First, thank you for taking the time to sit down for this interview. Your journey as a writer is layered, emotional, and deeply human. Let’s start at the beginning.
For this author, the calling to write didn’t arrive as a single lightning-bolt moment; it revealed itself through experience. Over time, they discovered a love for words, stories, and the act of translating imagination onto the page. Self-described as “wordy,” they write what they love to read: murder mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, and horror. The joy comes from creating worlds and narratives that live first in the mind, then on paper. The biggest frustration? Procrastination. Like many creatives, staying on task often requires an external nudge, a reminder that discipline is just as important as inspiration.
That passion for storytelling has resulted in a growing body of work. The author’s first published book, Inspirational Verse for Those Who Hunger and Thirst, is a poetry collection written during a period of deep depression, when thoughts of suicide were very real. Writing became both survival and salvation. The poems reflect struggles with self-worth, grief, and spiritual searching, eventually leading the author back to their religious roots and the church. The collection was curated to honor their mother and grandmother and to give reverence to God.
Their second book, Value of Blood: A Thriller – The Price of Truth, began as a screenplay before being converted into a novel, giving it a cinematic, fast-paced feel that “reads like a movie.” A sequel, The Echo Protocol, is currently in progress and expected for release in late May or early June. These novels can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, while the poetry collection is available on Amazon.
Inspiration for these stories comes straight from life, particularly trauma. Both novels are rooted in the author’s experience following a devastating car accident involving their brother, which resulted in a coma and a traumatic brain injury. Spending a month and a half in the ICU reshaped how the author saw safety, vulnerability, and the fragility of life. The first novel explores the terrifying idea that the place you feel safest may be the most dangerous. The sequel draws from the ongoing reality of adjusting to a loved one’s “new normal,” memory loss, and caregiving, with support from the Head Injury Foundation. Rather than writing a memoir, the author chose to process these emotions through the lens of a murder mystery thriller.
Creatively, the author thrives between midnight and 5 a.m.—a rhythm shaped by years working overnight shifts as a Unit Clerk in the Cardiac ICU. Novels are written using screenplay software, first mapped out as camera shots and angles before being expanded with detail and depth. While the prep phase for their first novel took over six years, the actual writing, once momentum hit, took only six weeks. Current projects include another murder mystery and the adaptation of a stage play written over twenty years ago into a children’s book.
When asked about formative reading influences, the author cites Hurry Sundown by Katya Gilden as the first book that truly moved them emotionally. Favorite authors include Zora Neale Hurston and Octavia Butler. These days, however, most reading time is devoted to writing both poetry for The Inspired Poetry Corner and chapters of The Echo Protocol.
Rejection, while painful, hasn’t stopped them. After allowing space to grieve, frustration becomes fuel used to revise, improve, and move forward. Their advice to other writers? Be consistent. Show up. Consider self-publishing, protect your work, and always have a backup plan, especially when pitching for film or television.
Marketing remains the least favorite part of the process, but the author accepts it as a necessary evil. What sets their work apart is honesty, raw emotion translated into fiction, using storytelling as a way to cope, understand, and keep going.
As for the purpose? It’s still unfolding. But one thing is clear: they write for the love of the word—spoken and written, and that love continues to shape everything they create.
Find the author and their books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at
https://wwwartemiscraigbooks.com
