Roxanne Von Andrian - The IAN Interview

Roxanne Von Andrian

Although writing fiction is her first love, Roxanne has a Ph.D. in engineering, and an MBA from the State University of New York. She received awards for her work from companies such as GE. In addition, she is an inventor with three patents. She served as an executive and senior manager for high-level operations and quality design in the aerospace, defense, industrial, and energy sectors.

Roxanne and her family live in New York State. She wakes up every day with a sense of gratitude for the country that welcomed her, and pride for her two adult sons and their accomplishments.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

Roxanne Von Andrian: My book DECEPTION is about a team of four European

operatives and INGRID, a CIA agent, who plot to steal enriched plutonium to poison an ex-KGB officer in London.

These four men, OSCAR, FERENCZ, ADI and CORNEL, under the Ceausescu’s Romania, had powerful roles in the political apparatchik. During the 1989 revolution, they turned against the communist regime. They meet again, as members of the Miklos Fund Board, in Bucharest Romania.

MIKLOS, an American multi-millionaire with Eastern European roots, opens the Miklos Fund to help the emergence of a civil society.

The team diverts money from the Miklos Fund to finance their plan of stealing enriched plutonium from the Russia-owned military base of Ukraine’s Sebastopol.

The team is acting under the guidance of a French op team who, with help from Italian assassins, plot to kill an ex-KGB officer in London by poisoning him. They make the assassination appear to be executed by the KGB. 

While working at MIKLOS Fund, Ingrid has several brushes with death.

The theft is orchestrated by a Ukrainian officer, LISA, who wanted to escape from Ukraine to start a new life in Romania’s Transylvania. The plutonium is hidden in three decoy tombstones made of cement.

IAN: Is Deception published in print, e-book or both?

Roxanne Von Andrian: DECEPTION is published in print, hardcover and paperback, and e-book. I recommend all versions; the quality of the print is very good, thanks to my well organized and perfectionist publisher Angela Hoy, and the cover illustration is wonderfully creative and representative of the content. I was lucky to have an amazing artist like Todd Engel to illustrate the cover!

IAN: Where can we go to buy Deception?

Roxanne Von Andrian: DECEPTION is available for purchase at:

Amazon.com  Apple.com  BarnesandNoble.com  Kobo.com  Booklocker.com

IAN: What inspired you to write Deception?

Roxanne Von Andrian: My inner knowledge of life under the communists and later on, in France, before arriving to the United States, inspired me to write this spy thriller.

I am descending from a well-connected European family. While my family at large was victimized by the communist party and the KGB, part of my close family had the privileged life of those serving the communist regime, in the pattern of the victims embracing its tormentors. Such that, through family and friends, I was privy to deep state secrets that were occasionally spilled in my parents’ house.

I joined the Revolution of December 1989, which ended with the ousting of the dictator, Ceausescu, the collapse of communism, and the rebirth of democracy. My change of allegiance wasn’t left unnoticed. In 1992, I was working for the Soros Foundation for an Open Society when I asked for political asylum in Paris, France, because my life was in danger. My family and I moved from France to United States shortly after that.

I was an ocean away when European events made the news, like the assassination of Ipsinenko in London, Russia’s grab of Crimea, enriched plutonium popping up on the European black market, and the emancipation of the Eastern European countries out of Moscow’s communist control. I immediately connected these and other events to people I personally knew, the organizations they were part of, and to their years-long strife and hate of the Soviet Union and the KGB, the ideology enforcer. I realized that the public would never unlock the deepest secrets and the tenebrous characters that were behind these events. Why? – because the people I knew in my youth were so secretive and masters of deception and conspiracy, nothing in the world, neither riches or fame, would drag them out in the open.

IAN: How long did it take to write Deception?

Roxanne Von Andrian: I started writing the manuscript in 2017 and had it published in 2020. I wrote it during evenings, after a full-day work, and on weekends.

IAN: How did you come up with the title?

Roxanne Von Andrian: Its original title was “The Last Take”. I changed the title in 2018, after I had several discussions with Rhonda Roaring, an amazing personality and editor who peppered my manuscript with critiques of style and content, and ended up giving me a lot of titbits on writing and publishing advice. She told me the title sounded like a financial transaction, and I should consider a different one.

IAN: What do you hope your readers come away with after reading Deception?

Roxanne Von Andrian: My hope is that the readers will connect the dots between the real events the book is based on, and they will see the hidden truths behind each history lesson.  What is more fascinating than having a glimpse of the secrets under a history shakedown? – it’s like trying to see the entire iceberg when they show you the tip of it only. 

My literary agent, Mary Ellen Gavin, who I trust and love, says that my book gives the readers insight into what it would be like to work at CIA Headquarters and what it was like at the end of the COLD WAR.

IAN: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Roxanne Von Andrian: My book Deception is based on characters I knew and on events in my own life. Most of the dialogues are documenting conversations I witnessed, while I was in the company of strongly minded, driven men and women, in my youth and childhood, who remained memorable over time, in my head.

While writing the manuscript, I cried many times, because of remembering the emotions, the suffering, or the risks taken by people who were so close to me. When the manuscript was complete, it felt therapeutic. Reliving the vivid memories, which I associated with the fictional deflections of the story, healed me somehow of the fears and terrors of my life in a dictatorship. 

IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

Roxanne Von Andrian: My next book is in a different genre than spy thrillers, and yes it is a stand-alone. I am planning to write a story of the paranormal. About the personal dilemma and tribulations of a woman who believes in God and develops supernatural powers, which give her gratification when accomplishing good deeds or “miracles” for unknowing people, but sometimes put her at odds with herself when people want to harm her.

Alberto Vezendi: The IAN Interview

Alberto Vezendi  

Of Hungarian origin, author and photographer Alberto Vezendi grew up in Spain, has lived in five countries and has visited more than forty. He holds a master's degree in conference interpretation, speaks five languages, and has spent more than two decades working for international organizations as a conference interpreter. In 2018, after twenty years of being somebody else’s voice, he decided to be his own and embarked on a new journey as a writer and photographer.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

Alberto Vezendi: Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! is a memoir of my struggle with an eating disorder, anorexia, in my early twenties.

After twenty long years of keeping it secret, I’ve decided to share my personal experience as a young anorexic male in the hope that this will help readers avoid falling into a trap created by their own mind, and find their inner light without having to endure a long and painful rite of passage like the one I went through. That light within is called life, and it's the only light that can guide you to happiness – but it's a light that can only shine in the present, with no regrets about the past or anxiety about the future.

With this book, I seek to inspire readers to be themselves, take control of their lives, and live a purposeful existence, instead of living at the mercy of other people's wishes. However, none of that can ever be achieved until we learn to see our real self, and ultimately accept ourselves as we really are, and not as others expect us to be.

Finally, this book carries a message of hope for all: that a better life is possible, regardless of your situation, and that we already have everything we need to live it. It’s all inside our mind. I hope this book will help readers find their own way to live the life they desire and deserve.

IAN: Is Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! published in print, e-book or both?

Alberto Vezendi: Both. I would recommend the paperback version because Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! is full of illustrations by Alicia Varela, an exceptionally gifted artist.

IAN: Where can we go to buy Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen!?

Amazon.com  Kobo.com  Play.google.com

IAN: What inspired you to write Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen!?

Alberto Vezendi: From its very inception, the deeper meaning of Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! was to help people choose life over death in all circumstances — and to choose life not merely as the preservation of our biological existence, but to deliberately and positively choose to live fully every single second of our lives.

In less than one year, three people I knew well had put an end to their lives. And although each one of them had a different personality, lived in a different country, and had their own particular set of circumstances, they had nevertheless several things in common. They were all great people, intelligent, full of life, and none of them lacked any of the essentials for living a happy life. They had wonderful families, a good job, good health, and had all the freedom in the world to change their circumstances, instead of taking an irreversible step. And yet, that’s what they did.

Since people who seem to have everything in life choose to die, while other people who have nothing choose to survive against all odds and live, the purpose of life cannot reside in a person’s circumstances, possessions, or relations, but somewhere else. And that “somewhere else” can only be inside. The purpose of life, therefore, must be inherent in every human being.

Having had suicidal tendencies myself, I know that the choice is not always easy. But life is worth living; and having chosen life each time, I’ve never regretted my choice. On the contrary. Looking back, I would have missed so many wonderful days of sheer happiness, so many blissful hours, so many enriching experiences… in short, I would have missed all the beauty and magic of this magnificent thing that we call life.

IAN: What do you hope your readers come away with after reading Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen!?

Alberto Vezendi: We’re all here for a reason. Every single manifestation of life on earth has a deeper meaning which makes it worth living in spite of all adversity. But we have to find that meaning!

And that’s the very aim of Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen!: to help readers find their own purpose in life, which will, in turn, enable them to live a fuller, happier, and more meaningful existence.

Indeed, the reason which prompted me to write this book in the first place was a desire to share a lust for life that has always kept me going in spite of all hardship. But that lust did not come easy: I, too, had to find my purpose before I started to live fully.

For protracted periods of my life, I thought I was living in hell until I found happiness precisely at a time when all traces of happiness seemed to be absent from my existence. Just as heat can be drawn even from matter which is well below zero degrees, I found light in my inner darkness, a light that, although hidden under a bushel, had always been there to illuminate my life, but I had been too blind to notice it.

We are all living in heaven, but we fail to realize it because we look for happiness in the wrong places. We try desperately to find happiness without, but true happiness only exists within. The good news is that this happiness is inside each one of us, it is ours, and nobody in the world can take it away from us.

IAN: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Alberto Vezendi: Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! is a memoir of my own experience with anorexia, suicide and survival. However, in the book I take that very personal experience and expand it into something much wider, something readers can relate to.

IAN: What books have most influenced your life most?

Alberto Vezendi: Too many! So many that they would not fit in this interview, however, if I was forced to choose only a few — as I believe I am — I would pick The New Testament (especially Matthew's); Giacomo Casanova's Memoirs; Sándor Márai's Napló (which means: Diary. I don't think it's been translated into English); George Orwell's Nineteen-eighty-four; Michael Ende's Momo; John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath; Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching; and many, many more.

IAN: Do you see writing as a career?

Alberto Vezendi: Yes.

IAN: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Alberto Vezendi: I probably would, but I don't want to... I could go on forever changing things in my books which would improve or ruin them. When it comes to writing a book, instead of seeking perfection in vain, I believe every writer has to come to a point when they say "That's it!". Then, as Ovid put it, books have their own destiny. I guess it's like giving birth to a child: once it's out there it's no longer yours. It comes from you — or through you, as Kahlil Gibran wrote — but it does not belong to you.

IAN: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Alberto Vezendi: Of all the wonderful flowers that adorn endless meadows, of all the stars that brighten the Universe, how could I choose only one? And yet, if I have to choose only one writer that I admire more than the rest, that's Sándor Márai. Márai is, and has always been, my main source of inspiration; not so much as to the subject matter of his books, but as a role model of a person who devoted his entire life to writing "because that was his mission", "because that was the measure of his worth". A person who stood firm by his principles at all times, in spite of never knowing real success, and in spite of his books being banned for 40 years in the only place where they could truly be understood — his own country.

IAN: What was the hardest part of writing Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen!?

Alberto Vezendi: The hardest part of writing Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! was having to face again the darkest years of my life, reviving ghosts from a past that, although I believed dead and gone for good, were still alive in the deepest layer of my mind, out of my conscious reach. I had to pull them out and confront them one by one. That's when I came to realize that they would never go, that they are part of me, that I am one with them.

IAN: Did you learn anything from writing Awake, Arise, or be Forever Fallen! and what was it?

Alberto Vezendi: I realized that overcoming trauma is not a finite event that ends with the complete healing of the body and the mind — which for most of us will never happen —, but a never-ending process that we must endure. Healing is no longer the goal. It's like amputated limbs that still hurt, scars that still itch, and will never stop hurting and itching — and we should never shun our scars because they act as a permanent reminder of the hardship we endured, and the process itself makes us stronger day by day.

IAN: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Alberto Vezendi: Yes: write! Sounds obvious, I know, but how much time are you actually devoting to writing books? Not promoting, not editing, not posting on social media, not telling people about your books, not signing books... but writing. And I don't pretend to lecture anyone but myself, because I recently came to realize that after I published my second book I've been spending more time doing all those "other things" than writing. Now I'm going back to what I love: writing, and it feels great!

IAN: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Alberto Vezendi: Yes, just a few days ago I wrote the dedication of my last book. It goes like this:

"Dear reader, I am deeply indebted to you for the silent support and motivation you have given me while I was writing this book. During the long, lonesome hours that I spent turning my thoughts into words, you were always there, by my side, eagerly listening to me, and it is you I have been talking to all along. Only you could make this book happen. And you did."

IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

Alberto Vezendi: I'm currently busy with two books. One is already finished, I'm going through the last readings to delete any superfluous text and then I'll send it to a professional editor. It's a self-help book in the style of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, i.e.: thoughts on how our mind interprets reality and how we can influence that interpretation to shape our fate. In essence, it's about learning to be at the helm of our life's ship, instead of living at the mercy of people and events, drifting purposelessly until we're washed upon the last shore, from where there's no way back.

The other book is a dystopic novel set in the (near) future. It deals with all my social and personal obsessions: dehumanization, tyranny, social control, communism, freedom at large (of thought, belief, speech...). It's about the need to teach people, especially children, to think freely, to analyze what they're told, to question authority, instead of swallowing like a sinkhole all the information they — we — are bombarded with relentlessly every day.

D.L. Norris: The IAN Interview

 D.L. Norris

D.L. Norris is a notable author and motivational speaker who has written numerous short stories and articles on health, emotional wellness, family, and cultural history. Norris’s novel, The Long Way Home, captures in colorful, humorous style the actual events and cultural mindsets surrounding her Scandinavian family and personal life experiences. Norris’s expressive writing style quickly engages her readers and encourages them to sit back and enjoy a nostalgic, magical journey. She and her husband are happily retired in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she continues a passion for writing.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

D.L. Norris: The Long Way Home is a compelling work of fiction set in 1950s Madison County, Nebraska. At the heart of the story is Maggie Davis, a middle-aged widow and recent heiress to a grand Victorian manor. The stately home, which Maggie shares with her spirited nine-year-old daughter Jenna, also serves as a bed and breakfast to a once regular, but now transitory, clientele.

The kitchen table is the epicenter of lively, often contentious, dialogue where no topics are off-limits. An outspoken neighbor and routine visitor delights in keeping everyone on guard with her opinionated tirades but is frequently reigned in by an elderly, equally forthright family member who has recently become a permanent dweller at the manor.

Maggie finds herself struggling with the painful memories of her husband’s tragic death, as well as the stirrings in her heart associated with a new house guest. A scandalous scheme to swindle her out of her property rides on the heels of a sudden, unexpected death, pointing to a member of the family as a suspect. Set against an intriguing backdrop of family secrets, scandal, love, and humor, the story culminates with an emotional twist. 

IAN: Is The Long Way Home published in print, e-book or both?

D.L. Norris: The Long Way Home is available for purchase in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats.

IAN: Where can we go to buy The Long Way Home?

D.L. Norris: At Amazon.com and at the Publisher Outskirtspress.com

IAN: What inspired you to write The Long Way Home?

D.L. Norris: I consider myself most fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with my Scandinavian family throughout the years – especially the older generation. I would listen for hours to their beautifully told tales of life in Norway and then how they slowly transitioned to life in America once they emigrated. By the time I was twelve, I knew that I would someday write a book about their colorful and spirited lives. They were my true inspiration. Before writing The Long Way Home, I traveled to Tilden, Nebraska—which is the setting of the novel, as well as the actual homeplace of my family—to gain a clearer understanding of the area and the townspeople. It was a touching experience, to say the least. I sat in the old café and visited with other patrons, and even met several cousins for the first time. It became the springboard for completing the work that I had been contemplating for many years.

IAN: Did you use an outline, or do you just wing the first draft?

D.L. Norris: Along with an outline, I pre-determine chapter titles and the ending before commencing with the actual content writing. A brief biography is composed for each character because they have to be “real” for me to determine how they will consistently react, respond, and fit into the storyline.

IAN: How long did it take to write The Long Way Home?

D.L.Norris: About two years, which included travel to Tilden, Nebraska, and finally to Norway to connect with family and conduct the research necessary for the project.

IAN: How did you come up with the title?

D.L. Norris: Travel from Norway to America was a three-month journey for most of my family members. Those that emigrated began their long trek from Sogndal, Flesberg, and Vinje, respectively, on the great sailing vessels Mercator and Tamworth. Literally, they took the long way home to settle in the quaint community of Tilden, Nebraska.

IAN: What do you hope your readers come away with after reading The Long Way Home?

D.L. Norris: Regardless of persuasions, perspectives, and prejudices, there is always room for diversity of thought and expression. It worked so well in my own family that I set out to show the world how it is thoughtfully accomplished. The Long Way Home illustrates the point beautifully.

IAN: How much of The Long Way Home is realistic?

D.L. Norris: The events which occurred in The Long Way Home are primarily factual, derived from the written and oral recollections of family members. Names were changed, but the general account is a fairly accurate compilation of their own stories. They loved, laughed, and grieved together—at the end of the day, they all lived well together.

IAN: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

D.L. Norris: I love the simplistic, direct writing style of Ernest Hemingway—known for the way he mirrored his lifestyle and interests in his characters.  

IAN: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

D.L. Norris: Dialogue—and good dialogue is the cornerstone of The Long Way Home. It takes time and plenty of thought to write a realistic conversation that continually compliments the uniqueness of each character. You have to understand how the character “thinks” in every scenario. The most challenging aspect of The Long Way Home was the number of characters and the fact that they all had their strong opinions.

IAN: Do you have any advice for other writers?

D.L. Norris: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” This is a favorite quote of mine composed by admired author Maya Angelou.  Write and keep writing. The great story within you beckons to be told.

IAN: Tell us about your next book or work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

D.L. Norris: The anticipated sequel Home is Where the Heart Is: Return to Tilden is soon to be released and artfully follows the return of Jenna Davis-Wilson to her nostalgic childhood home in Madison County, Nebraska. A spontaneous decision to remain indefinitely at the old Victorian manor ushers in a mix of joy, sorrow, humor, and an unforeseen twist—a charming, heartwarming must-read conclusion.

Keith Brandon: The IAN Interview

Keith Brandon

I was born in Hungary. After finishing my schools, I set my foot abroad, started in Copenhagen, then worked on cruise ships for a few years, then finally settled in UK, where I have finished my first books.

My time in hospitality, I guess thought me a lot about people, met loads of them on my cruise ship years, valuable experiences all and I guess these young years is where I got my sense of humor.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

Keith Brandon: My latest book is Lost Universe, a unique look at the aliens and the galaxy and us humans. We find out that we have a role in reshaping the universe in ways we did not imagine. Dealing with the aliens for real, who may not be as evil and invading as we thought for long time. Then we get answers of why they visited us so much and what part is our race playing to change things that are irreversible for the entire galaxy. A hard-core sci-fi.

IAN: Is Lost Universe published in print, e-book or both?

Keith Brandon: It is published in Print and eBook and soon in audible too.

IAN: Where can we go to buy your book?

Keith Brandon: On Amazon.  

IAN: What inspired you to write Lost Universe

Keith Brandon: I always wanted to tell my stories since I was a little kid. First, I was addicted to Star Wars, then comic books, X-Men was the favourite. It was unique for me as it was just about fighting. It was deeper in character profiles.

IAN: How did you come up with the title?

Keith Brandon: It was not called Lost Universe at first. As I was telling my dad about the story, he just came up with it.

IAN: How much of Lost Universe is realistic?

Keith Brandon: In a sense it is. As it deals with real life issues as well, just in galactic proportions. How will us humans fit in with so many aliens? How will they react to us? Will we be in galactic battles, just as we seen it in movies back on Earth? Will they share with us their knowledge and tech wisdom?

IAN: How is Lost Universe different from others in your genre?

Keith Brandon: It is different in many ways, as usual, alien/UFO stories are always about invading Earth, kidnapping people, and I thought, wait a minute, how about if turn this around for once? How about if the aliens actually want something from us, that is worthwhile.

IAN: What books have influenced your life the most?

Keith Brandon: The Sword of Truth from Terry Goodkind and Asimov’s Foundation.

IAN: What book are you reading now?

Keith Brandon: One from T. Goodkind. Called Witch’s Oath. This is book number 21 in the series, hard to put it down. I guess it beats other famous authors in the genre.

IAN: Are there any new authors that have caught your interest?

Keith Brandon: I’ve tried a few but didn’t stay with any for long. I am always looking out for new ones.

IAN: Do you see writing as a career?

Keith Brandon: Yes, totally.

IAN: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Keith Brandon: Shortly after I saw Star Wars-A New Hope.

IAN: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keith Brandon: Yes, keep writing, read more and don’t give up. Is not an easy thing nowadays to get out there with your work and get known. Persisting is the key. If I could do it so can you.

IAN: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Keith Brandon: I hope you will like the story as much I enjoyed writing it, and hope you will be well entertained and have a different mind about aliens after reading it.

IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

Keith Brandon: It is the sequel to Lost Universe, going to be a lot of battles, pursuing philosophical questions, unexpected, turns...nonstop action.