Interview with Author Roxanne Burkey & Author Charles Breakfield

Hello everyone, it’s time to take an author interview and today we have Author Roxanne Burkey & Author Charles Breakfield with us. We are interviewing them for their book series - "The Enigma Series".

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Ans. => Burkey- I had fun writing poetry and short stories as a teen, yet it was my technical career which drove me to the fictional framework of our stories today. 

Breakfield- When I entered the technology field I learned the power of words and effective writing in managing my team. When we worked together on writing projects we decided the back and forth worked like a champ to reach the end game.

2. How long does it take you to write this books?

Ans. =>The way we bounce our stories back and forth, in a manner we have termed “literary ping-pong”, it takes roughly eight months to take the tale from idea to click here to purchase. But, hey it is not the time it really is the end result of a fun story.

3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Ans. =>Over time the schedules have changed due to our respective careers. Burkey spends several hours early mornings working on chapters and edits, while Breakfield writes in between work times and a good portion of the weekends. Honestly, if the idea strikes or mood hits then the keyboard has no hope of escape.

4. What brought you to write this book series?

Ans. =>When we first discussed the story line and characters, Breakfield suggested a trilogy, but Burkey insisted on a series. Technology, a primary element of the series, is constantly changing so we always have new ideas of applying relevant technology use to fun story lines. People are also consuming technology in such different ways with the explosion of smart devices for all ages and all needs, we have no shortage of ideas to build the next tale. In fact,Breakfield is often asked at work “are you going to use this problem in your next story?”

5. How did you become a published author? Any inspiration?

Ans. =>Early on in our writing careers we must have decided to become storytellers based on how we arrived here. Burkey published many white papers during college with technology and human behaviour around technology which she then introduced to Breakfield. When the opportunity to craft two non-fictional technology works were offered, along with many courses and application documentation, we both explored these avenues. We liked the writing aspect, but for us the storytelling attribute was so compelling that we followed the “song of the sirens”. It’s really important to have fun with the stories, because if we do, then so will our readers. We wanted our stories out in the hands of people.For us with our professional careers, self-publishing is the right avenue today. Each book has its own flavour and that makes us work a bit harder so each story is fresh.Breakfield’smandate, which Burkey agrees with, is “how do we make it better”. We know each story gets better and our character universe gets richer.

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Ans. =>For us that’s an easy question. Breakfield and Burkey have worked in technology for many years and met an incredible array of characters. When you take the possibilities of technology, apply the people aspects of good, evil, humour, romance, fun, and competition, then sprinkle in travel with imagination the stories become real. After that we are simply taking dictation.  We have no shortage of ideas. We love to do deep research on our current books.  For instance, our current book working title for the 10^th story, The Enigma Source, is very top of mind since it is about crypto-currency and cyber-crime across the Dark Net. It is more about getting the time to put the stories together fast enough since we are both dedicated to our respective professional careers.

7. When did you write your first book and how old were you?

Ans. =>The first book we put together was non-technical and we were in our mid-forties, but white paper publishing began many years before that. If you count Burkey and her poetry, she published some at 15 albeit in the school and local newspapers.Breakfield actually began in high school as editor and writer for what turned into an underground newspaper much to the high school faculty consternation. Apparently, he has always been Avant-guard when it comes to writing/publishing.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Ans. =>Burkey really likes to travel, bake, garden, and hike when time permits to clear her head. Simone, her Doberman, insists on lots of walks too. Breakfield is a big fan of weekend motorcycle rides, wood working, travel abroad, and is a barbeque master par excel lance. They both like to find and visit wineries in their travels and see what the locals have created.

9. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?

Ans. =>Breakfield’s response is “well if you are going to ask that then let me retort with which one of your children or grandchildren do you like best?  I bet your stock answer is it depends upon who ticked me off last, right? Reviewer questioned “uh is he always like this?” Burkey’s response “No, sometimes he is normal but let me try and salvage this interview. Today the series holds 9 volumes. Each one holds a near and dear place for us. For example, The Enigma Factor, vol 1, focuses in identity theft and explores a man raised to be up to standards which differs from the general American population; The Enigma Gamers – A CATS Tale, vol 7, focuses on a spinoff from the main R-Group to a grittier team who must think on their feet to resolve the issues of those who bring them into their cities and businesses. Each story has a theme and we leverage many within our character universe to tell the story for that volume. To be honest, we are more interested in which ones our readers enjoy the most. Reader’s opinions are insightful and valuable for us.

10. What's next for you? What are you working on now?

Ans. =>We are working on a couple of things. When we won a recent short story contest on The Enigma Chronicles, it helped us determine a portion of the direction we wanted for The Enigma Source (working title). Getting everything out and available in Audible format is our biggest current focus. The challenges and, well, opportunities faced by the team from the R-Group as they are pitted against cyber criminals taking crypto currency to new levels. We actually explored a portion of bitcoin usage in The Enigma Factor before it became so very popular, but much of our position on this technology has been exploited by many. We are hoping this volume raises as many questions as answers for readers as they think about the possibilities.

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