Guest blog post by KC Freeman

What does one retired college English professor have to do with post-World War II thriller suspense, intrigue, and epic romance? In this particular case…quite a lot. 

Arthur McMaster began his career as a foreign intelligence officer so he knows the spy business well enough to craft an engaging thriller set in post-World War II. However, it’s his lifelong pursuit of lyrical creativity that infuses his novels with such beauty the reader may wonder: Is this fact, fiction, romance, or pure poetry?
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We had the privilege of sitting down with Arthur to pick his poetic mind about what makes his writing so special and to give us some insight into his latest literary masterpiece, In the Orchards of Shadow and Light (previously In the Orchards of Our Mothers).  

Arthur wants his readers to see and accept that so much that matters to us happens by chance. We plan, yes, but when the right doorway opens, and anything is possible, we must allow ourselves to be open to walking through that door, as Claire and Jacques do, against all odds. They become more than they could ever be alone and apart.

Arthur started writing short fiction in high school, including poetry, even though he admits he had not yet realized that one must read poetry, get immersed in it, in order to begin to truly write well. He has published a lot of poetry and several short fiction pieces. He declares he owes his success to one professor in his undergraduate years who helped him to gain competency. The gateway for him was James Wright (volume, The Branch Will Not Break).
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Years later, having wrapped up his intelligence career, he trooped off to Florida for a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing. He also wrote a bunch of stage plays, about half of them have been produced.  And now, in his third career, he writes novels!

Arthur, as a guy who has been teaching creative writing for years, emphasizes that characters are more important to good storytelling than plot. So, when he gets an idea, he chooses the setting and gives the main character a challenge. He prefers inner-directed challenges rather than outer ones since both propel the journey. Details are crucial and he diligently researches as he writes to deepen and sharpen the work. Arthur wants the reader to travel with the protagonist toward an end that may not be clear until the Volta, an Italian word for the Turn. He is also keen on cliffhangers.

Arthur's novel, In the Orchards of Shadow and Light, will be available anywhere you buy books in print and e-book from IngramElliott Publishing in 2026. 

Also by Arthur McMaster:

• In the Orchards of Our Mothers (previously published)
• The Whole Picture Show, (poems)
• Musical Muse, Wives & Lovers of the Great Composers
• Birdies Never Die
• The Spy Who Came Down with a Cold (poems)
• Need to Know, a Memoir ​

The Benny Moon series by Salem Wolf Heart has been an IE fan favorite since the very first installment of this exciting middle grade story about racing, friendship, family, and the Native American Medicine Wheel. 

IngramElliott Publishing is proud to announce that Salem Wolf Heart's third book in the Benny Moon series, Benny Moon Saves the Standing People, has taken the top prize at the 2025 NYC Big Book Award. The awards received books from around the world, and from a number of well-known names, journalists and authors. NYC Big Book Award is committed to celebrated the highest quality in ​independently and traditionally published books.

Guest post by IE Author Salem Wolf Heart
Title: Benny Moon Saves the Standing People (available in print and e-book from IE)
Coming Soon! A new Dual-Language Edition (Spanish-English)

A conversation with my character, Benny Moon

Benny, when did you believe that trees could talk?
 I heard a cry for help from my bedroom window.  I didn’t see anyone so I kind of ignored it.
When I went with my Grandpa T to the Reservation, I again heard a cry for help.  I was alone with only a row of trees in front of me. It was my friend Fawn that told me trees could talk.  That is when I began to wonder if she was right.  I think somewhere inside my mind I believed her.
 
Benny, can you tell me what you think made the rain come when it did?
Dancing, using a “rain stick”— it was like asking the clouds to open up and pour out water and take away the fire. It felt magical—made me want to believe when we danced, when the rain stick was used, that we could actually cause it to rain.
 
Benny, can you explain to me what you mean by “mind talk?”
I think when you are close to someone you can talk to them through your thoughts—without speaking words. My Dad seems to be able to hear me talk to him without me speaking out loud or being next to him. On the race track, my friend Fawn gives me warnings that I hear in my mind. It is like she is riding on my bike with me, telling me what dangers are ahead, but she is not there—not on my bike with me.
 
Thanks, Benny.  This has been fun.  Good luck with your racing!

Guest post by IE Author Jordan Berk
Title: The Timestream Verdict (available in print and e-book from IE)

A conversation with my character, Aaron Barnett

Hello, Aaron, I'm New York Times Interviewbot 7.2. Nice to meet you. How are you liking 2042 so far?
Well, I guess I'm talking to a robot right now, so that's something! It's, I dunno, magical? Everyone is so healthy, and happy, and, well, tall. And great food too! But seriously, where are the flying cars?

Flying cars are technologically viable and occasionally enjoyed for recreational purposes, but largely rendered obsolete by teleportation technology.
Oh, sure. Makes sense. 

Tell us about yourself--and when you're from.
Good old 1985! I'm from Chicago; lived there all my life. Let's see... I'm an accountant. I have a dog. I have a girlfriend, Jennifer. Pretty typical, boring guy, I suppose. This trial is definitely the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. 

This trial has captured the attention of the whole world. How will you handle your verdict?
Oh boy, done with the softballs already. Well, I don't know much about the case yet, but I do understand the victim is "The Mother of Time Travel," so I get it. She is revered, I know. So I will, er, strive to uphold the virtue of the position and come to a verdict that is well-substantiated and, um, proved. Proven. Well-proven. I'll do my best, I guess is what I'm trying to say. 

Along those stumbling lines, do you know why I was chosen? I seem utterly unqualified. 

Query denied. Access to jury selection rationale requires level-12 clearance or higher under Temporal Governance Protocol 9.1.
Oh...okay, fine. But can you answer this? One of my fellow jurors is a Cloud Engineer by title. Can you all actually control the weather?

That's our time, Aaron. It was good to meet you. Good luck with the trial.
So...that's a maybe?

Columbo Writer Howard Berk Was a Prolific Author. Now, His Son and Grandson Are Continuing the Family Legacy (Exclusive)

​Peter Berk, whose latest book was published this month, and his son, Jordan, are both novelists published by IE.

We're excited to share that the Berk family of writers - Howard, Peter, and Jordan - are featured in an exclusive interview in People magazine's Books section. Carly Tagen-Dye is the Books editorial assistant at PEOPLE, where she writes for both print and digital platforms. She wrote an amazing article highlighting the talent and history of the Berk family in television, films, and IE Published books. Howard and Peter Berk's Award-Winning Trilogy - the TimeLock series - was covered along with Jordan Berk's time-travel thriller, The Timestream Verdict. 

“It's just an incredible experience to get to explore a creative side that I didn't really know I had, despite the genetics,” Jordan says. “Maybe I should have known it was there the whole time.”
But looking back on their author journeys, both Peter and Jordan recognize Howard as a large influence. Peter says that working with his dad was "one of the highlights of my life."

The article follows the journey of Howard, as a reknown television and film writer, eventually collaborating with his son, Peter, on the TimeLock screenplay - which became the basis for the book trilogy. Peter's son, Jordan, carried on the family legacy with his sci-fi time travel novel, also published by IngramElliott. 

“It's really another way of honoring my dad, in a sense; keeping the tradition alive,” Peter says of his own writing career.

No one except Jordan’s wife knew that he was writing a novel, until he presented Peter with a 300-page manuscript as a Father's Day gift in 2022. IngramElliott went on to publish that novel, The Timestream Verdict, and added to the Berk family legacy. 

The Millennium Paradox, the third installment in authors' Peter Berk and Howard Berks award-winning TimeLock series may involve a 'paradox' but it's no mystery why this series is beloved by readers - non stop action, a fun sense of humor, and lots of heart. 

Three years after releasing the award-winning sci-fi/action novel TimeLock – considered a “deftly crafted…compulsive page turner” by Midwest Book Reviews – IngramElliott Publishing will debut the much-anticipated second sequel,TimeLock 3: The Millennium Paradox, on July 24.

​Like its two predecessors, TimeLock and TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy, TimeLock 3: The Millennium Paradox was written by father and son Howard Berk and Peter Berk. An award-winning novelist and film and TV writer, Howard Berk’s credits include “Columbo,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Rockford Files,” and the feature film, “Target,” starring Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon. ​

Setting The Stage: TimeLock & TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy
The original TimeLock novel told the riveting story of 23 year-old Morgan Eberly, who’s not only wrongly convicted of murder but selected to be among the first to undergo the radical TimeLock process in which prisoners are instantly aged the number of years of their sentence. During a prison uprising, however, Morgan manages to escape halfway through his 40-year processing and joins forces with FBI agent Janine Price – and the two eventually team up both professionally and personally to bring down the deadly TimeLock program – a program pushed through by the future president of the United States, Myra Winters.
  
In TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy, we learn that now-President Winters has authorized the clandestine development of a new version of TimeLock’s cellular alteration process to be used on the battlefield in order to compromise enemy combatants. In a desperate attempt to stop the unhinged president, Morgan and Janine embark on a terrifying adventure that takes them from the nation’s capital to Japan and into the heart of Siberia. 

From The Page To The Screen?
Like the original TimeLock novel, TimeLock 3: The Millennium Paradox is based on a screenplay written by the late Howard Berk and his son Peter. The TimeLock screenplays, as well as First Line of Defense, a political murder mystery novel published late last year by IngramElliott and also available as a screenplay, are being represented by the Corvisiero Literary Agency, which is currently in contact with a wide array of film studios, television and streaming networks and independent producers to explore possible movie or television adaptations.

Guest post by IE Author M.M. Cochran
Title: Between the Ocean and the Stars (available in print and ebook from IE)

A conversation with my character, Sam Carter

Sam, you liked that one girl in grade school, and she was your girlfriend for one whole day! (No, that’s a good thing!) What was it about Georgia that drew you in? 
It was that time I saw her so passionate on the beach––the first time I laid eyes on her. And the second time? Well, she was standing in an abandoned lighthouse. How could I not love something about her? 

You went from West Virginia to Ophelia Island, FL. Tell me how big of a change that was for you.
Considering it was the summer right before college, I think it was crappy for my parents to uproot me. Can I say ‘suck’ in this interview? Can you delete that? Anyway, it was hot and humid, and definitely not the experience I was expecting.

Is love how you expected it to feel? 
Love? Yeah. I love her so deeply, so deeply it cuts into me. So no, it’s nothing like how I expected.

Give us a fun fact about yourself, Sam. 
Um, I once was so desperately lonely that I named my bicycle. Does that count? ​

What do you do in your free time? 
I like reading, taking bike rides, and mostly normal things. Not, like, stealing sailboats or sneaking into lighthouses and getting pushed into the backseat of a cop car. Actually, where’s Georgia? You should interview her instead. 

Our last question, Sam. I see you’re kind of sweaty, so we’ll make this quick. What is your goal? What drives you?
The short answer? Georgia. Making sure she’s safe. Making sure she’s protected. But I know she can handle herself. 

M. M. Cochran is an award-winning fiction writer from Greenville, South Carolina.  With an educational background in English and creative writing, she is currently a journalist for a daily newspaper.  Her debut novel, Between the Ocean and the Stars, is a Finalist in the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. IngramElliott published her follow up, an exciting suspense thriller, The Button Collector, also available in print and e-book from IngramElliott. 
​Connect with the author on Instagram @m.m.cochran_writer​

Guest post by IE Author Angela Glennon
​Title: Hungry (available in print and ebook from IE)

A conversation with my character, Cam

How did you and your best friend, Sulie, meet?
We must have been babies! I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know her. We grew up down the street from one another. I think our parents had us playing together before we could even walk. Sulie’s more than a friend; she’s family. 

So you’ve known each other forever. Have you always been close?
Yes. Nobody knows me better. We’ve been through it all together—first days of school and dealing with bullies and this one terrible summer camp that quite literally almost killed me! [Laughs] Sulie loves trying to embarrass me with that story, but I actually think it’s hysterical. And I could tell you some really funny Sulie stories too!

Oh! Go on, then.
Nah. [Chuckles.] It’s tempting, but no.

It must have been hard on both of you to lose her Grandma Nell.
Of course. Grandma Nell was like a grandmother to me too. But my grief was nothing compared to Sulie’s. It’s the hardest thing in the world to watch someone you care about unravel and feel like you can’t do anything to help.

But you did help Sulie, though, right?
Maybe. I hope I did, anyway. Grieving with Sulie and carrying out some of Grandma Nell’s last wishes with her actually helped me too.  

And you had your own problems at the time, didn’t you?
Well, I was graduating high school and trying to prepare for my career. I’m a dancer; I had a big audition to prepare for and some big performances to wrap up. Life doesn’t stop for grief. I tried to balance it all; I think Sulie understood.

That’s a good point. We all have to keep on keeping on. Do you have any advice for young people who experience a loss?
Well, I’m no expert, but something I’ve learned from all this is that it’s OK to not be OK for a little while. Lean on your people, ask for help if you need it, do whatever you have to do to just keep going because you really can move on after something bad happens. There’s always something good ahead. Always

Guest post by IE Author T.E. Lane
Title: JuJu Justice (coming this fall from IE)

A conversation with my character, Mama Moo

You live on a raft in the swamp. You mess around with voodoo and magic. People are scared of you. But my question is - what are YOU scared of?
That someday I'll have to make a choice that will kill me.

Wow, that sounds ominous. Can you elaborate and tell us more?
{Mama Moo spits tobacco]. Why don't you mind your own business.

How did you learn about voodoo?
From the dirt. From the wind. From the fire. From the water. From my ancestors.

I've heard that your son, Mister, sells potions at the market. What are they used for?
[Mama Moo spits tobacco juice in the dirt again and shrugs.] Cheating husbands, hungry gamblers, violent lovers, lonely widows. But mostly, folks want to cure a fix.

A fix? What's that?
A fix. A curse. Somebody whose put the juju on you.

Were you ever in love?
[Mama Moo stares at me for a very, very long minute.] Were you?

What's important to you?
You mean beside the dirt, the wind, the fire, and the water? Maintaining my power. Without personal power, you might as well be dead.