Jill Sheet's Blog

 Chit Chatting with Author Ekta R. Garg Interviewed By:  Jill Sheets J:  Tell us about yourself. E: My name is Ekta Garg, and I'm a Reviewer, Editor, Author, and Dreamer of stories and books. I've been writing pretty much my whole life, but I knew at the age of 14 that I wanted to be an author. My first book, The Truth About Elves, came out in 2021, and I'm so grateful that people have read it as well as my other two books and enjoyed them all! J: How did you get your start writing? E: Words and stories have surrounded me for as long as I can remember. I started reading at the age of 4, and once I started there was no stopping me! My mother tells stories of how I would get assigned "homework" in preschool where the teacher would send a children's book home for the night, and apparently I would finish reading in the car even before we got home from school. I also competed in spelling bees when I was younger, so I've harbored an ongoing interest in language ...

Chatting with Nancy Christie  Interviewed by: Jill Sheets Q: Tell us about yourself. N: I’m a writer of fiction and nonfiction: novels, short stories, essays and articles. I’m a hybrid author, meaning I have some books published by traditional publishers and others independently as a self-published author. My first book, The Gifts of Change , was released in 2004 and since then I have nine books to my credit. While I started my fiction career as a short story writer, I branched out into novel-writing in 2023 with my novel, Reinventing Rita , the first in my Midlife Moxie novel series . Since then, I have released a second novel, Finding Fran , with Moving Maggie coming out late spring of this year. I’m also the creator and host of the Living the Writing Life podcast , and an independent professional copywriter for ad agencies and marketing firms. Q: Tell us about your book "The Language of Love & Other Stories." N: The Language of Love and Other Stories , publish...

 Chit Chatting with Raven Howell J:  Tell us about your new book, "Blink and Glow." How did you come up with the idea for the book? R: The initial inspiration for my story, Blink and Glow , took root when I saw an enchanting illustration by Ann Pilicer (the book’s illustrator) of wide-eyed children gazing into a twinkling firefly-filled glass jar. It transported me back to my own youth, tumbled out into nature somewhere, a tomgirl climbing trees, building forts in fragrant lilac bushes, building fairy houses out of twigs and moss, delighted by the catch and release of “lightning bugs”. I wondered how many children’s communities today have that loving connection to our natural environment. Then I hoped that kids were aware of the respect and appreciation we owe to all living things, and that’s essentially where the idea for writing the book originated. J:  Were any of the characters based on anyone?  If not, how did you come up with the characters? R: The chil...

 Blink and Glow Review  Reviewed by: Jill Sheets I was excited to get "Blink and Glow" in the mail.  Last year, I got to read more books by Raven Howell, and I knew that it would be just as great as her other books. And I was right, I loved this book and could not wait to share it with my family.  Raven came up with the cutest story, with a great message. Accompanying the children's book were beautiful pictures illustrated by Ann Pilicer. I believe kids will love this book, while they are learning about the freedom of nature.

                    Chit Chatting with Rosanne McHenry                  Interview by: Jill Sheets  J: Tell us about yourself. R: I’m a former U.S. National Park Ranger and a former California State Park Ranger. I’ve worked in many parks over the years, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, the Auburn State Recreation Area, Folsom Lake, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Death Valley National Park, among others. I’ve also worked at many historic parks including Sutter’s Fort, The CA State Indian Museum, and the CA State Railroad Museum.   I’m also a writer and the author of two books: Tales From a Rogue Ranger, published February 2024, and Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger (2021). I currently live and work in Auburn, California, with my husband.  The beautiful American River Canyon is adjacent to our home ...

 "Adriana" Review Review by: Jill Sheets I was excited to get the book "Adriana," by Leslie Hachtel and I could not wait to start to read it.  It was worth the wait. I loved this book. I was hooked by the second page. "Adriana" is a descriptive book and a fast read. I quickly fell in love with the characters, especially the main ones. It was not hard to root for them.  I like that the chapters were mainly short, especially with someone with a short attention span. If you like romance books, this one would be a good one for you.