Hi Groupies! This week we are changing it up a little. The fantastic Stephen Zimmer is on the blog as an author interviewee. Stephen, as you may know, has been mentioned quite a lot on my podcast, Writer Groupie. He is a very inspiring author, and he's been my friend for a lot of years, and I am so happy to have him on Writer Groupie!
I did make a podcast for you below the interview, and yes, it HAS the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Now that it is December I can finally talk about it!

Official Bio: Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author and filmmaker
based in Lexington Kentucky. His work includes the cross-genre Rising
Dawn Saga, the epic fantasy Fires in Eden series, the sword and sorcery
Dark Sun Sawn Trilogy, featuring Rayden Valkyrie, the Harvey and Solomon
Steampunk tales and the Hellscapes and Chronicles of Ave short story
collections.

Share about yourself

I am just the kind of guy who keeps moving forward as best as I can. No one thing defines me, but there are a lot of things that are a big part of me. I have a love of writing, music, martial arts, travel, cars, and Kentucky bourbon! I do enjoy many modes of expression, whether it is playing the guitar, or going through a strenuos workout that challenges me, or writing a short story or novel.
I currently reside in Lexington, Kentucky, and am a proud Kentuckian. I work with Seventh Star Press, which includes the Imaginarium Convention and Star Chamber Show podcast, in addition to my author path.

Share about your work

Currently, I have books published in the fantasy, sword and sorcery, cross-genre, and horror genres, with some additional steampunk short stories in the amazing Dreams of Steam anthologies from Dark Oak Press.
My road started with The Exodus Gate, the first book of the cross-genre Rising Dawn Saga. Four of the seven novels in that series are available. My other major series is the Fires in Eden series, which is epic fantasy, ensemble cast, with three of the seven books in that series out.
I have a short story collection set in the world featured in the Fires in Eden series out called the Chronicles of Ave. I also have a colllection of horror short stories, the Hellscapes, with two volumes currently available. My heroic character Rayden Valkyrie , who first appeared in the Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword anthology in a short story, is now featured in a novel, Heart of a Lion, the first of the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy.

Tell us about your writing style

I would say that my writing style strives to be very visual or cinematic, in a manner of speaking. I strive to evoke imagery and convey the fantastical things of my own imagination in a way that the reader can make their own.
I write in third person, as I like to give a storyteller kind of perspective to a given tale, and make things known that the characters involved may not notice yet. I'm not ruling out doing something in first person, at some point, but I enjoy third person the most.

I also gravitate toward ensemble casts, as life involves ensemble casts. My Rayden Valkyrie tales are a bit of an exception to that, but she embodies so much, on so many levels, that I am pulled to spotlight her on her own.

What do you find challenging about the writing life?

The flood of content out there and the constant challenge of staying on the radar. With the advance of eBooks and self-publishing, it's the best and worst of times. There are no gatekeepers as in the past, but at the same time there is a tidal wave of content flooding out there and not all of it involves due diligence in terms of the process necessary of producing a quality title. When a reader gets burned on something that's just been thrown up there into the market (I.E. Essentially a first draft manuscript,