In 2017 I had the pleasure of visiting Notre Dame Cathedral. These are a few of the photos I took from the outside.
These were taken from a little cafe across from the Cathedral. While we ate, some gray clouds swung by, but passed withing a few moments. 
The interior was stunning, but I felt uncomfortable taking pictures inside a place of worship. Luckily others did. I’d like to go back once the cathedral is rebuilt.
It’s been a busy few weeks for me. Wolf Dawn came out on Kindle.
Two weeks ago I attended the 7th Annual Book Festival in College Park, Maryland with a few special edition hand-bound copies of Wolf Dawn.
Last weekend I helped run the Maryland Writers’ Association From Brain To Bookshelf Writing Conference. I got to meet lots of people and hang out with Crystal Wilkinson. 
Here is a before and after picture of my display in the bookstore.
On Tuesday, Star Touched came out on audio. Steve Campbell did a great job with the reading. If you act quickly, you may still be able to get a free version through Audio Book Boom.
Saturday, I’ll be participating in the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading at RavenCon from 2-4 PM. If you’re at the Con, make sure you say hi to me and Fifi.
Keep your eye out for my Balticon schedule.
If you’re looking for something fun to do this Saturday in the DC area, stop by the 7th Annual Book Festival in College Park. I’ll be there signing books. I’ll even have a few special hand-bound copies of WOLF DAWN. Come by and say hi.
A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret
Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.
But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.
Great News!
My short story, WOLF DAWN will soon be available on Amazon. Here’s a sneak peak of the cover.
Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers. But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.
Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
Michelle Ray is a middle school teacher who lives in Silver Spring, MD with her husband and teen girls. Falling for Hamlet, her first novel, became the E! TV series, The Royals, starring Elizabeth Hurley, which she finds highly entertaining. Her other Shakespeare novels are Mac/Beth and Much Ado About Something, technically YA though many adults have enjoyed them. Her newest book, A World on Fire, is based on her professor husband’s research about what happened to the Jews after they were expelled from Medieval Spain.
Wolf: If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?
Michelle: A cat. They don’t care!
Wolf: Interesting. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Michelle: Gefilte fish. Jarred fish cakes in goop. I like it but every Passover I wonder why.
Wolf: You and me both. I like mine with lots of horseradish. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?
Michelle: My glare. My students say it’s scary and it definitely stops people in their tracks.
Wolf: Good one. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
Michelle: Giving them a happy ending. I’m not good at that. I always want everything to be ambiguous, but my draft-readers are always like, “No! Let us have something positive.”
Wolf: I get that a lot too. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
Michelle: In my latest book, A World on Fire, the main character decides to cross the Mediterranean to find her fiancé. Let’s just say it’s historically accurate but it doesn’t go well for her. Actually, writing it didn’t feel mean. Just true and sad. Okay so really “mean”? In Mac/Beth giving the main character a mother more interested in her daughter’s fame and income than her well being.
Wolf: That is mean. And sad. BTW, I love the cover for A World on Fire. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.
Michelle: Something prickly that turns out to be helpful.
Wolf: I’m picturing sewing and hypodermic needles. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?
Michelle: Neither. Both. It depends. The animal’s personality affects how/if I connect with them. Some cats and dogs are irresistible. I’m kind of neutral about dogs, which apparently makes me more attractive to them. I’m like a bad boyfriend – the more aloof I am, the more the dog is like, “I will make you love me!” It’s a running joke with my friends because their dogs seek me out and lean on me all the time! A rude cat turns me off, but sometimes it cracks me up. I had a roommate whose cat used to prance across the coffee table, pause, and hang up the phone (some of you will remember the land line phone with the part that was separate). When a sweet cat drapes across me and purrs? Love it!
Wolf: I’m a sap for a cute pup. While walking in the woods you come across…
Michelle: Nature and think, “How come I don’t spend more time out here?”
Wolf: Good question. After you finish reading, go take a walk. If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Michelle: Flight. Airports make me tense.
Wolf: Interesting. I’m fine with airports but hate flying. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?
Michelle: Run the other way!
Wolf: Smart. Unless it’s your washing machine. What five items would you want to have in a post-cataclysmic world?
Michelle: Nothing. And here’s why: after reading many, many post-cataclysmic books & watching The Walking Dead for so many years, I have come to the conclusion that, should there be a disease outbreak or a zombie apocalypse, I want to be taken out in the first moments, thank you very much.
Wolf: Makes sense. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Michelle: Oh that’s hard! Okay, I think I like Hamlet the best. I’m still in love with him. My best friend reads all my drafts and she says my boys always start out too perfect. I guess it’s true. I’ve always had great guys around. Hamlet is funny and smart and handsome and, well, a prince. He gets a little nutty midway through the book, but Ophelia still has a thing for him to the bitter end, as do I.
Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Michelle: I like stories of all kinds, so I love movies and well-written TV shows, but my favorite place is the theater. I also love grabbing coffee with friends. Great stories come when you sit down with people to chat. (Author friends are dangerous. Many personal details from real life become part of the characters’ stories.)
Wolf: I hear you. What are your two favorite books about writing?
Michelle: On Writing by Stephen King & Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. Both gave me the confidence to say I’m a writer and the permission to not be perfect while doing it.
Wolf: Super. Thanks for stopping by. You can connect with Michelle through these links:
Website: www.michelleraybooks.com
Facebook: Michelle Ray writer
Twitter: @mraywriter
Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.
David Siegel Bernstein, PhD is the author of Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction and the forthcoming mystery novel Poisoned Pawn. His fiction and poetry have been published in numerous print, podcast, and online magazines. His nonfiction has been published in academic journals, newsletters, book chapters, and science fiction magazines.
He also volunteers his time promoting writing and his fellow authors. He serves on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. This is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring writers together for instruction, counsel, fellowship, and the exchange of ideas. He also leads the Words in Progress writing group—a group dedicated to helping members to improve their writing and publishing skills.
His non-literary projects include: Re-inventing the wheel, the Sisyphus relief project, referring to myself in the third person (as THE David, lest fools confuse him with the other one).
Wolf: I like the last line of your bio. It’s good to have a sense of humor. If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?
David: Since much of my writing is science fiction and fantasy, I’d have to answer: Space Kraken. Although considered evil by most (misunderstood really), I’d keep all Earth colonies safe. Naturally a few would be fed to me as offerings. That’s fair. Whenever there is an alien invasion, they would have to release the Kraken!
Wolf: Love it. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?
David: A sharp tongue to cut down my critics… errr, I mean my enemies. As a hidden backup piece, I’d have my wit.
Wolf: Good plan. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
David: I’ve kept my main characters meaningfully employed. Their fictional paychecks keep on rolling in. I remember for one character I provided a touch of insanity. It made him much more interesting—though not much of a people person, but he was happy.
Also, when it has fit into the story (never gratuitously) I provided a merciful death. My latest novel is a mystery with a fair number of victims. I was easy on the ones I liked.
Wolf: Remind me not to get on your bad side. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?
David: A merciless death. Another cruel thing I’ve done on rare occasions is to make them two-dimensional.
Wolf: I think that is the cruelest thing you can do to a character. While walking in the woods you come across…
David: A car to take me out of the woods.
Wolf: I take it you aren’t much of an outdoors person. How about this? There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?
David: Turn around and leave! I’d come back with a new lightbulb and dehumidifier for the hall and a new drum for the washer to stop the rumbling.
Wolf: You must have read the same story I did. What five items would you want to have in a post-cataclysmic world?
David: A suicide pill; I’d only need one.
Wolf: That is sad. What was left of the world would miss your wit. What story are you working on now?
David: I’m scribing the next book of the Caleb Jacobs series. Poisoned Pawn, the first book in the series, is hitting the market this November. I am also working on a couple of new science fiction short stories. One will challenge the reality of characters. It may turn out a few of them are fictional. The other story is a space adventure.
Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
David: I enjoy interviews with very nice bloggers.
Wolf: Thank you. If you were stranded on a deserted island and only had one book, what would you want it to be?
David: I’d choose War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It would be the only time I’d be able to get through it.
Wolf: Great answer. Connect more with David through these links:
DavidSiegelBernstein.blogspot.com
Twitter: @DavidBernstein
Instagram: davidsiegelbernstein
Facebook: @DSBernstein
