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Lamurulum (Merlyn) Saï 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Lâmurülum (Merlyn) Saï. I am a phenomenologist. I’ve written about 7 books but published 2 books and 1 dissertation. I’m fascinated with optimizing human potential by awakening authentic self-awareness. Although I’ve loved the Bible, Christian history, and scriptural interpretation began in early childhood, I remain non-theistic, non-Christian, and sees the Bible as an allegory. My published research has offered insights into how sex, spirit, and self are interrelated in the Christian experience. I demonstrated how this interrelation impacts and enriches transcendent personal growth for young adults.

My work in stress management and personal enrichment has ranged from massive medical organizations, working with hundreds of employees to improve patient experience and employee engagement. I’ve designed employee engagement seminars for multi-billion-dollar medical foundations in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2014 to 2016. I’ve also aided smaller Silicon Valley companies with groundbreaking technology and massive goals. In these instances, I provided individual spiritual counseling and enhanced group cohesion.

I find balance in working outdoors with trees in old-growth forests. This helps me explore and understand the human experience in the natural world. I currently moonlight as an arborist and spend weeks in the wilderness to detox from city life and improve his approach to transcendent human development.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Hey God, Wake the F*ck Up!” It was inspired by my 2019 research into spiritual, sexual, and religious experiences of young adults. I learned that a lot of young adults (18-35) and former believers are disillusioned with the self-help, religious, and spirituality circuit. With this book, I’m reaching out to them. I know that their concerns make sense. There are many issues with faith, philosophy, religion, spirituality, and even science that are valid and can be addressed. It starts with an honest dialogue about who we are and what we can do. This book is for those ready to create authentic meaning and purpose in their own lives.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I use pejoratives.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name… I love ancient works like the Corpus Hermeticum and Pythagorean writers like Iamblichus. The ancient Greek philosophers like Plato are divine. I also love Philo of Alexandria. More modern writers include William Blake, Emmerson, Neville Goddard, Ayn Rand, Carl Jung, Thomas Troward, Anton LaVey, Laura Day, and many more still living.

What are you working on now?
The books to follow “Hey God, Wake the F*ck Up!” I am planning to create a series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
YouTube, Amazon.com, Awesome Gang

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write it, edit it, release it, and keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“All that we behold, though it appears without, it is within. In our own imagination of which this world is but a shadow.” William Blake

What are you reading now?
C. S. Rafinesque – “The American Nations…” 1836
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Others…

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promotion, interviews, webinars, more books.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Corpus Hermeticum/The Holy Bible, The Satanic Bible (Anton LaVey), The Neville Reader (Neville Goddard), The Virtue of Selfishness (Ayn Rand)

Ok, I cheated with the Hermetic/Bible but… they might as well be the same book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lamurulum (Merlyn) Saï Website
Lamurulum (Merlyn) Saï Amazon Profile

 

Sally Brandle 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Multiple-award winning author Sally Brandle weaves slow-burning romance into edgy suspense, motivating readers to trust their instincts. Growing up as a tomboy alongside helpful brothers prepared her to work in a male-centric industry (wholesale food service sales) and raise respectful sons. She takes pride in creating action-packed stories featuring strong women who find men deserving of their love. Her unintentional heroines conquer their vulnerabilities and partner with heroes to outwit cunning villains in her three traditionally published books. She penned her fourth book, Sapphire Promise, the enhanced memoir of her friend, Iris. This story presented a challenge to stay true to her idyllic life while portraying the colonial aspect of 1938 Batavia, Java, in a sensitive manner. Research and consultations with a variety of experts proved invaluable. Photos bring the world to life. Sally’s rescued Tuxedo cat, Shepherd dog, and Blue Heeler are her companions during long spells of writing or bouts of tormenting weeds in her garden. Afternoons she often spends riding on the wind with her thirty-one years young Quarter Horse.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Sapphire Promise” tells the true story of an amazing friend. We met while volunteering together at the Seattle Art Museum. How can you not ask more questions when you learn that the elegant, pristinely dressed older woman standing beside you once rode her horse through an Indonesian jungle with a pet monkey! After the Japanese invasion of WWII, her ability to speak five languages and limited nursing training landed her in the position of internment camp and hospital interpreter. English was the common language. Ninety percent of the book is true. As the book took place eighty years prior, we needed to fabricate a few scenes for flow. The book has been lauded as inspirational, historically accurate, and uplifting.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often hammer out plot issues while swimming.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I enjoy Jayne Ann Krentz. Her less-than-perfect characters and witty dialogue hook me every time.

What are you working on now?
I’m deliberating which book to edit and offer to my acquiring editor from my publishing company. I have three more books written in the Love Thrives in Emma Springs series, and can’t decide which one to pick.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For the series books, I need to work with my publisher to get my book free or discounted. Then I begin booking ads with my own money to get the word out. Awesome Gang is at the top of the list.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take classes and listen to successful authors for tips on making your book shine. Then, implement their suggestions in your book, let it sit for a week, and re edit before you send it to a professional editor. Editing takes me nearly twice as long as writing the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You aren’t getting any younger, get publishing!

What are you reading now?
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendri. Writing Sapphire Promise gave me insight into how the colonial attitude is still prevalent today. It is based on policies.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to finish the book for my publisher, then write how my grandmother emigrated from Ireland in 1902, worked for a very wealthy family, and left a stack of postcards and a diary which shed light on her challenging life. She died when Mom was ten, so I never met her.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d want a big notepad to write and sketch on, 1492-The Year the World Began, The Bible-probably a student’s edition, and a boat building book!

Author Websites and Profiles
Sally Brandle Website
Sally Brandle Amazon Profile

Sally Brandle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Desiree Young 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in southeast Wisconsin, and I have always had a love for writing. Books, blogs, and poems are my usual mediums. I write because that is how I make sense of the world around me. It’s a bridge between God and I, and I want to bring others on that bridge. I have written and published 2 books so far with more in the works. The first, Kaleidoscope A Journey to Hope, is a fiction novel about human trafficking told from the point of view of four trafficked girls trying to get out and restart their lives. The second is a nonfiction book on mental health and faith titled, Winning the Silent Battle Exposing 8 Lies Hindering Your Mental Health.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Winning the Silent Battle Exposing 8 Lies Hindering Your Mental Health, is part memoir, part self help book. The book is about some of the lies that I believed that kept me trapped in mental illness. I share about how my faith helped me heal, as well as some practical truths that I learned. My book focuses on perfectionism, anxiety, and self injury ideation. I also touch a bit on addiction.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to have a cup of tea while I write. Sometimes I have music or a movie as background noise. My cat likes to sit on my lap while I write, and I miss her when she isn’t there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors: Kris Vallotton, Lisa Bevere, John Bevere, Sheri Rose Shepherd, Patricia Rushford
Books: Not for Sale, Lioness Arising, Poverty, Riches & Wealth, Honors Reward

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a blog, YouTube channel (speak91-R.I.S.E.), and a children’s book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook so far

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Your story matters.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Finish the rough draft, then edit!

What are you reading now?
Proverbs, the Complete Works of Van Gogh

What’s next for you as a writer?
Build consistency with everyday writing

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Poverty, Riches & Wealth, the Complete Works of Van Gogh

Author Websites and Profiles
Desiree Young Website
Desiree Young Amazon Profile

Desiree Young’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

D. David Croot 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written fifteen hundred novels and novelettes in my time. Precious prosody go wrist in sleight of hand with the poem that floods then ebbs and then fifty years fly on by…OH the furore of flights of fantasy I have seen! For I appear to be eternal you see. Do not quake no do not shiver, for I do not ask for cherished cashola just that you read my cherished works with the greats in mind, for I have met them all. Dostoevsky (hates cheese), my GOD! Knut Hamsun (Gotta love his bedtime stories) Alberto Moravia (what a whore) Charles Bukowski (he sure did not like me lingering around him), Louis Ferdinand Celine (after the first ten minutes, proved to be a real conversationalist) August Strindberg (slap me right in the kisser but didn’t spit on my brown brogues, sweet mercy), Yukio Mishima ( I tried to talk him out of it) Hermann Hesse (did not like me referring to him as ole fairy cheeks in the company of widows especially).
-Follow the Feeling
-Twenty-first mankind blues (my favourite)
-The lovers (bonkers but new to literature)
-The general pointlessness of being (Coming of age written unlike anybody else)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am in the process of finishing a novel about time. The fairytale, the myth, the man (working title).
There are life’s ebbs and flows, part poetry, part prosody. Recurring motifs recycling themselves into new and intricate ways. It near enough sent me insane. Think Kobo Abe Kafka-esque dreams…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am always attempting to quit.
I’d rather live a different life where I could use my limited resources (the mind and my wilting knees) to be financially free. Work then retire. Alas I struggle with the minds compulsions. I am drawn back in and overcome with the knowledge that this is pretty much the only thing I can do. I am nothing else ( I have made a really bad movie) I love travelling across Europe and walking up mountains, waiting for my rapid heart beat to revive then fall on down life’s scenic views…
but all I really wanna do is sit down, drink copious amounts of coffee, dig right into the heart and spread those Icarus wings towards the red setting sun.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All the dead ones:
Knut Hamsun – Pan, mysteries,
Alberto Moravia- Boredom and contempt
Charles Bukowski – anything really.
Louis Ferdinand Celine – Journey to the end of the night
Herman Hesse, Yukio Mishima, Dostoevsky (hate spelling this legends name), Steve Tesich (Karoo is sublime), Strindberg and Baudelaire’s spirit lives on through me in a weird way.
and probably a fuck tonne more!

What are you working on now?
After I had gone insane I quickly dashed off another novel I am yet to re-read that takes the piss out of all culture, all ways of life but none more harsher than he is on himself, (which rings true for all human beings). For me this is the kind of book I’d like to read from another. again, I am yet to read it back through…could be rather shite!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I only wish I knew. I am poor. I crave readers more than money. so….yeah, wish I knew.
If anybody finds any feel free to email me Ddavidcroot@gmail.com.
I will pay you with my novels nobody reads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you can do something else. do ittttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!
Self inflicted torture, mutilation of the dog-bollocks rotting soul takes its toll!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try.

What are you reading now?
Japanese literature. Just finished Rashomon and seventeen other stories.
Gonna learn about Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard
maybe some Chinese literature.

What’s next for you as a writer?
multitudinous attempts at pushing back the day of reckoning upon oneself!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’m afraid I would not bring a book or trois!
I’d bring sexy lesbians!
just so I could watch their show again and again and again.
rejections already my hearts home but I’d enjoy their splendour!

Author Websites and Profiles
D. David Croot Website
D. David Croot Amazon Profile

D. David Croot’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Boshra Rasti 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Boshra Rasti was raised in British Columbia, Canada and works as an expatriate teacher in Qatar. She received a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Royal Roads University, which proved a fateful blow to her belief in anything hierarchical. However, it did spark her desire to flee from the real world and start writing about other ones. When she is not working to earn a living, she enjoys the escape that reading and writing lend her. She also enjoys physical running, even if it is of the sadistic variety in Qatar.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Surrogate Colony was inspired by a Cyberpunk workshop I attended at my local writing club. I had to write a monologue for a character that lived in a dystopian world. The result: Adriana Buckowski who is the unusual and fierce main character of Surrogate Colony.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than procrastinating by making elaborate dishes, like cabbage rolls and Blackforest cake (not in the same dish), I don’t.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Former Soviet Block writers tantalize me. I believe the creative spirit when brushing up against its own annihilation becomes a force that nothing can squelch, not even the most fearful of dictators.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the sequel and prequel of Surrogate Colony.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads is. I hope they aren’t affiliated in any deep way with Amazon…I have a few choice words…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. Breath it, feel it, rip it up, through a book across a room…but still write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
So what? Every time you write a paragraph, ask yourself…so what?!

What are you reading now?
What Feeds the Heart by Daryl Glinn-Tanner

What’s next for you as a writer?
Don’t give up. Keep on honing my craft. Look up; things are bigger than right now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably books that are going to make me feel better about being on a desert island. That means stories of doom and gloom.
“One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
“Man’s Search for Meaning”

Author Websites and Profiles
Boshra Rasti Website
Boshra Rasti Amazon Profile

Boshra Rasti’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Catherine Green 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author of British paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels, I was raised on books from a young age and has happy memories of Saturday mornings spent in my small local library, devouring the contents of the shelves. I have always been fascinated by the supernatural world, and it feels natural for me to write about vampires, werewolves, witches and other mystical creatures in my contemporary stories.

More recently, I released contemporary English Gothic novel, Vampire of Blackpool. These novels will show you the darker, sexier side of our favourite British seaside resorts! I am currently working on a new series of novels featuring vampire hunters that work in and around Manchester and the North West of England.

Known as SpookyMrsGreen: The Pagan Housewife, I run a pagan lifestyle blog chronicling my adventures in mothering and magic, with a series of non-fiction books to follow, when I find time to write them!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Return of the Vampire Hunter, part of my growing vampire hunter series of novels. It was inspired by a short story I wrote (but never published) about a bored housewife who meets a vampire and how the experience changes her forever.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I do tend to daydream about my writing projects while out walking the dog, and I have been known to walk into hanging baskets and lampposts because I am away in my fantasy world, writing in my mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laurell K Hamilton has been a huge influence with her Anita Blake series, but my first introduction was the Nightworld series of books by L.J. Smith. They showed me a world that I had dreamed about but never found in my library, and from there I discovered a whole new genre of novels. Back then they were simply labelled ‘paranormal’ in the bookshops. I moved on to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles after that and my creative juices began to flow.

What are you working on now?
I am now working on Book 6 in my Redcliffe Novels series set in Cornwall, England. This is the final instalment in the box set and will finish what we started with our heroine Jessica Stone in Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). Book 1. These books have been a passion project and were a work in progress from the late 90s up until I got published in 2011. Our innocent human woman has awakened as a witch and proved more than a match for her vampire and werewolf companions, and she will save the men she loves and protect her pack from the enemy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still searching for that Holy Grail! For a while I found Instagram a good tool but it was short-lived and needs a lot of work. There is no quick fix.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write the damn book! I get so hung up on sales and marketing that I forget where I started in the first place. My books are truly my babies and I continue to amaze myself at the stories that appear from nowhere when I write. This is my passion and it makes me feel good, so I will keep on doing it because I have to. I would whither away without my writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the damn book! People will give you advice from all arenas, whether they work in publishing or not (mostly not) and because there are so many possibilities they cannot all work for everyone. We have to find our own way and our own methods.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a book about Karuna Reiki for my day job, and the fourth novel in the Shogun Quartet by Lesley Downer, The Samurai’s Daughter.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Oh, lots of projects. Finish the box set for the Redcliffe Novels and relaunch them with some updates and fresh content. Finish the sequel to Vampire of Blackpool. Finish a few more manuscripts in my vampire hunter series. That should keep me busy for a while!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Some huge coffee table books! Perhaps a couple of books about witchcraft and ghosts, and then a couple of fiction favourites. I can’t decide which ones.

Author Websites and Profiles
Catherine Green Website
Catherine Green Amazon Profile
Catherine Green Author Profile on Smashwords

Catherine Green’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kathleen Kelly 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kathleen Kelly is a USA Today Best Selling Author and was born in Penrith, NSW, Australia. When she was four her family moved to Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Although born in NSW she considers herself a QUEENSLANDER!!

She married her childhood sweetheart and they live in Toowoomba.

Kathleen enjoys writing contemporary, romance novels with a little bit of steam. She draws her inspiration from family, friends and the people around her. She can often be found in cafes writing and observing the locals.

Currently I have out 25 books with many more planned.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spark of Redemption.
It’s a band of brothers series. This one follows the youngest in the MacKenny family and I loved the idea of following brothers in a series to see where they would end up. I am part of a large family with six sisters and two brothers and we couldn’t be more different. I wanted to explore this in a series. It is not based on my family but more on the complexities of relationships between siblings and how I wish my own family was closer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m at home I need silence. No music, no TV, absolute silence.
But I write more words if I am in a cafe with all the hustle and bustle around me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood.
For an Independent Author it would have to be MariaLisa DeMora, she is a true wordsmith.

What are you working on now?
Book 2 in my Grinders series. It’s called Curtis: The Grinders Book 2.
It’s based around a bass guitarist in a rock band. He’s a hopeless romantic who is forever getting married and getting taken to the cleaners as he never gets to sign a pre-nup. Curtis is a gorgeous character with a lot of love to give but he’s forever picking the wrong ones and it’s not until he finds himself that he realizes he doesn’t need a woman to make him whole.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own newsletter is gold for promoting myself. These are normally “real” fans who want to know more about me and whenever I send out a newsletter, I sell more books.
Red Feather is a paid promotions company and always does well for me.
BookBub IF you can get one and I haven’t for a long time.
Lastly, Facebook for paid advertising.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, publish, repeat.
Keep going.
Surround yourself with a group of like-minded authors who can offer advice, support and encouragement.
Not everyone is going to like your book and that’s okay, I’m sure you don’t like everything you read.
Don’t be a douchebag to other Authors, NEVER leave less than a 5 star review on someone else’s book. If you don’t like it, don’t review it.
Be nice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing the book is easy.
The hard part is marketing the book, learn how to do it all.

What are you reading now?
Prize by LV Lane. Her first one, Prey, was VERY good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep going.
To finish all my series this year and then start new projects.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Lover Eternal by JR Ward
Alace Sweets by MariaLisa DeMora
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Savage Stalker by Kathleen Kelly – ME

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathleen Kelly Website
Kathleen Kelly Amazon Profile

Kathleen Kelly’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ian Price 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in New York, growing up there before moving to Massachusetts in order to attend Harvard University’s prestigious weekend bartending course. I was also an English Minor at Brandeis and did a bit of creative writing there. However, I’ve recently had enough spare time to write my first full-length novel. I now look forward to my next project, raising a newborn daughter alongside my wonderful wife.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s a Cyberpunk Action-Adventure called “Dystopia’s Edge”. I love thriller novels that can be read for fun as a kind of beach read. I also love the Cyberpunk genre because it can convey themes of how advancements in technology don’t always coincide with advancements in the human condition.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My wife goes to bed about an hour before I do. For about a year, I decided to try creative writing in that block of time rather than playing video games. It appears that I’ve now written a novel.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t speak highly enough of the works written by Candice Millard. Her historical narratives detailing the lives of Theodore Roosevelt and James A. Garfield are simply outstanding.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got another novel in the works. But with a baby on the way, that’s might take a back seat until my daughter gets on a normal sleep schedule

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I got a lot of love on the Cyberpunk subreddit and various Cyberpunk Facebook groups. In my case, it helps to connect with fans of my genre.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Put in the time. Nobody is going to do that for you. And you can only learn by doing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keith Richards once said at one of his concerts, “It’s good to see everybody! Heck, it’s good to see anybody!”

What are you reading now?
“Nation” by Terry Pratchett. I would highly recommend. It’s always interesting to go through his works unrelated to the Discworld franchise.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A lot of diaper changes. Plus some more scifi action once I get a handle on those.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d take 3 photo albums of my family, because I’d miss them all greatly. Plus maybe “Watchmen” by Alan Moore.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ian Price Website
Ian Price Amazon Profile

Ian Price’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Rick Clements 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author of 35 non-fiction and novels.
For the past thirty years, Rick Clements has worked directly with the people designing everything from immortal cows to killer robots to the perfect bagel. He is the former President of Solution Specialists, a consulting company dealing with the development and deployment of new technologies. Rick is a widely published author of non-fiction works explaining the implications and application of new technologies. Today he is working on a series of mystery novels that highlight the new world being developed by organizations and groups working in secret. He has also traveled extensively and spends his free time exploring deep space from the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, scaring older people with his drone overflights, and is an active participant in a program of bio-engineering to extend his lifespan to at least 120 years.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Revenge on a Cruel World – inspired by a deep-dive into the world of cryptocurrency and the people building Web 3.0. Can regular people build their own form of government out of thin air. Yes, but this book deals with the consequences.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write one chapter a day. That’s it. Then it’s off to do something else.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books such as Unsettled Science, How to Survive the Titanic, The Important Things, The Big Short, and a lot of Clive Cussler’s work.

What are you working on now?
Revenge of the Sex Robots. A follow up on The Sexual Assistant, where we explore the moral and ethical questions of a sex robot with synthetic intelligence.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Lots. Keep writing, write what you know and experience, keep it fun.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“In the battle between platitudes and physics, physics is undefeated.”

What are you reading now?
Blockchain Wars

What’s next for you as a writer?
More travel, more books written.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Basic Survival Manual
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
The Kiss that Saved the World, by me

Author Websites and Profiles
Rick Clements Website
Rick Clements Amazon Profile

Rick Clements’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

nathan john 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So I’m a bit of a mixed bag really, Wolverhampton (England) born and raised before spending a few years in the Army, growing up and trying to find my place in the world. The army was a great period in my life, I learned some amazing disciplines that serve me well today, but the most valuable lessons were more to do with finding out who I am.

I am the archetypal late bloomer, not great in school but ok now, not great in the Army (until the second half of my career) and not a millionaire…

I’ve tried loads of different things and through years of trial and error have discovered what makes me most happy, it’s summarized better than I ever could by Maya Angelou’s grandmother who said:

“When you learn, teach, when you get give…”

I’m far from perfect, I’m still trying to maximize my opportunities, push my limits and help as many people along my journey as possible.

Life is short so make sure you do something that makes it worth it!

If we meet, say hello! I’m pretty easy going and I love coffee – especially if there’s a piece of cake to go with it!

I live and breathe the philosophy of

RELENTLESS PERSISTENCE.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest work is called HACK: Yourself. It’s all about putting the personal back into personal development. I’ve got alot to say about that, I even did a TED talk!

The inspiration came from a bit of self analysis and realising that my own personal development while serving in the military, wasn’t really that personal, it was serving the organisation much like every other organisation in the world.

HACK: Yourself is there to redress this balance and targets the very personal and individual issues including, time management, self-esteem, criticism, and mindset to name but a few. There are 8 modules in total.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have a specific writing time or place. I don’t force the writing process, I write when I feel ready to. This approach doesn’t make for the most timely outputs, but it does mean my writing remains a pleasure and is done while i’m in the best frame of mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classics…
Robert Kyiosaki, Paulo Cohello, Jim Rohn, Simon Sinek, George Orwell im addicted to the self improvement genre.

What are you working on now?
I’m super excited to be working on a book that will disrupt the way we think about MBA’s. I can’t say too much other than to say that if you read this book, you’ll get $50’000 worth of content for less than $20!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Being as personal as possible. I like to connect with people and while a website is good, social media is great! I use Instagram and Facebook mainly.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enjoy writing, write the book you want to read and make sure your putting all of you in your work. Be unapologetically you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s better to be reigned in than pushed forward

What are you reading now?
George Orwell’s 1984. I like to read his classics once or twice a year.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Learning more about my genre and producing ever-improving work for my readers. I’d like to inspire others to write too, it’s important because everything we write is a marker in history for generations in the future to understand a bit about how we lived during our time on this beautiful planet.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Paulo Cohello – The Alchemist
George Orwell – Animal Farm
Ray Mears – The Survival Handbook

Author Websites and Profiles
nathan john Website
nathan john Amazon Profile

nathan john’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Kushagra Nag 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kushagra Nag is a second-year student of Delhi University, Ramjas College, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Political Science Honours. She has interned with India Vision Foundation, an organization established by Ramon Magsaysay Winner, Dr. Kiran Bedi. She is a passionate writer, writing poetry from the early age of 13.

She loves to participate in all literature-related events and is also a very active member of the literary society of her University. She loves to read both books and people. She is always on the lookout for insightful talks with new individuals. She altogether has a very witty and endearing persona.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
UNBOXING THE BETTER YOU, helping people after the Pandemic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Animal Farm by George Orwell and ‘7 ‘o’ clock’ by Enid Blyton.

What are you working on now?
To join civil services and work for the upliftment of the underprivileged and the betterment of society.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://unboxing-the-better-you.mailchimpsites.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Will share in the Interview.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Kushagra Nag Website

Alex Bentley 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written four books and in what will be a ten part series. It may be longer, if any ‘side quests’ suggest themselves!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Beneath Skeerjen’s Tower. It is the fourth in my Glyst Saga. The series itself was inspired by a love of epic fantasy, superheroes and Dungeons & Dragons.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up at 5am, so I can write before work.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Peake, Moorcock, and Le Guin.

What are you working on now?
Book Five of the Glyst Saga. No title, yet!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m hopeless at this sort of thing!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make time for writing. Schedule it, like you’d schedule any piece of work in your day job.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you’re not feeling it, the reader won’t feel it.

What are you reading now?
An autobiography of Marvin Gaye.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, I’ll sell enough copies of Books One to Four to allow me to publish Books Five to Ten, and complete the Glyst Saga.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Complete Gormenghast.
The Wizard of Earthsea
The Lord of the Rings

Author Websites and Profiles
Alex Bentley Website
Alex Bentley Amazon Profile

Alex Bentley’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Megan Smith 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am currently a first grade teacher and someday I’m going to turn all the crazy, funny things they do and say into a book. While still gathering material for that one, I decided to write down all the stories of magic and romance bouncing around in my head. So far, I have written five novels and two holiday novellas.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
One Enchanted Evening is my latest book and is a spinoff of my first series, Blackstar Guardians. It’s a historical and focuses on the Oaken, a group of magical humans. When the ideas for these stories came to me, I kept picturing them in an elegant world of carriages and gaslight, where magic and the hunt for artifacts went hand in hand. Their stories are tied to events that happen in the contemporary series so it’s been a lot of fun exploring the past.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hhmmm, good question. I don’t think they’re too unusual. Atmosphere helps me a lot when writing. I’ll play music that matches the mood of a scene I’m writing, glance through a pinterest board I’ve created, light a candle. Having the right environment really helps the words flow more easily onto the page.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lynn Kurland did a series of romantic fantasy books that I re-read every year. She has a way of crafting characters who fall in love so gently that it makes me sigh happily each time I read their story. Historicals with humor or magic and light paranormals. Anything that sweeps me away from the everyday and leaves me feeling lighter and satisfied at the end of it really inspires me in my own writing.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next Blackstar Guardians book, Willow Bellator’s story, which will hopefully be out in early spring.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Sites like this one have worked well for me. From there, word of mouth has been the best way for others to hear about my books. One reader said she gave the series to her mother, another said she recommended it to her reading group.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get discouraged if your first draft (or second or third!) doesn’t turn out the way you want. I re-wrote my first book several times until I was satisfied with the world I’d created and the characters who lived in it. Keep refining and keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write something every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a word, a sentence or a chapter. Just write every day.

What are you reading now?
Vintage regency romance anthologies. I have sets of them from Zebra and Signet that I love to re-read every year.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing Willow’s story, I have the next Oaken book percolating in my head as well as a Christmas story.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s an almost impossible question! Princess of the Sword, Stardust of Yesterday, A Christmas Delight and Four in hand. I never get tired of reading them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Megan Smith Website
Megan Smith Amazon Profile

 

Kushagra Nag 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Kushagra Nag is a second-year student of Delhi University, Ramjas College, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Political Science Honours. She has interned with India Vision Foundation, an organization established by Ramon Magsaysay Winner, Dr. Kiran Bedi. She is a passionate writer, writing poetry from the early age of 13.

She loves to participate in all literature-related events and is also a very active member of the literary society of her University. She loves to read both books and people. She is always on the lookout for insightful talks with new individuals. She altogether has a very witty and endearing persona.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
UNBOXING THE BETTER YOU, helping people after the Pandemic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Animal Farm by George Orwell and ‘7 ‘o’ clock’ by Enid Blyton.

What are you working on now?
To join civil services and work for the upliftment of the underprivileged and the betterment of society.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://unboxing-the-better-you.mailchimpsites.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Will share in the Interview.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Kushagra Nag Website

Mary Hallberg 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing as long as I could hold a pen, and I’ve written at least a dozen novels and novellas — many of which have never seen the light of day and never will.

I write mostly horror and thrillers. I grew up watching TV shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark and The New Detectives in the 1990’s. I’ve always been drawn to dark things like that.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s a thriller called The Wolff, and it was inspired by cases like the West Memphis Three that cause a huge explosion of publicity and controversy — and the way people respond to these tragedies, especially in today’s era of mass media.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes I’ll write a sentence or two at a time in between playing video games.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot of early Stephen King books as well as the Harry Potter books. Such cliches, I know, but they’re popular for a reason.

What are you working on now?
Several different things, but mostly a supernatural thriller I hope to have out by next year

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
maryhallbergmedia.com or my YouTube channel, which is just under my name

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Be observant.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘take things one day at a time’

What are you reading now?
I just finished rereading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a classic children’s book

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully lots of new books coming in the next few years

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Merciless series by Danielle Vega

Author Websites and Profiles
Mary Hallberg Website
Mary Hallberg Amazon Profile
Mary Hallberg Author Profile on Smashwords

Mary Hallberg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

C.H. Reece 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a new author. Like most, I was completely unsure of myself and really don’t know what to do. Well, that part hasn’t changed much. I still don’t know what I’m doing. It’s all a little overwhelming at times. I am from Utah. Yep, the Mormon state. And, No, I am not a sister wife….. lol. I have completed 2 books and have one ongoing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am currently working on the 3rd book in my series. “ Witch’s Link—The Matriarch and the Alpha”.
What inspired me?
Well, I dreamt the first two books. They used to be one book, but I was told my chapters were too long, so I made it into two books.

I had an amazingly vivid dream that woke me up in the wee hours of the morning, actually compelled to scribble it all down. That was over 15 years ago. When I finished writing it down, I thought I got it out of my system. I put it away and several years later, there was a flood in my home. The notebook was misplaced during the packing and replacing of items.

Just before Covid-19, I started reading a lot of romance, fantasy, erotica books, and it dawned on me that I had written a book, or at least the mad scribbles of one. When I went looking for the notebook, I couldn’t find it anywhere. But, the majority of the dream was etched into my mind, and I found myself scribbling into another notebook. I added a few things to fluff it up a bit. I spent most of the year writing in more detail, tweaking here and there. Always finding something I needed to change or elaborate on. It kind of has a life of its own and consumes the majority of my time. But, I think it will be worth it in the end.

The third book’s inspiration was just to complete the story. Give a why to it all. It has to start somewhere.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I mean, I did a lot of research, before I published my book. What kind of research? Well, I wanted to make sure I had the details of things in my book just right. For insistence, I must have spent hours looking at different types of helical staircases. Before I found the one I liked for my book. I spent more hours looking up horses, cars, front doors, flooring, shower features… the list goes on.

I don’t know why it was so important to me. I just had to be sure I described it right, and looking at it helped me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think every book you read, every movie you see, and every day life influences how you write. But if I have to choose a few, I would say:
Anne Rice – When I was a teenager.
Dean Koontz – as a young adult.
But, as an adult my biggest influeners are LB Harpdog, LaurG Novels, Milly Taiden, Alta Hensley, Stasia Black, LORDGRTH… There are just too many.
I prefer to read Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, and Erotica.

What are you working on now?
Writing and editing my third book. Witch’s Link – The Matriarch and the Alpha.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You know, I just started, so I haven’t really done a lot of that. My books have been free up until a few days ago. I am officially on Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, I am a new author, but I would say to stick with it. Proofread and then proofread some more. Listen to your books out loud. You can catch so many mistakes when you hear it, not just reading it to yourself. Take a break once in a while, it’s not going anywhere.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember to eat. Lol

What are you reading now?
I just finished a 3 book series called MIND NIGHT BLUE by LB Harpdog.
These books are intense, exciting and wonderfully arousing.
I just have to say, he is an inspiring author. He’s an amazingly visual storyteller. I love it when an author can paint a picture, and draw you into their world so much that you feel like you’re standing right there, as each scene is played out. He accomplishes this to perfection.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Audiobooks… after my 7 book series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a tough one!
That would depend on whom I’m stranded with. Nothing scary because I’d freak myself out. How about “The Breaking Belles Series by Alta Hensley. Shoot… That’s all four.

Author Websites and Profiles
C.H. Reece Amazon Profile

C.H. Reece’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Diane Penny 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Diane Margo Penny was raised in a Christian home from an early age. After becoming born-again of the Holy Ghost she realized that what she had learned about the Christian relationship to God in her youth was different from what was recorded in the Bible. This led her to engage in in-depth studies of the Godhead and the Kingdom of God where she discovered the true relationship that God desires to have with His saints is more intimate than what is taught by religious traditions. I have written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Children of the Godhead.” It was inspired by my desire to learn more about the Godhead and the Kingdom of God.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to write in a completely quiet environment, but I don’t think that is unusual for writers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am influenced by authors Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes and Joel Olsteen.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a companion book to “Children of the Godhead.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In the past, I used Author Marketing Club when it was a free service. At that time Awesome Gang was one of its affiliates and my book would also be promoted on their site. Since I prefer a free book promotion service, Awesome Gang is my current favorite.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice for new authors is to put their ideas in writing since that is often the hardest part of becoming an author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was to treat others as I would like to be treated.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “The Bible,” King James Version.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to apply what I have learned about the Godhead and the Kingdom of God to teach others.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Holy Bible,” “A Purpose-Driven Life,” and “Woman Thou Art Loosed.”

 

Faith Twardzik 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey guys, my name is Faith Twardzik! I’ve written five full novels so far, and “The Hummingbird’s Sayang” is my self-publishing debut. I’m a Los Angeles-based author and freelance copywriter. After earning a degree in Computer Science and Linguistics from UCLA, I decided to cast off the norm of getting that depressing 9-to-5 and instead pursue my lifelong dream of writing full-time. I built up my own business as a copywriter for notable entrepreneurs, CEO’s, coaches, and companies. With five novels already under my belt, I took a leap into the publishing world, finally publishing my debut novel, “The Hummingbird’s Sayang” in January of 2022, at the age of 22.

“The Hummingbird’s Sayang” is my latest novel, surrounding the trials and tribulations of Sara, a hopelessly shy girl from the Midwest, whose heart is torn in half after a destructive first love. She turns to the aloof Fuad, an Arab Dom from Dubai who readers have called “the epitome of a true dominant,” learning to embrace her own submissive identity along the way. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery, falling in lust with three other men and one woman, while coming to terms with the sometimes stark, unbearable, and toxic realities of validation seeking, the Sub psyche, and true obsession.

I’m currently writing a sequel, and I plan on publishing it this year as well, along with my other four novels. When I’m not writing, I’m voraciously consuming donuts, helping other authors learn the ropes of self-publishing, and going to the gym to build that elusive bubble butt.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is “The Hummingbird’s Sayang.” It was originally inspired by what happened in my life during my sophomore and junior years of college, in which I had my heart broken by said Vietnamese car salesman and met my black-eyed Arab Dom (can’t tell you if we’re still together or not – that would ruin book two!). But, after re-reading the events in the book when I was preparing to publish it, I realized it was much too personal to publish as a memoir – think of what my family would say! Instead, I fictionalized parts of the book and decided to publish it as a dark psychological romance, which it most definitely is!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, this is an interesting one! The first book that I ever wrote, I wrote ENTIRELY on my phone, on the Pages app. Yep, I wrote a 120,000-word adult sci-fi novel using only my thumbs. If that’s not the dumbest, most inefficient, and unconventional past writing habit … I don’t know what is!

Oh, and I wrote most of “The Hummingbird’s Sayang” outside of my apartment on the third-story balcony, overlooking UCLA’s botanical gardens. You might be thinking, “wow, that’s super nice!” And in a way it was, but what wasn’t nice was the bus stop that was RIGHT outside of my window and the robotic bus voice that kept yelling out street names all night, even at 3 o’clock in the morning, which was when I would usually be writing. (And if you’re wondering if it was cold out there, it most definitely was! But we do it for the gains!).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first author who influenced me was J.K. Rowling, of course. I read the Harry Potter series in second grade, and instantly I knew that I wanted to be an author just like J.K. Rowling (okay, not JUST like her) when I grew up. I started writing stories about little witches named Barry who were whisked off to magical castles by Bagrid’s. It wasn’t until a few years later that I started writing true fiction, and then it was Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (for the gorgeous writing) and Fifty Shades of Grey (because we NEED a better mainstream BDSM book than that, come on, guys!) that influenced me to write these books!

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on three projects – I’m writing the sequel to “The Hummingbird’s Sayang,” I’m writing a YA queer fantasy novel about a girl whose temperament turns her into a SkyBreaker, the universe’s version of a pandemic – someone who inadvertently opens up population-killing cracks in the universe by traveling through different dimensions. I’m also working on publishing “Beneath Perseus, January’s Dandelion Grows,” a YA queer novel about an incredibly genius high school girl whose sights are fixated on the Ivy Leagues and only the Ivy Leagues – and then meets a gorgeous, rough-around-the-edges girl who just moved in from the city, January, who introduces her to life and love and debauchery as she’s never experienced it before!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do most of my marketing on Instagram and TikTok, because I’ve found that it’s easiest to grow a loyal following there and be able to interact with your followers constantly!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh yes. Tons of it! I wish I could write you a book with everything I’ve learned and all of the mistakes I’ve made, and someday perhaps I will! The biggest pieces of advice I can give you are: 1) Never stop writing, EVEN if you are consistently working on your books. What does that mean? Well, even if you’re querying literary agents, even if you’re self-publishing one of your books, even if you’re marketing a book write now, it doesn’t matter. That doesn’t count! You need to be WRITING all of the time, consistently. Never lose sight of your passion. Never lose sight of what got you to where you are today – writing. Not marketing, not social media posts, not promo sites, not literary agents. You, writing.

My second piece of advice – don’t be afraid to self-publish! I know there’s a stigma surrounding it, and you don’t want to be lumped in with those authors that make not-so-professional-looking covers and write books that are fit for the vocab of a first-grader, but self-publishing is so much more than that. The possibilities are endless, and you have complete control over your book. It’s also SO MUCH quicker than the traditional route, which takes an average of 5 years to publish a book. So take the plunge, if you have what it takes!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Failure to plan is planning to fail.

Someone very near and dear to my heart told me this recently, and I won’t forget it. If you don’t have a plan, you’re zig-zagging. You COULD be reaching a goal in one, quick straight line, but without a plan, you’re wafering around and your execution will undoubtedly fail. Take the time to plan meticulously before you go headfirst into anything. This goes for writing a book, for marketing, for cover design, for publishing, etc. It is imperative for EVERYTHING that you do. Succeeding in planning is planning to succeed!

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover. I haven’t gotten too far yet, but let me just say – the first scene already had me on the edge of my seat, apprehensive about their future.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! I’ve been focusing solely on self-publishing my debut, working so hard to learn and apply all the ins-and-outs of the self-publishing world that I haven’t had much time to focus on writing in the past few weeks. Now that it’s almost launch time, my plan is to dive headfirst back into writing to start mass-producing more of the books that you guys love.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The first book would be “Letting Go” by David Hawkins. This is a life-changing book. It changed my life, saved my relationship, and saved my life. It taught me how to disassociate from the evils of the ego and fully control my urges toward despair, anger, and anxiety. All of the negative emotions I was feeling on a daily basis were wiped clean because of the lessons I learned in that book.

I’d also bring “Call Me By Your Name,” because that is objectively my favorite fiction novel of all time. Andre Aciman is a genius of epic proportions, and this book had me bawling my eyes out after reading it all in one sitting, for 12 hours straight.

And for the third book, I’d probably bring Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is one of those books that messes with your mind, and is so utterly depressing that it’s physically difficult to get through the book without feeling so uneasy and so utterly uncomfortable that you wish the book would just stop right there so the torture would end. Nonetheless, it’s a breathtaking book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Faith Twardzik Website
Faith Twardzik Amazon Profile

Faith Twardzik’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account