Author interviews almost always focus on questions regarding an author’s latest publication (and that’s great because it’s how readers discover new books!) but sometimes it’s fun to ask authors to talk about their lives beyond the book they’ve just written. Authors Answer poses 20 standing questions and asks authors to pick FIVE that they want to write about.
I began Authors Answer in 2020 as a stand alone blog. In 2025 I moved the project into a Substack newsletter. All of the posts that appeared on the original blog are now available here.
Are you an author? Visit the Questions page to pick five of the twenty questions you’d like to answer and have shared in the Authors Answer Substack Newsletter.
[{"id":3268,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/francesco-paola\/","name":"francesco-paola","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Francesco Paola","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Feb 13, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-02-13 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-13 06:00:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-13 14:00:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":8,"sec":29},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Francesco Paola was born in Turin, Italy, and was raised in Italy, Thailand, and Australia before moving to the US, where he earned an engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He is an accomplished technology entrepreneur, and from 2019 to 2021 worked at a legal cannabis startup in California while on a sabbatical from tech. He has written technical blogs, white papers, and articles for over twenty-five years as an executive in the tech-startup ecosystem. He and his wife, the novelist Jackie Townsend, have called New York City home since 1999."},{"id":3266,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/elizabeth-a-tucker\/","name":"elizabeth-a-tucker","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Elizabeth A. Tucker","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Feb 11, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-02-11 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-11 06:00:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-11 14:00:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":10},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Elizabeth A. Tucker is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, and sixth-generation Californian. Her work can be found in a host of literary journals, including Transfer Magazine, Red River Review, Aroostook Review, Ponder Review, The Bangalore Review, SNReview, and JuxtaProse Magazine. She is a two-time finalist for Glimmer Train\u2019s Short Story Award for New Writers, a finalist for the 2020 Craft Elements Fiction Contest, and a finalist for the 2020 Barry Lopez Prize in nonfiction. She lives and writes at 6,600 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada with her husband and two children."},{"id":3267,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/meredith-obrien\/","name":"meredith-obrien","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Meredith O\u2019Brien","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Feb 4, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-02-04 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-04 06:00:00","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 14:00:00","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":39},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Meredith O\u2019Brien, a former newspaper reporter and investigative journalist, is the author of four books. She teaches journalism and writing in Massachusetts, where she also roots for her beloved Red Sox. Meredith lives in the Boston area with her husband and their loud, goofy dogs."},{"id":1823,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/logan-terret\/","name":"logan-terret","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Logan-Terret-cover-1.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Logan Terret","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Jan 21, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-01-21 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 19:00:41","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 03:00:41","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":10},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Logan Terret grew up in Northern Michigan but has lived in The Southwest for the last twenty years. Formerly the chief software architect for one of America\u2019s largest financial firms, he is now retired and devotes himself to desert wanderings, mystery novels, international travel, machine learning, dog walking, and other pursuits. He is an inventor and licensed attorney. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona."},{"id":1824,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/susan-moore\/","name":"susan-moore","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Susan-Moore-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Susan Moore","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Jan 16, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-01-16 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 18:59:54","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 02:59:54","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":51},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Susan Moore is an author and screenwriter whose creative journey has been fueled by the world of technology. Her work captures the essence of what it means to be human in a complex and ever-changing world. She has over three decades of experience working in the film, tech and media, most notably at Skywalker for Lucasfilm Ltd."},{"id":1825,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/norbert-g-gomes\/","name":"norbert-g-gomes","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Norbert-G.-Gomes-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Norbert G. Gomes","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Jan 7, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-01-07 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 18:59:25","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 02:59:25","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":24},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Recognized by Marquis Who\u2019s Who for his lifetime accomplishments, Norbert G. Gomes stands as a beacon of scholarly and creative achievement. He led a distinguished career in radio broadcasting, notably creating and launching TEN-Q Radio in Los Angeles. In addition, his innovative spirit extends to his ventures in orchid breeding, having registered nearly 600 new cymbidium hybrid orchids and discovering new species during an expedition in Asia. A true creative visionary, Gomes\u2019 passion extends to storytelling and music. His golden ear for hit music has earned him over 70 Gold and Platinum record awards. He has also written five books designed to reveal the profound beauty and history of Ireland."},{"id":1826,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/asha-nyr\/","name":"asha-nyr","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Asha-Nyr-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Asha Nyr","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 17, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-17 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 18:59:26","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 02:59:26","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":3,"sec":51},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Asha Nyr: I\u2019m an accidental author of fantasy romance who writes to process unspeakable trauma from childhood sexual, verbal, and physical abuse. When I became disabled from medical conditions and lost my job, I focused on my DBT therapy and wrote a novel as an exposure therapy exercise. I had no intention of ever publishing, but I also didn\u2019t want to go through the process alone. Confronting trauma is a painful and risky endeavor, so much that I had to put distance between it and myself with a medieval fantasy setting. I posted chapters online and readers came flooding in, including survivors who also said they found healing in the story. Shortly after, readers started asking for sequels and physical copies, and I realized that maybe this was how I could find meaning to my life again. Since then, in October 2021, I\u2019ve written 11 fairly hefty novels, each one focusing on a different aspect of my trauma. I am gradually publishing them all in an attempt to restart my life and have many more books waiting for me to write them. [Brief bio comes from the website of Awesome Gang.]"},{"id":1827,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/amory-patrick-blaine\/","name":"amory-patrick-blaine","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amory-Patrick-Blaine-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Amory Patrick Blaine","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 12, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-12 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 18:59:25","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 02:59:25","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":14,"sec":6},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Drawing upon a vast range of personal experience, travel, and distinct philosophical perspectives, Amory Patrick Blaine's writing weaves a fascinating tale of raw discovery collected from the realms of espionage, foreign policy, mystery, and true crime. Questioning and weighing in on everything from how Western identity evolved to how AI and the IOT are changing our planet\u2019s future economy and the cultural legacy we will pass on to the next generation of leaders. Raised in a U.S. Foreign Service family with a lifetime experience in international travel and graduate cultural study, Amory Patrick Blaine holds an MFA in Art Criticism and Writing. He attended Marine Corp OCS in Quantico, Virginia, in the 1990s, after which his military record was expunged without characterization. The complete story of American Renaissance comprises Book 1: Missions Dangerous (December 10, 2024), Book 2: An Identity Left on the Rue de la Clignancourt (2025), and Book 3: A Theocratic History of Lost Peoples & Romantics (2025), all set in Paris. American Renaissance Volumes 1, 2, and 3 were completed in several stages while the author lived in Europe and New York City."},{"id":1842,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/jen-marie-wiggins\/","name":"jen-marie-wiggins","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jen-Marie-Wiggins-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Jen Marie Wiggins","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 10, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-10 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 19:01:26","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 03:01:26","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":32},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Jen Marie Wiggins's first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published with Sourcebooks in 2022. She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere. The Good Bride draws much of its inspiration from the devastation and rebuilding struggles of Mexico Beach, Florida, a place near and dear to Jen's heart."},{"id":1840,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/lynn-santer\/","name":"lynn-santer","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Lynn-Santer-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Lynn Santer","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 9, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-09 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 19:01:24","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 03:01:24","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":6,"sec":9},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Lynn Santer is an internationally acclaimed film producer and best-selling author. Her debut novel, \u201cSins of Life\u201d became the #1 selling title for its publisher and was optioned by Zygi Kamasa, involved in the \u201cKingsman\u201d franchise, \u201cOlympus has Fallen\u201d, \u201cThe Expendables 2\u201d. Since then, she has authored or ghosted over fifty titles. Her documentary films exposing the brutal truths behind the trophy hunting industry have received international acclaim and won at film festivals worldwide. "},{"id":1841,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/brooke-randel\/","name":"brooke-randel","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Brooke-Randel-cover.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Brooke Randel","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 5, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-05 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 19:01:26","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 03:01:26","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":2,"sec":18},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Brooke Randel is a writer, editor and associate creative director in Chicago. Her memoir ALSO HERE is forthcoming from Tortoise Books. Her writing has been published in Hippocampus, Hypertext Magazine, Jewish Fiction, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is a prose editor for Chestnut Review. The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, she writes on issues of memory, trauma, family and history."},{"id":1839,"link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/mary-e-mcknight\/","name":"mary-e-mcknight","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mary-E.-McKnight-cover-1.jpg","alt":""},"title":"Mary E. McKnight","author":{"name":"Author's Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/author\/authors-answer-bot\/"},"date":"Dec 3, 2024","dateGMT":"2024-12-03 14:00:00","modifiedDate":"2025-02-03 19:04:25","modifiedDateGMT":"2025-02-04 03:04:25","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethrynecki.com\/category\/authors-answer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Author's Answer<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":33},"status":"publish","excerpt":"Mary E. McKnight is an avid observer of people, a teacher of young children, a co-owner of an herb garden (Split Stone Farm LLC), a painter, and a lover of cats. She lives for kindness, creativity, and her amazing daughter. Her writing is the creative expression that feeds her soul, and she enjoys writing in a variety of genres. If she wasn\u2019t her, she would probably be the Lorax. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her partner and their tortie, Abbey Rhodes."}]