Q&A with Kate Clark Stone

  

 

 

Kate Clark Stone is the author of the new novel The Last Sunday in May. A former attorney, she lives in Tennessee. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Last Sunday in May, and how did you create your character Mack?

 

A: I’ve attended the Indianapolis 500 since I was 6 years old. It’s a family tradition! The race itself is held on the last Sunday in May, and that’s where the name of the book comes from. 

 

The year my daughter was born, not a single woman was driving in the Indy 500, and I felt really frustrated by the male-dominated industry of this sport that I love. So I wrote about it!

 

Mack has had so many personalities over the years I worked on the book (she started out as a teenager in a YA version) but I realized I wanted to write about motherhood and ambition, and how those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Mack and I have very little in common, but she has so many of my own fears and insecurities around parenting and work.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Mack and your character Leo?

 

A: Mack lives hard and fast, so the attraction to Leo is instant. But because of her past, she moves cautiously, and Leo helps her let loose with tenderness and patience.

 

Q: What do you think the novel says about the role of women in motorsports?

 

A: I hope The Last Sunday in May shows that there is a place for women in motorsports. The barriers between women and success on the track has nothing to do with talent or skill, and everything to do money and gatekeeping. Racing is a sport where gender and body composition have no bearing on success and yet there’s still such a huge preference for men by sponsors and teams.

 

I absolutely believe a woman can win the Indy 500, if she has the same financial, structural, and logistical support that men have had since the first race was held in 1911.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: There’s no shame in wanting what you want! Motherhood (and parenting in general) doesn’t have to be an obstacle to doing the thing that makes your own heart sing. I think particularly for my generation of moms, we sacrifice so much of ourselves so that our children can have everything. But moms also get to live a life full of passion, joy, and fulfillment!

 

Also, I hope readers feel a sense of hope. No matter what has happened to them or whatever obstacles stand in their way, hope is vital. Hope kept me going over the six years it took me to write The Last Sunday in May, and for the three years it took me to get to publication.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on something very different! I’m writing a book about Southern country club moms who behave very badly. It’s a lot of fun to write!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’ve lived in Tennessee for all my adult life, but I’m a born-and-bred Hoosier. My dad loved IndyCar and we shared a love of racing. He died in 2023 and never got to read The Last Sunday in May. I wish I could share the book with him, but more than anything, I wish we could go to one more Indy 500 together.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Nora Gold

Photo by Yaal Herman

  

 

 

 

Nora Gold is the author of the new novella Doubles. Her other books include In Sickness and In Health/Yom Kippur in a Gym. She is the founder of the literary journal Jewish Fiction.

 

Q: In your new novella’s acknowledgments, you write that Doubles was inspired by your work as a social worker and social work professor. Can you say more about that, and about how you created the book’s narrator?

 

A: When I was a social worker in the 1980s, one of my jobs was working with the families of children and adolescents with autism, some of whom were living in group homes. Part of my role was to visit them there and assess how they were doing. As I mentioned in my acknowledgments in Doubles, many of the administrators and staff in these places were caring and committed professionals.

 

However, there was one particular visit I made that was so shocking and disturbing to me that I remember it to this day. I arrived mid-morning on a weekday, and the kids there were all just sitting around watching TV. Instead of being educated, stimulated, and helped to grow academically, developmentally, and socially, they were merely being babysat.

 

I was appalled. I didn’t see anyone being overtly unkind to the kids, but neither were they engaging with them; and although at the time I did not see neglect as a form of abuse, we now know that it is, and obviously this experience registered with me emotionally as such.

 

In retrospect – even though I was not aware of this when writing Doubles – I believe that this long-ago group home visit is what prompted the scenes in this book where the kids are just sitting around, day after day, doing nothing.

 

As for how I created Doubles’ narrator, I really have no idea. I don’t believe I created her.  She came to me fully formed. She created herself.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title, Doubles, just came to me, and as soon as I heard it, I felt it was perfect because the concept of a “double” is so rich and resonant. There is one point in this book where the narrator refers to her sister as her “double”: the girl who is free, not institutionalized as she is, and who is therefore able to do all the things the narrator used to do, and wants to do again, but can’t.

 

I think many of us have “doubles” in our lives, in the sense of some other “me” that exists in our minds. This might be a shadow self, or a what-if self, or a self that we wish we were, or might have been, or think we still could be.

 

The “double,” of course, is also a theme in literature: think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or The Picture of Dorian Gray.

 

Last but not least, “double” is a mathematical concept – and in this book, math is everything to the main character. It is her language, her home, and her hope. So the title, Doubles, signifies, captures, and expands on, all these elements.

 

Q: Why did you set the story in 1968?

 

A: The late ‘60s are a time that I lived through, remember vividly, and find historically fascinating. On the one hand, this was a period of seismic social, political, and cultural change; on the other hand, it was still quite conservative in many ways.

 

It was a fluctuating and liminal time, which is an interesting context in which to set a story. So I made this novella about a girl living in this era, with all its complexities and contradictions.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novella?

 

A: I hope readers come away from reading Doubles with greater empathy and compassion for young people living in institutional care, not only in the past but in the present. Despite the good intentions of many professionals in the child welfare field, the system itself remains flawed and can be very damaging to the children and adolescents who are dependent on it.

 

I’d also like readers to come away from this novella with increased respect and compassion for young people in general. A 12-year-old, for example the narrator of Doubles, has considerable knowledge, and even wisdom, about the world, including the capacity to see through the lies, games, and pretenses of adults.

 

In a way, this book is a plea to take children and adolescents seriously, to not underestimate them, to recognize their dignity, fragility, strength, struggles, and beauty, and to treat them with the respect, compassion, and love they deserve.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve recently started something new, which will end up being either a story or another novella. I’m at the beginning of this new project and I’m enjoying it immensely.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I love the main character of Doubles. One doesn’t always love one’s characters, but I love this girl – her spunkiness, sensitivity, intelligence, sense of humour, strength, and truth-telling.

 

Like some many of us, she searches for, and fortunately finds, a language that can help her survive (in her case, the language of numbers and math). This whole novella, in a sense, is about the importance of language, and finding, or creating, an inner language through which we can tell our truth.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Nora Gold. 

Q&A with Michael J. Bowler

  

 

 

Michael J. Bowler is the author of the new middle grade novel Muppit Boy and the Allergies of Evil. His other books include Forever Boy. He is also an educator and a screenwriter.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Muppit Boy and the Allergies of Evil, and how did you create your character Mo?

 

A: When my son was in middle school, I decided to write a book that he might enjoy. He loved books that weren’t super wordy, but were funny and adventurous, so I concocted the offbeat incidents and humorous moments that became this book.

 

My son has the sharp wit and snark that I placed into Mo, so writing Mo’s voice was easy since I listened to it every day. My son had been labeled ADHD, but as an educator myself I knew he didn’t have it to any serious extent. I did, however, work with many boys who really did have ADHD and decided Mo would fall on this spectrum.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Since its inception, the title was “Muppit Boy Saves the World.” I shopped it around to middle grade book agents, but none were interested in the concept.

 

When I decided to release it myself, I thought of the series of books to follow and the titles of those books and decided that every title would begin with “Muppit Boy and the…,” hence my current version. It also pops up first in search engines when someone types “Muppit Boy,” and that can’t hurt.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I always have an ending in sight when I write my books, at least a general one, and this one was preplanned because it sets up the series to follow. I tested the ending with some middle grade readers—including my son— and they approved, displaying interest in what will happen to Mo in Book 2.

 

I did many revisions along the way and even removed a character that wasn’t necessary because the removal improved pacing. The ending always remained the same.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope kids who are smart will not allow bullies to put them down. Kash is a great example of this theme. Mo has reasons to be self-conscious, but even he doesn’t let others dictate his decisions.

 

I also want kids, and parents, to see the pitfalls of seeking social media fame at a young age, because when kids are in middle school, they already feel awkward in every possible way and don’t need added attention. They need their privacy to develop into who they’ll be as teenagers and young adults.

 

There are also strong themes of respect, trust, and doing what’s right rather than what’s easy—a choice Mo is faced with in the finale.

 

Lastly, forming solid friendships and learning what makes good friends are essential to this age group and I hope I present a solid friend group for readers to enjoy, and maybe attempt to emulate in their own lives.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have the next four “Muppit Boy” books written and am currently writing the sixth installment. Book 2 is being edited and I hope to release it in the fall of 2026, with Books 3 and 4 releasing in 2027.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I also have numerous books in print for teens 13 and up and hope one day to complete a cozy mystery for adults that I’ve plotted out. Too many ideas, too little time.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was conducted in partnership with Michael J. Bowler. Readers who enter this giveaway will have the chance to win one signed hardcover, one of five signed paperback copies, or one of five audiobook downloads of Muppit Boy and the Allergies of Evil by Michael J. Bowler. One grand prize winner will receive a signed hardcover plus a $50 Amazon gift card!

May 1

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 1, 1923: Joseph Heller born.

Q&A with Amanda McCrina

  

 

 

 

Amanda McCrina is the author of the new young adult novel Beyond Seven Forests. Her other books include The Silent Unseen. She is also a historian and a bookseller, and she lives outside Nashville, Tennessee. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Beyond Seven Forests, and how did you create your character Renia?

 

A: Renia appears as a side character in two of my earlier historical novels, Traitor and The Silent Unseen, so my longtime readers first met her as a hospital director secretly involved with both the Polish and Ukrainian undergrounds during World War II.

 

I always wanted to write more about her—she’s this sophisticated, educated, aristocratic woman who also happens to be coordinating resistance groups out of her house, so you just know she has to have an interesting backstory—and I knew she would have been a teenager during World War I, so that’s where I started digging for a story.

 

I didn’t know much at all about World War I’s Eastern Front, but I followed historian Nicolai Eberholst on social media. His research focuses quite a bit on the Austro-Hungarian army during the war.

 

At one point, he posted a photograph dated from 1915, showing a young Ukrainian boy about to be executed by the Austro-Hungarians on suspicion of spying for the Russians. I started imagining what might have happened if teenage Renia had crossed paths with that boy, and the plot was born.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I had to do a lot of research into the medical technology and practices of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and into the empire’s legal system, as my main character is a medical student working in a military hospital and the entire story takes place in a courtroom.

 

I wanted these details to be plausible and authentic without bogging the story down in technicalities, which is always a tricky balance.

 

The most surprising thing is still the sheer scale of casualties on the Eastern Front and how little attention the front gets in popular understandings of the war.

 

The Siege of Przemyśl plays a big role in the book. This was a months-long Russian siege of an Austro-Hungarian fortress city that ultimately resulted in more than a million casualties, greatly contributed to Austria-Hungary’s defeat in the war and to the breakup of the empire, and shapes the landscape of Eastern Europe to this day.

 

I’d never even heard of it until I started researching this book. That’s baffling to me.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “A thoughtful examination of boundaries between right and wrong, carried by the moral tension and strength of the characters, this novel challenges readers to question ethical certainties.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I always like giving my characters these impossibly difficult ethical dilemmas and seeing what happens—what choices they make, what the ramifications are.

 

I like writing characters with deeply held beliefs who then have to grapple with what those beliefs really look like in practice. I want my characters to feel like real people—people who have doubts, who make mistakes, who don’t always know the right thing to do—so my readers can see themselves in them.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I love that Renia’s strength as a character is a quiet strength. She isn’t an action hero, she doesn’t ever pull out a weapon, but she is absolutely a force to be reckoned with. I’ve always loved books with quietly strong characters, and I hope that readers too find Renia’s kindness, empathy, and firmness of conviction empowering.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My work in progress is an adult historical novel set in ancient Britain, about a Celtic tribeswoman navigating life under Roman occupation who sets out to solve the murder of a soldier and finds herself caught up in a rebellion against the empire.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Please do be mindful of the trigger warnings at the beginning of Beyond Seven Forests; there is a subplot dealing with sexual assault.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Amanda McCrina. 

Q&A with Emily B. Martin

  

 

 

 

Emily B. Martin is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade novel Nell O'Dell Hates Quests. Her other books include A Field Guide to Mermaids. She is also a park ranger, and she lives in South Carolina.

 

Q: What inspired you to create Nell O’Dell Hates Quests?

 

A: The character of Nell was inspired by my oldest daughter, who tends to be cautious and pragmatic about her adventuring.

 

While a reluctant protagonist is nothing new, I loved the idea of layering Nell into a world where all forces seem determined to thrust her into the spotlight, from her famous ex-adventurer parents to the rowdy patrons of the Crossroads Inn where she works.

 

Q: How do you see the relationship between the text and the illustrations?

 

A: Fantasy illustrations give me the chance to explore a vast array of characters, creatures, and magical action. They allow me to vividly conjure the grandiose world that Nell is so determined to hold at arm’s length, which helps to heighten the tension throughout the book.

 

Plus, having a protagonist who is so clearly ill at ease with her surroundings is funny!  

 

Q: The Booklist review of the novel says, “Written in a manner that will entice novices to the fantasy genre, the story also has plenty of twists to please those who already appreciate falling into an imaginary world.” What do you think of that description, and how did you create the world in which the story is set?

 

A: I hope that’s the case! The book is my love letter to the fantasy fare I grew up with, so it should be familiar to long-time fantasy readers, but it takes a lighthearted tone with the genre that hopefully feels accessible to non-fantasy readers.

 

The worldbuilding was also informed by my job as a park ranger, which of course is a government job. I love juxtaposing the mundane alongside the fantastic, so I was able to bring my experience with sometimes-tedious bureaucracy and overlay it with the chaos of the questing industry.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Nell O’Dell’s name was a purposeful creation—I wanted her nickname to be something frank and practical that she shortened from a more flowery given name, while her last name added whimsy that she couldn’t shake. It reflects her circumstances—all she wants is a quiet, predictable life, but she can’t get away from questing drama.

 

I worried that publishers might not like “Hates Quests,” but it’s punchiness has been just right for the tone of the book. When combined with the cover illustration, the title highlights the key tension between the protagonist and her world!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Nell O’Dell’s sequel, Nell O’Dell Hates Bards! I’m thrilled that my publisher has opted to continue this series, and I’m excited to keep forcing Nell out the door on new quests.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’ll be back in my park ranger uniform this coming summer, which always inspires tons of new book ideas! All of my books have a distinct “eco-fantasy” vibe to them, which comes directly from my ranger work.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Nada Yousif

   

 

 

Nada Yousif is the author of the new book The Astrology of Healing: Unlocking Our Sacred Wounds with the Wisdom of the Stars.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Astrology of Healing?

 

A: I wrote this book to mirror what an astrology session can offer without the constraint of time. It’s meant to be a companion to your birth chart, especially for the placements that feel hardest to hold.

 

I wanted to give readers tools to work with traditional timing techniques so they can move through difficult transits with awareness, understanding not just what is happening, but why these cycles are unfolding in their lives and when it’s expected to end.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what surprised you most?

 

A: I did a lot of research during the pandemic, so I had plenty of time to go down endless rabbit holes. What truly pulled me in was studying my own birth chart and seeing my life, especially my trauma, reflected back with uncomfortable precision.

 

What surprised me wasn’t just the accuracy, but the context it provided. The most painful and the most beautiful moments of my life were part of an astrological signature baked into my chart from the moment I was born.

 

I had always believed everything happens for a reason, but astrology gave that belief tangible structure, it translated it into something observable, something I could track and work with.

 

Q: What are some common misconceptions about astrology?

 

A: Most people believe that astrology is purely predictive or that it is based solely on confirmation bias.

 

Since the rise of what most astrologers call “pop astrology,” there has been a singular focus on the zodiac signs being attributed to personality traits rather than archetypes that run though our lives, the people in them, and the occupations we hold.

 

Astrology, when studied earnestly, reveals patterns in our lives that are hard to ignore or dismiss as simply confirmation bias.

 

My recommendation is to study your own chart and look back through the years using timing techniques such as Annual Profections, Zodiacal Releasing, Transits (especially eclipse cycles), and Planetary Returns to accurately assess how the timing of your life has mirrored through the stars, even without your direct awareness of these themes playing out.

 

Some of my favorite astrologers were once skeptics, the ones who “tested” the cosmos rhythms against the backdrop of their own lives or the history of the collective, and through their discernment and the consistent result of astrology “working” beyond their “better judgment” they develop a unique ability to translate this ancient language — even to the most cautious minds.

 

They are usually the first to admit that astrology shouldn’t work--yet it does, in measurable ways, if you’re paying enough attention.

 

Q: What impact did writing this book have on you, and what do you hope readers take away?

 

A: Writing The Astrology of Healing was one of the most difficult things I have done. My personal life was falling apart as each page was due.

 

The pressure to create in the midst of a life crisis isn’t new in the world of many artists and as an astrologer, I could see the difficulty being reflected within the timing of my own chart. That awareness gave me two anchors: this was part of the process, and it wouldn’t last forever. So, while I was grieving one life I was actively creating another.

 

What I hope readers take from this book is a sense of meaning within their own experiences. That their lives matter. That their wounds are not evidence of unworthiness, but proof of their capacity to endure, to feel, and to transform. Nothing is permanent. The difficult times pass. And what remains can become something powerful, something beautiful even.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on a novel and several scripted series. These projects let me explore mythology in different forms, while still weaving astrology into the foundation of each character and story. Even when it’s not obvious, astrology and its symbolism is in the bones of everything I create.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb