Welcome to Stella Atrium author of SufferStone: Book I of the Dolvia Sagahere with us today!So glad you could join us!
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Do you work another job when you are not writing?
I’m also adjunct professor at DePaul University where I developed a course on undocumented workers in America and/or taught existing
Freshman courses for six years. I enjoy working with the young people who keep me abreast of the new social media.
What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing?
I love to attend the ballet, especially the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. I believe my devotion comes form the fact that the ballet is mute. I
can take a break from words. Although when A Midsummer Night’s Dream was performed, I found myself mumbling the lines of poetry for each
scene. LOL
What is your favorite color? Why?
I love green. An artist friend once told me that green was the color
of balance.
What is your favorite season? Why?
I live in Chicago, so I get all the seasons here. I love Spring when
everything is fresh, but my real love is Autumn and the colorful
change.
If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?
We visited Greece before the unrest there. I would love to live in a
small village on the water. I would need an internet connection,
though.
If you could have any car, what would it be?
A Buick Skylark convertible, midnight blue with a beige leather
interior. You can tell I thought about this over time, right?
Tell us about your writing:
How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?
I’ve been writing since I was twelve, so that’s half a century.
(Thanks for reminding me). I could not find fantasy stories with
female characters to follow, so I started writing them.
How many hours a day do you devote to writing?
All of them. Maybe not at the keyboard, but always in my head.
Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?
Sometimes the otherworld goes flat and starys that way for months at a
time. But there are a few good tricks to inflate the worldview. I
write in the morning and stop at 1 pm to run errands and garden.
Is there some place special you like to be when you write? Do you
listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?
I like complete silence. My head belongs in the other world, so noise
only draws me back to the immediate.
Tell us about your book:
What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone
novel? SufferStone is Book I of the Dolvia Saga. However, any of my
stories can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Where did the idea come from? How long did it take to write? 
The planet story takes place on the savannah of Dolvia which is a desert
planet. I was inspired by many stories that I read or saw in movies.
I started writing the series in the 1980s, and now 3 books are ready
for publication in 2012.
What is it about?
SufferStone synopsis:On Dolvia the women of the savannah serve under
the burka, but Kyle Le was denied that covering by tribal leaders.
Only her gift of second sight and the mortgage on her father’s land
protects her and her three sisters.
Working alongside Brian Miller from Earth, who manages a textile
factory, and the warrior Cyrus, she labors against the mining
enterprise that robs the savannah of its mineral wealth and leaves the
tribes with only the scarred and suffering land.
Your other work:
Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that
have been published?
HeartStone synopsis: (due out in June 2012) On Dolvia’s unforgiving
savannah, a chance meeting between stubborn and surefooted Dr.
Greensboro, an Earth-born research doctor, and the abandoned boy
soldier Karlyhi sets into motion a series of events that change the
tribal structure, even as Dr. Greensboro’s eff orts may increase the
opportunities for the veiled women of one tribe.
When Dr. Greensboro catches Karlyhi abusing Brianna, an orphan who is
used by everybody but valued by nobody, the doctor is forced to banish
Karlyhi from her bush clinic. How could she foresee that Karlyhi and
Brianna will turn against her colonial mindset, no matter how hard she
tries to prove that she labors for their best interests?
Where can readers connect with you? There’s a popular OpenSalon blog
at http://open.salon.com/blog/satrium/popularity
Website & Blog: http://stellaatrium.com/
Twitter: @SAtrium
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13284251-sufferstone
Where can we buy your books? Look on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles,
KoboBooks, and other distributors.Amazon:
