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If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
There are so many types of paranormal abilities—telepathy, precognition, channeling, among others. Because curiosity is one of my top strengths and I like to peek behind the curtains, astral projection or the ability to explore different planes of existence would be enticing.
What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
I didn’t start my fiction writing career until I retired. I’m proof that it’s never too late to follow a new path and find new, interesting, and perspective-changing experiences.
When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
In my novels, I usually introduce my protagonist using interiority and/or action. This allows readers to form an immediate bond with the protagonist, immersing them in the protagonist’s perspective through the protagonist’s thoughts and actions. For example, in A Proof of Love, the reader is introduced to Katie Blake in the Prologue through her recollections of her younger self and the motivation that leads her to seize the day and write about the special people in her life, ones her readers will remember.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’d describe myself as a plot-plantser.
Before I begin writing, I have a story in mind—I know the general character arc that shows the protagonist’s internal transformation. I’ve imagined the turning points, the character’s confrontation with her darkest moments, and the change that occurs by the end of the story. Then I get to work fleshing out the important secondary characters, including using inanimate objects and locations as supporting characters.
After I have the story in my mind, I write what I term a mini-story, including a few paragraphs on the story’s theme(s) that sketch the plot, conflict, and resolution. Then, in the next section, I elaborate on the powerful influences/influencers in the story, followed by descriptions of the strong challengers, the major conflict, and the resolution.
The most useful technique I use to develop the characters is writing a character profile for each in the story. In this profile, I identify elements such as physical descriptions, the home or neighborhood they live in, close relationships, family members and background, gender relationships, job, dress style, favorite foods, regrets, best qualities, worst qualities, religious and philosophical beliefs, and so on.
To be sure, though, nothing is set in stone. My characters and events evolve, and each day as I write about them, the characters take me by surprise with their actions and thoughts, and unexpected events surface without warning!
For tracking characters and events, I develop a timeline and a list of characters and their relationship(s) with each other. Both of these will be revised and edited throughout the novel’s development.
I maintain a style sheet while I’m working on my novels. Style sheets are usually used by copyeditors, but I have found this tool essential in keeping track of style and usage for my own purposes. For example, I will list words that I always hyphenate or capitalize, notate how I treat inner thoughts by using italics, not quotations, and so on. The style sheet also lists all references I have used for fact-checking and fact-finding. When I hand the manuscript to the copyeditor, the style sheet serves as a communication tool, making life much easier for both of us.
Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?
From a craft standpoint, I learned that using multiple points of view (POV) can enhance a story by providing readers with a variety of perspectives on characters’ emotions, motivations, and internal conflicts. I also think that using multiple POV can increase tension and suspense, revealing information to the reader while keeping other characters in the dark.
From a personal growth perspective, A Proof of Love helped me reflect on the relationship between love and grief, and, as Katie says, “Neither grief nor love has respect for time—there are no sunsets, no last acts, no grand finales.”
A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”
Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.
Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.
Enjoy an Excerpt
She gazes at that old maple tree and makes us a promise. “One day . . . I’ll write about the special people in my life so you will know them, and they will never be forgotten.”
But Gram went to heaven before her one day came, and her stories, told in her own words, are lost forever.
Fifteen years later, I’ve learned that one day’s promise is not assured. Before it’s lost . . . So, I’m seizing that one day to write about the special people in my life, so that you will know them, and they will never be forgotten. This is A Proof of Love.
Kathleen Claire Blake, Memorial Day, 2024
About the Author: 
At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.
My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives.
My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.
After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)
Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.
Buy the book at Amazon.
A matriarchal empire. A princess with forbidden magic. A mother who would kill to protect her own legacy.
C.P. Silver writes fantasy set in a world where matriarchy is absolute, with immersive worldbuilding, evocative prose, and emotionally complex characters. A former lawyer who also briefly studied Chinese medicine, her experiences shape the nuance and depth of her debut novel, Whispers of the Elixir, a slow-burn epic centered on legacy, inheritance, and the dangerous cost of power.
Most sleuths don’t have the advantage of talking to the murder victim for clues, but Saffron has a window into the afterlife. The problem is, she’s not a detective and has no wish to be.
Rachel Dacus is the author of eight novels and five poetry collections. Her fiction features love and relationships, exotic locations and intrepid heroines, and emotional journeys of self-discovery, all with a touch of the supernatural. Her poetry, stories, and essays have appeared widely in print and online literary journals and anthologies. She enjoys life in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, with its coast and trails where she walks her tiny but mighty Silky Terrier with her architect husband. 
PI Bradshaw receives a late night call from a client desperate to find her missing daughter. The woman asks to meet him at a storage unit in upstate New York. The woman hangs up before Bradshaw can inquire further. Woken by the jarring news, Bradshaw decides to meet the frantic, mysterious woman pleading for his help.
For sixteen years, they’ve hated each other…
Alix Nichols is a caffeine addict, a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy. She pens sexy romantic comedies and romantasy. Her books have been described as “pure pleasure” (Kirkus Reviews) that “keep fans of romance hanging off the edge of their seat” (Romantic Times). 
When Professor Meridia Vail’s space station is hurled across time and dimensions, she and the rest of the Bridgeway crew wake on an alternate Earth that’s only five years into the future but looks like it’s a century behind her technology. Their goal is to reclaim their crippled station, return to their dimension, and hope that a mysterious interdimensional illness doesn’t kill her and her people first.
An Aeon by birth, Diane Butler knew when she walked away from her fellow Aeons that she wanted certain things: wealth, power, acceptance. But she’d come to realize she didn’t belong with Dark Sides and joined in the battle to save Auralia from darkness. But when her past comes after her, she understand that she can’t escape it with a simple name change.
The Super Seeders is based on first-hand accounts from the scientists, breeders, and curators who have built the seven pillars of today’s plant genetics revolution. It begins with the guardians of global gene banks, conserving the rare and diverse crop genes that form agriculture’s safety net. From these collections, plant geneticists are now unlocking hidden traits with fast-moving genome technologies, transforming the possibilities of crop improvement.
Ashmore was like any other town.
M.L. Knight is a self-published author who enjoys things that go bump in the night. Her favorite horror movie is Evil Dead 2 and her favorite holiday is Halloween. She channels her love for the strange and unusual by writing erotic, horror-inspired stories. When she’s not cooking up something dark and depraved, she’s tackling her never ending TBR, studying for her nursing degree or lifting heavy weights. And she’s got one question to ask you. What’s your favorite scary movie?
…it was about the land.
With postgraduate degrees and faculty positions in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. His professional writing includes articles on chordate neuroembryology, and aerospace research on muscle metabolic behavior in multi-orbital environments.
