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Monty Ritchings 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a practitioner of mysticism for over 40 years as a member of The Rosicrucian Order AMORC. I have also studied many forms of intuitive healing including Reiki, Core Belief Engineering and more.
I have currently 5 non-fiction books on Amazon, 4 focused on mind management, body energy and core beliefs as well as one on long distance walking. My newest release is a fiction book called The Ascenders Return To Grace Book 1. It is a fun but serious book about possibilities. What would happen if we could overcome our limitations?

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Ascenders Return To Grace Book 1 is part of a series I am writing. I channeled the original manuscript. My goal in this series is to provide a fun story filled with inspirational concepts and tools that invite people to join the spiritual evolution. My feeling is that by offering it as a fiction story, it would open up a new, virgin market for myself and other non-fiction writers in the self-help industry.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Just channeling. I do most of my writing while sitting on a ferry as that is where I seem to find myself a great deal.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Richard Bach, Carolyn Myss, Shirley Maclain, James Redfield, Louise Hay

What are you working on now?
Book 2 editing original draught, Book 3 original draught, revamping my non-fiction books already published

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Allauthors, Awesome Gang, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get help! Trying to go it alone in the process is almost guaranteed defeat. This business has so many facets, one just cannot know them all.
It is easy to write a book. It is what happens after that takes all the work!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Jerry Jenkins- Show it, don’t tell it!

What are you reading now?
Tao of Influence by Karen MacGregor

What’s next for you as a writer?
Get my works all up to date and get my next two books on the market

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 Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield
Out On a Limb by Shirley MacLain
The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

Author Websites and Profiles
Monty Ritchings Website
Monty Ritchings Amazon Profile

Monty Ritchings’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Dondi Murray 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book. I am 37, engaged to the most beautiful woman I have ever seen inside and out.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rare Gems by D. A. Murray. My fiancé Chloe inspired this book. I would send her explicit scenarios and she repeatedly built me up emotionally and professionally until I felt like I had the courage to take my writing to the next level.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write out my sex scenes first, and then allow the story to build around them organically.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christopher Paolini, and J.R. Ward are my favorite authors.

What are you working on now?
I am working on creating a series of lesbian, fantasy, erotica books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far Tiktok has been the most useful in allowing me to promote my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write for you first, and then look at your target audience for ideas.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You cannot win if you do not put yourself in the game.

What are you reading now?
The latest release from J.R. Ward’s the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books to come!

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 would take Acheron, and Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and I would take however many big books of lesbian erotic stories that I could get my hands on.

 

Valerie Nieman 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am happiest when I am outdoors, whether at a local lake or crossing Scotland on the Great Glen Way. I’ve been a fisher, farmer, sailor, paddler, and always a woods-wanderer. A native of western New York State, I graduated from West Virginia University and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. I completed my MFA in creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte in 2004, and taught creative writing at North Carolina A&T State University. I’m the author of four novels: To the Bones, a folk horror/mystery set in Appalachia; Blood Clay, a novel of the New South; Survivors, a Rust Belt family tragedy in the ’70s; and Neena Gathering, a post-apocalyptic tale set in Appalachia. In the Lonely Backwater, a Southern gothic YA/crossover title, will appear in 2022. I’ve also published a collection of short fiction and three poetry collections. Awards have included a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, West Virginia and North Carolina arts fellowships; the Emma Bell Miles prize in the essay; two Elizabeth Simpson Smith prizes for the best short story by a writer in the Carolinas; and numerous poetry prizes. I was a founding editor of Prime Number and Kestrel journals

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In the Lonely Backwater is a mystery, a story about stories, and more. Inspiration came from many places, from an inscrutable inscription in my high school yearbook to years spent sailing on a North Carolina lake. The book doesn’t actually come out til May 2022, so I guess I should also give my most recently published, To the Bones, that takes on the destruction of Appalachia by Big Coal in a story drawing on horror, mystery, folk tales, and romance.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Is there such a thing? Writers are all strange and cranky creatures, each in their own way. I don’t write to a schedule, but can write steadily for a long time when I’m engaged. I must have silence — no music, TV, or other intrusion.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read, and read, everything, so it’s so hard to choose one or two, but I’ll say that Ray Bradbury and Ursula LeGuin became major influences when I was a teen, and I love Margaret Atwood.

What are you working on now?
The second volume of a historical fantasy trilogy. Set at the turn of the first millennium, it has much to do with politics and belief, as well as family and dynastic intrigue.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use three sites regularly, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I have a website. But I still believe in meeting readers face to face, and really enjoy traveling to book clubs, festivals, and other sites where lovers of the word get together.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Listen to your voices, the ones in your head–you know what I mean. Write the stories that come to you, that demand to be told.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Most writers fail through attrition. Don’t attrish.” From Fred Leebron, director of the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte.

What are you reading now?
Songbirds and Stray Dogs by Meagan Lucas, There, There by Tommy Orange, Appleseed by Matt Bell — and that’s just scratching the surface of the book stack! Then I have a bunch of beta reads to do for friends.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be on the road for In the Lonely Backwater in 2022, and planning to travel widely in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic visiting libraries, schools, colleges, bookstores. Meanwhile, I’m working on the second book of a historical fantasy trilogy, one I’ve been working on for many years. I’ll also be trying to corral a stack of poems into a book.

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 works of Shakespeare, to start. A big fat book of modern poetry. And perhaps the complete Edgar Allen Poe, because that would include mystery, horror, poetry and more.

Author Websites and Profiles
Valerie Nieman Website
Valerie Nieman Amazon Profile

Valerie Nieman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Barbara Carter 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a self-taught visual artist who once believed I’d nothing of value to say or offer the world.
My artwork became a catalyst for personal change and growth. A journey of finding my voice. In my late 30s, the desire to write became so strong I felt if I didn’t, I’d lose my mind. I began taking writing workshops.
I’ve written 5 books. Four memoirs and one book of poetry surrounded by art. My memoirs read like a novel. I’ve always lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. Growing up around the scenic town of Mahone Bay.
I’m drawn to people and the struggles they go through. The choices they make. The choices they cannot make.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Ain’t Easy is my latest book. It was a dark period in my life. I was inspired to write it because I believe it’s important to look beneath the surface of drinking and destructive behaviour. To explore why a young woman looks for love in all the wrong places. How hard it is for her to see the part she plays in her own misery. For readers to step outside their comfort zone and enter another person’s life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All Abigail Thomas’s books have inspired me.
Out of the Dust Karen Hesse a novel in free-verse poems.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

What are you working on now?
I am working on another memoir focusing on two twenty-something people getting together and starting a family. Struggling against their old patterns and addictions. With the big question: is love enough?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me, the best sites are Facebook and Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Follow your heart. Write what you’re driven to write. Learn how to cut unnecessary words. Joan and online critique group. Learn from the feedback you give and the feedback you receive.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing. Don’t give up.

What are you reading now?
Curiosity: A Love Story by Joan Thomas

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve a lot of ideas and possibilities. A screenplay I started and haven’t finished Explore personal essay writing. Maybe even some fiction 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?
Women Who Run with The Wolves – Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
The Language of Letting go by Melody Beattie
Your Body speaks Your Mind by Deb Shapiro
Safekeeping Some True Stories from A Life Abigail Thomas

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Carter Website

Barbara Carter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Hiram Muchemi 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Name is Hiram Muchemi, just written the one book so far but already working on a second one. My interest lies in figuring out the true nature of our reality and how it interacts with consciousness. Yes, i do get into some strange topics like ESP and Energy healing but it is nothing we are all curious about in one way or another.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Human Radio: Consciousness and Connecting to Source Energy.
The book was inspired by my life long obsession with achieving the highest connection with between mind, body and spirit and figuring out the nature of reality. It is a documentation of my spiritual journey, discoveries and observations. My hope is that it will help someone make the most of their existence and reality.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, none. I just like writing during the morning hours.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Anton Wilson in particular his book, Prometheus Rising

What are you working on now?
A book about the dream scape and how it interacts with our subconscious. Also marketing my first book. The Human Radio

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still working on that. Dont have a website. Just a twitter @HiramMuchemi

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Still new myself but I would like to tell them to have no fear.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have no fear.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment. Just working on my second book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write more, become a best seller, buy a farm, write some more.

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, Prometheus Rising, A book by Harold Robins and a book about surviving the desert.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hiram Muchemi Amazon Profile

Hiram Muchemi’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Matt Smart 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an animator by profession within the VFX with four BAFTAS to my name. I thought what better way to further my career than write a novel myself! This is my first.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of the book is LingerLust. LingerLust is the exact opposite of the word Wonderlust, you can take what you will from that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only write after midnight.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K Rowling. Ernest Cline

What are you working on now?
Book two of course.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is something I am learning as I type this. So currently, I have no best method for anything.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. Be brave. Smile.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is about managing expectations, all of which are my own.

What are you reading now?
Ready Player One

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure I am actually a writer just yet.

 

Scott Cowan 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am more officially known as Lord Hemseys.
I am an internationally accredited mindset coach, who specialises in helping millennials create bulletproof mindsets and indestructible resilience. I have experience and qualifications within psychology and mental health as well as coaching, mentoring and neurolinguistic programming.

I became a mindset coach in early 2019. Many people ask why or how I became a coach. I have mentioned previously that I became a coach after one day I had a moment where I looked at where I was in life and looked back at everything I has been through. During my lifetime I have been through a very messy break-up that involved my son, I have been through grieving the loss of his great-grandparents, I moved to a different country to find work, I had to break the news to my family, friends and son that I was gay, I ended up living in a hostel in a country I was unfamiliar with due to a relationship break up, I have suffered from depression, loneliness and have attempted to even take my own life at one point.

So, when I looked back over all these experiences in my life, I began to question how did I manage to get through it all. I came to the realisation that it was all in my mindset and the way I saw situations.

I now own my own coaching business to help others to achieve their goals and desires. I am passionate about helping as many people as I can to make a change in the world. With my own son having been through challenges himself, I am passionate about helping the children of today and our future generations in creating resilience and a positive mindset as helping to create this early as possible will benefit the children in the future and will ultimately help with the huge increase of mental health issues we are currently facing across the globe.

Building Blocks for a more Resilient Child is the very first book I have ever written. I hope that it helps parents, teachers and carers out there. I am looking to write more books in the future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled; Building Blocks for a more Resilient Child. The idea for this book came to me when my son’s school decided to cancel their sports day on the grounds that it wasn’t fair on those children who weren’t very good at sports.

This caused frustration for me, my son and a lot of other parents. The reason behind cancelling the sports day was due to the fact it was seen a traumatic for a child to lose and be last in a race while another child is classed as a winner.

However, for me this is wrong. Looking at all the great leaders across the world, there is one thing they all agree on and that is you must fail in order to succeed. I see this as we are taking away the resilience of the children, we are not preparing them for real life.

If a child goes all the way through school never being told they have failed or lost at something, what do you think will happen when you apply for their very first job and doesn’t get it? They are not going to have the coping mechanisms to deal with it. Meaning it will lead to anxiety, depression and the feeling of rejection. Causing the increasing number of mental health issues to raise more.

So, as a mindset coach, I thought I had to do something to help prepare children for the real world. That is when my book was born, it has tips, tricks and exercises that can be easily implemented in order to help prepare your child. It talks about the types of anxiety in children and how to help with that and also how to talk to a child about a traumatic event or experience.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If I’m totally honest, I don’t think I have. I tend to write my idea down on paper then I sit at my desk and begin to write on my laptop. There are times where writer’s block crept in and I had to go away from my laptop for a while before returning.

As long as I have my coffee topped up I’m happy.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Where do I start? If I look back from when I was a child I always struggled with reading, it was something I didn’t enjoy at all. Then I later found out that I was dyslexic so it made sense. However, now as an adult, I love reading I can’t imagine not reading something every day.

As I have mentioned I am a mindset coach so it’s probably not a huge surprise that I love reading self-development and self-help books. I believe it’s important to improve myself every day to become the best version of myself I can be. I read some of the classics such as Napoleon Hill – Think and Grow Rich, Wallace D Wattles – Science of Getting Rich, Genevieve Behrend – Your Invisible Power, Rhonda Bryne – The Secret, Dr Joseph Murphy – The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. All of these books have had an impact on my life.

What are you working on now?
Given I only released my book a week ago, I am trying a little break from writing at the moment. I am concentrating on promoting my book and coaching my clients.

Also, it is my son’s birthday in a couple of weeks then the run-up to Christmas so some family time will be my focus.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This one is tough for me to give a detailed answer on. With my book being self-published, I didn’t have the experience or knowledge of how to promote my book on a large scale. I have promoted my book on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. I have found Facebook is good for getting the word out to people about my book, but the real sales come from word of mouth.

I have done a couple of live Facebook interviews for groups how have requested, which has proven to be a good method of promoting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is very simple and straightforward, go for it!

Everyone has a story within them, it’s just about getting it down on paper and sharing it with the world. Don’t sit there worrying about what if’s… Have faith and go for it.

I remember at the beginning of my book I thought, but there are already so many books out there to do with resilience for children. But then I realised yes, there might be, but none of them has my spin, my take, my experience of resilience with children and more importantly, none of them features me and I am a unique individual. We are all unique and have something special to offer the world.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have three quotes that I live by every single day. They are:
If you must doubt something, doubt your limits.
Whatever you think about, you attract.
Thoughts become things – if you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand.

They are very simple quotes but they are so powerful.
Lastly, the two most powerful words in the world are I AM, because whatever your say of those two words shapes your future. Be kind to yourself.

What are you reading now?
At the moment I am reading Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. I find his stories, and way of life intriguing. How simplicity can really help with your state of mind.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Interesting questions, at the moment I don’t know. But what I do know is I will be writing more books in the future, I just don’t have the plans to at the moment.

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?
1. Napoleon Hill – Think and Grow Rich
2. Rhonda Bryne – The Secret
3. Genevieve Behrend – Your Invisible Power

Those three would be my choice of books. They help to open the mind up to huge amounts of possibilities, meaning I could use my mindset to keep myself alive and survive on the island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Scott Cowan Website
Scott Cowan Amazon Profile

Scott Cowan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

David Wedge 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in an old village in East Sussex UK with my wife, my 2 daughters having now flown the nest.

Much of my career has been freelance, I have been fortunate to work all over the world. In 2001 I moved away from IT management and began career coaching, since then I have assisted hundreds of my clients in to new roles and have found it very rewarding work.

Previously I have written three short books about how to do certain things of a technical nature, these have now been unpublished as they are out of date.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is titled “Congratulations! You’re Hired”.

The book is about how to really make an impact at interview and really make the most of every opportunity. Having been a hiring manager for over 30 years I have interviewed many people and a constant theme has been how comparatively few were properly prepared for it. As a career coach most of my clients have wanted interview training and many have said that it made it a big difference for them.

There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet about job interviews and how to perform well, the book explains what actually works and also explains why.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure what a usual habit would be! I wrote the book in my spare hours alongside my paid work whenever the opportunity presented itself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read extensively and buy books all the time. Too many to list but I like to have a fiction book and a non fiction book always on the go. As part of my work I have studied Psychology and I like reading books about the human condition and what makes people tick. this is invaluable in my coaching activity.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on a book about how to write a really strong Resume or CV. In common with job interviews very few people are taught how to do this or know how to sell themselves well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My previous short books were sold mainly via mailing lists and on Amazon plus a few other publishing platforms.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I can only speak from my experience. Carving out the time, committing to doing it, and keeping going were what made the difference for me. Its very easy to talk yourself out of it and I know other people who have done so. I also learned from other writers about how to structure a non fiction book and what makes them effective.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself, everybody else is taken.

What are you reading now?
Dead Man’s Sins by Caimh McDonnell, and Performance by Robin Stuart Kotze

What’s next for you as a writer?
The intention is to produce a series of books related to job search and career management, after that I will see what else I fancy doing.

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?
Definitely a couple of books about survival as I wouldn’t know where to start. I would also take something really meaty like War and Peace that would keep me going and something with some humour in it to make me laugh.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Wedge Website
David Wedge Amazon Profile

 

Amber Ward 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write cozy mysteries and have two books currently published with the third book launching November 20th.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is Quantum Leap. It was inspired when I was working as a banquet server at a fancy hotel and wondered what it would be like if one of the fancy guests was a spy or a villain being persued by a spy.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Alexander McCall Smith, Janet Evanovich, Krista Davis

What are you working on now?
The second book in the Quantum Cozy Spy Mystery Series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been reading David Gaughran, and trying to follow his advise about book promotions. So I am starting to grow my email list and send out regular emails. I use deal sites to promote releases, but hope to layer in Ads soon.

What are you reading now?
I am trying to read books by Indie authors in my genre so I just finished Murder takes a selfie by Shannon Symonds and am reading A Bottle Full of Djinn by Paula Lester.

 

Author Websites and Profiles
Amber Ward Amazon Profile

Amber Ward’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Papa Paws 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a children’s book author/illustrator, digital artist, and graphic designer who lives in Ohio with Mama Paws and our doggies. I wrote and drew my first comic book at about age nine featuring my dog, Woody and have been drawing dogs ever since. After a long day of writing about and drawing dogs, I love to snuggle up on the couch with my wife and watch movies with our doggies to unwind.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Hole in the Fence. One morning after letting our dog Macy out, she would not come when I called. I went out to get her and discovered a hole in the fence between our yard and the neighbor’s yard. Thankfully, their yard is also fully fenced. I had to head over and ask to get into their yard to retrieve a very confused Macy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say I have any unusual writing habits. But since I am writing illustrated children’s picture books, I do storyboard out the books first as a rough guide to the images and story points. I don’t actually write the real words for the book until I’m actually placing the illustrations to make my first mockup. My wife is a fabulous editor, so once I have a decent enough version, I hand it off to her for review and then we collaborate to create the finished book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say that for my children’s picture books, my fond memories of The Little Engine That Could and all those little Golden books inspire me to make something like that for the next generation.

What are you working on now?
I’m starting on book 5! My mentor has challenged me to release four books per year since I already have strong ideas for up to book 12. Might as well get them out into the world.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Be authentic. If you aren’t authentic and love what you are doing, then no website or book promo is going to help you. Personally, I like being on Amazon and Apple Books and I’ve had some success with Fussy Librarian and BookDoggy promos recently.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ideas can marinate for a long time before coming to fruition. I’ve dreaming of illustrating children’s books since I was new to graphic design. I’ve had the basic notion of The Everyday Adventures of Papa & Paws for almost 5 years before I started my first book. But I’m glad it took as long as it did, I wasn’t ready then do to what I’m doing now. Be sure to have fun along the way too!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Especially if you are scared and/or tired.

What are you reading now?
Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Papa & Paws series is my main focus now, but I do have a YA book that I’m working on that I’m pretty fond of. And I have an idea of an art deco style series of illustrations that I would love to work on.

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 Night Circus, Tao de Ching, and a book of fairy tales.

Author Websites and Profiles
Papa Paws Website
Papa Paws Amazon Profile

Papa Paws’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Malina Douglas 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Malina, and I enjoy writing stories that evoke distant eras and worlds that the reader can get immersed in. I write fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction and blends of all three.
I’ve published a number of short stories in magazines and anthologies, both print and online. Red Panda Warrior, Jade Mountain is the first book I’ve published and promoted myself.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Red Panda Warrior, Jade Mountain was inspired by a prompt to write about women warriors in East Asia. While giving a writing workshop, I set a timer for the first session and began without deciding what to write about. The prompt leapt into my mind and I began to write about a woman fighting off demon bats in a bamboo grove. Though the scene I wrote didn’t make it into the book, it launched what grew into an epic story.

After doing some research, I decided to set the story in Tang Dynasty China, a time when the Silk Road was reopened, the arts flourished, and women had more freedom than the eras before or after. I was inspired by a real woman warrior, Princess Pinyang, who raised an army, became a general and won a battle that helped her father found the Tang Dynasty.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing Unusual, but I like to write early every morning, with a big pot of tea or hot chocolate. I enjoy writing to instrumental or atmospheric music. When I have the opportunity, I like to bring my desk outside and write on a balcony or rooftop. A beautiful view in a tranquil setting is conducive to a good flow of words.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading Greek and Norse mythology, and later Shakespeare and Homer’s Odyssey. The classics had a great influence. I enjoy the eloquent prose of Jane Eyre and the characters of Dickens.

I love the historical fictions of AS Byatt, the way Kate Atkinson moves through time periods and lifetimes in Life After Life and the sweeping epics of Edward Rutherfurd.

When it comes to fantasy I’m inspired by the vivid characters of David Eddings’ Belgariad and Mallorean series and the lyrical prose of Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel that alternates the viewpoints of three protagonists and in between writing short stories and flash fictions, two of which are related to the holidays.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I use twitter and Awesome Gang. Looking forward to trying Book Hunt, Bookbub and more. Reaching out to my immediate community also worked, and I had two successful book readings with more to come.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Develop a writing habit that works best for you.
You could write as Thomas Wolfe does by leaning over your refrigerator or stir your senses with pungent smells like Friedrich Schiller. He kept apples in his drawer till they rotted and now and then opened it to inhale the fumes. Or you could take inspiration from Victor Hugo, wrap yourself in a piece of grey wool and lock yourself in your study to write till your deadline.
James Joyce wrote Finnagan’s Wake with a large blue pencil while lying on his belly. Wearing a white coat to reflect the light helped him write despite his failing eyesight.
Dan Brown puts on a pair of gravity boots and hangs upside down from an exercise frame to get his thoughts flowing.
Sir Walter Scott wrote on horseback and Joseph Heller wrote the last line of Catch-22 on a bus.
Can you come up with something even wilder?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s also the simplest: develop a writing habit. Since the last few years, I write every day and the dedication has brought great results.

What are you reading now?
I’ve nearly finished an ARC of the next KM Butler book, The Raven and the Dove. Excellent historical fiction and highly recommended.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up my novel in progress so I can work on the next one (also half way through). Writing more literary fiction set in exotic locations.
Improving my new website with new blog posts, and teaching online workshops (stay tuned!)

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?
All the epically long books I’ve put off for later! A Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.

Author Websites and Profiles
Malina Douglas Website
Malina Douglas Amazon Profile

Malina Douglas’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Karen Randau 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always loved to write and have processed all my life’s milestones by writing about them, but I never thought I had the creativity to write a novel. One day I was confessing some disturbing thoughts to a co-worker and asked if she thought I was crazy. She said she thought I had a novel inside me that was screaming to get out. A few years later, I have 13 books, including my Rim Country Mysteries about a woman whose husband died in an Arizona theater shooting on their thirtieth wedding anniversary and later marries a small-town police detective and solves crimes with him, the Frankie Shep suspense series about a young widow who runs a Wyoming ranch and finds a human bone one stormy night only to become stalked by a serial killer, and the Kayla Walsh mystery-suspense series about a young woman who walked in on a deadly home invasion and is now on a quest to bring the man who murdered her parents to justice.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Nowhere to Hide is the first book in my Kayla Walsh mystery-suspense series. As with all of my books, my goal is to show that we are stronger than we think. As someone who has forever struggled with outlines, I usually have a book only about half planned before I start writing, sometimes knowing the ending and sometimes not. This time, I just wondered what it would take to get an athlete back to peak condition after a long coma. I wanted to show in this series that hard work pays off.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a house full of people, and that includes an active 7-year-old. I often get up in the middle of the night to write because that’s the only time I have peace and quiet.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love fast-paced books with intricate plots, so that’s what I write. I enjoy Kendra Elliot, Willow Rose, and several authors of clean romantic suspense.

What are you working on now?
I’m taking a crack at clean romantic suspense. My work in progress is about a couple who both served in Afghanistan and, thus, have PTSD. They meet when they’re caught in a tornado in Oklahoma. Together they solve the kidnapping mystery of a friend, and they fall in love in the process.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I primarily use multiple social media, BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn your craft, join writer groups in your genre, go to writer workshops and conferences, network with other authors, and produce a professional product before you start either pitching it or decide to self publish. That includes having your manuscript professionally edited and, if self-published, a professional cover design. Know that promotion takes a lot of effort – your books won’t sell itself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep at it.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Deadly Hunt by Margaret Daley, interspersed with a few other clean mystery romances.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on promoting all my books at the moment. I can’t seem to promote and write at the same time. They must use different parts of the brain.

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 not sure what I’d take, but I sure wouldn’t take anything scary! Probably beach reads, all with a happy ending.

Author Websites and Profiles
Karen Randau Website
Karen Randau Amazon Profile

Karen Randau’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Selene Kallan 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello. My name is Selene. I’m a dyslexic author who loves symphonic metal and vampire movies. I’ve written nine books since 2017 when I started my writing journey. Six of those are published. My genres are Urban Fantasy Romance and Paranormal Romance so far, but I plan to write Epic Fantasy soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title is HUNTRESS PREY, the first book in the Bonded by Blood and Magic series. I wrote a terrible first draft of this book about five years ago.
Part of the inspiration is Underworld, the Kate Beckinsale movie. While watching it, I got this imagery about a badass vampiress who hunts down perverts named Valentine and her complex relationship with Axel, a fae prince.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only drink icy water while writing. Music is a must, and it has to match the mood of the scene I’m working on, or it doesn’t help the words flow. My go-to metal and rock bands are Kamelot, Within Temptation, Nightwish, New Year’s Day, Motionless in White, Delain, Halocene, Three Days Grace, among others.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laurie Forest’s beautiful writing and heart-stopping swoon have also been an inspiration. No one writes better epic fantasy romance than Laurie.
Lara Adrian’s romance-action balance left an impression on me for sure. She put a unique twist on the vampire myth, as I have.
Another author I am a huge fan of is Melissa A Joy, she writes complex and gripping storylines.
I also love the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R Ward.

What are you working on now?
I’m editing book two of The Cursed and the Fallen saga. Book one of this series was born of a prompt-inspired short story titled HOW NOT TO SUMMON A DEMON. Here it is if you want to check it out:
https://selenekallanfantasywriter.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-not-to-summon-demon.html

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly share on some Facebook groups. But I am trying some paid promo lately, too, like awesomegang.com, bookrebel.com, and others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love. Write the stories you wish you’d read before.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Laurie Forest, one of my favorite authors and dear friend, said to me: “do you like your books? Because that’s all that matters. Not what everyone else thinks or says.”
She got me out of a depressive spiral with that advice.

What are you reading now?
I’m going to start Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson soon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
A Netflix deal, fame, fortune… A girl can dream, right? But being serious, polishing book 2 of the Bonded by Blood and Magic series and starting a few more.

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 Black Witch by Laurie Forest; Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall; Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston; and Keys of the Origin by Melissa A Joy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Selene Kallan Website
Selene Kallan Amazon Profile

Selene Kallan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jim Serger 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
graduated from the University of Cincinnati and was a Delta Tau Delta Fraternity member. He served four years in the U.S. Navy, lived in Japan for four years, and served on board the USS Independence (CV-62). Jim backpacked throughout Asia numerous times, climbed Mt. Fuji, and has completed two marathons (in 2017 and 2020). Jim worked at a little convenience store for six years in high school and college and in the packaged ice industry for 18 years after the Navy. Jim was an operations manager serving in the aviation industry for 7 years. In 2012, he rode a bicycle from Carmel, Indiana, to Orlando, Florida, for charity. Jim is a contributor to the Current in Carmel newspaper, and has written three previous books: Go the Distance (2011), 2000 Miles on Wisdom (2014) and Next in Line Please (2016).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The True Facts Trivia Game: For Fans of FOX NEWS…It’s a first of its kind on a major news outlet–Trivia questions–I wanted to celebrate the success and zest for life FOX has in their on-air personalities.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As soon as I get up in the morning–I grab a cup of coffee and get started. I do not have autocorrect on–it is off….I let the muse flow and then when I am done with the rough draft–then I go back and correct…..DO NOT let autocorrect stay on, keep the eyes focused and your brain on track–the best way to write for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Pat Williams–writer of over 100 books. Greg Gutfeld, Brian Kilmeade, Pete Hegseth–all their books have influenced me in new ideas, new creativity, new directions that I have never thought of.

What are you working on now?
I am starting a children’s book–the Ohio river is guiding me to a new adventure, between two animals, that are best of friends.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Local newspaper is the best, contacting the local news–but do not just share your book with them–you have to connect with them in order to cover your story….for example my book makes the best stocking-stuffer—so I tie in the Christmas theme with the coverage of the book, plus use your background to connect as well… Navy Vet–use Veterans Day.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
DO NOT tell people you are writing a book–your spouse is good…..but, DO NOT tell people until the book goes into publication…..Then you can blast it….

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
DO NOT tell people what your are doing, just do it. You do not need advice, or feedback–if you want to do something like write a book. DO not ask for input, for others may tell you what you do not want to hear, which could play head games–it’s your vision, it’s your goal, go out there and do it.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Brian Kilmeade’s new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I was a contributor to my local paper in Indiana–now I am shooting for writing for a bigger newspaper.

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?
Pat Williams–Character Carved In Stone. Greg Gutfeld–The Plus and lastly, I would take my first book–Go The Distance…

Author Websites and Profiles
Jim Serger Website
Jim Serger Amazon Profile

Jim Serger’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dianna Roman 

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have my first two upcoming releases out in March 2022. I used to write fantasy and thrillers under a pen name, but decided the romance genre was what really made me happy, so these new titles will be my romance debut.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Fair Warning was inspired by the film Bridesmaids where Kristin Wiig’s character keeps running into the local police officer while she’s a dumpster fire.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I create a Youtube playlist for each title and listen to it constantly when I’m not writing to help me brainstorm and imagine the moods and antics of my characters.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
May Archer, RL Matthewson, Pippa Grant, KM Neuhold. I love authors who can make you laugh out loud.

What are you working on now?
More books in my Grand Valley romcom series and a connected series called the Fairy Tale series which will feature retellings of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Peter Pan as romcoms.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Instagram is a fun place to connect with booklovers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! Read, read, read – to help you improve your work by seeing writing styles and grammar rules on the page.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I don’t know, but I always tell people this – my idea of hell is that every bad thing you said or thought about someone, you have to say it to their face after you die. I think that’s a good way of reinforcing us to think kindly of each other like how important is it for me to be a jerk today?

What are you reading now?
Oh…lots! I have been hooked on funny MM romance lately and am reading a few ARCs for other authors. Bottom line though, I only read romance.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will complete my two MF romcom series and then probably write some more MM romance because I lovd the male mindset when it comes to love and their unique struggles. I will also strive for some MF stand alones. I avoid writing series, but sometimes it just happens!

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?
Oh my goodness! This is torture!

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, any RL Matthewson book, The Survivors by Tom Godwin, and let’s be practical and say I’d want some kind of survival book that included how to cure scurvy and sand flea bites, which plants are edible, and how to build a wicked tree house, etc.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dianna Roman Website
Dianna Roman Amazon Profile

Dianna Roman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile