Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I became an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction as an eleven-year-old boy when my next-door neighbor, who was a children’s librarian, took pity on my single-parent mom. Bored out of my gourd with no one to play with but good ‘ol mom, I drove her crazy until Mrs. Crabtree brought home a stack of books she knew would hook a young boy and give my mom some relief. It worked. I’ve been hooked ever since.

For the past two decades I’ve been conducting an experiment. Is it possible to create a new context for my life that I feel is “divinely inspired” and true to my deepest values, my sense of what’s possible, and true to my soul and spirit? If it is possible, what will be the results? Will it enhance my life? Will I experience a true sense of purpose and meaning? Will I know at the end of the experiment that my life has mattered?

Becoming a writer of visionary fiction and non-fiction has been an integral part of this experiment, as was co-founding Life On Purpose Institute with my wife in 1996, being a coach to assist others to create their own life on purpose experiment, and training other Life On Purpose Coaches.

Since selling my veterinary practice in the late 80′s to pursue a career as a writer and life coach, I’ve published over 350 magazine articles in such publications as Family Fun, Boys’ Life, Body and Soul (then New Age Journal), Yoga Journal, and Better Homes and Garden, to mention just a few. Many of these have been part of my pet writing project: Project Purpose: to write and publish articles about people whose lives are dedicated to a bold and inspiring purpose or vision.

I am the author of fifteen books of visionary fiction and nonfiction including two adult speculative fiction books written under the pen name of Orrin Jason Bradford.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is Spacehoppers though it was written years ago. It’s a juvenile YA book about a visitation from another planet and it reminds me of some of the YA fiction my next-door-neighbor children librarian used to turn me on to growing up.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I guess the closest thing I could think of is that I dress up like a dog before I start writing. Does that count?

No, really. I do work with Scrivener which may be a bit unusual though any writer who tried out this software would love it. I also do a lot of mindmapping when I’m beginning a new project. Probably not that unusual especially when compared to dressing up like a dog.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Edgar Rice Burroughs and others from the early days of SF and fantasy.

What are you working on now?
My latest work in progress is Babble. It was inspired by the notion that it’s time for humans to take the next evolutionary leap in consciousness. After all, we’ve evolved to supposedly be the most conscious beings at least on planet Earth, but there’s a higher level of awareness that some of us are beginning to press against called cosmic consciousness. Who will be that individual who will climb out of the evolutionary waters and step onto a new land of consciousness. Babbling Bobbie is his name.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still working on getting the hang of balancing the writing with the promotion so wouldn’t say I have a favorite method or web site yet. I am in the midst of promoting two of my visionary nonfiction books on life purpose through a combination of KDP giveaway (Spiral of Fulfillment) and KDP Countdown (Life On Purpose). Will have to wait and see how this combo works.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Spend less time talking about writing including how hard it is and just write. Set up a writing schedule and a minimum amount of writing that you deem acceptable on a daily or weekly basis then work to surpass it. When you start writing more than that on a regular basis increase the minimum.

Write for the joy of having written more than the need to be inspired in the moments of writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Gosh, I thought what I just wrote was pretty good.

What are you reading now?
Just finished Blood Song by Anthony Ryan and just getting into Kay Kenyon’s A Thousand Perfect Things. Also reading Julia Cameron’s Finding Water to help keep me inspired to write.

What’s next for you as a writer?
This year of 2014 is the year I step into being not only a visionary author but a hybrid author taking the dual path of indie publishing and traditional publishing. Luckily I have a wonderful wife who is supporting this dual effort with her own time and energy.

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?
Boys Life – my favorite all time book.

Probably some book on survival though I’m not sure which one.

My Chromebook so hopefully I could get an internet connection and access my Kindle books. I’ve a ton of reading to catch up there.

Author Websites and Profiles
W. Bradford Swift Website
W. Bradford Swift Amazon Profile

W. Bradford Swift’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

W. Bradford Swift is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a native of California who now resides in Great Britain. I worked as an IT Network Manager until the death of my wife from cancer forced me to re-evaluate things. Now I write full-time.

I’ve written three books so far, and I’m working on a fourth. My first book is called Wanderlove, and was a bit of a training ground. My second book is Monster School, which is as yet unpublished. My third book is Copout, which I’m very proud of, and is a story I’ve been carrying around with me for over 20 years. I originally wrote it as a screenplay, so as you read you will find it very filmic.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Copout. It gets its title from (among other things) endings in which the protagonists, having found themselves in a near-inescapable situation, simply wake up to find it was all just a dream. (I remember we were specifically forbidden from using that ending in creative writing assignments in school.) I thought it would be great fun to write a story that turns that cop-out of an ending on its head. Combined with that, I wanted to find a way of combining most of the iconic movie genres into one. Film buffs like me will particularly appreciate that aspect of the story. As I have worked on it over time it has become a many-faceted thriller.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I do. It is my habit to get up very early in the morning, perhaps 5 AM, and write by dictation. I speak the text of the book into my iPhone, send it to Dragon NaturallySpeaking where it’s transcribed, and paste it into my favourite word processor for checking and ironing out the errors. Sometimes the errors introduced by these transcription programs can be pretty funny.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy series is a favourite of mine. Arthur C Clarke taught me to think and imagine big. Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant character somehow reaches right into the tender parts of my soul.

But my favourite book ever is the Bible, which is worth reading more than anything these authors, or myself, have written.

What are you working on now?
My current project has a working title of King in Spades. It’s about the reign of a modern but fictitious British royal family. I hope you’ll understand if I don’t want to say too much right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have not been very good at promoting my books thus far, being far more interested in writing them. I can’t offer any tips on the subject.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up the day job. You might have to write one or two novels before you produce anything that is actually any good.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I don’t know if it’s the best advice, but it’s good advice. I once heard Paul Simon say that if your writing makes you feel uncomfortable because it bares your soul, and you’d rather not write it for that reason, that’s the stuff you have to write.

What are you reading now?
I am re-reading Tales of Ten Worlds by Arthur C Clarke. I’m not much of a re-reader, but I had forgotten that I read this years ago so I started on it. Imagine my surprise at discovering that all the stories in it are quite familiar.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve got a stockpile of ideas that I need to commit to words, so I’ll just pick one and get busy.

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 (though you might consider that cheating if you look at it as 66 books), John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, The Neverending Story, and the one-volume edition of the complete Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy of five parts (cheating again).

Large print editions of all, I might add. You can’t get glasses replaced if you lose them on a deserted island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bart Cline Website
Bart Cline Amazon Profile
Bart Cline Author Profile on Smashwords

Bart Cline’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Bart Cline is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Pertti Pietarinen. I come from Finland, one of the best countries in the world. My home is now in the city called Vantaa which is part of the Greater Helsinki area. I am happily married, already 40 years, and my wife is my greatest support always, including my book projects. I have lived also in Redmond, WA and Tokyo, Japan, and I love both places.

My profession was ICT, mobile technology, computer games, internet services and such for 38 years. I always dreamed about writing but was too busy. Then I made changes in my priorities and took the time to write. This proves you can make your dreams come true if you really want it. My first book was published in 2010, next two in 2012. They all were Christian genre and written in my native Finnish language and were published by a local publisher.

Now we live the year 2014 and in February I published my first English illustrated children’s book “Lucy The Cat” as e-book and print. In March my illustrated children’s book “Kissa Kiiskinen sankarina ja muita satuja” comes alive with all its speaking cats, dogs, horses, squirrels, witches, goblins, cat princes and princesses. I hope it will translated on day also in English. So, altogether five books so far.

My hobbies are music from The Rolling Stones to Beethoven, reading, computers and movies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is an illustrated children’s book “Lucy The Cat” and the inspiration for that was our own four years old Sacred Birman Cat Lucy. She is a real beauty and really lovable. She can inspire many books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I don’t know what is usual or unusual. If I wake up at 4 AM and idea comes, I think it is best to get up and write it down. Otherwise it will be gone and in the morning you don’t have the faintest idea what your brilliant idea was.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am mostly for classics. If I have to name two, I take Leo Tolstoy with Anna Karenina and Fyodor Dostoyevsky with Crime and Punishment. Third would probably be Jane Austin. But I admire J.K. Rowling and Mr. Harry Potter, too. Maybe that’s the child in me. Because I love to write for children I love also our Nordic story tellers like H.C. Andersen, Astrid Lindgren and Gosta Knutsson.

What are you working on now?
I love to have many projects at the same time. Currently I work on the next “Lucy The Cat”, one illustrated Christian children’s book and a couple of books in Finnish, one of those is about Japan based on my experiences when living there. I think that the Japan book should be translated also in English.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have much experience yet. Hope to find out. I happy I found Awesomegang. I believe they can prove to be a good site. I use personal web site, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you know about. After that it depends what you want. Do you want fame and fortune or do you have other values. I personally would like to entertain readers and help them to feel good and maybe even help them to learn something.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Can not name any. Maybe I need one.

What are you reading now?
Right now a books about Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and of course The Holy Bible.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will finalize my book about Japan, 2nd book about Lucy The Cat and the illustrated Christian children’s 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 Bible and Boy Scout’s Handbook and then I should do some research to find the ultimate survival guide or survival guide to dummies.

Author Websites and Profiles
Pertti Pietarinen Website
Pertti Pietarinen Amazon Profile

Pertti Pietarinen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Pertti Pietarinen is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Professor of History emeritus at SUNY/Albany, having retired from teaching in 2010 after 43 years of it at Hampton Institute, Vassar College, Japanese universities (under the Fulbright program), and SUNY/Albany. For about the last half century, I have also been a peace and social justice activist. Currently, in fact, I serve as executive secretary of the Albany County, NY AFL-CIO and as a national board member of Peace Action (the largest grassroots peace organization in the United States). I am an award-winning author or editor of 13 books and hundreds of articles, most of them in the realm of non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” (2013), a satirical novel, in paperback and eBook form, about university corporatization and rebellion. Having witnessed what happens when a business model is applied in American higher education, I decided to take on that topic in the form of an over-the-top satire. From the reviews that have appeared thus far — in publications and on Amazon.com (where it has received a 4.5 star rating) — readers seem to really enjoy the book. Some have called it hysterical. I know that I enjoyed writing it!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think my writing habits — unlike the subjects of my writing — are fairly conventional. Starting with an idea and then moving to an outline, I proceed to the computer and begin typing away. When composing my “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” however, I decided to write in comparatively short bursts of energy, with one chapter each morning. As a result, the chapters are quite short, and this makes for a fast-paced book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been a voracious reader, especially of novels, and consequently a great many authors have influenced me. In connection with “What’s Going On at UAardvark?”, the author with the greatest influence upon me was probably Kurt Vonnegut, a master satirist with humane values. During my youth, I think the author who most influenced my political ideas was George Orwell.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am working on writing short Op-Ed pieces for online and print publications and considering the possibility of putting together another novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do have a website that provides information about me and about my books: http://www.lawrenceswittner.com. Beyond drawing upon this website for book promotion, I try to encourage book reviews, distribute notices about my books and articles through a large email list of friends and fans, give book talks at bookstores, arrange to be interviewed on the radio, and hold occasional book sales.. In fact, there will be a Kindle Count Down sale for the eBook version of “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” on Amazon.com from March 9 to 14, 2014, and readers can reach it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-UAardvark-Lawrence-Wittner-ebook/dp/B00ETYRMPE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1367263138

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Read good literature. It will improve your vocabularies, your writing, and your lives.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Think.

What are you reading now?
Michael Klare’s “The Race for What’s Left”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows?

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?
Bertrand Rusell, “The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell”; Bertolt Brecht, “Poems”; Rabelais, “Gargantua and Pantagruel”; and a good encyclopedia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lawrence Wittner Website
Lawrence Wittner Amazon Profile

Lawrence Wittner’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Lawrence Wittner is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m sixteen years old, I live on a ranch in Texas with my family and we have a LOT of animals haha. Currently I’ve only written one, however I’m working on another and have planned our four other books that I will begin when I’m done with my series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Resistance: Carter is the first part in a series. I started writing after I read Harry Potter and Eragon. Then when I started watching the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, it sort of mixed the three together in a weird way., but also adding flavors of my own.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in present tense(i.e. “he says” “she says”). Most authors write in past tense (i.e. “he said” “she said”) .

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eragon and Harry Potter are my favorite books and I know that they influenced The Resistance series in a few ways. Also the author of The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) is the only author I know of that writes in present tense and is the reason that I started writing in present tense.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second part in The Resistance Series called: The Resistance: Cait. When I’m finished I plan on adding two more books and finishing the series. I also have a christian book planned out, two more fantasy/fiction books and a southern teen romance novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My blog: http://tristenevansauthor.blogspot.com/

and

My GoodReads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7858726.Tristen_Evans

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t stop writing because one person doesn’t like your work.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t stop writing because one person doesn’t like your work.” My mom told me that after a friend read a part of my book and made fun of me for how stupid it sounded.

What are you reading now?
Fell by David Clement-Davies

What’s next for you as a writer?
When I complete The Resistance: Cait, I plan on adding two more to the series and finishing it. Then I have more books planned out. I have a good couple of years ahead full of 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?
Twilight (full series in a book)

The Hunger Games (full series in a book)

Inheritance (full series in a book)

Author Websites and Profiles
Tristen Evans Website

Tristen Evans’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tristen Evans is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian author of what I like to call twisted fiction. I’m a big horror fan, and most of my stories run in that vein. I have written two full length novels and countless short stories, which I have published in various anthologies.

I also work with a group of authors called WPaD, AKA Writers, Poets and Deviants. We publish multi-genre anthologies to raise funds for MS.

The very first book I wrote was very different from what I write today. The Jealousy Game tells a story of real-life horror. It is based on a combination of true stories, including my own. It follows the path of a domestic relationship from the beginning, where jealousy is seen as a sign of affection, to the violent end of the relationship. I wrote it to help a family member who was in that situation, but had no idea so many people would end up reading it and passing it on.

The ebook is permanently free.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Feeder. This thriller is not for the squeamish.

It’s a violent tale of revenge inspired by a short story I wrote about a serial killer posing as a prostitute to lure victims. When I looked at it later, I thought it had potential and developed it into a novel The characters that emerged were unlike anything I could have imagined in the beginning. There is a twist in this book that no reader has seen coming thus far.

The sequel, entitled Fed Up, is currently in progress.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. On most days you’ll find me parked on the couch with my laptop, dog and cat on either side of me and the Comedy network playing in the background for ambiance. The perfect setting to create murder and mayhem.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading a lot of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but these days I read almost exclusively indie books. I skip through pretty much all genres of fiction and have found an endless supply of fantastic reads. It is in the indie community that I have found most of the authors in whose footsteps I hope to follow.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I have several projects in progress.

One is Fed Up, sequel to The Feeder, as I mentioned earlier.

The other novel I’m working on is called Phobia, which is in its final stages and should be ready for release in the spring of 2014. It’s about an agoraphobic who feels secure in her home until strange things start to happen. She’s terrified and wants to escape, but the outside is just as terrifying as the inside.

I am also working on another MS anthology with WPaD. This one has an apocalyptic theme. It’s called Goin’ Extinct, and is due for release in the summer of 2014.

I am also working on another project for a terminally ill friend. His final wish was to see his poetry published in a book. I have compiled his poetry into an anthology called Silk She Is. I’m just waiting for a few more pieces he is sending me, then the book will be finished. It will be published and all proceeds will go to cancer research.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have tried a lot of promotional sites, with varying degrees of success. I think the best promotion is by engaging with readers via social media. By engaging, I mean talking to people, not bombarding them with “Buy my book!” posts. I’ve met a lot of great people and have learned a lot from other authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I know it’s exciting to finish that first novel and publish, but don’t rush the process. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so do it right the first time.

- Professional editing and cover design are essential. Readers WILL notice the difference.

- Do the ebook edition first, then the print edition. Work the glitches out in the ebook version before immortalizing it in ink.

-Understand that publishing a book does not make you an instant superstar. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. There’s money to be made, but it’s a gradual process and requires a lot of hard work.

-Seek out the people who have succeeded at doing what you are trying to do and learn from them. Listen to what they have to say. Read books and blogs written by people who are trying to share their knowledge, and never stop learning.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Spamming social networks does not sell books. Stop it. Just stop making an a** of yourself.”

I heeded that advice.

What are you reading now?
“Don’t Tell Anyone” by Laurie Boris

What’s next for you as a writer?
This year will see me completing the four in progress projects I mentioned earlier, along with another WPaD anthology, Creepies 2, to be released toward the end of the year. We plan to release two anthologies per year.

As for me personally, I expect to be starting my next novel, “Love Thine Enemy” toward the end of 2014. I fully expect another project to surface between now and then and demand my time as well. At this time, I don’t know what that might be, but I have more ideas in my head than I have years of life left to write them. (assuming I live to at least 80)

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 honestly can’t think of which books I’d bring, but I would want a limitless supply of pen and ink.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mandy White Website
Mandy White Amazon Profile
Mandy White Author Profile on Smashwords

Mandy White’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Mandy White is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Roy Dimond and I am the author of three published books.

The Singing Bowl, an epic story of a man’s journey around the world looking for a book that is lost to the world. Along his travels he learns of the interconnectedness of all things and how all quests are internal.

The Rubicon Effect, is a story telling of the convergence of the American election, a new Pope, and a horrific plan to deal with Global Climate Change. It deals with the basic question for humanity, who are we and what do we believe in?

Saving Our Pennys is my first work of non-fiction and is co authored with my good friend Jeff Leitch. It is about a hero’s journey to enlightenment.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Saving Our Pennys is my latest book. My co author Jeff Leitch and I worked in schools together and in that environment it is pretty easy to see heroes all around you. Somebody is always somewhere trying to help someone. So in such a place inspiration is all around. We wanted to tell the story of a student named Penny, who inspired many, while also telling the larger tale of one teacher’s journey to wisdom.

In this environment we learned that mentors are everywhere just waiting to be found. All one has to do is just open their eyes and acknowledge a need and a heroes journey can begin. Just by acknowledging the desire to change reveals a path to places unknown, where joy and insight reside.

The universe seldom takes the gentle way but if one has the energy to look, a mentor, a guide, will be revealed and ones journey will begin.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I would love to see some of the answers you got for this question. I write everyday, first thing. I wear a hoody with the hood up in a rather cold basement. I am fortunate enough to live with my wife on the west coast of Canada in a log home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. When I need a break I walk around the three lakes that are near where I live and when I return I sit down, flip up my hoody and write, write, write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Aldous Huxley, Steinbeck, Mishima, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle. I have eclectic tastes, anything where the author commits to honest writing, passionate writing, and has something important to say.

What are you working on now?
I have several projects on the go. I have two books under contract. Both children’s picture books. One is called The Old Goat of Garden Bay and is about an old goat {did i give away too much in the title?} who teaches a woman named Mrs. Potts the importance of slowing down and enjoying life.

I have another book with a working title that is to be decided, where the characters encourage reading. Little stories about everyday life where the reader is encouraged to have the the listeners try a few sentences. The complexity grows till those listening are encouraged to read. My publisher is hoping to make this a series of 3-4 books.

I am also have an agent who is negotiating a deal for two books. One is called Silence and Circumstance and the other is Rendezvous in Carchemish. Stories based on Agatha Christie’s governess and their wild adventures together.

I also have a manuscript completed that I have just started shopping around to publishers called, The Philosopher’s Path. A work of fiction about the geo-political situation between China and Tibet once the Dalai Lama dies.

And one last project I am co authoring about bulling. it will be my first foray into the Young Adult genre.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Surprisingly, I have found LinkedIn helpful. Seems it is more business oriented and people are more receptive of others projects. I’ve had some great response and interactions with people there.

Including meeting my publicist Madi Preda.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yep… write. When you finish, write some more, and when you are done with that… write some more. I read that Stephen King once wrote, regarding editing, that we must, “Kill our little darlings.” And I have never read wiser advice. Once you are finished your manuscript put into the back of the closet for weeks or preferably months. Then bring it out and cut it down by 20%. Then you will be close to finding the story that you are trying to tell. And after all that… then edit, edit edit.

When you are ready to do your query letter do your homework, don’t try to be cute, be professional and spend as much time on it as you would spend on an entire chapter of your book. You may have written the next great novel but no one will know if you don’t catch someones eye with a great query.

I would also add, never hesitate to contact a writer, a publisher, an agent and ask questions. Even the icons of the industry, they will take what time they have and they will converse with you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Beside the aforementioned, “Kill your little darlings”… I would have to say my publisher telling me, “Never, never, never, never, never, give up. And trust me, he had a LOT more never’s in there.

What are you reading now?
The Sporting News 2014 Baseball Magazine. What? It’s time for Spring Training. Baseball’s back and my beloved New York Yankees are making a World Series run again this year… I hope.

I have been so busy with writing my reading time has been seriously cut. I am perusing a book by the Dalai Lama and and re reading Mishima’s, A Golden Temple. I think the writing God’s are in that man’s fingertips for sure.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Now that’s a tough question. This is my third interview of the day and being on the west coast when I wake up I have about a hundred emails from people back east that I have to deal with by ten in the morning my time. So everyday is an adventure, from my agent revealing something, to publishers asking questions, or my publicist asking for my time for another interview, and always there is one of my editors needing me… NOW!

So what’s next… I’ll know the answer to that only after finishing this and opening my email. But I can just about promise that it will be exciting.

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?
Only three or four… man that’s no easy decision! I’m assuming I’m on the island for a long time… then I would grab all the Shakespeare I could. Considering I would probably have to read them over and over and really all other books are just rip offs of the great master, yep I would grab any four of his that I could my hands on.

Author Websites and Profiles
Roy Dimond Website
Roy Dimond Amazon Profile
Roy Dimond Author Profile on Smashwords

Roy Dimond’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Roy Dimond is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Simon Best. My writing name is S.W.Best. I am the author of the Eventide Vampire Series. I have been writing for a while now. (Started at 13) But I always wrote just for me. So I got on with my life, graduated from University with Hons and I thought about what to do with the rest of my life. After a football accident I had to have a shoulder operation. It was in that time I picked up my series of books I had written. Then I painstakingly typed 127,000 words with one finger or so into a word document. It took four years until I was happy with what I had achieved!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Lost in Darkness. Its book one, of five, in my Eventide Vampire Series. I’ve always loved writing horror and vampires. Anything that could get your pulse racing! Lost in Darkness is full of Action & Adventure, with a Paranormal Urban Fantasy feel, equally suited for teen & young adult market.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a bell on my desk I ring which gets me into writing. almost like a starting pistol! I write everyday when I can. And on other days I edit. A strong cup of filtered coffee and a keen sense of adventure is all you need!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read too many to mention. I know that may sound like I’m avoiding the question, but its true. If i had to pin a writer down who inspired me it would probably be William Blake. Although Stephen King’s On Writing is well worth the read.

What are you working on now?
Ahhh, well this is it you see. I’m writing my Eventide Series, but I’m also writing three of four other projects. (Keeps the mind form being bored) My new release is the second book in the Eventide Series, Crimson Darkness. I’m waiting from my editor. Once she has released it, I will reread what she has suggested and then hit “Publish”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s always been word of mouth, but I’ve been using Facebook and Twitter to put the word out. I am still experimenting with various sites. Yours being one if the chosen few!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You HAVE to know what has gone before. When I was in University, my professor said the same. you have to know your target audience and know what has been produced so you don’t just rehash a weaker attempt. Try to write everyday and without letting the other side of your brain tell you its rubbish. Plus don’t tell anyone about your work until its past its first draft. Because you may end up writing someone else’s book not your own. NEVER GIVE UP!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Formula for success: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10% (Stephen King On Writing) Seriously. This changed my life.

What are you reading now?
Napoleon Hill. I’m a self-help, get better at life/writing, junkie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To release Eventide Crimson Darkness and write the third one.

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 art of happiness.

(Cant think of any other!)

Author Websites and Profiles
SIMON BEST Website
SIMON BEST Amazon Profile

SIMON BEST’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

SIMON BEST is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello there! I’ve published my first debut novel, Chaysing Dreams, in August of 2013. This is the first of a trilogy. The sequel, Chaysing Memories, will be available soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Chaysing Memories. I am excited that it should be available in April of May of this year! What inspired me? Well, I’ve always loved to read- ever since I was a little girl. But then you get married, have kids… you know, life happens. So like many, I got really busy with the everyday tasks of life, and neglected doing what I loved- read! I finally picked it back up (actually when Twlight came out). And I haven’t stopped reading since. So last year, I wanted to try my luck with writing. At first, it was just to challenge myself. But, the more I got invested in my characters and the story, the more I felt that I needed to publish it. I wanted to share this unique story with the world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think they’re too unusual. But my head constantly is coming up with ideas for my story! So usually, I’ll just text myself the ideas as they come up- just to be sure I don’t forget it when I’m sitting down and writing. I also love listening to music that may really go with a particular scene. The song/music really inspires me and puts me where I need to be to nail that scene. For example, in Chaysing Dreams, in two critical scenes, I used two songs that I absolutely love. These songs fit in perfect with the scenes. So before writing the scenes, I kept listening to them over and over. They were A Drop In The Ocean by Ron Pope and Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park. Yeah, music is huge when I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I absolutely love A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. But I just love so many books. I’ve loved the Twilight series, the Hunger Games series, Water For Elephants, Life of Pi… and yes, I was also intrigued by Mr. Grey from Fifty Shades.

What are you working on now?
I just sent my sequel out for publishing. I’m now catching up on my reading, and I’ll be starting the third book of the series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be perfectly honest, I’m still learning a lot about marketing. I’m fairly new to all this, so basically, I’m sitting back and learning from experts like you! But I do have my own website that I use. www.jalpawilliby.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think when you write, write with your heart and soul. And then when you create the story, go over it countless times until you’re satisfied. Then send it to an editor- because trust me, they’ll only help improve your story. After the edits return, go over it another hundred times until it’s the best that you can do. Trust me, your name is going on it- you want to give it your all.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well I learned that your work is not over just by writing and publishing. You also have to market yourself. And honestly, I’ve met some of the best indie authors. They are all so helpful and knowledgeable. And now that I’ve written and published, I have a whole new respect for all the authors out there. It’s not easy and it’s a lot of work. So really, you have to do it because you love it. Period.

Not sure if I answered the question… but best advice? You better be in for a long haul because your job is not over after the book is published.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Legend by Marie Lu. I will be reading the sequel soon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be working on Chaysing Destiny (the final installment of the trilogy). I’m looking forward to writing it because I’m really challenging myself. After all three book are finally out, who knows? We’ll just have to see.

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. Probably a book on how to survive if you’re stranded on a deserted island.

2. A book on how to get help if stranded on a deserted island so I can not be stranded anymore.

3. A book on which vegetation are safe to eat and which are dangerous (with pictures)

I know they’re not fun answers, but I’m trying to survive!

Author Websites and Profiles
Jalpa Williby Website
Jalpa Williby Amazon Profile

Jalpa Williby’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jalpa Williby is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a freelance writer and author. I writes novels, and inspirational books. I also blog about marriage, life, and raising twins. I specialise in ghostwriting for other people and love to help them to write their autobiography. I live in Birmingham England with my husband and our twin boys.

I wrote Raj Jarrett’s the only arranged marriage, (Her Autobiography), I co wrote Run for your life, a mystery thriller novel, and I have just written Knocking on Heaven’s door.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called, Knocking on Heaven’s door. I was inspired to write it by a desire to show people that praying is not just for experts but for absolutely everyone!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really although I do keep rewarding myself with numerous cups of coffee! At times I have the television on or some music in the background. Depending on my mood sometimes when I write I have to have complete silence! It varies from one day to the next!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Francine Rivers and her story telling ability. I find her pretty inspirational. I also like A piece of cake by Cupcake Brown. I love how raw and real her writing is and the fact that she proves we can do anything we put our minds, and hearts to. William Wordsworth! His description of places and things brought tears to my eyes!

What are you working on now?
At the moment I am co-authoring another novel set in the caribbean. It is a love story with many twists and turns.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promoting your books is truly a fine art and I believe needs to be an ongoing venture. I don’t think there is just one site in particular, but rather a combination of many sites, social media, as well as good old fashioned word of mouth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write about what you love and know about. Start where you’re at, remembering that every great writer started somewhere!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself! Believe in yourself and allow who you are to shine through your writing!

What are you reading now?
Redeeming love by Francine Rivers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully branching out of my comfort zones and taking up the challenge of trying new types of 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?
My Bible, Sophie Kinsella’s shopaholic abroad, Kate Quinn’s mistress of Rome.

Author Websites and Profiles
Diane wilkie Website
Diane wilkie Amazon Profile

Diane wilkie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Diane wilkie is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written one book titled Nana And The Vampires and I am working on two more. I have always loved reading books and always wanted to write. I finally decided to just go for it!

I am married to a wonderful man, Eric, and we have six children and twelve (yes, that’s 12) grandchildren! My grand-kids love to gather around me and say, “Tell us a story, Nana!” and I am always happy to oblige. They inspired me to write my book.

When I am not working at the hospital, I am reading, writing, promoting and taking care of my husband. I also like to do scrap-booking and simple craft projects for the home.

I am a Christian and my writing has no profanity or erotic content; I like to write stories that the whole family can enjoy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is Nana And The Vampires and it was inspired my my awesome grand-kids!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think my writing habits are unusual. I usually write when I have free time like evenings and weekends. I am obsessed with word count, and set goals daily to write a particular number of words.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like so many authors and books of all different genres. I think I have read nearly everything that Dean Koontz has ever written so he is obviously one of my all time favorites.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Nana And The Zombies, the second book in The Nana Files series. I am also writing a Christian fiction book about the divine, supernatural protection of God.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Awesome Gang, of course! I am new to this and still learning, so I have been going to every website I can find to promote my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, write, write!

What are you reading now?
Without by E.E. Borton

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully more books and maybe some blogs.

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, of course, is my first choice. I would probably like to have some kind of survival book because I am definitely NOT an outdoors girl! Then I guess I would like to have The Twilight Series just for fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cyndy Green Amazon Profile

Cyndy Green is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former sportswriter for The Newark Star-Ledger who covered all the New York City teams, including the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Knicks. I was the Knicks beat writer for nine years and traveled all over the country with them. I covered several World Series, NBA Playoffs, and the NCAA Finals. Currently, the only sportswriting I do is to write fight previews for HBO’s boxing website under the byline Nat Gottlieb.

I have written four books in my new Frank Boff Mystery Series, “The Hurting Game,” “The Punishing Game,” “The Killer Sex Game,” and most recently, “The Payback Game.” The private eye in my series is based on a close friend who was a DEA Special Agent and now is a high profile private investigator. Harvey of the New York Times said of “The Payback Game:”

“Nathan Gottlieb’s The Payback Game is not only a terrific mystery story, but it’s so loaded with twists and turns and compelling characters that it’s nearly impossible to put the book down. Private eye Frank Boff, a former legendary DEA agent continues to defy all genre expectations. He’s a delightful and iconic investigator with a wicked sense of humor and a morally-challenged idea of what constitutes justice in a world riddled with corruption. I defy you to find a more original and funny private eye.”

After a life spent living New York City and Hoboken, I now live in a small upstate town nine miles from Woodstock. This quiet, less hectic life has enabled me to concentrate fully on the writing of my mystery series. I am currently writing the fifth book in the series, “The Death Dealing Game.”

All my adult life I have been a movie fanatic and have seen hundreds and hundreds of films, domestic and foreign. Perhaps that is why friends of mine who have read my books say they are very cinematic and would make good movies. I currently am working with an agent and former movie producer on selling the movie rights to the first book in my series, “The Hurting Game.”

I am also a terrific cook, although I must admit I don’t like cooking. But I do like great food, and so I do the work. My favorite dish is baked ziti with five different cheeses and a delicious Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce. I also make baked french fries which are better tasting than deep-fried one. All I do is cut up potatoes into steak fries shape, coat the slices with olive oil and shake Mrs. Dash’s Steak Seasoning on them and then pop the fries in the oven for about 45 minutes. I also make killer salads with 6-7 different greens, steamed veggies, and a variety of dressings I either make or buy from Annie’s Naturals. My favorite of her brands is the Artichoke Parmesan.

Needless to say I work out daily in my house using a routine I devised. That keeps the weight off.

My life has become very simple and peaceful since leaving New York City. I write during the day, exercise, cook, watch a movie or an NBA game (even though I am from New York, I root for the Houston Rockets because Jeremy Lin is no longer a Knick). Later at night I read mystery books. And that’s the story!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “The Payback Game.” It was inspired by my longtime admiration for the greatest tabloid investigative journalist of all time, Jimmy Breslin, who is retired now. I got to thinking how a guy like that deals with retirement, and then….

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One is I turned my computer’s wireless keyboard at a 45 degree angle for reasons unknown to me. Another is at a certain point in the story I let my characters tell me what has to happen next. I do not do massive outlines. I know my characters, I know the beginning, middle, and ending, and then I kind of wing it, although from the complex stories I weave, and how seamless my writing is, you would never guess it. It is actually the same method my favorite mystery author says he uses, Michael Connelly.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Earlier in life I was influenced by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Kerouac. Since I got into the mystery writing game, my two biggest influences have been Michael Connelly and Lee Child, although in truth, I have always had my own writing style. I say they influence me because I study all the great things they do in their books and it inspires me to write to that level.

What are you working on now?
The fifth book in my mystery series, “The Death Dealing Game,” which has to do with gun running up the I-95 corridor, which law enforcement calls “The Iron Pipeline.” The book is also about political corruption and illegal high stakes poker games involving billionaires, movie stars, and professional athletes.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Every day. Even on days you don’t feel like it. You need to establish a writing discipline. And accept on some days the work will not be all that good. Which is what editing and multiple drafts are for. Also, do not be influenced by how others judge your work. Know yourself. Believe in yourself, and write with passion. The great poet E.E. Cummings once said: “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Oddly enough, rejections from publishers inadvertently influenced changes I needed to make in my first book. Their comments contained some thoughts that opened a door in my mind to what needed to be done to write the best book I could.

What are you reading now?
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book, “The Hard Way.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing on my series. Plus I want to do a spinoff series based on a woman I introduce in book 5, a former Iraq and Afghan veteran who joined the NYPD, rose to detective, and then was indefinitely suspended for drinking problems. She is an alpha female, brutally honest, a black belt in Aikido, and does not work well with others. After suffering through an abused childhood, she masks her emotions in a tough exterior. She fascinates me. I relate to certain things with 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?
Whew. That’s tough. Maybe “The Sun Also Rises,” “On the Road,” and Thomas Pynchon’s brilliant opus, “Gravity’s Rainbow.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Nathan Gottlieb Website

Nathan Gottlieb is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer, a daydreamer, and an avid reader and book lover. I absolutely adore Elves, and I am genuinely distressed that they do not exist. I love hand-writing letters, and I am a firm believer that receiving said letter is one of the best forms of therapy available. I love physical books, none of this newfangled eBook stuff. I love vinyl records and Jameson (neat). British Comedies are my main form of visual entertainment, though The Lord of the Rings and Notre Dame football finish a close second. I am an avid ballet dancer, and I am convinced that if everyone took ballet, the world would be a much more joyous place.

If you couldn’t tell from the above paragraph, I am a fantasy writer, mostly epic/high although I’ve started a series of short stories that’s more of the dark fantasy side. So far I’ve published two books and one short story.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my latest book is Silevethiel. It is about an exiled princess who must rise above the frail, dependent woman she was raised to be in order to stand against a terrifying evil threatening to rule the world.

I’m a huge lover of animals and wanted to incorporate the bond many people feel with their pets in my writing – just on a larger, magical scale. I came up with the idea for the Protector/Guardian bond where elf and lion can sense and speak to each other through their magic. The characters of Irewen and Silevethiel were born, and I began writing. Initially, it began as a short story but morphed into a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I must hand-write everything out first in my notebook before I type it up, which isn’t necessarily unusual, but I must – and I repeat – I MUST use the same pen. When the ink runs out and I don’t have the exact same pen to replace it, my world ends – especially if it’s a different color. I can’t even begin to express the trauma this brings to my life. I also must take notes in pencil and absolutely have to sharpen it before I throw it away.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been drawn to Sci-fi/Fantasy and was actually introduced to the Fantasy genre by Terry Brooks and his wonderful world of Shannara. I fell in love with him immediately, and he continues to be my favorite author and greatest influence. Other fantasy authors I enjoy and who have also impacted my writing are Philip Pullman, Mercedes Lackey, Juliet Marillier, and Anne McCaffrey, to name a few.

Surprisingly, the two authors my work is repeatedly compared to, J. R. R. Tolkien and George R. R. Martin, have not influenced me one bit. I don’t particularly like Tolkien’s writing style (please don’t hit me with a stick!) and have not read anything by Martin.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the 2nd book of The Dragonath Chronicles titled Awakening, which will be released in 2014.

Book Blurb!

With the aid of Andillrian, Ipzaag, Selantia, and Anarra, Darrak continues his fight to save Earth and Dragonath from the destruction of Halla Magic. But after the appearance of a dragon who could change the tide of war in their favor, Darrak learns that not everyone’s oath to protect him was genuine. Deserted by two of his companions and facing a cunning and powerful army, Darrak realizes the enemy forces no longer answer to their former master.

A darker power has emerged from the shadows.

Payton Niemel has returned, and his intense hatred for Darrak’s ancestors remains. He will stop at nothing to finish what he began centuries before; to destroy the Keera bloodline and claim dominance over all of Dragonath. And this time, he has the power to see it done.

I also recently published short story, Redemption, on Kindle. It’s the first of the dark fantasy series, The Legacy of Ilvania, which follows the main character’s journey from prisoner to revered leader.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I haven’t really discovered anything that I would call the ‘best’. Everything I’ve done has worked pretty well, but nothing’s blown me away. I’m still discovering new avenues and it’s too early to say how they perform. Giveaways definitely generate interest. I mean after all, who doesn’t like free stuff? Especially books!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be yourself. Don’t write for money or fame. Write because you have a message you want to share. Write because you want to inspire your readers, whether they be 2, 2,000 or 2,000,000. Most importantly, write from your heart and never stop.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing. When nothing sounds right and you’re so frustrated you want to stab yourself in the eye with a pencil, just keep putting words on the page. It’s probably not as bad as you think it is, and if it is, that’s what editing is for.

What are you reading now?
I just started reading Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Traci Hickman. And by ‘just started’ I mean I’m on page 5, so I can’t really give much input as to my opinion!

What’s next for you as a writer?
The immediate future brings finishing/publishing Awakening. After that, it’s on to the 3rd/final book in The Dragonath Chronicles and writing the last 2 books in The Vaelinel Trilogy. Once both of those series are finished, I hope to write other series within both worlds. I also want to continue with the short stories in The Legacy of Ilvania. Other than that, it’s up to where my imagination will take me!

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 going to choose 4 because the more books the better!

Witch Wraith by Terry Brooks

The Measure of Magic by Terry Brooks

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Author Websites and Profiles
Andi O’Connor Website
Andi O’Connor Amazon Profile

Andi O’Connor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Andi O’Connor is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hold a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and I also took creative writing courses at Texas Tech University. I love to travel, read and write, and I currently maintain an Indie review blog. I’m also a contributor on Yahoo Contributor Network and Yahoo! Voices websites.

Massive Black Hole is my first novel, a literary general fiction/drama. I also love poetry and have just published a poetry collection, Holes in Space, featuring beautiful photography from friends.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Holes in Space. It’s a poetry collection. I was actually listening to the radio one day and someone was singing about holes in space – at least that’s what I think I heard. I liked it, and I penned a poem called Holes in Space. Then, when it was time to give a title to the collection, I just picked it, it just sounded perfect for the book title as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, can’t think of anything bizarre that I do while writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Brazilian authors Fernando Sabino (to whom I dedicated a poem in the last book), and Paulo Coelho are huge influences. I’m also a big fan of Joyce Carol Oates, Anais Nin, Anne Rice, Erica Jong. Books that influenced me or had a big impact are The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, and the Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera.

What are you working on now?
I just finished the poetry collection, and I want to write another novel. I’m working on some ideas and have started the first chapter, and I also want to write a couple of short stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have a particularly best method. Still learning the ropes of promotion being an indie writer. It’s very helpful to network on Goodreads and Facebook, and do promotional sales with Amazon Kindle Countdown deal, as well as use great sites like Awesomegang.com!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and write, read and write, read and write and don’t give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally… Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.

by Don Miguel Ruiz

What are you reading now?
Indie books. I think it’s important to see what’s being published by so many talented people that are not being recognized yet.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write more, publish more, create 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?
Either something I haven’t read before, or a couple of classics -preferably the thick ones so I would have plenty of time to enjoy them.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrea Barbosa Website
Andrea Barbosa Amazon Profile

Andrea Barbosa’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Andrea Barbosa is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Love of the sea and fascination with the human condition led me to write three Liz Adams Mysteries about a cruising couple aboard their sailboat, Sloopy. Dance Instructor for 5 years and professional photographer for 30, I began to write when my two sons left the nest. Northwest Connecticut is home, where I live with my husband, Roger and a rambunctious Sheltie, Randy. Together we play ball, take long walks and frequent the Mystic area.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Two Headed Snake of Key West is my third Liz Adams Mystery. For several consecutive years, my husband and I vacationed in Key West. My spirit feels connected to that spot where entrepreneurs have historically flocked.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
To me they are not unusual. I have two places in my home where I can productively write. One is sitting in front of our wood stove on cold winter nights and in bed. For some reason, writing at a desk with my feet on the floor causes brain freeze. Two other locations that I favor are on my boat or in traveling long distances in a car.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, Clive Cussler

What are you working on now?
A fourth Liz Adams Mystery.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do not have a favorite. Marketing is a compilation of reaching out in many ways.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write if you have the passion and a story to tell.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is like a wheel. Each spoke is a piece of your life, i.e. family, work, recreation, etc. When one spoke gets too large, the wheel cannot turn.

What are you reading now?
Sue Grafton’s W is for Wasted

What’s next for you as a writer?
While I work on my fourth book, I will continue to write blogs, flash fiction and poetry to improve my craft. I enjoy participating in writer’s groups to learn from 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?
Bible, Sonia Choquette’s The Psychic Pathway, Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose: A Channeled Guide to Why You Are Here

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilyn Dalla Valle Website
Marilyn Dalla Valle Amazon Profile

Marilyn Dalla Valle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Marilyn Dalla Valle is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A random traveler – born in Belgium, raised in Sweden, Egypt, Russia, Colombia and (finally!) the US. In New York, I got a Master’s in economics from Columbia U. Then more travel for the United Nations, to some 50 countries around the world, what a life!

Now I’m settled down and writing in Rome.

I’ve written about a dozen books (both in English and Italian) if you count in the rewrites – I’m not afraid to scrap a book and redo it, that’s the case with the one I’m promoting these days, “Luna Rising, the Full Saga”, a wild, over-the-top story about an American computer whiz kid who travels to Sicily, the land of his deceased father and meets the ghosts of all his ancestors. One of them, an 18th century beauty, mistakes him for her long-lost lover…Yes, it’s a paranormal romance but also a techno-thriller. Call it the ultimate cross-genre novel!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Crimson Clouds”, a romance the second time around. But it is also about finding yourself after you’ve retired and left a whole lifetime of work behind you. A difficult second passage in life. In the case of my protagonist, a handsome Frenchman who has decided to try his hand at painting, his problem is made harder by his wife. She is American, beautiful and elegant, but she has other interests. They fight over art, she despises his academic paintings, she’s cool, he’s square…but what is at stake is their marriage, not art. And also a secret she has kept from him and that threatens their relationship.

The book was inspired by my own experience when I retired and decided to become…a painter! For five years I valiantly tried until I hit a wall, just as my protagonist does. But the similarities stop there, my marriage is not on the rocks!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. Except for the fact that I write almost non-stop until I can’t stand the chair I’m sitting on!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classics – especially the Russians. I love Bulgakov’s “The Master and Marguerite” and Gogol’s “Dead Souls”. Give me something bizarre and outlandish, and I’m happy.

What are you working on now?
Every morning, I polish my crystal ball and gaze into the future. The 23rd century, to be exact and that’s the title of the book – it’s going to be a serial novel, Part One is called “Forever Young”. Because it will be a time when technology is so advanced that you won’t suffer from aging anymore: you’ll stay looking young all your life till the day you drop dead!

I love to imagine the future, and it’s not going to be quite as dystopian as everyone thinks. I’m convinced the future will be filled by people like you and me. Is the human race headed for extinction? Tough times, yes, but not total extinction. I visualize us moving to another pristine planet or else, taking refuge in the last virgin continent, Antarctica. So yes, I don’t think we’ll agree on how to save our planet. There will be two groups of people, all with the same objective, avoid the extinction of humanity, but with different ways of doing it. Who will win out? And how will simple people (like you and me) fare? Just think, where would you prefer to go with your loved one, on another planet or to Antarctica?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a blog and I love to blog. But I don’t write about my books and writing, I ramble on about anything that strikes my fancy… So I don’t have a “best method”. I rely on awesome guys like you, hey, who doesn’t?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write and re-write. Yes, editing is crucial. That book has to be the best possible book you can write. And if you’re satisfied with it, wait one month and re-read it. You are going to be surprised: it still needs editing! And that’s normal. There are times I feel like I’ll never stop re-writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The one I just gave. It doesn’t originate with me, it’s the opinion of professional writers. And I respect that. I know they’re right.

What are you reading now?
Short stories by Mavis Gallant, she’s Canadian and lived most of her life in Paris. Interesting, cosmopolitan views.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After “the 23rd Century”, I’ll take my crew of characters to the…27th Century, via a hibernation process that maintains them young for 400 years…So expect a couple of serial novels about the future, in about 8 episodes…

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?
Tolstoy’s War and Peace

Voltaire’s Candide

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Cervantes’ Don Quichotte

Author Websites and Profiles
Claude Nougat Website
Claude Nougat Amazon Profile
Claude Nougat Author Profile on Smashwords

Claude Nougat’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Claude Nougat is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi,

I live in the beautiful state of Alaska with my family where the spirits of animals and men roam free.

I am married to a wonderful man and we have three children and for a while we fostered girls which brought us joy.

I am currently a full-time college student and I write inspirational poetry. I have published two books so far.

Titles are:

1 Godly Inspirations for the Troubled Soul

2 Inspirations from Heaven’s Gate

Both are books of poetry with bible verses sprinkled within.

They can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I am able through the help of The Holy Spirit to write about the beauty and simplicity of life. Through words I want to reveal the beauty of Christ to the broken and lost spirits of humanity. Through pouring out my heart and tears and trying to be transparent I want to encourage people to see we are in this together.

I enjoy reading, writing, blogging, walking, family, social networking, scrap booking and photography.

I started out in a military family my dad joined the Air Force when i was little so the world has been my playground. It is where I learned to get along with other people and accept myself.

I am very comfortable with books and pens and paper. I sometimes feel like I was born with a pencil in my hand and I started writing at six years old and it has just expanded from there. I have never passed a library or used bookstore that I haven’t liked. As you can tell I am very chatty about my life, books and writing.

I am a Christian lady who comes from a Christian background and family. I came to know the Lord on a personal level when I was 17 years old. Since then I have been on a quest to learn more about Him and myself. On my journey I have come to realize my purpose in life is to write what is on God’s heart and encourage the broken and lost souls of humanity with it.

Here are two quotes I think sum up my writing life:

“I am a little pencil in the hand of writing God who is sending out a love letter to the world.”

Mother Teresa

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

William Wordsworth

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “Inspirations from Heaven’s Gate”

The Lord gave me the title.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes.

1. I do not sit down and force myself to write. I do not work that way.

2. God wakes me up in the middle of the night to talk to me and I write down what He gives me.

3. I listen for the Lord’s direction and follow His lead.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Julia Cameron

Joyce Meyer

Billy Graham

Natalie Goldberg

What are you working on now?
I am working on my third book of poetry. It is a work in progress.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mainly use Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what is impressed upon your heart.

It has worked for me. If something will not leave me alone it has something to say and apparently I am the best one to say it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t treat your readers like idiots show what you are trying to tell them don’t tell everything.

What are you reading now?
1. The First Judment The Chronicles of Brothers Book Two by Wendy Alec

2. Satan You Can’t Have My Miracle by Iris Delgado

3. Still Writing by Dani Shapiro

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on a book about how Asperger’s has affected my family.

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. The Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Miller Website
Lisa Miller Amazon Profile

Lisa Miller’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lisa Miller is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Ever since I won two Young Author Awards (1994 and 1997), I knew that I wanted to be a writer. I love sharing stories and personal experiences with others. Perhaps, what I love most is connecting with the readers. I went on to earn my Associates in Arts degree at Southwestern Illinois College in 2005 and earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications: Print Journalism in 2007 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. While attending SIUE, I won the Outstanding Journalism Student Award in 2006.

I have written two books. My first book is a collection of poetry entitled “More Than Words.” In this book, I explore what I like to call the three stages of love: Love Granted, Love Denied and Love Relinquished. Each poem is based off of my personal experiences with love. I feel that using these experiences helps me to better connect with the reader.

I have just completed my first children’s book entitled “Priceless Penny.” This book chronicles the incredible adoption journey of my three-legged dog, Penny.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have just completed writing my first children’s book entitled “Priceless Penny.” This book was inspired by my amazing three-legged dog, Penny. She has a deformed front paw that looks like a short “stump” with two toes. Penny also has a severe overbite. Sadly, she was abandoned by her previous owners and was found as a stray on the streets of California.

2nd Chance Animal Rescue in Springfield, IL answered an e-mail from a friend about rescuing Penny and she was soon transported to Springfield where her journey to find a loving forever home began. I hope that Penny’s story will shed light on special needs dogs and empower those living with disabilities to reach for goals that they never thought were possible.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this would be considered “unusual” but, when I am suffering from a case of writer’s block, I simply stop writing. I then will grab my iPod and listen to one of my favorite songs. I find that music helps to clear my mind and puts me back in the writing mood.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say that my top three writing influences are: Dr. Seuss, Brian Jacques and Judy Schachner. Dr. Seuss was able to make learning fun through rhyme. He also kept his illustrations simple, yet, I can still recall the characters from “Green Eggs and Ham” quite vividly. Plus, his writing style is timeless. I can recite many of his books by heart to this day.

Brian Jacques was such an amazing writer. He was able to pain such vivid scenes with only words. I remember as I was reading his famous Redwall series that I could close my eyes and actually picture the grand banquet hall and the quaint country charm of Redwall Abby. And the characters that he created were very memorable as well as unique. “Martin the Warrior” is still my favorite book of all time.

Judy Sachner is a more recent author. She is the creator of the Skippyjon Jones book series. I simply love these books! Perhaps, this is due to the fact that I own five Chihuahuas and a cat… The Skippyjon Jones books comes alive with beautiful pictures and catchy songs. And I love how Skippyjon always uses his imagination to explore the world around him.

What are you working on now?
I just wrapped up writing “Priceless Penny.” I am thinking about turning Penny’s book into a series. Each book will showcase how Penny is discovering the world around her. My next possible book may be “Penny Meets Miracle,” in which Penny learns how to accept Miracle, a kitten that my husband and I rescued from the middle of main street in Freeburg, IL.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love to use social media! I am on Facebook, twitter, Pintrest, Tumblr, Instagram, Blogspot, you name it! I also created my own website so that I can update the site as often as I like.

Penny’s official website is: www.pricelesspennyp.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up! My advice may sound corny, but, it is so true. If you feel in your heart that you have a story to tell and you are passionate about that story, pursue it! Do not let anyone else derail you from your dreams.

Also, network, network, network! LinkedIn is an amazing resource.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t be afraid to fail.” -Jillian Michaels

So many times, we give up on our dreams because we are afraid to fail. We care too much about what other people think. But, failure provides us with a chance to grow. We learn something valuable from each mistake that we make. Instead of fearing “what could be,” we need to keep our focus on our passions and pursue them at full speed.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “Arch Enemy” by Frank Beddor. This is the final book in the Looking Glass Wars series. I just can’t put it down! There is action and suspense at every turn. And I need to find out if Alyss can save Wonderland once and for all…

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to be able to write a series of children’s books about my other adopted dogs.

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?
What a tough decision to make! I would have to take: The Bible, “Martin the Warrior”, the Winnie-the-Pooh treasury and any book from the Clique series. Those books are amazing!

Author Websites and Profiles
Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf Website
Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf Amazon Profile

Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Phyllis Burton and I have lived among the beautiful south-west Surrey Hills in southern England for many years and I feel they have given me the inspiration to write. Not only that, but I love choral and opera singing, walking and water-colour painting. I am married with three children and seven grandchildren. I love to write about my thoughts and those of my characters. I’m also an avid reader and often panic if I can’t find a book to read. After attending a Creative Writing Course, I soon started writing short stories, (two short-listed in competitions and one broadcast by a local radio station), poetry and one-act plays. I was also an enthusiastic member of the Haslemere Writers’ Circle and was on the Committee of The Grayshott Literary Festival.

I have written two full-length books: A PASSING STORM and PAPER DREAMS (published by Matador, an Imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd. of Leicester, England) and in May I self-published a book of short stories…”FIFTEEN BRUSHES WITH LOVE”, through Kindle KDP and Smashwords.

I spent years treading the boards with my local Drama group, performing plays and pantomime (including the role of Cinderella, in Cinderella, and the Vegetable Fairy in Jack and the Beanstalk – much to the amusement of my children). I have produced a full-length play and two of my own one-act plays. I was Auditions Secretary for Opera Omnibus. I am a trained Soprano and sang solo roles with two Opera Societies. I painted the picture on the cover of A PASSING STORM.

I also love to BLOG and these can be found on my website: www.phyllisburton.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I published my latest book – FIFTEEN BRUSHES WITH LOVE” as an ebook through Kindle and Smashwords in May 2013.

What inspired me to write this book?

My answer has to be the word “LOVE” This book contains fifteen short stories about LOVE. I have always enjoyed writing short stories and suddenly I had a pile of tales all with a love theme, but I would add that they are all quite different and unique. I love to explore the way people think and be able to put these thoughts down on to paper. After all, love in all its meanings, makes the world go round.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
People say that authors can be eccentric, so I suppose we all are to a certain extent. Sitting alone in front of an old typewriter or even the most modern computers or laptops would not be everyone’s idea of spending several hours each day. I often think of things to write about in the middle of the night and have to stop myself from getting up and rushing into the study to turn on my computer, so that I don’t forget some brilliant ideas. How frustrating it is when, just like a dream, that hoped for moment of brilliance is quickly forgotten.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always loved reading books of all kinds, so I suppose no individual author has influenced my writing. But I suppose it has to be the combined thoughts and styles of every book I have ever read that has shaped my writing style. Having said that, dear reader, I must admit to an unshakable regard for Jane Austen

What are you working on now?
Apart from constantly looking for new short story ideas, I have two current writing projects underway. I am mid-way through writing my third novel (romantic/thriller THE ICE MELTS). The main character, solicitor (lawyer) Sarah Wenham has to give permission for the machine that is keeping her husband Tom alive, to be switched off. Tom had been in a coma ever since the small aircraft in which he was travelling crashed into the side of a Swiss mountain.

Sarah cannot forget what she has done and despite the best efforts of John, her husband’s replacement in her firm of solicitors/lawyers, she spurns his advances. Several more problems ensue and have to be overcome before Sarah’s icy demeanour falters…and just as Sarah and John are beginning to get to know one another, more heartbreak suddenly looms on the horizon.

My second project is a future book with a title of ‘LITTLE PIDDLEWICK’. Earlier this year I wrote a short story entitled ‘EVIDENCE FOR BURNING’. The action takes place in the very English village of LITTLE PIDDLEWICK. Most villages are peppered with interesting characters and as an author friend pointed out, a collection of chapters/stories about the inhabitants of this fictional village could be great fun to write and hopefully great fun to read. I have some really intriguing ideas.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t consider myself as being an expert on marketing and I spend a lot of time (when I know I should be writing), on Facebook, Twitter, Google etc. None of these sites seem ideal, but I have joined one or two sites like The Independent Author Network, AskDavid and only this week, I pinned my hopes firmly to The Author Marketing Club. And of course, sites like AWESOMEGANG!’ will also hopefully prove to be important in the long run.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is a solitary occupation, but at some time, authors must come out of their shells to find a qualified editor to read their beloved manuscripts. Assuming of course, that they have already edited it, edited it and edited it again. Nothing puts off a reader more than finding errors that take their minds away from the story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The Internet and social media in particular, are absolute mines of information for authors, but to obtain an excellent grounding in all aspects of writing interesting and well-formed stories, budding writers should consider joining a Creative Writing Course. There is also the added advantage of having your writing examined and critiqued by other members. But you still cannot get away from the most useful and best advice, and that is to always make sure your writing is as accurate as you can possible make it. So,edit, edit and edit… But don’t let your family and friends read it for you, unless like me, your daughter is a copy-editor…she is very strict.

What are you reading now?
At present, I am reading a non-fiction book – I mostly read fiction – Miranda Hart’s book “IS IT JUST ME?” gives me a laugh a minute. Miranda has a wonderful self-deprecating style, which can be summed up in one sentence. “…It was a sad moment in my life to discover that a six-foot fifteen year old was no longer welcome in the ballet class.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer? I have to finish off my book ‘WHEN THE ICE MELTS’ in between trying to market my three other published books. My second project – LITTLE PIDDLEWICK – a quintessentially English book, the action of which takes place in the small village of Little Piddlewick. Most English villages are peppered with interesting characters, so it should be great fun. I have some really intriguing ideas.

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?
If I was stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with me, one of them would have to be “Pride and Prejudice”, by Jane Austen. I think I would probably take Miranda Hart’s book “IS IT JUST ME?”, because I would need cheering up, my own book “PAPER DREAMS”, because poor Katie Nicholson goes through some terrible times, but it all works out in the end. Finally (a bit of a cop out!) I would take any book that would tell me how to build a shelter, so that I could read when it is raining!.

Author Websites and Profiles
Phyllis Burton Website
Phyllis Burton Amazon Profile
Phyllis Burton Author Profile on Smashwords

Phyllis Burton’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Phyllis Burton is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For the last 24 or so years I’ve been a computer programmer. It’s not a passion of mine but it does pay the bills I was born in Michigan but at the age of two moved to Texas when my father’s job transferred him. I’ve been here ever since though the place I’d love to retire to is Colorado.

I’ve completed four non-fiction books, two of which are on Amazon.com, and one collection of sci-fi/fantasy short stories with a friend that’s also on Amazon.com. I’ve also had computer nine articles published in “FoxTalk” magazine, “Foxpro Advisor” magazine, “SQL Server Magazine” and two chapters were included in the book “Exploring FoxPro – Volume II”.

I have ideas for a few fiction books but right now I’m concentrating on the non-fiction books I have in development.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Chainmail Made Easy: 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects” is my latest book published on Amazon a couple weeks ago. It’s the second volume in a series of chainmail books. Chainmail being the art based upon a type of medieval armor and not the kind of chain mail via the good old post office.

It builds off the first in the series published in 2012, “Chainmail Made Easy: Beginner’s Guide in 7 Easy Steps!”. The first volume takes a beginner through how to learn chainmail from the history to parts of a ring, where to buy rings, how to weave 7 easy weaves, and a few projects to get one started.

The second volume just published gives a refresher on some of the basics of chainmail but mostly concentrates on learning 8 new weaves along with 8 cool projects plus a ninth bonus project making a red dragon inlay pouch.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, not really. I mostly work on my non-fiction books in the evening after my day job or at lunch. 99% is typed on my PC or laptop. I really only use paper and pen when I’m not near a computer or if I need to draw something out or figure out some calculations.

Some authors love to write out long hand and then transcribe. That’s a colossal waste of time at least for me. There are few enough hours in my day to write let alone have to duplicate my work. If I can write something once it frees up other time for editing and such.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t think of any in the non-fiction realm but I used to read a lot of science fiction/fantasy and there are a lot of authors who I think influence what I write when writing fiction. Some of them include Julian May, Larry Niven, Stephen R. Donaldson, Simon R. Green, Dan Simmons, Ian Banks, James P. Hogan, Kevin J. Anderson, and a whole lot more!

As for specific books, I’d have to say Dan Simmon’s Hyperion series along with Julian May’s The Many Colored Land series. Both have outstanding characters that you care deeply about along with great plotting.

What are you working on now?
I’m just getting started on volume 3 in my Chainmail Made Easy series. This one will focus on methods for winding and cutting your own rings. For the serious chainmailler, it’s much, much cheaper to make your own rings than to buy them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly I’m still figuring that out. What has worked for my chainmail books, which are currently exclusively sold through Amazon so I can take advantage of their KDP Select features (allows 5 days every 90 days you’re enrolled to do a free promotion in which you give you book away).

This then allows me to submit my book to 20 or 30 or more sites that accept either free or paid submissions of books about to be free on Amazon. Then I also post my book on the same number of Facebook “freebie” Groups or Pages on the first day it’s free. Then over the 3-5 day promotion period, even for a niche book like my books are, I can get between 3000 and 6000 people to download it.

Free, you might be asking? But I want sales! Trust me, this is THE most inexpensive way to go to get your book out there and then push sales after the free promotion ends. Those who download your book for free still count as a “purchase” from the standpoint of Amazons ranking. And the lower your book ranks, the more sales you make.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes but it’s probably nothing they haven’t heard before. Write. Every. Day.

That’s it. Having great ideas is nice but unless you can execute on a regular basis, you’ll never publish anything. That means you must write every day even if you don’t feel like it. But if you do that, over time you WILL complete whatever project you’re working on.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Again, probably nothing new but you’ve got to write because you have a passion to write. Without a driving passion, you might as well just be going to a job you hate every day. Do something because you love it, not because you think you should be doing it.

What are you reading now?
I’m in-between books at the moment as I’ve been concentrating on getting my most recent chainmail book published and marketed but the last books I read were by A.G. Riddle in his Atlantis series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I often dream of writing one of the many fiction novels I have ideas for but I think my concentration for the next year or so will continue to be in the area of non-fiction books. I love fiction but man is it hard to make a living at it. You really have to write fiction because you love it with no expectations about monetary returns.

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 have to bring The Many Colored Land series by Julian May. I probably re-read the whole series at least once a year.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeff Baker Website
Jeff Baker Amazon Profile

Jeff Baker’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jeff Baker is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently reside in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only 7 places in the world the UNESCO has certified as a “City of Literature.” Like most authors, I have been writing for years but only recently found myself in print. MORTOM is my first published work, but the fourth novel I have completed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
MORTOM is loosely based on the town of Farmington, Iowa, where my father grew up. I’ve always been intrigued by small towns: It has to be incredibly difficult to hide anything within a tiny population, but at the same time, small towns seem to hold the most secrets. It’s a fascinating dynamic.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Mountain Dew, a dark room, and loud music are a necessity. Outside of that, inspiration is always welcome, but not always present…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I often comment I learned to write by “reading Stephen King,” which is ironic, because none of my novels are horror. MORTOM has “elements” of horror, but for the most part, it’s a straightforward mystery. Outside of King, two of my current favorite authors are Alden Bell (The Reapers are the Angels) and Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone). I wish I could write half as well as those gentleman.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently going back and forth between two projects—both YA. Many people have asked for a sequel to MORTOM, so I’ve been toying with that idea as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and word-of-mouth have been a huge help. I’ve done everything from hang flyers to advertise on craigslist. A key component has been availability: In addition to Amazon.com, MORTOM is also available at local bookstores, multiple libraries, and a sample is downloadable on Goodreads. Advertising on writing websites has also worked well, but it can get pricey at times.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. Anything can happen one day to the next. A few months ago I had an agent tell me to write more like Gillian Flynn, and two weeks later Gillian Flynn’s agency requested the entire manuscript. The world of publishing is a crazy, subjective creature.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing is 90% rewriting. If you’re not prepared to live with your story for years, a ‘life of writing’ is probably not a good fit.

What are you reading now?
I just finished THIS IS MINE: MY STORY, MY LIFE (Malinda Phillips) which is an eye-opening account of foster care in America today. Highly recommend. I am currently reading Stephen King’s DOCTOR SLEEP and loving it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to promote MORTOM and focus on the next book, whatever it may be. I’m also putting the finishing touches on www.eriktherme.com and look forward to feedback from fans and friends.

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?
Catcher in the Rye

The Stand (uncut)

A Simple Plan

I Am Legend

Author Websites and Profiles
Erik Therme Website
Erik Therme Amazon Profile
Erik Therme Author Profile on Smashwords

Erik Therme’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Erik Therme is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Scorpio witch born in Independence, Missouri, on Halloween during the Great Depression. I’ve written more books than I’ve published, but some were for practice. I have both trade paperbacks and ebooks currently published and available all over the planet … or so it seems … about thirteen of them at last count.

My first published book (for children 8-12) was The Haunted Igloo (1991, Houghton Mifflin, Boston). I wrote the sequel to that, but it was rejected for sliding from middle-grade to young adult. I wasn’t about to change any of it, so I ended up self-publishing it. This title is Spirit Lights (ages 12 & up). Next came another middle grade/young adult (12 & up), Down the Memory Hole, a story about a 12-year-old boy forced to share his room and personal space with his ailing grandpa, who has Alzheimer’s.

Next was a book for 8-12 readers, Footprints in Time: A Walk in Sacajawea’s Moccasins. Then came yet another Arctic novel — not a sequel, but a companion book to my first two books, Drum Dance. Drum Dance is young-adult through Adult. Ideally, one would read the first two books first, since there’s an unintended surprise in Drum Dance that links back to Spirit Lights. People who have read both have enjoyed finding that surprise.

After Drum Dance came my Great Depression historical novel, in which I jumped from children’s books to adult in Face the Winter Naked.

So this old lady has been busy through the years. In between the books I’ve mentioned were some odds and ends of published works for younger children, plus a collection of short plays (satire/humor), There’s a Snake in My Apple.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Ghost of Calico Acres, a Romantic Suspense/Mystery for adults, set in SW Wisconsin. I wrote this one about twenty years ago but never submitted it anywhere due to my family being on the move so often for my late hubby’s work. At one point, we ended up living down by Milwaukee, and I came across some folklore about hauntings in the area of my novel. Not sure how it happened, but soon there was a ghost story rattling around in my head trying to get out. After it collected dust in a drawer all those years, I finally read it again and saw possibilities for publishing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have the normal writers blocks others freak out over, but which don’t bother me that much. I just leave my computer for a while and work out the problems in long hand on a pad of paper.

I also make full use of my creative right mind, which is actually the subconscious. I’ve learned to switch from left- to right-brain mode quite easily, and then I’m on auto-pilot. When I’m in this mode, I get lost in the story and don’t even realize I’m writing. At times, I’ve read something back later and not even recognized it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many old classics have influenced my writing, from the famed Dick and Jane readers in first grade, to Jack London, Edgar Allen Poe, poet Robert Service, James Michener, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, O.E. Rolvaag, Mark Twain, Frances Parkinson Keyes, Thomas Tryon, and so many others I can’t name them all.

Books such as Chesapeake, Steamboat Gothic, Harvest Home, Giants in the Earth, and The Odyssey of Homer are just a start of a very long list.

What are you working on now?
I’m getting ready to work on a novel set in the Flapper Era: Jazzbaby, and if I can find time from all this marketing and promoting, I want to do a small book about my experiments and experiences with ESP and astral projection.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Twitter a lot to promote my work. And I also have a personal web page with my writing listed on that; however, not having a domain name, I don’t get many hits on the page. I also have a blog at Goodreads. but I’m usually too busy to keep that up. I also belong to a large online writers group, Backspace, which is authors helping authors. And of course, listing blogs and sites such as Awesome Gang are vital to promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can offer new authors is to finish a rough draft before showing the story to others. I’ve seen too many writers who have talked out their work in progress only to give up on it entirely and never finish it. Many professional writers say they never share their work until the first draft is done, and the reason should be obvious: When you talk out your story, there’s no longer a burning desire to finish it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was from my dad: “Bonnie, you can do anything you put your mind to.”

And that’s been my philosophy all my life.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything right now, but have recently finished a couple of novels I thought were awesome: Flowers in a Window, by Mary McPhee. Chicago’s Headmistress, by Loretta Giacoletto, and Racing on a Wire, by Inge Moore.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing Jazzbaby is my next big project, which will take a lot of research.

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?
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would want The Complete Works of Robert Service. I would also want a couple of my own books that I think are awesome–and an author isn’t worth her salt unless she thinks her own writing is awesome, right? Drum Dance, Face the Winter Naked, and The Ghost of Calico Acres are my favorites. I could never part with them after getting so acquainted with the various characters.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bonnie Turner Website
Bonnie Turner Amazon Profile
Bonnie Turner Author Profile on Smashwords

Bonnie Turner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Bonnie Turner is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Deng Zichao is, obviously, entirely fictional.

My first book, People Like Us, is set in Brittany, where I still spend quite a lot of time, and it isn’t entirely complimentary about the locals. In order to avoid being tarred and feathered by my neighbours next time I visit, I invented D.Z.C.

Like my main character I am a specialist in oriental art. When I’m not in Brittany, I’m usually in Paris or Vientiane.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is called Bright, Still – a book of ghost stories that’s permafree on Smashwords. I had a stack of ghost stories sitting around gathering dust, so I decided to put them together into a book and offer it as a free taster.

I haven’t done much publicity for it, but it seems to be doing ok without me. Hopefully some people who read it will be tempted to try my novels.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really – I do most of my writing in spare minutes at the office. If I indulged any unusual habits there I’d risk getting the boot.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
People Like Us and Xanadu were isnpired more by old radio comedies than books – things like The Goon Show and Round the Horne. I love the idea of using one set of stock characters and sticking them in various situations – Keszthelyi and Estrade are basically a mixture of Major Bloodnok, Gryttepype-Thynne and Moriarty, but updated to the 21st century.

There are a million novels out there about dodgy antiques dealers – it’s practically a sub-genre of its own – so I can’t really claim much originality for the concept. My favourites are Kyril Bonfiglioli’s, which deserve to be far better known. Caroline Graham’s Midsomer Murders books were also hovering in my mind. The books are far better than the tv series. She writes amazing characters – they’re instantly recognisable types that you’ll find in any English village, but they also have depth. They’re more than just caricatures. I think her Sergeant Troy is my favourite character in the whole of literature.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m doing another ghost story – about a Thai cat ghost – for an anthology that’s being prepared. Northeast Thailand is a very odd place, and packed with ghosts.

I’ve also begun a People Like Us prequel, which is my first novel written in the third person. It’s an odd feeling no longer being able to hide behind my narrator: Nicolas Keszthelyi is a pretty nasty individual, but I can get away with a lot as long as I say “Oh, that’s him – it’s not me talking.” When I’m the narrator myself, I’m a lot more circumspect.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I hate Goodreads for various reasons, but I can’t deny that it does its job. Right now I’m really only beginning my marketing operations, so I’m a novice. My opinion will probably be completely different in six months’ time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Adjectives are the enemy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
About writing or life? Er…

Writing: “You’re going to shift most copies on the first day of any KDP Select promo.”

Life: “Delete your cookies before booking an airline ticket.”

What are you reading now?
The Dark Box: A Secret History of Confession by John Cornwell.

I’ve only just started, so I can’t give a review or anything, but I’ve always had a prurient fascination with the confessional. I live in a Catholic country, an have plenty of hardcore Catholic friends, but I find it impossible to imagine buying into anything so medieval myself. I’m hoping for plenty of lurid anecdotes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Marketing, marketing, marketing… It’s no fun at all, but it has to be done. So many great books sell barely any copies because the authors are amazing writers but lousy marketers.

I’m shooting for a Book Bub promo.

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?
At one point I did actually find myself out in the Northeast of China with only one book for two and a half months. I took Herodotus’ Histories, and read it from cover to cover three or four times. I think it’s one of those books where the quality of the translation makes a huge difference. You’ll get some translations that are horribly weighty and verbose, whereas in fact he was gossipy and inquisitive and wrote very economically.

If I had more than one… Hmm… Probably The Hound of the Baskervilles and a collection of Saki’s Short Stories. I must have read THOTB about a dozen times, and I never seem to grow tired of it, and Saki’s subversion always makes me smile – especially the stories about children. They’ve got everything against them and they manage to undermine it using intelligence and bloody-mindedness alone.

Author Websites and Profiles
Zichao Deng Website
Zichao Deng Amazon Profile
Zichao Deng Author Profile on Smashwords

Zichao Deng’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Zichao Deng is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After decades of writing for the corporate world, I turned to fiction and have now written and published two novels and one novella. The novella and one novel are part of the New Vampire series and focus on the challenges facing vampires living in today’s digital world.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
New Vampire Online, the second in the New Vampire Series, was recently published. I have loved vampire novels–well, some of them–since reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. The approach I took when writing the New Vampire series was inspired by the narrative of Louis the vampire simply telling the tale of his life. Of course, I loved the Vampire Lestat, too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
After spending an entire career writing five days a week, when it comes time to write, I just do it. I confess to drinking more coffee when I am writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Interview with a Vampire was definitely an inspiration. I was afraid to go outside at night for weeks after I read it!

What are you working on now?
I am taking a short break between books right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method of promotion is getting the book into the hands of as many readers as possible.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Every author advises new authors to write every day. I would second that, but add that originality is equally important. Too many new writers today seem to slump into clichés or weak and tired re-working of old material.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day.

What are you reading now?
I just completed reading two books by Jennifer Clement: ‘A True Story Based on Lies’ and her newest book, ‘Prayers for the Stolen’. Both are brilliantly written tales of troubling situations in Mexico. I also recently read Brenna Aubrey’s original take on the erotic novel, ‘At Any Price’ and Russell Blake’s very clever noir detective series, ‘Black’.

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

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?
Difficult question. I think I’d bring a Kindle and hope that I could have hundreds of books fly through the air to it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Annie Carroll Website

Annie Carroll is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a 34 year old father of an awesome 10 year old son and Husband to My beautiful wife Tina. I was born and raised in Florida, I live in Ohio and I work in West Virgina. I am often asked about my accent and can only explain it as “Southern Hillbilly” (please insert LOL here). I have always had a wild imagination and enjoyed writing, however only recently started to think about sharing my works with others. While I am good at math and science, grammar and spelling has never been my strong point. This I believe is why I write children’s books (Once again, Please insert LOL here). I currently have one title (Jeffrey Gue,Dreams Of The Zoo”) published and am currently working on several others, soon to be released.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just published my first book “Jeffrey Gue Dreams Of The Zoo” it is an illustrated bedtime story. I began doodling and drew a grasshopper (a very poorly drawn grasshopper) and gave it a name. After that the rhyme began to form and it took off from there. I played around with the illustrations and before i knew it I had a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I Have started two more books and as I begin to write i start getting sidetracked. Because of this I keep both books opened in separate windows and toggle back and forth. I also keep several windows open and will work on the illustrations at the same time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, john Gresham, Carolyn McCray, Dr Seuss. (what a combination)

What are you working on now?
I never write and tell, however i will say I am working on a follow up to Jeffery Gue and another story. Both Children’s story’s.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a large support group on Facebook. They have all been very good to me. I also use Twitter. I am very grateful for all the support I have gotten.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First and foremost Keep your desk organized and backup your files. Secondly, Read Read Read!!!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t Lick That” (Thanks Mom)

What are you reading now?
I have not had much time to read lately. But my most recent read was “The Betrayed Series” by Carolyn McCray.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I enjoy doing what I’m doing. I will continue writing and illustrating as the ideas come in. I’m not big on making plans. I just go with the flow.

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?
Robinson Crusoe, The Stand (Stephen King), The Client (John Gresham), And a US Army Survival Manual.

Author Websites and Profiles
Douglas Crabtree Website
Douglas Crabtree Amazon Profile

Douglas Crabtree is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney. During 20+ years in NYC, she worked as a writer, reporter & anchor at WINS-AM, WCBS-AM & the NBC Radio Networks, as well as hosting her own celebrity chat show on Cablevision. She has interviewed everyone from Walter Cronkite & Yogi Berra to Robert Plant, Mick Jagger and several world leaders, along the way.

Lisa has a true wanderlust spirit. She released the best-selling travel memoir, “Amalfi Blue-lost & found in the south of Italy,” in 2013 and will release her first novel, “Shrouded in Pompei,” this spring.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Shrouded in Pompei” is the first in the Mickey Malone Mystery series. For more than two decades, as a news reporter/anchor, I have seen a lot of life and learned about the dark side of humanity. It served as perfect fodder for a new view of crime with legs to die for.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My travel memoir, “Amalfi Blue,” was written basking in the glow of the Mediterranean sun in my apartment in Italy. This was not the case with “Shrouded in Pompei” and I had to learn to focus during the gloomy New York winter. I reverted back to an old law school trick, Siberian Eleuthero. I swear it gives me laser beam focus when I need it most.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Prior to law school I sued to read a mystery or thriller a month. Then law books replaced the luxury and I began to rad less. My favorite writers have always been: Mary Higgins Clark, whom I was honored to have interviewed on my TV show, as well as Anne Perry, Dick Francis and Sue Grafton just to name a few. The romantic side of me turns to Nora Roberts and Jude Deveraux because they always add the esoteric, other-worldly element which allows me to truly escape.

What are you working on now?
“Shrouded in Pompei” has taken up the last year of my life. I began outlining it during the promo tour for “Amalfi Blue” and hope to release it by late spring 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t think any one way works for every situation. In this age of social media, our attention is misdirected in so many directions that you need to throw everything against the cyber cloud and see what floats.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up your day job.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was from Mary Higgins Clark. She told me that I eed to grab the reader’s attention from the first paragraph and invite them into your story. If they are not hooked by the first paragraph, then you’ve lost them. It has served me well when cutting and pasting “Shrouded in Pompei.”

What are you reading now?
Don’t laugh. “Moonlight Become You” by Mary Higgins Clark. Are you seeing a pattern here?

What’s next for you as a writer?
Waiting with baited breath as the manuscript is now in the hands of my editor, having survived the first go-round with my excellent team of beta readers.

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 classic “Tristan and Isolde”

The Whitechapel Conspiracy – Anne Perry

I’ll Be Seeing You – Mary Higgins Clark

Blood Washes Blood – Frank Viviano (a true Sicilian murder mystery)

The Wedding Officer – Anthony Cappella

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Fantino Website
Lisa Fantino Amazon Profile

Lisa Fantino’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lisa Fantino is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a graduate of the Steven Forrest Evolutionary Astrology Apprenticeship Program. I love ice-skating, hiking, my family, my dog and cookies. I’ve written six books in the Zodiacts series. The books were written as a way to make astrology more approachable and fun. Astrology is the study of human nature as well as an acceptance of and delight in the eccentricities of behavior. By creating colorful characters whose personalities embody the characteristics of the zodiac signs, I hope to facilitate the study of astrology.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Zodiacts: Leo Limelight Lunacy: Dance of the Dueling Divas was inspired by the leonine spirit of grandeur. Although Leo’s are generous, creative, and loyal, they also want to be the center of attention. Starrkitty, the heroine, feels like she may get passed over for her nemesis, Lola Leo, and this incites quite a rivalry. The book goes on to detail the lengths Kit will go to to reign supreme.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write for 2 hours, then leap out of the chair and run around the block like a crazed madwoman. Then I do another hour or so and attack the chocolate chips. Is that weird? I don’t know.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Big Dr. Suess fan. Also Roald Dahl. I loved Brothers Grimm and Aesop’s Fables.

What are you working on now?
Aside from promoting any of my books, the next one, Zodiacts: Vinny d’Virgo and His Venison Stew*

*working title

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m terrible at promoting, but feel I’ve turned a corner with twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make friends with the idea of marketing. It’s a jungle out there. There’s so much going on and it’s so easy to get distracted. Stay focused and make an outline!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
ABC- Apply Butt to Chair

What are you reading now?
I was trying to read Wolf Hall, but just couldn’t get through it. Always reading how-to-manuals! Last book I really liked was Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m overjoyed with the IPad versions of my books and would like to work on making the others interactive. Plus, finishing the Virgo book I’m working on, and getting the word out on all the 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?
Stones from the River

Water Music

Aspects in Astrology

War and Peace (I haven’t read it)

Author Websites and Profiles
Donna McGarry Website
Donna McGarry Amazon Profile

Donna McGarry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Donna McGarry is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Brendan Clark and i’m 18 and i grew up on the west side in Chicago,IL. I have been writing short stories, poetry etc..since the 8 Th grade. Even when I was in the 8 grade I didn’t know if I like writing at all. But ever since that day in the 8th grade English,I started writing poetry like pro. I have been writing and together a poetry book of his own and just publish it on amazon.com, which he title it ” words from an unknown poet”. For many years now I has been trying to figure what to do with my life. As of today I am is a freshman college student at Northeastern Illinois University on Chicago’s North Side where he plan to communications as his major.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“words from an unknown poet” and the reason i wrote this book is because i wanted a way to express myself to the world, family and even friends. I wrote this book because i couldn’t find a way to express my emotions before. In chicago is hard sometimes with all the shootings and gangs, i wanted to share my story in my poems in this book..

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
well one time, i had much writer block i started walking around the house thinking aloud and my mom would look at me funny and just laugh at me include me too.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say jk rowling because she can take anything and turn it into a great story like the harry potter book series.

What are you working on now?
Well i’m working on my second book and a few other project like a youtube channel where i will be post my poetry videos and updates.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads,Facebook groups, twitter, online radio shows.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to never give up and follow your heart and create a great story and promote yourself to people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Success is not define by your worth, but rather success is how much hard work you put in”

What are you reading now?
Kid Lawyer by Theodore Boone

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well i want to keeping writing poetry but i want to try to produce a web series with some friends of mine on youtube.

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?
Kid Lawyer, harry potter, steve jobs

Author Websites and Profiles
Brendan Clark Amazon Profile

Brendan Clark’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Brendan Clark is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi I am a newly published writer (newbie) from Lufkin, Texas. I was born in South Dakota and raised in Montana. Somehow I ended up in Texas. I have always written something. Stories from cereal boxes when I was a kid. Poetry when I was a teenager and now books when I finally grew up. My other love is nursing. I have a PhD in Nursing and I presently am employed as an Assistant Professor at Stephen F Austin State University.

Spirit Warriors: The Concealing is my first book. It is in the YA, fantasy, romance genre. It was published by Booktrope Publishing in November 2013. The second book in the series Spirit Warriors: The Scarring will be out in Spring of 2014. I have started Book 3 and there will be a total of 5 books. My editor would like me to come back and do a prequel to the series. We will have to see about that!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and latest book is Spirit Warriors: The Concealing. It was inspired by a short story that I wrote in college. The short story was based on my childhood growing up in Montana. I gave a group of kids special abilities based on my experiences with the Native American culture. The professor loved the story and told me I needed to write a book based on the story. He warned me that it was unpublishable because it was too dark and no one would publish it for the YA market. Of course that was before Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. I went back to that story and wrote the book. I thought the time was finally right for me to tell my dark story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to have music to write and I want it to be loud. There is something about music that makes me creative. I also match the music to the mood for whatever I am writing. If is sad I want sad music. If is upbeat or fast, I want some good thumping bass music.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I started out being influenced by the classic children stories. I loved Cinderella. As a kid, I actually thought the pumpkins in the garden turned into beautiful carriages! As I grew up I read the Little House on the Prairie series and Nancy Drew. Some other books that I read and adored included To Kill a Mockingbird, Lonesome Dove, Tom Sawyer, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight. I like books with a strong poignant message.

What are you working on now?
I have just finished editing on Book 2, Spirit Warriors: The Scarring. I am working on book 3, Spirit Warriors: The Burning. I hope to finish Book 3 this summer and have it ready for publishing in Fall of 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is a hard question for me since I am such a newbie in the book publishing arena and my book is so new. Can I come back and answer this after I release Book 2?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to not give up. You will be rejected. Some people will not like what you write. Write it anyway! If writing gives you pleasure and you enjoy it, just write. Don’t worry about what everyone else has to say.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My best advice comes from Mark Twain, “Write what you know.” You are an expert with what you know. It is hard to make something you know nothing about seem real to readers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I finish the Spirit Warriors series I would like to publish a series of children’s books based on the bedtime stories I told my daughter when she was a little girl.

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?
Lonesome Dove, To Kill a Mockingbird, and as hokey as it sounds I would bring my own books. It would give me peace to read my own books and hope that I make it off the island!

Author Websites and Profiles
D.E.L. Connor Website
D.E.L. Connor Amazon Profile

D.E.L. Connor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

D.E.L. Connor is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Boston, Massachusetts and as we speak, I’m anxiously awaiting the summer months! I co-own a custom stainless steel design business, and in the midst of all the daily insanity that ensues, I somehow manage to write books as well. From 1996 to present date I’ve written six books. The genres range from music to thrillers, to children’s books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Left-Hand Path.” It’s inspired by everyday people who on the surface appear to be kind and harmless. On the inside, they all have an agenda of some sort. It’s chilling to think that the strangers we encounter on a daily basis could be up to some rather evil behavior. It’s even more chilling to think that the people we know are up to the same things.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I was just talking about this to someone the other day as a matter of fact. I work best in the early hours of the day, well before the phone calls, the depressing news reports, the daily interactions, etc..

When I’m writing, I always need music playing lightly. Not coming at me from the computer speakers and not from headphones. It has to be playing from behind me on my right side. I’m not sure if that’s unusual, but there you have it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was in high school, I read “Less Than Zero” and “The Rules of Attraction” by Bret Easton Ellis. That’s about all it took. I knew that one day I’d want to write disturbed and misguided characters the way he did. I was also, and still am, a big fan of H.G. Wells and Lois Duncan. I find myself blending all of their elements of suspense, philosophy and drama into my work.

What are you working on now?
I’m completing my upcoming novel “The Crooked Roads through Cedar Grove” for an early 2015 release. I’m recording a book soundtrack for said novel as well. I’m also working on my next children’s book with my co-author Susan Saunders.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media to my advantage, usually Facebook and Twitter. I like directing potential readers to my website http://www.robwattsonline.com

My best method for promoting my work is via book signings and readings. Writers can only sit behind the computer for so long. They need to get out there and meet their potential new fans. Posting links to their book all day long just doesn’t cut it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, make sure you have a job. A job that you enjoy and one that pays your bills. The money isn’t going to come rolling in once you publish your first book. The term starving artist isn’t appealing and I’ve seen far too many aspiring authors fall into this trap. Join a local writers group or organization. Network with other authors and ask questions. Attend a book reading at a local library or bookstore. Learn from authors who’ve been around the block a few times. Most important, be your own writer. Learn from your inspirations, but make the story your own.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Back in 1995, I attended a reading by author Martin Espada. He was kind enough to say “Don’t be afraid, just write it. If you are passionate about it, you’ll make it happen.”

What are you reading now?
Believe it or not, I’m reading a book called “500 Cheeses.” I’m very much a foodie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m always looking for the next big challenge. I’ve been writing fiction for a while now. I’d like to dive into non-fiction within the next year or two. I’ve gained some substantial knowledge on one or two topics over the years, and I think they might be of interest to readers. We’ll see.

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?
Off the top of my head, I’d probably want to have “101 Things I Learned In Architecture School”, “1000 Places to See in The USA and Canada”, “Waking Up In Iceland”, and probably “A Survival Guide if You’re Ever Standed on a Deserted Island.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Rob Watts Website

Rob Watts’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Rob Watts is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a prolific writer, drawn especially to the genres of science fiction and fantasy. My published novels include a Young Adult urban fantasy series (Mary of the Aether, Mary of Shadows, Mary of Starlight, and the forthcoming Mary of Cosmos), a fantasy duology (Bloodstone, A Whisper in the Void), a post-apocalyptic adventure (Shadows of Tockland), a standalone fantasy e-book (Garden of Dust and Thorns), and my latest novel, a dystopian science-fiction tale (Children of the Mechanism).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Children of the Mechanism is my latest novel, a dark, dystopian science fiction novel about slaves living and working in the bowels of a mysterious factory under the gaze of cruel robots called Watchers. It is based on a short story I wrote many years ago that was inspired by a documentary I saw about children in the Holocaust. I was disturbed at the notion of people born and raised in evil circumstances who have no other experience of normalcy. However, when I turned the short story into a novel, I think I was more inspired by the condition of child laborers in third world sweatshops. In my own strange way, I wanted to tell their story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing very late at night. In fact, midnight to about 2 in the morning is when my creative juices are really flowing. It has something to do with being so tired that I get into a foggy, semi-conscious state of mind. It’s like I’m able to tap into a kind of dream state. It’s not healthy, but it works.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have enjoyed and been inspired by many writers, including J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Victor Hugo, Stephen King, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams and C.S. Lewis.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a post-apocalyptic novel called Fading Man. It takes place in the same world as another novel of mine, Shadows of Tockland, though the characters are not directly connected to one another.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Websites that have worked for me include Goodreads, Amazon’s Meet Our Authors forum, Kindle Boards, Blogger and my own author website, Jeffreyaaronmiller.com but my most effective promotion came through a rather unusual and unexpected means. A college professor who teaches a regional teachers’ workshop decided to put my first novel, Mary of the Aether, on his recommended reading list. This got me a lot of attention and raised my visibility across the state.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I haven’t figured this whole writing business out yet, so I’m probably not one to be giving advice. I am still desperately in need of advice. I would say be very careful with self-publishing. The lack of professional editing has flooded the marketplace with typo-ridden novels that negatively and permanently impact the reputation of their authors and the self-publishing industry as a whole.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I love genre fiction. However, when I was in the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas, one of my professors challenged me to first learn to write non-genre fiction. He said too often writers hide behind genre conventions to hide weaknesses in their prose, plotting and characterization, so he recommended that I work on those aspects of storytelling. I was then able to take those skills and apply them to genre fiction, creating stronger and more compelling stories.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will finish Fading Man and go immediately to work on the next novel, a YA fantasy called The Figment Tree. At the same time, I will keep plugging away at this promotion thing, trying to eke out a little place for myself in the indie writing world.

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, gosh, I can’t answer a question like this. 3 or 4 books is just not enough. I rarely reread anything. There are too many others things to read. I think I would spend my time on that desert island trying to build a raft to get back to civilization, where there is no end to books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeffrey Miller Website
Jeffrey Miller Amazon Profile

Jeffrey Miller’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jeffrey Miller is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Seattle, WA and I’ve just completed my first book of poetry.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is titled, Of Painted Ponies and Dandelion Dreams. It’s a collection of nine poems, 3 ‘learning’ poems and six poems that are ideal as bedtime reading. I was inspired to write the book as I explored my childhood and I recalled the love I had for hearing stories, especially at night. Additionally, I became enchanted with Grimm’s Fairy Tales at around nine years old and I’ve enjoyed tales of the fantastic ever since.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m often awakened early, 3-4 am, with an idea which I must write down before I can continue with sleep. If I don’t do so, it’s difficult to stop my mind from ruminating.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Herbert, Castaneda, Twain, Dumas, Poe, Carroll, Bradbury, Barrie, Grimm’s Fairy Tales…

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book about dragons. I’ll be visiting London and Paris this spring researching the subject and soaking up inspiration.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Twitter seems to be an excellent promotional vehicle. I’m also experimenting with Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not yet.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This:

“For me, there is very little difference between magic and art. To me, the ultimate act of magic is to create something from nothing: It’s like when the stage magician pulls the rabbit from the hat.” Alan Moore

What are you reading now?
Poems by T.S. Eliot, Peter Pan (preparing for my trip to London), Leaves of Grass

What’s next for you as a writer?
Learning how to best take words and turn them into worlds, worlds that I want to explore and share with 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?
Either The Lord of the Rings, or the Dune trilogy.

Author Websites and Profiles
JC Camij Website
JC Camij Amazon Profile

JC Camij’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

JC Camij is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a fourth generation Californian who lives in East Highlands, California, not far from

where my great-grandfather planted the first orange trees in this area. I had a wonderful childhood and grew up thinking that everyone had grandparents with big, soft beds and great stories to tell. I like music (classical and swing), walking by the ocean, reading (MG, YA, and adult), cooking, and the smell of violets I seem to have a good memory, for I can recall things that happened when I was not yet three years old.

I come from a family of pioneers. My great-grandmother walked all the way from Vermont to California because the swaying of the wagons made her “seasick.” She had very large feet, and no wonder. I have always loved to hear those stories. I have a special love for the beach, for I spent summers there at my grandparents’ house. Maybe that’s why so many of my children’s books have beach scenes in them – or at least river scenes. My favorite color is blue, and I love caramel sundaes. When I was a child, I was ill for several months with an ear infection, and I read the poems of Robert Lewis Stevenson. I still remember the magic of the counterpane when I made hills and valleys and populated them with tiny china animals.

I have written 30 books, over 500 articles and short stories, and seven juvenile plays.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just finished the final draft of WHEN CRICKETS STOPPED SINGING, set in 1939 in the fictional Southern California town of Messina. It was a time of indecision in our country – a time when we were on the brink of entering World War II. It was also a time of indecision in Messina. Mr. Jefferson Clement was back, and no one seemed sure what to make of that. Three friends (Angie, Reba Lu, and Geraldine) decided to follow the preacher’s advice and love their enemies – the people in the town who were the worst sinners. Mr. Clement was on their list. So was Dodie Crumper, the least liked child in the 5th grade. The inspiration for this story comes from a situation in my home town, something that I observed and escaped becoming a part of. Though these characters are fictitious, they are very real to me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I often read of writers who work for long stretches of time – sometimes whole mornings.

This would be such luxury. Since I teach school three times a week and conduct a fair number of writing workshops, I find myself working in spurts and late at night. Twenty minutes here; ten minutes there. It all adds up, and I have learned to use these minutes to the best advantage. I always carry a notebook of some kind so that I won’t let a bit of conversation or a great idea slip by me. When I do get a chance to write for an extended
period in the morning, I sit at the computer in my robe and slippers, a fresh pot of coffee and a bowl full of Cheerios nearby. Whenever I get a chance I spend a few days at the beach, where I know of a little motel right on the sand. Then I write for long, luxurious stretches of time, stopping only for a walk at sunset and food now and then. I don’t really think these are unusual writing habits. They are just mine.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In college, I loved to read Faulkner (especially THE BEAR) and Hemingway (everything). I have a special place in my heart for Mark Twain and Steinbeck. In more modern literature, I admire the simplicity of Alexander McCall Smith and the great energy of James Rollins’s adventures. In MG and YA literature, I like to read anything by Karen Cushman, particularly CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. Mary E. Pearson’s THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX fascinated me. I love everything by Ursula K. Le Guin and Laurie Halse Anderson. Gary Paulsen’s HATCHET is timeless. And I admire the poetic voice of Jane Yolen. As for influence, I guess I’ll have to return to Faulkner. It was while I was working on an analysis of THE BEAR in college that I discovered that I had a voice of my own and could write. My analytical essay earned me a monetary award and the feeling that I had more words to share

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two books: one a MG novel titled THE TROUBLE WITH ARNOLD and the other a YA novel titled KYTELER’S INN. This book is both contemporary and historical – one layer built on top of the other. It takes place in Ireland today and, alternately, in the 14th century.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon. Linked In, Facebook. My own site at http://www.marilyndonahue.blogspot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read, read. Especially read in the genre in which you want to be published, but don’t limit yourself. As you read, use a yellow marker and highlight passages that you admire, bits of dialogue that are meaningful, images and metaphors that make you catch your breath. It is even a good idea to type several pages from a favorite book. This is a great way to capture the phrasing – the pauses that matter – the flow and rhythm of the writing.

Write, write, write. Carry a notebook with you. Jot down bits of conversation and make notes about the voices you hear. Record impressions: smells, sights, sounds that touch your imagination.

Take a piece of paper and rough sketch a setting (any setting) that appeals to you. Don’t try to do this well. It is meant to be rough. Keep your hand moving. Take another piece of paper and describe what you just sketched.

Now use your rough-sketching experience to map your entire story by creating the kind of map/sketch kids love to look at in the front pages of the books they read. These exercises keep you (and your readers) aware of the details of setting. They also help you create characters who belong in your story and a plot that is believable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to write about what you know. Instead, write about what you feel. If you’re not sure what that is, go back to Number 7 and sketch a little more. I find it amazing that emotions are related to moving a pencil around on paper!

What are you reading now?
I am starting FAKING NORMAL by Courtney Stevens Potter. Just finished another of the Richard Jury mysteries (THE ANODYNE NECKLACE) by the talented Martha Grimes. And waiting in the wings on my new Kindle is THE FIXER UPPER by Mary Kay Andrews.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several books I want to finish and a few I want to begin.

(1) KYTELER’S INN: a YA novel set in contemporary Kilkenny, Ireland, with the historical story of Dame Alice Kyteler, the “witch of Kilkenny” as an undercurrent.

(2) THE TROUBLE WITH ARNOLD: with MG characters who are close to my heart.

(3) THE QUICKSILVER TREE: first draft completed, but I’m not satisfied.

(4) THE BUS AND US: a memoir piece that may have limited appeal, but I intend to finish it anyway.

(5) A collection of family stories that I have to write if I want to be able to use my spare bedroom as something other than a storage place for family papers and pictures.

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 easy. THE BIBLE. Shakespeare’s collected plays and sonnets. HUCKLEBERRY FINN. A collection of GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES. That’s four, but I need one more: A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES by Robert Lewis Stevenson.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilyn Cram Donahue Website
Marilyn Cram Donahue Amazon Profile

Marilyn Cram Donahue’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Marilyn Cram Donahue is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing ever since I was a little girl. I remember asking my parents for a horse, thinking that this was a normal pet to have like having a dog or a cat. When my parents told me I couldn’t have a horse I ended up writing stories with girls who had horses. My main character in The Runner has a horse she rides and they’re a pretty awesome team.

The Runner has been out since December and I’m getting ready to release my second novel Rubicon. Both books are series, but it is easier for me to switch back and forth between books. I’ve written numerous screenplays, short stories, and television sitcoms, none of which have ever been turned into anything, but I love doing it.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rubicon is inspired by the winter I worked in an ice cream shop and strange things happened.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing too unusual. I like to buy spiral notebooks with cute pictures and cool designs. I’m constantly taking notes as I write because I learned that the best way for me to finish something is to plow on through. If I realize I need to change something I’ve already written, I make a note to do it later. If I didn’t do this I could easily see myself rewriting the same opening scene and never get past it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am constantly reading. I read anything and everything from classic literature to teen paranormal romance. Because I write in the YA genre I’d have to say that my favorite YA books growing up were R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books and L.J. Smith’s Secret Circle series and her Vampire Diaries series. I think it is amazing that these authors and their works are still being loved twenty years later. It seems like so much has changed in the world of technology, but something in these author’s works continues to be loved by teens (and grown-ups) today.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the Avi Bloom series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure this out. Awesomegang.com has some great services and most are free.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the blogs and advice of other authors. I am still very new at this, but I learned so much just from publishing my first novel. There are writers who have been doing this for years and they are very helpful.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. This seems to be the only advice every single writer agrees on.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison. She’s been able to sustain this series for roughly 19 books and the series is still going strong. She’s amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to close up both of my series by the end of the year. I already have so many other book ideas, but first I have to finish what I start.

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 Sorcerer’s Stone, Pride and Prejudice, and The Amazing Adventures Kavalier & Clay. I could reread these books for as long as it took to get rescued.

Author Websites and Profiles
J.M. Johnson Website
J.M. Johnson Amazon Profile

J.M. Johnson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.M. Johnson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written just one book so far and Part Two is on the way soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called “A New Way of Loving” and it was inspired by the work of Diana Richardson. My own challenges in relationship and witnessing the challenges of so many others also inspired me to write it.. Diana’s work goes to the core of the conflict between men and women. Often men don’t get enough sexual interaction with women and the reason is because women are so often left dissatisfied in their encounters with men. So more and more often they decline after a certain age. They usually don’t know what is missing. They just know that something is. This is a tragic situation really and it’s responsible for literally all the dysfunction and turmoil that defines modern day life. The way to healing this split between men and women is known and proven through Diana’s work and it’s revealed in my book as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes i do. I often wake and sit bolt-up-right in bed in the middle of the night with an epiphany. I go downstairs and start writing in my iPad then go back to sleep before dawn for a few more hours. When i sit in front of my computer again i can hit the ground running.

It took almost 3 years of writing before the story came and i began to find my voice. Now it flows fairly readily as long as i block the time to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anais Nin was my mother as a writer. She gave birth to the creative just by her sharing her perceptions of people including herself in day to day life in her diary. Then also her more polished works of fiction were very compelling. She was an incredibly loving being, very feminine and very intelligent.

Henry Miller was another one early on and Lawrence Durrell.

Then later came Stuart Wilde. Stuart is a brilliant writer and incredibly perceptive. He has an amazing gift of explaining complex metaphysical concepts in clear easy to understand language, while being incredibly funny and entertaining at the same time. I later learned from him that he was inspired by Durrell as well but he surely has his own style. I consider him to be my teacher. When i began to read his books over 25 years ago, i lost interest in most other writers. I read everything he published and all of it is pure gold to me. I still prefer to read his books over and over than to start new books because i go deeper each time, and it changes me. It helps me continue to grow. I do read other books but always seem to gravitate back to ole Stuart.

What are you working on now?
I am working on Part Two of A New Way of Loving. And it feels that Part Two is working on me too. There’s a way that it’s coming through me rather than me being the writer. In fact that’s the only way that i can write anything decent and meaningful. It’s more of an allowing than a doing really.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m using Kindle and Create Space together and learning from John Tighe how to do the marketing. He has a brilliant and easy to follow program and he’s very likable. He’s genuine and has the serving people part down pat.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well i think the best advice is to not get too carried away by the advice of others. Writing is a creative process. It involves bringing something out from the inner depths. So my advice is to take care of your body. Detoxify everyday, Eat well. Get out into nature everyday if you can and flow along with life. This way there will be less in the way of what wants to flow from within you. Develop the habit of listening inside to your body and your inner promptings.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See above…

What are you reading now?
I just picked up another old favorite Stuart Wilde book the other day titled “The Trick to Money Is Having Some”. It’s hilarious and very poignant too.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well it’s just one day at a time. I have the outlines for Parts Two and Three of A New Way of Loving loosely laid out before me and am blocking time for those to come through. I’m planning to have both completed and published by the end of 2014 …God willing, as they say.

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 first of all ask if i could bring a companion too. If the answer was “no” then i’d probably decline the offer. If i could then i’d bring notebooks and i’d bring books that would help with surviving and thriving on a desert island of course. I’m sure it would be great fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ami DeJong Website
Ami DeJong Amazon Profile

Ami DeJong’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Ami DeJong is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and have ten books live at the moment and one just waiting on editing. I have three series, Defender’s Blood, which has six in it at the moment, The Witch, the Wolf and the Vampire which has one live and Book 2 will be live very soon, and also Sabrina’s Vampire which has two books live at the moment and I’m working on Book 3 now.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve just finished The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire, Book 2 and it’s a follow on from Book 1. In this one we find out just how powerful Peri may be, she’s the Witch in the books, and how far Josef – the Vampire, and Gabe – the Wolf, are prepared to go to keep her safe from those that have hunted her for the past six or so years. Ever since she escaped from ‘them’ at age fifteen!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure – I like complete peace and quiet when I’m writing. Noise – music, tv, or anything is a distraction to my mind, so I tend to keep things just about silent when writing. I don’t have any outlines either – my books are all in my head and I sit down and just start typing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m not sure about influenced but I enjoy various authors, I do like Stephen King and I love the In Death series of books she does. I almost swoon at Roarke!

What are you working on now?
I’ve just started Sabrina’s Vampire, book 3, Hunted. It’s about Kyle trying to stop his mate from being kidnapped, tortured and killed – whilst trying not to let her know there’s even anything wrong!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Oh this is a hard one for me as I’m relatively new to all this and at the moment I’m kinda stumbling around and trying to find out! One of the other author’s on a forum I’m on gave me awesomegang.com details and I’ve added a couple of my books onto the site. So will let you all know!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The only advice I have is – don’t wait – if you want to write do it. I hid my passion for many years and when I finally took the plunge – boy! Books started to flow out and I regret not doing it earlier. So take a deep breath and do it – even if you decide not to do anything with it when you’re finished – at least you’ve done it and should feel proud.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nothing to do with being an author – from my Gran who brought me up – “If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all.” (or words similar – I’ve put the polite version on)

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Faust 2.0 by Michael Brookes, it’s very interesting and quite creepy in places!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write, write and oh yeah – write! No seriously, I’m trying to find my feet in this new venture, finding out how to get my work to folks that will like it. Oh yeah – and getting a movie deal – (wishful thinking lol).

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 jeez, I wouldn’t last long enough on a desert island to even get through one book! Definitely The Stand, the latest In Death book, and I would take a ‘how to survive a desert island and escape from said island’ – I’m sure there must be one of those books out there somewhere!

Author Websites and Profiles
Ava K Michaels Website
Ava K Michaels Amazon Profile

Ava K Michaels’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ava K Michaels is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Alexandra Swistak has traveled the world in her study of languages, culture and architecture.

She has degrees in education and art history, specializing in Early Renaissance paintings. A dream job move to Asia triggered a career change by the time she returned to Canada. She brings art, travel and an interest in the supernatural to her writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Red Bride’s Noose is the first book in a series.

The idea came to me as I was travelling through Islamic countries and Asia, but I was not ready to juggle a book around a demanding career. Eventually, I realized I would never have more time and I had to learn how to make time for this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, but I do like to follow a certain procedure before beginning a new creative project.

I need to feel like I’m in a brand new place, so I begin with an office renovation. It seems extravagant, but a fresh coat of paint and reupholstering a chair are small expenses. Still, my preparations may seem a bit much, but it’s a necessary step for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
What makes your mystery thriller unique?

The reader experience’s life in a closed culture and the brutality against young Camille is chilling. Her modern attitudes are incompatible with her family’s beliefs and it could end up getting her murdered.

I can’t think of any other mystery like it.

What are you working on now?
During Nazi Germany, in Russian occupied Estonia, a tragic scene forever changes the lives of two little girls.

I can’t say much more as it’s very early stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I question marketing strategies that begin with giving away a brand new release.

When Larry D. Thompson did an Amazon cash gift card giveaway, I won and I have been buying his books ever since. Building brand loyalty and strong relationships with readers is very important to me.

I structure my cash contests and giveaways the same way many of my favorite authors do and it’s been good for me. I’m in the process of doing another $200.00 cash giveaway very soon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1) Hire at least 3 editors

2) Hire a good cover designer

3) Package your book as beautifully as possible to compete with established names.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Where do you feel most inspired?

Nothing compares to living and working in Europe. Nara, Japan is also a power point for me.

What are you reading now?
In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl

http://mary-rosemaccoll.com/

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to write many more books, but my neighbours keep flooding my office.

People like to hang clothes on fire sprinklers. A couple months ago, someone put a towel over a gas fireplace and a huge fire broke out. Luckily, this time the originating unit was several floors below me.

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 be happily stranded with any new work by:

Susan Hill

Ann Cleeves

Tana French

Anne Perry

Author Websites and Profiles
Alexandra Swistak Website
Alexandra Swistak Amazon Profile
Alexandra Swistak Author Profile on Smashwords

Alexandra Swistak’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alexandra Swistak is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing paranormal and romance novels in secret for years, and in 2013 I took a big step and started publishing the Dark Caster series. I’ve now written and published five novels, two in the Dark Caster series and three in the Red Plague trilogy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote and published all three of the Red Plague novels at the same time. After reading Warm Bodies (and watching the really sweet film) I tried to find romantic zombie novels, but couldn’t find any I liked. So, frustrated, I wrote my own zombie adventure. I’m very proud of the Red Plague series and excited to share it with readers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write anywhere and everywhere I can. Since I’m a wife and mother I don’t always have time to write in a home office, so I type stories on the sidelines of soccer practice, in the waiting room of the dentist, or during my lunch break at work.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite books to read and gritty (and sometimes funny) paranormal romances, so I read J.R. Ward, Kresley Cole, and Patricia Briggs. But I also love regency historical romances, the kind Eloisa James writes. I enjoy reading anything with strong characters and a compelling plot.

What are you working on now?
The next novel in my Dark Caster series, Spell of Vanishing, will be out sometime later this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a personal website that I enjoy updating. Besides that I’m active on social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr. I’m still new to publishing, but I have heard good things about GoodReads and BookBub, too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Whatever happens, keep working on your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take your writing career as seriously as you would any other career.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Divergent by Veronica Roth.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan on writing a short story in Spring 2014 and then the third full-length novel Spell of Vanishing in Summer or Fall 2014.

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?
Good question! There are some books I could read 100 times and never grow tired of them. 1. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward, 2. No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole, and 3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anna Abner Website
Anna Abner Amazon Profile
Anna Abner Author Profile on Smashwords

Anna Abner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Anna Abner is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve probably written about ten books over my life, but only recently am I doing much to get them in front of readers. I live in Seattle and work developing content for websites. My early dream was to be a writer, but I lost sight of that for a while and contented myself with editing other people’s writing instead. Eventually the itch came back and I decided to just write the sort of stuff that I have fun reading. Back in the day I studied ancient religion, so the books I write are likely to include a lot of history, religion, and the more mundane details of being a humanities graduate student.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Chimera was inspired by Dan Brown’s work. I’ve read some of his stuff and enjoyed the movies, and one day it occurred to me that he’s always packing his novels with the stuff I learned about in school. I decided to see if I could do it, too: write something that has historical elements without being tedious and pedantic with all the detail.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m compulsively organized so I plan out everything to the last detail. Before I write a word I’ve charted the entire novel, named the characters, captured pictures of the characters and the locations, and so on. So when you hear about writers who just listen to their characters and allow the stories to take shape as they write? Yeah, that’s not me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a compulsive reader so there are more so many people who have influenced me. I remember several years ago being influenced by Guy Kay and the way he worked actual history into a fantasy setting. And of course there’s Dan Brown, who manages to take aspects of religion and history and work them into fast-paced, entertaining stories. I’ve never dreamed of writing great literature, I just want to write a fun read, and so my strongest inspirations are the men and women who do just that.

What are you working on now?
I’m taking notes on a few different books that I will probably write some day, and meanwhile waiting for the inspiration that will seed the follow-up to Chimera.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still figuring that out. I’m new to Kindleboards, but I think that might be a great resource, and I’m also thinking about what I can do with my author profile page on Amazon (which as of writing this doesn’t exist yet). When it comes to publishing ebooks, the writing is the easy part. Connecting with readers is the challenge, and I’m still getting my head around that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write lots of books. Get them in front of readers as quickly as you can. Write what you love, rather than what you think might sell. Don’t read the reviews—the good ones will make you complacent, and the bad ones will get inside your head.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The only person on this earth who you want to please is yourself.

What are you reading now?
What am I not reading, is the question?

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books! As many as I can churn out.

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 bring my iPad with a solar charger, so that I could download new books as needed.

David Kaine’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

David Kaine is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Since my late teens, all I wanted to do was to write intense, fast, action-packed novels. I just had all these action scenes, and plot twists flashing into my mind, and I really wanted to share them! At that stage I was haunted with doubt. Did what I want to write make sense? Was it possible? Did it ‘feel’ real? They were real concerns for me. So I put the pen down, and knowing to my bones that being a novelist was my destiny, and set out to live the experiences I wanted to write about. I learned how to fight, and fight well, I travelled to places like Kazakhstan, Russia, throughout Europe and into South East Asia on my own, couch surfing, pretending that I was a character in my books. I wanted to know what it ‘felt’ like to be lost, alone, afraid. I pretended I was being hunted, that I was hunting someone.. and so on. It was a very significant time. Back in Sydney, I became a Private Investigator, specialising in surveillance. I learnt how to follow someone, how to avoid being detected, and how to run like hell when I did get caught! Then, wanting to hone my craft, I started working as a ghost writer, and did that for a few years before I felt ready to put my name to anything officially. It just seemed that everything I was doing was leading me toward being genuine and honest in my writing. In 2012 it was time, and ‘Against the Clock’ was born.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called ‘Against the Clock’. The inspiration for the title was simple, yet complicated. I’m not sure anymore about the chronology of my thoughts, but I wanted a title which epitomised the fast pace, and timed intervals between each sub-chapter. I also wanted to create a sense of urgency with time counting down/running out, as well as the logistical aspect the clock takes on in the Prologue and Epilogue. Over all, I’m very happy with the depth and multiple meanings the title has taken on.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really sure if they’re unusual… my writing habits are definitely seasonal! Or more accurately ‘Climate’ controlled.

In winter I love to write from my car. I take my laptop, thermos with black coffee, a bag of liquorice assortment lollies and my laptop, and head off to whatever lake, river or park strikes my fancy, and write!

In spring and autumn, I tend to do the same thing, except I have a foldable deck chair in boot, and sit outside under the shade of a tree, and write.

In summer, I stay at home, crank the air-conditioning as cold as it can get, have a pot of coffee on, rice crackers and write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Ludlum for sure. Especially in the earlier days. More recently Vince Flynn is definitely one of my bigger writing heroes. There are other writers like Andrew Peterson, Matthew Reilly and David Baldacci who also have a place in my ‘influenced me’ basket.

What are you working on now?
I’m working the sequel to ‘Against the Clock’ aptly called ‘When the clock stops’, and also working on the graphic novel adaptation/version of the prequel to Against the Clock. That is proving to be a great deal of fun.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think I’m far from being a marketing expert. At the moment, I am relying very heavily on word of mouth and the quality of my book to promote people spreading the word. I am also involved with my readers, and potential readers through social media. I’m working on the principle, that by giving something of value, and remaining approachable and genuine, my work will sell itself. Can you tell my marketing skills need major work? haha.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes! The same advice I was given, and live by..

Write! And keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write! And keep writing!

It’s a philosophy I take into every moment of my writing. Stuck for the next part of the book, not sure what to write, don’t feel like writing, etc etc. I think it was David Morrell who once said, it’s okay to edit what you’ve written if you don’t like it, but it’s hard to edit nothing.

What are you reading now?
I tend not to read any books while I’m writing. I have ‘Rafa’ on my Kindle for the next book I’ll read. I was really excited to read the next Mitch Rapp book from Vince, but his untimely death has put a stop to that..

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once the ‘Clock/Shirin Reyes’ series is complete, I’m looking at co-writing a more sombre based-on-real-events story. Otherwise I plan to continue to write kick-ass, deadly, action-packed, thrill-ride novels!

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. The Parsifal Mosaic – Robert Ludlum

2. American Assassin – Vince Flynn

3. Lightning – Dean Koontz

Author Websites and Profiles
charlie moore Website
charlie moore Amazon Profile

charlie moore’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

charlie moore is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written five books on human resources topics, but my most recent book is a real departure. The title is On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks, and offers practical tips and ideas for professionals who want to write a nonfiction book as a tool to promote their business, boost their career, or to leave a legacy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks, and was written in less than six weeks (of course!). At the time I was wrapping up employment with a HR consulting firm (a 40+ hour a week job), developing the business plan for my new business (another 40+ hour a week job), and writing the book. Yes, a book can be written in six weeks when you follow a strict process (and deny yourself a life during that time!).

How I came to write the book was a result of receiving a call from the National Speakers Association chapter president, who asked me if I had truly written a book in less than six weeks. I told him that I had in fact written four of my five books in less than six weeks.

“Would you be willing to speak to our chapter on how you did that?”

“I would be delighted!”

“But wait, there’s a catch,” he said. “Would you be willing to coach two of our members and then give a panel presentation about the process at the end of the six weeks?”

“You had me at ‘give a presentation,’ but now I’m totally hooked!” I responded.

So, I coached two of our chapter members, and during the process they said, “You could do this for a living, you know.”

And, after giving the presentation to an enthusiastic crowd and many of them suggesting I could/should do this for a living, I decided to embark on this new career direction.

In developing my business plan, I realized that the key to this business plan was to write the book on how to write a book in six weeks, and to do it in six weeks. I now have a new business, coaching professionals on how to write their books as a tool to build their businesses or boost their careers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure I would say that I have unusual writing habits, although I would say I am very disciplined. I schedule writing time on my calendar, and use a project planning process to get it all done within my time frame. I also don’t write conventionally–that is, I don’t start with chapter one, then move to chapter 2, and so on. I start with the chapter or point that is easiest to write, then move to the next easiest section, and so on. I also work very closely with my outline that I’ve detailed in advance of writing the first word.

I also love working with a coauthor. On Your Mark is coauthored with my nephew, Kevin Williamson, who is a brilliant writer. My third book was coauthored with my mother, Anne Dorton, and a book I’m working on now is coauthored with Lyle Sussman and Kevin Williamson. I like working collaboratively, and find that my creative juices flow much better when I’m working as a coauthor (it also suits my tendency toward extroversion!).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Stephen King’s On Writing. My favorite business book is David Rock’s Your Brain At Work. In addition to reading business books, I love fiction, and read voraciously when on vacation.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a business parable that I began with another coauthor eight years ago. We’ve introduced another coauthor into the mix, and we’re excited about moving forward with this project.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It’s been seven years since my last published book, so the playing field is very different now. My coauthor Kevin Williamson has built a stellar website for our book, and we’re both exploring our blog as a means to reach more people. I’m also becoming more savvy with social media, and have been promoting our book via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. I have a lot to learn, and am eager to figure out the best strategy.

I’m going to throw a virtual book launch party (in addition to a “live” party in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky), and offer a way for my out-of-town friends, colleagues, clients, and prospects to join in the fun. The virtual party will be given via webinar, and will feature a behind-the scenes interview with the authors, a guest book (Like our Facebook pages), and party favors (download a bookmark!). I will also offer this virtual party as a graduation gift for any of my coaching clients who go on to write and publish their books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I actually have a lot of advice, but once the book is written, it is time to celebrate your success with your friends, family, and author friends.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, write, write! Develop daily writing habits. Don’t try to write and edit at the same time. Picture your reader and talk to that person. Figure out your purpose for writing well before you write the first page.

What are you reading now?
I’m not! I’m trying to get my book out there!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on my next book project, coauthored with Lyle Sussman and Kevin Williamson.

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 my reader loaded up with as many books as I could!

Author Websites and Profiles
Cathy Fyock Website

Cathy Fyock’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Cathy Fyock is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My last book, LIFE IS A TRIP: The Transformative Magic of Travel, contains 14 chapters about fourteen different cultures and what we can learn from them that will change our way of living, loving, parenting, celebrating, being ambitious, solving a family dispute, meeting a mate.

As a travel journalist, I have contributed to 105 international publications. My speciality is peoples’ cultures, and how they think, behave, eat, drink, party, mourn their dead, celebrate, worship. I blog about travel for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. There is always an element of transformation–how travel can change your life.

I give keynote talks, lead workshops, and occasionally my photojournalist husband and I take people on trips to exotic locales. I was a Hollywood writer and playwright before I became an author and travel writer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book, which was just released, is THE SPOON FROM MINKOWITZ: A Bittersweet Roots Journey to Ancestral Lands. It was on three Amazon bestseller lists within a week. I wrote this book to encourage others to find out where they come from, why they love, and who came before them.

When I was a child, I was obsessed with the tiny dot on the map my grandmother came from in Russia. She didn’t want to talk about it, and the less she talked, the more I wanted to know. Like a little dentist, I managed to extract six tiny clues from her. And my life turned into a detective story as I tried to track the clues down.

When I found out that my fiancé came from the same speck on the map, I knew I had to get there. And I did.

My life and marriage will never be the same.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I am experiencing something in life, I am writing about it in my head at the same time. So when I sit down to write about it, I have already, in a sense, written it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Throughout my life, I have been in love with Doris Lessing, The Brontes, Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens. More recently, Tahir Shah, Richard Zimler (The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon), Martin Prechtel and on and on.

What are you working on now?
Since my book just came out, I can now catch up on articles I want to write. At the moment I’m writing about how the events in Ukraine are deja vu for me–in terms of my ancestors.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When enthusiastic readers contact me after they have read my new book and tell me they laughed and cried, I ask if they would be willing to post a review on Amazon. Their spontaneous reactions, I think, are helpful to potential readers who are considering buying my book. And I notice that they often buy my last book as well.

My own website, www.GlobalAdventure.us, has reviews and author/book information.

And one reader generously created a Facebook page for The Spoon from Minkowitz. I invite people to that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write when you have something you HAVE to write about.

It’s a lot of work to write, publish, market a book. Make it something you care about.

And do not listen to naysayers. There are always people who will discourage you.

Follow your heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Healing takes place when your mind, your mouth, your heart and your spirit are in synch.

The same is true of writing.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Digging Through the Bible, and Changing Spaces, by my author friend Nancy King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Communicating. By being interviewed on the radio, giving live talks, blogging. I talk about my work and about writing. I try to inspire others to tell their truth, and I continue telling mine.

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 be so anxious I’d have to take a book or two on how to deal with anxiety.

And I would want something really long and deep–like the Bible. I’m not religious, but those stories resonate wildly.

I’ll get back to you on the other book or two. I really won’t want to be stranded on a desert island. Even if it were wired.

Author Websites and Profiles
judith fein Website
judith fein Amazon Profile

judith fein is a post from Awesome Gang