Southern Writers Magazine January/February 2019 Southern Writers_MAR-APR_2019_ | Page 7

are flawless writers and their characters become old friends in familiar stories. A new stand alone novel from the WWII years is The Way to London. A spoiled little rich girl and a street-smart bad boy journey across country, complete opposites who have much more in common than either know in the beginning. Research involved many avenues such as reading about the evacuation of British schoolchildren from the cities during the Blitz. The plight of Singapore and the Malay Peninsula, both critically important areas during the early war years before bitter occupation by the Japanese. “I searched out memoirs and other first-person accounts of the Far East both prior to and during the Japanese invasion as well as information regarding the dangerous shipboard journeys of those who managed to escape.” Alix discovered newsreel footage of Singapore, travel guides of the period, street maps and even menus for local hotels and restaurants. These things added flavor to her writing. Wartime England meant a whole new set of histories and published memoirs. Newspaper archives, photos and newsreel accounts helped Alix fit the pieces together to keep the story alive. Research is a passion for her, and she can spend hours tracking down mundane or trivial details. It’s those uncommon details that capture a reader. What makes a writer a “Pro?” Alix assumes it’s when a story is sold. Somewhere along the way Alix has become the one not asking how to write, but the one being asked by others, “How do find time to write and know what to write?” Time is that elusive quality that slips away. “One has to make time to write, not find it.” Her writing education has come from the books and authors she reads. Read, analyze, learn to her voice and she writes. She calls it her own personal brand of chaos. And for other authors she will advise them to write the very best book possible. She does maintain social media but is not consumed by it. Likes to make her site funny and upbeat. Her website under Alix Rickloff lists her books, posts, comments and news for the future. To whet your appetite, the Secrets of Nantreath Hall hit number #l in Denmark in 2018. n For more: Visit https://www.alixrickloff.com/ THE W I TCH OF BLACKLION Joy Ross Davis It’s 1915 in the tiny border town of Blacklion, Ireland. Two young married couples lead an idyllic life until three unexpected tragedies threaten both their lives and their marriages. As their perfect lives begin to unravel, their love fades, and their fear makes them suspicious. Will the couples accept the help offered by the warrior angel named Mordecai and a woman they fear called Old Shelley, the witch of Blacklion? Historical paranormal fiction available on Kindle and in paperback www.joyrossdavis.com Southern Writers    7