Month: July 2021

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Authors You Should Check Out: Paul Bennett

You know how, with some folks, you just can’t seem to get their names right? Such is the case with Paul Bennett. I kept wanting to call him Steve. Or John. And then, once I got the first name right, I kept wanting to call him Paul Anderson. And EVEN THEN, I kept misspelling his last name. Benet? Bennet? Benett? Benette?

I’m sorry, Paul. I really am.

At any rate, Paul was one of the last writers to join our band of merry misfits. But his impact was huge. Check out Paul Bennett (or Benet. Or Bennet. Or whatever).

How was the experience of writing your stories for The Covid Quarantine Cantina?

It was a great experience writing for the COVID Quarantine Cantina. Several of my partners had a great idea for our group of writers to band together to provide some much-needed entertainment and distraction during a very trying time. Not only did it encourage us to dust off our writing skills and produce some quality stories, but it also allowed us to interact and build friendships with others living across the country. In addition, it was beneficial to our writing productivity by providing us with deadlines to meet. No one likes deadlines, but they do have a way of making sure the work gets done.

Of all the stories you wrote, which was your favorite?

I found writing a Halloween-themed story to be the most challenging, but that challenge also produced my favorite story. It turned out that after The Visitation was published on my blog, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who contacted me to tell me how much they could identify regarding the haunting they experience from their past sins, but also their thankfulness for God’s forgiveness.

How has the Covid Pandemic affected your life?

As a physician, COVID-19 has brought many challenges, but I have to be honest when I say that, during this time, God has given me a peace like never before. More than ever, I am convinced that I will not leave this world one second before He intended and that while I am here I am to go out into a fearful world to humbly, but courageously share His love.

What are you working on right now and in the near future? What can we look forward to?

Right now, my writing projects include writing the sequel to my novel, A Fall of Sparrows, as well as continuing to publish short stories on my blog. I will also soon release a previously unpublished novel of mine, Amalric, which is a historical fiction novel set  in Germania in the year 16 AD.  My plan is to release this novel, one chapter at a time, onto my blog. 

See more of Paul’s work, as well as each of the Fondue Writers, in our now-almost-a-year-in-publication book, The Covid Quarantine Cantina:

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Authors You Should Check Out: Kathy Kexel

When Joe Courtemanche came up with the idea to write a story a week with just me, him, and Jamie Greening, we planned to write for two or three weeks and call it quits. That’s how long this pandemic thing was going to last, after all. Right?

Those were simpler times.

When it seemed like things might last longer, we decided to add a few friends. Kathy Kexel was the first of those friends. I remember telling her, at one point, she reminded me of my mom. So here is, from my perspective at least, the mother of the Fondue Writers Club (And Bar & Grille and Laundromat).

How was your experience writing your stories for the Covid Quarantine Cantina?

I was an interloper, in a sense. I saw Joseph Courtemanche’s plan for writing COVID related flash fiction. I asked if he was interested in a story from me and sent him a sample. He accepted. 

I expected to write just one piece and was a bit overwhelmed by the challenge of one story a week. I couldn’t begin to imagine multiple, very different stories on the same topic, but the challenge provided sufficient motivation. 

Of all the stories you wrote, which was your favorite?

That’s a hard one. I rather like Side Effects, but then I think it would be cool to be an elf maiden. 

What is your favorite story from each of the other authors?

Joseph Courtemanche: Lavinia Did It. (I was never a Downton Abbey fan until the last two seasons)


Rob Cely: In Memoriam. The simple reminder that gathering together with other believers is a necessity, no matter what the risk.


Derek Elkins: Them Ole Pandemic Apocalypse Blues. That story is just plain fun. Besides, the Weinermobile has its origins in Wisconsin. 


Jamie Greening: Academia. Having worked in academia at bot state and private universities, I can only testify to the truth of it.


Paul Bennett: Song in October. It’s hard to choose just one of Paul’s because they all are suffused with hope and light.


Joe Shaw: Special Deliveries. Proof that Shaw does have a heart. (Shaw sez: All lies and false propaganda!)

What are you working on now?
Janelle is about to meet motorcycle repairman who is also a lapsed preacher going by the moniker of Biker Rev. Then there’s that group of medical students on a medical mission trip in a fictional “Stan” country that get trapped when Islamic fundamentalists overrun the capital city and the only airport. Besides that, I have sporadic entries on my blog. And now that my sewing machine is out of the shop, I have a quilt for my grand-nephew to finish and a curriculum for children’s church to write.

Where can readers reach you if they want to read more of your stuff?

Woolgatherings on Facebook 

KathyKexel.WordPress.com

See more of Kathy’s work, as well as each of the Fondue Writers, in our now-almost-a-year-in-publication book, The Covid Quarantine Cantina:

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Authors You Should Check Out: Derek Alan Elkins

We’re coming up on a year since we published our collection of Quarantine-Themed short fiction: The Covid Quarantine Cantina. And I thought it would be a good idea to take a moment with each of the authors from that book so we can see what they’ve been up to since last we spoke.

Today’s author hails from Kansas City, I believe, and has what looks like an MS Paint-themed icon for his Facebook Profile. It’s Derek Alan Elkins.

How was your experience writing your stories for the Covid Quarantine Cantina?

I’m not much of a self-motivator, so I enjoyed the forced motivation that the writing provided.  I love the act of creating new stories, but I get distracted easily with movies and video games.  Plus, I really enjoyed the camaraderie with the other authors. 

Of all the stories you wrote, which was your favorite?

I’m a big fan of fantasy in all its forms: horror, science fiction, sword and sorcery, etc.  I love stories that cram a ton of creativity into the story.  The story of mine which I think was most creative was “The Farmer, The Demon, and the Canyon of the Four Winds.” 

If you can…can you name your favorite story from each of the other authors?

Joseph Courtemanche – “God’s Rules”  Got to love a twisted and depraved mind.  Courtemanche leaves it all out on display in this story.

Jamie Greening – “Academia” It was tough picking one of Jamie’s stories, because I am fond of science fiction.  But this one comes with enough twists and turns to shove it into first place.

Joe Shaw – “The New Family on Beecher Street” I love a good analogy and this story is one big, beautiful analogy.

Kathy Kexel – “Secrets, part one through three”  Janelle…that’s all I need to say.

Rob Cely – “The Unessential” Rob’s got a big heart for the outcasts and this story puts his big heart on full display.

Paul Bennett – “An Acre of Peace, parts one and two” It’s a simple story with layers underneath.  Paul is awesome at those bean dip kind of stories.

How has the Covid Pandemic affected your life?

I’m an introvert, so I have seriously enjoyed working from home.  I could get used to this kind of life.

What are you working on right now and in the near future?

I’ve got the iron in a few fires these days.  Up front and close to the chest, I am working on a stage play about a girl that falls in love with a superhero, only to find out that the superhero was all in her mind.  The story revolves around reality and if our beliefs mirror reality or if they reveal something else.  I’m also working on several movie scripts, the most prominent is called “A Steamworx War”.  The movie is set in a steampunk world and concerns a Steampunk version of Charles Dickens investigating the kidnapping of scientists by a mastermind to start a war.  I’m also about 60 pages into a novel I’m writing called “Shadow Apprentice”, a follow up to “An Introduction to Shadow”.  The sequel is set in a world where people called Awakened fight monsters, called Fallen, hiding within the bodies of normal people.  I’m also starting a podcast this weekend called “Creative Diarrhea” with my son and a friend. Each week, we’ll be brainstorming something slightly weird like craft projects involving a dead hamster and how many weasels would it take to kill a T-Rex?  Should be mildly diverting. 

Where can readers reach you if they want to read more of your stuff?

I have a website, where I occasionally blog and stuff:  derekaelkins.com, also, I have books and short stories on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

See more of Derek’s work, as well as each of the Fondue Writers, in our now-almost-a-year-in-publication book, The Covid Quarantine Cantina: