What three things do you think are cool about bookworms?

1. Bookworms get to go on adventures every time we turn the pages of a book and honestly for those who don’t read, they are totally missing out!

2. Our book collection tends to have multiple copies of the same book because the different cover arts are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L !

3. When we find others who have read the same books, we are friends instantly and with that comes recommendations of new books to add to our TBR shelf and new adventures we get to go on.

Has a book you’re reading ever moved you to tears?
Ummm, yes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. The thing is as readers, we put our hopes and our support to these characters because when we read we are in their world and the characters become real and we care about them and when these characters are hurt or

are hurting, you get emotional!

Getting emotional to the point of tears means the author did an amazing job building the characters that the reader was able to connect with them in their own way.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
What I enjoy most about the Eastwind Witch Series are the characters. With each book I want to know what happens next in Nora's and her friends' lives. I want her to get her happy ending and I am always down for the next adventure/mystery.

If you could jump through a portal and visit Eastwind, would you? If so, where would you go first?
If I could jump through the portal and visit Eastwind I totally would! It's a bookworms dream to immerse themselves into the world they are reading!!

I would first go to Medium Rare [since] that's the place where Nora first went to. I would love to dine in and try the famous queso and take a peek at the regulars, especially Ted, and I would totally nerd out during my visit! lol

Who are your three favorite ghosts in literature/media?
Harry Potter's Nearly Headless Nick, of course. It's hard to think about anything fantasy related nowadays without JK Rowling getting involved. The ridiculousness of his situations (both being nearly headless and being ostracized by his contemporaries) never fails to bring a smile to my face. Add in the fact that he is portrayed in the films by John Cleese and this is a pure winner. Cleese is an absolute treasure.

Adam and Barbara from Beetlejuice. I can't hear Harry Belafonte without thinking of the dinner scene. I saw the movie as a kid when it was in the theaters, and remember thinking how crazy it was that the main characters *spoiler* in the first few minutes of the film. And while we're on the topic, assuming Beetlejuice himself is a ghost, he's an obvious shoo-in. I was excited to see Beetlejuice the musical at the Tonys the other day, and that's definitely on my to-see list next time I'm in the City. That guy has a great set of pipes.

No-Face from Spirited Away. Well, actually, ALL the spirits from Spirited Away, but No-Face in particular. That movie is just about perfect, and I've seen it dozens of times. "Now that's

what I call an esophagus" has become part of my family's catchphrases, and when my oldest (now 18) was a wee one, we used to dance to the closing theme music together, and I have a wonderful version of it on one of my Spotify Playlists (Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXXbTwL79R0) Hopefully he counts. If not, well tough, cause I love him.

Do you enjoy ghost stories?
No, actually. I don't like to be scared. My imagination is such that it's really easy for me

to see and hear things in the shadows, so I actively avoid horror. My wife loves horror, so she and my teenage son have been watching movies without me. I'll sit in the other room and read or go to bed early.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
I enjoy the casual wit with which Nova writes, as well as the seeming ease with which she does it. As a writer myself, I can't believe how productive she is, publishing such high quality stories so quickly (along with all the other stuff she does, like running this website). She has grown to be among my favorite writers, and I look forward to each new release. And, of course Grim. Grim is the best.

If you could travel to Eastwind, is there an item they don’t have that you’d want to bring along?
Hrm...what would I bring? There was a time that I would have said a kindle, though now I try to buy books in hard copy from my local indie bookstore whenever I can. I think I'd bring a case of Coke Zero for someone to reverse engineer. Best case we market it and become fabulously wealthy. Worst case, I have a lifetime of Coke Zero to drink, and that's a pretty darn good worst case!

You’re planning your ideal day- what three things MUST be included? 
Three? Really? I'll admit right now that I'm going to cheat and give some "combo" answers.

1. Awaken to only the sounds of nature, and in the arms of someone I love. Waves (gentle lapping or heavy crashing, no matter), birds and insects singing or simply chirping. Or the heavens giving us a major light show, with accompanying thunder claps and booms. No sounds of motor vehicles, heavy equipment or jet planes permitted.

2. Three great meals. They would have to include a pile of crispy bacon at breakfast; for lunch a wondrous stack of seafood (fried, steamed, boiled) with an ice-cold, unpretentious beer on the side; for supper, a tender, juicy ribeye prepared "campfire style" - charred on the outside, nearly raw inside. And a bottle of dry red and again, unpretentious wine. All shared with people I love.

3. Before peaceful sleep, hours of passionate sex, preferably with the person I awoke with, and to the same background sounds.

You asked for ideal, not realistic!

What is your favorite book of all time?
Again, a bit of a cheat here. As a true lifetime reader, there are a ton of books that I have absolutely loved... including many of yours. So I have to go with the most influential book I have read. Robert Heinlein’s "Stranger in a Strange Land" had a great impact on my life. I will plainly state that I am in total disagreement with passages that clearly support misogyny.

Disrespect of women has no place in our world - then, now, or ever. The older I get (a ripening 66 years now), the more I appreciate the lessons I was lucky enough to be exposed to and eventually adopt in reading this novel. Political fighting is despicable, whether globally, in the workplace, or within a family. Jealousy is a useless emotion, undermining and sometimes destroying relationships. Ego is important, but if not properly channeled it can also be destructive. Love is king of all human emotions. Organized religious groups are truly frightening. Most, at some point in the history of mankind, have attempted and at times succeeded in the many forms of genocide... all in the name of their particular "God". The book left me with a belief in God, but an abhorrence of organized religion. It also led me to firmly believe in "afterlife", though I wouldn't pretend to have any idea what form that might take. Although primarily a work of science fiction, seeds of magic exist throughout the book.

Communication with "higher beings", archangels, mind reading, beings with unimaginable knowledge and powers, soul binding, and many others. The underlying eroticism was a bit more than a fun bonus, as I began to learn to be accepting of love in forms that I wouldn't actually practice.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
Now that's a loaded question! It is veritably impossible to pick one single element that makes me love this series. If forced to pick a single component, it would be SURPRISE! As the characters develop through the series, we get exposed to not only unexpected facets of their personalities, but also to the underlying causes. Many lead to heart-stopping twists, again totally unexpected. The sometimes heavily veiled, underlying good nature of some of the characters is also unanticipated, as is the shocking evil nature hidden by others. I am constantly surprised and delighted by the sometimes dark and less than appropriate, but often meaningful humor. The intensity of the emotions conveyed; love, hate, fear, amazes even a grizzled reader like me. In summary, the series provides exactly what I, and every reader wants - great pace and total immersion.

Which character in Eastwind would you say is most like you?
Almost sadly, I'd have to say Ruby. A bit cantankerous, very little tolerance for stupidity, slow to impart supposed wisdom. Also fairly secretive. Consistent in being unpredictable with moods. On the positive side, quick to give help, but only when necessary, and only when someone has truly attempted to help themselves. I only wish that I could say I were more like one of the many sexier, lovable characters!

“These are a few of my favorite things…” If you were to personalize this song, what are three favorites you’d include?
1. Pickles
2. Hello Kitty
3. My spouse’s cooking

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
My mother was told she couldn’t have children, so my sister and I were both surprises. She and my father settled in Rhode Island, where I remained until their deaths in 1978 and 1979.

I was born with issues around her “life choices”and they affected my development. I could read “words” on a page from the time I pulled War and Peace from the bottom shelf in our living room, but understanding words and concepts was as if you were speaking Mandarin to me.

Comprehension was foreign until our neighbor sat down with me and had me lisp and stutter through reading a page, and then asked me to tell her what it was about. Once I figured that out....well, last year I read and reviewed 274 books.

I overcame the dyslexia,dyscalculia, stuttering and the like, but I struggled in school. I have a cooking degree,a BSW, and 3 Masters. I was ordained 30 years ago in the United Church of Christ (think Congregational Church, the Great Awakening, and the Amistad). My handicaps took a front seat about a decade back and now I live with my spouse of almost 20 years. I “officially retired” this past year at 62.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
Most ministers read non-fiction, but I read across genres. From the beginning I loved the premise which I see as a play on “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” Nora isn’t the perfect witch by any means, but she proves something that I learned from Starhawk many years back: Magic is simply a change of perception. And intelligence rules in a series I follow as closely as I do with the Eastwind Witches. They are pure escape for me.

What are three things that bring you joy in life?
1. My grandchildren. I have five of them, three grandsons and two granddaughters, and they are amazing. I love watching them discover new things, and spending time with them makes my heart just happy.
2. The time I spend with my husband and my rescue dog. We have a couple of old cars that we take to shows and we like to check out all the other cars. We also like to just get into them and the three of us go for drives out into the country.
3. My books and my crafts, my me time. Besides reading, I crochet, cross stitch, wood burn, and make miniature fairy garden communities and homes.

Do you tend to be a morning, afternoon, or nighttime reader?
I tend to be a nighttime reader. On occasion I will open up a book in the afternoon if I am not feeling well, but I mostly read before I go to sleep.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
From the very first book it was so inviting. I can’t really say exactly what it was, but it made you want to come into the book, become a part of them. They became your friends and you were invested. It is honestly one of the best series I have ever read. I feel like these are my people.

What are three things you’re really great at?
1. Making people laugh. I have a twisted, ridiculous sense of humor and I am not afraid to use it.
2. Graphic arts. I am a self employed graphic designer. ‘Nuff said.
3. Reading.

Do you find yourself laughing aloud when reading sometimes? What kind of things incite laughter?
Things I wasn’t expecting. I read a book by J. D. Brown with this whole conversation between two women about their balls. It was hilarious!

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
Nova writes in a way that sucks you in and the real world falls away and you live amongst the characters. I love that.

If you could send a steaming stack of unicorn swirls to one of the characters, who would you choose? (And why?)
Mayor Esperia. She annoys me. She also needs a good smack upside the head with a cast iron skillet.

Let's have some fun and create a little mystery- share three things about you, but only two that are true.
1. I live among fairies.
2. There are over a thousand books on my TBR pile.
3. My husband and I have two cats and we named them Nora and Tanner.

Where do you most enjoy curling up with a book?
My favorite reading place is the couch. Preferably, if they’re in the mood, with my two cats by my side. One likes to sit on my lap, but only when I have a blanket over my legs (so in summer she never sits on my lap!) and the other likes to snuggle up next to me (but he loves lying in the sun even more!). My second-favorite place is in bed, before going to sleep. Note to self: do not read anything too scary right before sleeping!

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
I love the fact that Nova’s books combine all of my favorite genres in one: cozy mystery with lots of fantasy elements and a bit of romance. And I love that they’re so much fun! I can’t seem to stop laughing and smiling while reading this series. Nova has created a magical world full of book-friends and fun!

If you absconded with all the leprechaun gold, what’s the first thing you’d buy?
[Absconded] meaning ‘ervandoor gaan met’. I had to translate this word as I didn’t know it, lol. :)

I’d buy a no kill cat shelter. I know I can’t rescue ‘m all, but I’d sure like to try. At the moment every penny that I have left (sadly that’s not a lot because I lost my job due to chronic migraine) goes to a local stray cat shelter. I’m the world’s biggest softie when it comes to cats! Well, all animals, really, except for the creepy crawlies.

Okay, fess up. Which are the truth about you and which is the lie?
The first is true, well, they’re figurines and also prints, but I have A LOT and in this coven we all have imagination, right?
The second is true also, wow. I can’t believe it myself.
The third isn’t true, yes, we have cats, but they’re called Nikki and Punky.

Describe yourself in three words:
Shy, love reading.

As a reader, do you tend to savor a book a little at a time or devour it as quickly as possible?
If I have time to myself, even if it's just a few minutes, I'm reading. So I would say I devour books as quickly as possible.

What do you enjoy most about the Eastwind Witches series?
I enjoy the small town feel of Eastwind where everybody knows almost everyone else. The characters are so well written that I feel like I know them personally and would like to have Nora as a best friend. I can't leave Grim out, he's just too funny. Most of all, I love the magic of Eastwind.

If you could walk into Medium Rare right now, where would you sit and what would you order?
If I could walk into Medium Rare right now, I'd sit in a corner or off to one side where I could see everything that was going on. I'd order a medium rare steak and would have to try a piece of pie.

(If I got a second chance, I'd sit at the counter and have coffee. A third chance? I'd try to sit with Ted!)