you can follow her on Instagram and Tiktok.

How Helena Got Her Name is available in store and online.