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MFWG September 2026 Author Spotlight: Kristin Schmidt Larson

Writer: K. A. Meng
K. A. Meng
Sep 1
3 min read

I met Kristin Schmidt Larson through the Moorhead Friends Writing Group at a vendor show last year. She was open and kind. I'm excited to share her newest book Max the Traveling Cat.


Author Bio:

Kristin Schmidt Larson wrote Max the Traveling Cat, inspired by her real-life cat, Max. Max travels with Kristin across the Dakotas in her Jeep. Kristin loves to write about kindness, love, and, in this book, God’s constant care.

She founded Simple Kindness and believes that every act of kindness can change the world. She is the author of Rosalita Spreads Kindness and Traveling Caravan, Growing up Under the Big Top.


You can kind find Kristin:



Max the Traveling Cat is a heartwarming adventure about courage, curiosity, and discovering the world one pawprint at a time.


Max is no ordinary cat - he's a brave little traveler with a suitcase full of dreams and a heart ready for adventure. Max journeys across new places, meets unforgettable friends, and learns that home is not just a place... it's the love we carry with us.


Filled with imagination, kindness, and playful charm, Max the Traveling Cat inspires children to explore the world, embrace new experiences, and believe in the magic of every journey.


Perfect for young readers ages 5 to 9 years, families who love to travel, and anyone who believes adventure is always just around the corner.


Join Max as he packs his bags and discovers that the greatest adventures are the ones shared with those we love most.


Buy links:


All books are available at:

1 st Ave Market, Fargo, ND

The Novel Exchange, Bismarck, ND

National Day Calendar Store, Mandan, ND

Words to Live By, Moorhead, MN

Silver Dawn, Grand Forks, ND

Ddr, Watertown, SD

Witchwood Shoppe, Grand Forks, ND

Avera McKennan Gift Shop, Sioux Falls, SD


K.A.: Where did you get your idea for your book?

K: I travel through the Dakotas, from North Dakota to South Dakota, and into Iowa. When Max is with me, he always enjoys looking at the countryside, so I thought up this story on a trip in the summer months when the sunflower fields were in full bloom.


K.A.: What is your favorite character in your book and why?

K: Max, of course, is the star of the book. He gets lost, and it is scary for both him and Zoey.


K.A.: Is there any scene in your book based on real life? If so, what?

K: Yes, when we travel together in my old Jeep.


K.A.: Tell us about your artist. How do you find her?

K: I was talking to an acquaintance and mentioned I was looking for an illustrator for my first children’s book. She said she knew a fantastic artist who did illustrations. I reached out to her and we met for coffee. I mentioned the book and I just asked her to draw elephant.  and she drew such a beautiful elephant with no problems.

Maria Standing Bear is gifted with her Native American art but she can literally draw anything you ask her to. Her talent, she learned at a young age, watching her father as he was an artist.


I also dedicated Rosalita spread kindness in memory of her father.


Sneak peek is a bit hard to do with a picture book, but we'll make it work:

Children, do you want to hear the story about Max the Traveling Cat?

Max is no ordinary cat. He loves to travel, discover new places, and meet new friends. His heart is always ready for an adventure!

Max is kind, curious, and charming. He loves exploring the world and seeing what each new day

brings.


Would you like to join Max and discover where his adventures will take him?

This is the first series of Max the Traveling Cat.

Where will Max go in the second series?

We don't know yet—but one thing is certain:

It will be another wonderful adventure!

So, come along with Max...

The adventure is just beginning!


Definitely check out Kristin's book. It is on my TBR pile!

-K. A.

 
 
 

MFWG Author Spotlight: T.J. Fier

Writer: K. A. Meng
K. A. Meng
Aug 12
3 min read

Updated: Aug 29

I met T.J. Fier through the Moorhead Friends Writing Group, and I'm excited to read her newest book Vampires Are For Losers.


Author Bio:

Theatre professor by day and writer by night, T.J. Fier has released four novels, Vampires are for Losers, The Shadow of Tower Hill,  The Bright One and Ever Bright, the first two in her The Bright Series. Her other works include numerous short stories in several anthologies, including “EVP Session #454” in the September issue of Brilliant Flash Fiction, “The Hunt” in Tales From the Frozen North: A Winter Anthology, “Reindeer Games” in The Colour Out of Deathlehem, and “Hoarfrost” in Seasons in the Dark.

 

You can find links to all these books and more on T.J. Fier’s linktree:


Social Media Links:  



Life sucks for Kat, so when a group of drifters offers to take her pain away by making her a vampire, she figures, why not? She's got nothing left to lose. Becoming a vampire seems awesome until Kat discovers her new gang is being tracked by Vampire Hunters.


Azrael has one mission in life: to destroy every vampire that crosses his path. Working for an organization called the Disciples, he's on the search for the White Demon and his minions. When Azrael catches up with his prey, he doesn't hesitate to go to work until he meets Kat, a vampire more human than monster. Instead of destroying Kat, he takes her captive.


As Azrael transports Kat to the nearest Hunter safehouse, she stirs feelings in him that threaten everything he believes. For Kat, she's frightened Azreal might kill her any second, but damn, he's got one hell of an ass.


Buy Links:

I’m available wide, so I’ll share the big ones…

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/31w2Da


Also available at these bookstores:

Booked Eau Claire

1st Ave Books

Words to Live By

Eagle’s Nest (Valley City)

Witchwood

Silver Dawn

Chapter 2 Books


K.A.: Where did you get your idea for your book?


T.J.: I was sitting in technical rehearsal for a show, surfing some news articles, when the idea came to me. Then the characters came to me very soon afterward.

 

K.A.: What is your favorite character in your book and why?

 

T.J.: I really love my main character, Cat. She’s strong but messy, vulnerable and silly, and has lots of opinions.

 

K.A.: Is there any scene in your book based on real life? If so, what?

 

T.J.: Not really, since it’s about vampires. But, I often use places I’ve lived as the settings for my stories. I figure it was time to let Fargo shine.


K.A.: Where did you come up with the elevator pitch for your book? "She's a new vamp, enjoying the night life. He's on a mission to destroy all vampires. And when their worlds collide it's going to be a bloody good time."


T.J. : To be honest, I'm not sure where the elevator pitch came from. When I'm putting one together, I usually throw whatever ideas I have at the wall until something sticks.


K.A.: And that worked! I had a lot of fun telling our customers this book will be a "bloody good time."


Sneak Peek:

Firelight flickered among the warehouse ruins near Lake Calumet. 

 

Azrael stepped away from the crowd, surveying the wreckage, and pulled a vibrating cell phone from his pocket. “Sir?”

           

“How many?” 

           

The Commander’s resonant voice caused Azrael to stand at attention. “Six dead. Five men and one woman. Ages vary. All members of the local white nationalist group. They were dead before the fire started. The demon and his beasts are getting better at covering their tracks.”

           

“Leads?”

           

“A few but nothing solid.” He turned his back to the smoldering warehouse and flicked a speck of ash from his cheek. “I’m starting to see their pattern. They only attack once every few months, then lie low for a while. They stay on the move. Jump over multiple states before popping up again, then head into Canada or Mexico before another attack.”



Definately check out T.J.'s book. It is on my TBR pile.

-K.A.



 
 
 

MFWG April 2026 Member Spotlight: Noelle Jane Myers

Writer: K. A. Meng
K. A. Meng
Apr 1
3 min read

Updated: Aug 29

I've known Noelle Myers for years, and I'm happy to share the first book in The Amarynthian Heart Trilogy as a feature for the Moorhead Friends Writing Group author spotlight. I have yet to read it all of The Uprising, but I've read a few parts of the book over the years.


About the Author:

I dabble in several genres and love to try new ones as stories form

in my head. Food plays a fun part in all of my writing, and I also

have written 3 cookbooks(so far).


As the moderator of our local writers' group, I am privileged to hang

out with a group of really creative writers who have all helped me

grow my skills as a writer.


Besides writing, I love cooking, baking, candy making, photography,

and am a general craft-a-holic... I spend the long winters here in the

frozen tundra enjoying my hobbies, hanging out with my friends, and

watching old movies. I love to travel. Disney World, South Africa,

South Korea and Pensacola Beach are a few of my favorite places that I

have been.


Social Media Links:




There is far more to the scrawny street urchin Nadia than anyone suspects. When Prince Kieran crosses her path, he senses a hidden magic stirring beneath her ragged exterior. But he has no idea what kind of destiny he is about to unleash. Desperate to escape the capital and join the rebels rising against his ruthless stepsister, he blackmails Nadia into guiding him through treacherous lands where danger lurks at every turn.


It doesn’t take long for Nadia’s mysterious past to surface. The Elvish locket she guards and the strange dagger she carries whisper of a heritage unlike any other. And as her extraordinary power awakens, ancient beings, both creatures of light and shadow, emerge to either claim her, serve her, or destroy her.


But even within the stronghold of the rebel Fortress of Chriton, Nadia is not safe. Queen Moira’s dark influence spreads, hungry for the very power Nadia is only beginning to understand. War is coming, and this orphan girl stands at the heart of it.


To save their world, Nadia must do the impossible: unite Dragons, Fire People, humans, and all manner of mystical beings against the encroaching Darkness.


An unlikely heroine. A fractured world. And a destiny powerful enough to reshape it.


Author Interview:

K.A.M.: Where did you get your idea for your book?


Noelle: No idea, it was just there. Like most of my stories, they just happen as a brief idea, that when I sit down to write it, grows into what I eventually publish. ..


K.A.M.: What is your favorite character in your book and why? 


Noelle: Hmm.. I love my MCs for sure, but my favorite character in the series shows up near the end of this book.  I've spent years with these characters, and so I have a particular affection for them in this series.


K.A.M.:Is there any scene in your book based on real life? If so, what?


Noelle: Not really - although so many things take from real life, there are no wizards or dragons (unfortunately) in my real life.  But most authors take something from their lives, even just bits and pieces of personalities and situations and infuse them into their stories.


K.A.M.: What is the The Amarynthian Heart?


Noelle: You have to read it to find out.


Sneak Peek:

Nadia threaded her way through the busy marketplace, desperately trying to keep ahead of the angry militia officer chasing her. If she got caught this time, they would throw away the key. Assuming she survived the trial, that is. She glanced behind her and instantly regretted it. Her pursuer was right behind her. She was in so much trouble. The angry man swiped at her. Nadia twisted lithely away and scrambled between two apple carts. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as the burly officer snatched her out of the air mid leap.


Please check out Noelle's book: https://mybook.to/TheUprising


Thanks, K. A.

 
 
 

Contact:

Email me at kamengauthor@gmail.com

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