October | 2020 | Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Please join me in welcoming historical author Xina Marie Uhl to the Reading Room today.

Thanks for joining us today, Xina. Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for a living?

I write full time: part of the time I write fiction and part of the time I write nonfiction educational books for young people, though Covid-19 has disrupted the nonfiction work for now. Writing is something I do about 6 days of the week, and it occupies an important part in my day. Some days it is harder than others to actually accomplish, though.

What’s your home life like?

Pretty quiet these days. There’s just my husband and me, three dogs, and one 21-year old cat. I’ve worked from home for 13 years now and it is so nice, though it does have its challenges, like anything.

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, travel, research, photography, and mosaics. Of these, hiking is the one I spend most of my time doing. I find it restorative to be alone in the quiet with just my dog for company.

What’s a dream you have? How are you working toward this dream?

I want to see one of my stories as a video. Along with the help of some talented people, I’m working at filming a short script I wrote. It’s exciting but also somewhat scary since I’ve never done such a thing before. I have a few scripts laying about here and it would be so fun to bring them to life.

What historical period is your favorite? Why?

It’s hard to pick just one. My original favorites are the Ancient Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East. The sweep of history involved so many fascinating expressions of human societies. The Assyrians brought the heavy foot of conquest down on their enemies, and created fantastical art while doing it, the Greeks debated and discovered many philosophical and scientific methods; their development of drama and comedy affects us today, and the Romans evolved from stoic and practical farmers to builders of roads, bridges, and aqueducts that remain today. I could go on and on.

What subjects do you like to give historical talks about? Why?

I’ve taught World History and California History in addition to writing about various time periods such as the Ancient Mediterranean, the Old West, and Antarctica and the Arctic from the late 1800s through the early 1900s, so I’m game to talk about just about anything, though favorite subjects include women, explorers, Alexander the Great, and the artistic and scientific achievements of the ancient world.

Necropolis cover

Xina’s novel Necropolis is a fantasy greatly influenced by ancient history.

When prison guard Conyr rescues a young priest from execution, he sets off a dangerous adventure that brings allies in a scheming politician, a mischievous urchin, and a beautiful tavern server. Together, the group must navigate a maze of power-hungry rivals, skilled assassins, and deadly sorcery. For the young priest’s lost memory holds the key to more than his past, but the fate of two cities.

Buy Now! Amazon.com * BarnesandNoble.com * Apple * Smashwords.com

How to find Xina online:

Website: www.xuwriter.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/xinamarieuhl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XinaMarieUhl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xuwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/xuwriter
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Xina-Marie-Uhl/e/B00E7AKNR4

Newsletter signup link http://bit.ly/30qhIAS (Includes a free short story when you sign up)

And please join us for Spooky History on Monday, October 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. (PT) The Zoom meeting is sponsored by the Santa Clarita Library in their series of History Talks held monthly on various historical topics.

Click here to register: bit.ly/HTSpookyHistory

Hope to see you there.

Linda McLaughlin

Please join me in welcoming historical author Colleen Adair Fleidner to the Reading Room today.

Hi Colleen. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello and thank you for inviting me to do an online interview. First of all, I live in Orange County, California with my husband, Rick, and two little Pomeranian dogs. My daughter and her husband moved in with us shortly before she gave birth to our grandson two years ago. So, the house is crazy busy and always noisy with a two-year-old running wild.

I’ve always been a dreamer, and I must say that I’ve been lucky to be able to live many of my dreams. My three passions are writing, history, and travel. The jobs I’ve had through the years have provided me with many opportunities to embrace all of these obsessions.

Why do you write historical fiction?

I’ve always loved history. Period! Many of the first historical novels and nonfiction books I read were set in Egypt. The first book I purchased with birthday money at the age of 12 was a huge history of Egypt. I also devoured James Michener’s novels and I especially enjoyed the historical novel, Hawaii. Naturally, I was a history major in college with a minor in anthropology and archaeology participating in digs in Irvine and in the Mojave Desert. I studied writing in the Writer’s Program at U.C.L.A., and screenwriting at USC and at the American Film Institute. I optioned a screenplay (historical, of course) about Fatty Arbuckle, as well as several paranormal scripts for the new Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television programs.

Tell us a little about researching Stories in Stone.

Stories in Stone: Miners and Madams, Merchants and Murderers contains 100 true stories of pioneers who lived and died in Park City, Utah. I began my research by using the dates of each individual’s birth and death found on their headstones to search newspapers for obituaries, death records at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, census records, and on and on. It took me well over a year to do the research, much of which I did while staying in Utah. The rest I did online from my home in Southern California.

I’m honored to say that the Mormon Family History Museum in Salt Lake City has copies of my book for people to use as part of their families’ genealogy research. As a result of my work, the Park City Historical Society held an annual event in Glenwood Cemetery in which local residents dress as one of the people in my book and stand at the grave site to tell people their stories (which I had written). The money they charged the public for the event helped them renovate the deteriorating pioneer cemeteries, as well as supporting the historical museum in Park City. I’m very proud of the book, and it’s still selling!

Here’s a link to the book at Amazon.com.

During Spooky History, Colleen will be sharing some of her eerie experiences while researching in Park City and stories about the abundant number of ghostly apparitions that haunt the old buildings.

You can find Colleen online at:

Website: http://colleenfliedner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colleen-Adair-Fliedner-633173770537236
Blog: http://www.colleenfliedner.blogspot.com

Click here to register: bit.ly/HTSpookyHistory

Hope to see you there.

Linda McLaughlin

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Monthly Archives: October 2020

Meet Spooky History Author Xina Marie Uhl #authorinterview

Meet Spooky History Author Colleen Adair Fliedner #interview