Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am newly published author E.J. Norris. I love to express myself through words. I’ve written a lot over quite a few years. I wrote two novellas and two novels and a few shorter stories all inspired by this or that. But my third novel, the only one to be published so far, is very, very, different.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first published novel is entitled The Mirror and The Sword. Its an exciting and suspenseful fantasy novel that I hope will be enjoyed by one and all.

Its inspiration goes back to the summer of 2011, which was the summer before my junior year of high school. Not only was I concentrating on my education and the looming question of what I was going to do with myself, I was also dealing with a strange medical condition that I’d been coping with since I was ten.

Summer was always filled with lots of fun and I always wrote a lot. However that summer I was seeking new inspiration. I was craving a new and more meaningful story to tell. Now, anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a Christian and as such I believe that the good Lord puts each of us on earth for a unique purpose and we can find it if we just let him into our lives. I hadn’t let God in on my writing, as if I were trying to hide the interest from him. Yes, I was trying to hide from almighty God, creator of the universe who knows me better than I know myself. He knew it all and was just waiting for the day when I prayed saying, “Lord, the pen is yours. What do you want me to do?” Within a week or so an idea began forming, the basic skeleton of a plot and after several try’s at a beginning if took off and the story has been going ever since.

I paired it quite harmoniously with my school work and when the time for more surgeries came it was among the greatest of comforts. When going through a long term condition it can seem so endless; every sensation is remembered and amplified. But as I sat in that waiting room dreading the what was to be done, I could take out my journal and, for a time, find relief in another world where characters overcame challenges bigger than themselves and strove for a better life beyond the lies they were made to believe. Then, after the surgery, I really had something special to look forward to when I was well. As I waited for the anesthesia cloud to clear (this always a few days) and the pain to go away I’d find myself waking up each morning and asking, “Will I be able to write today?”

Now that it is published, I’m doing all that I can to share it with those around me and it is my deepest hope that the story will bring others hope and happiness where they feel there can be none.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual habits. Hmmm. I don’t think I have anything really bizarre like wearing pink, fluffy bunny slippers on the wrong feet and spinning around exactly three and a quarter times before writing. I just have a pretty firm method that I stick to, but these days maybe not a whole lot of people hand write the whole novel then type it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve gotten great influence from the following authors: Brian Jacques, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, and Kathryn Lasky. This list could definitely grow because I don’t read just for entertainment. I read to learn knew techniques and further shape my own style.

What are you working on now?
The Mirror and The Sword was never meant to stand alone. Therefore I am working on the two novels that follow it. The second is a typed draft at its revision point and the third is at its rough draft stage. I’m really enjoying working on them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is my very first novel I’m still exploring the world of promotion. But I certainly have no intention of underestimating the power of the internet and I’m always looking for places to share my story. This site look very, very good and I intend to submit The Mirror and The Sword when its ebook version becomes more available, just to give people more options.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, if anyone asked me for advice on writing I would recommend these few things.

1. Read, a lot

2. Create your own method for writing. Ask yourself, what really makes the words come for me?

3. Practice. Much like everything else, nobody is perfect on the first try.

4. Always look for ways to better yourself and don’t be afraid to stretch your mind with new challenges.

5. And finally, be confident, but don’t go nuts with it. Pride can most assuredly come before a fall.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice on writing I ever heard is this short and beautifully simple statement by the author I learned the most from.

“Learn to paint pictures with words.” Brian Jacques.

What are you reading now?
Since I get into books so deeply I am actually quite a picky reader. My mother always taught me to be careful what I let into my mind. I also don’t care for one sided novels, novels without a satisfying balance of elements. So if a book doesn’t resonate just right with me or I find something offensive I don’t read it. But these days I find the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series by John Flanagan very, very enjoyable. I’d highly recommend them because they’re clean and just plain fun.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Stories, lots and lots of stories. I am also planning on the pursuit of journalism.

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 I can’t pick! One of them would certainly be a Bible though.

E.J. Norris’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

E.J. Norris is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Midwest during the 1980s and 1990s, in an active house with a large family. I love animals, playing games, gardening, and spending time outdoors.
I have written one book, “Promises We Keep,” that was published in January, 2014. I have also written a novella, “No Choice,” that I hope to publish sometime in the early summer of 2014.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Promises We Keep” is the title of my latest published book. I have always known that I wanted to write a book, and I decided one day, that it was time to do it. So, I just sat down and began writing. Nothing in particular inspired the story, it’s just what came out of me when I put pen to paper.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write by hand, instead of computer. It’s nice to be able to take a notebook with me, and I can write anywhere, not just sitting at my desk, on my computer. But I do, sometimes, write my stories on a computer. However I start a story, handwritten or typed, I like to finish it that way. “Promises We Keep” was written entirely with pen and paper, while sitting in my bedroom. I also like to write late at night. That’s when inspiration seems to hit me the most.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always enjoyed Stephen King’s stories. My next story to be published, “No Choice” is a darker story, more similar to the horror genre. “Promises We Keep” is much lighter, and is probably best categorized as Chick Lit.
A book that I really liked growing up was “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m writing a book that is a little bit darker in tone. I like to call it a psychological horror or suspense story. It’s called “Felix And The Little Room.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Twitter are great ways to stay connected and to get your information in front of people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what makes you happy. Write for yourself. If you like it, that’s the most important thing. And keep writing. You can only get better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know.

What are you reading now?
Nothing at the moment. I’m focused on writing my next story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to continue writing. As I finish a story, if I think others might enjoy it, I’ll try to publish it. And then it’s back to writing again.

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 probably bring at least on blank book that I could fill in with my own stories, a Stephen King anthology, and something more light-hearted like “Gone With The Wind.” I definitely wouldn’t want to bring “Lord of the Flies!”

B. Christine’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

B. Christine is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a single mum with a four year old son. I started writing after coming out of a ten year relationship with a man who is now serving a life sentence for murder. As a child I always used creative writing as a way of expressing my feelings so after going through this terrible, traumatic experience, I opened up my lap top one day and started writing. My first novel, “Strains from an Aeolian Harp” is a dark story of opium addiction, domestic violence and lesbian love set in the 1920s. It went on to make the finals of the Chaucer Award for historical fiction. I have also had two short stories published in the number one best selling lesbian anthology “Sun Kissed” by Freya Publications.

I have to fit in writing when I can, around my job as an interpreter and looking after my son who has some additional needs, so as you can imagine, I don’t get much time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am currently writing a novella called “The Freundinnen” which is based on a painting I love by Gustav Klimt. It is a portrait of a lesbian couple which was burnt by the Nazis on the last day of the war. My novella is the story of the two women in the painting; one a model from Vienna and the other a seamstress from Tyrol, and of the Nazi officer who becomes obsessed with the painting.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not a habit as such, but while writing my first novel I was breastfeeding with one hand on my keyboard. That was the only way I managed to make time. My baby fed every two hours for the first six months. I was exhausted.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love 19th century literature. people just don’t write like that any more; I studied some fantastic 19th century works for my degree, but my favourite authors at the moment are Sarah Waters and Philippa Gregory.

What are you working on now?
As well as “The Freundinnen” I am also co-writing a novel called “Five Guns Blazing” with Jamaican born author Kevin Allen. It’s the story of a convict’s daughter from London who is transported to Barbados in 1710 and falls into the hands of wanted pirates John Rackham and Anne Bonny. It’s almost finished and I a hoping it will be available soon. The manuscript has already won the CBR award for best first chapter so I’ve got high hopes for it. Kevin and I have had very different experiences and each bring something different to the story. We seem to have gelled together quite well and have become friends despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Thank goodness for Facebook!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
When Sally Met Sally wrote me a lovely review for their book, but the Women and Words and UK Lesfic blogs were also good. I think its all about appealing to your niche market. I thought that once I’d finished writing my novel all the hard work would be over. How wrong I was!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up your dream because it is so worth it when you see your name in print. Try and find a publisher who will market your book for you, not just simply upload it on Amazon. Write out a plan for your story first. I abandoned so many projects because I didn’t know where the story was going. Since I started writing the full synopsis first there has been no holding me back.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sex sells!

What are you reading now?
Schindler’s List. It’s amazing!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not sure. I keep thinking I’ll take a break after my next two projects are finished. My son has to take priority and I’ve got a new partner now. We will see. I’m just so glad to have started writing again; having a book published is something I dreamed of as 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?
The Colour Purple, Wuthering Heights, Wide Sargasso Sea and Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory. I love stories with strong female characters.

Author Websites and Profiles
Emma Rose Millar Website
Emma Rose Millar Amazon Profile

Emma Rose Millar is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write for the fun of piecing together a story. This isn’t as easy as it seems and I don’t know why. We can all tell relatively coherent anecdotes but when you start writing it down, things get hinky. In part, it’s a result of everyone liking different things. I like short endings – The Return of the King (I love Tolkien, don’t bash me) had so many false endings that when I finally got to the last one, I turned the page and was surprised there wasn’t more. Consider this foreshadowing, I like short endings – ergo – I write short endings. Folks who like long endings, hate that. Sorry. Another reason writing a story gets to be messy – you have to extract all the stuff in your head and plop it on a page in such a way that readers can see it the same way. That’s tough to do, at least for me.

I keep trying and when I feel like I’ve got a story someone else might like to read, I make it available. Most go into the box under the bed, but a few see the light of day.

I have half a dozen books available through sales channels and another six that will be releasing in the next twelve months. Some are short story collections, others are novellas, a few stand-alone long short stories, and full length novels. Eventually, some will become series featuring recurring characters. The next release is actually a collection of bedtime stories I wrote for my son – I’m only releasing it as a print edition. Most of the rest of my work is available is digital and print formats.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book I’m promoting now is called The Vitae. This is a novella that introduces a character named Rose Brashear. She has a novel releasing later this year and this shorter story leads into that one. There is a companion novella called The Trade which just released and introduces a second recurring character (the love interest), Savio Mendes. Each story traces their progress into and out of struggles until they wind up in the same place… and eventually meet.

Yes, it’s probably a backwards way to introduce a story but I dislike reading about before characters knew each other once they’ve met – I like to see it happen.

The Vitae is a story about making choices in your professional life that resonate for your future – something we all have to do without knowing the outcome. There are no major events, no world-shattering admissions, no saving the planet from alien attack – but it’s familiar and fun nonetheless. It’s a story about a woman trying to land a coveted spot in academia. As an anthropologist myself, I know that’s a hard target. The competition is intense and the pressure is ugly. Sometimes you get what you wish for and sometimes you don’t. I’ve conducted fieldwork all over the American west and so it inspires a lot of the locales and people I write about. Rose’s story makes use of my experience in archaeological survey, historic mines, and other odd stuff but also touches on how friends and colleagues help drive us toward goals we didn’t know we had or want.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m opportunistic. I write when and where I have the opportunity. I have a regular writing group that meets every week and we swill coffee and write together for inspiration and to hone our craft (I laugh because I’m not sure how much honing happens – but we have fun). Fiction writing is a reward I offer to myself. Once I’ve completed work, then I allow myself time to write. Which, I suppose, explains why my writing gets influenced by some unique topics that have to later be edited out….

When I get stuck on a scene or feel like I’m spinning my wheels, I resort to writing in longhand. Since I write slower than I type, the end-result is different, more focused and less likely to dive down a rabbit hole.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m an opportunistic reader too. I’ll read anything that catches my interest. I’m particularly fond of Anne Rice, Elizabeth Peters, and Lincoln & Childs, but I also read lots of classic literature – especially the really old stuff like Euripides and his buddies. I also like romance: Amanda Quick’s period historics, JD Robb’s futuristic, and Kressley Cole’s paranormals, among others. So many of the authors I grew up reading have passed away in recent years and I miss reading new work from Tony Hillerman, Elmore Leonard, and Kurt Vonnegut. I’m sure there are others, but I also have fond memories of Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ursula LeGuin.

I’m not so fond of books that question the human condition and then find nothing of value to celebrate because I think they shortchange the ability of people to alter and grow. I like to be entertained when I read and prefer a story that has a satisfying ending – preferably happy, but I’m content with a solid resolution too.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a paranormal romance/adventure sort of thing right now. It’s set in modern-day Chicago and features faeries. I’m trying to keep it a long short story of less than 15,000 words because there isn’t a lot to it but it keeps threatening to grow into a longer work.

Come to think of it, I also just finished plotting a thriller, also set in modern-day Chicago (I must need to take a trip), that involves lots of misinterpreted assumptions and a little ghostly intervention. That one probably won’t hit the sales market till next year.

Other than that, there are a lot of other stories in various stages of completion.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think word of mouth is the very best method of getting people to share your work, so any solution that allows people to read and share, is the best one. Being published means learning to be patient because it’s smarter to concentrate on the long-term goals than it is to seek the elusive immediate success. I’m fortunate in that this is something I pursue for the enjoyment factor and that means I have the luxury to be patient and let my stories find their way to readers. Not every writer has that opportunity. It also means I get to be less intense about marketing and promotion. I want people to read my work, but I’m okay with it taking a while for them to discover it exists.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write some more. Stick to topics and subject that interest you for real. Be genuine. Of course every single person on the planet isn’t going to want to read it – that’s okay. Someone will. More than one someone. Read a lot. Read lots of different things. Write lots of different things. Explore genres. Try different lengths of finished work. Find your voice. Own it. Learn the rules and then break them if that’s what works for you.

The only rule I believe when it comes to writing, is find what works for you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write. Finish what you start. Get the words on the page. You can edit the most ridiculous nonsense into something wonderful but you’ve got to have the carcass first. Sorry, bad roadkill analogy.

What are you reading now?
This’ll probably sound like a pretty bad mix, but you asked: an encyclopedia of poisonous plants, a biography of a 19th century Canadian fur trapper, a literary novel that won great acclaim and is putting me to sleep every night, a volume of historic haiku, and a fun series of humorous murder mysteries. And probably others, but that’s what I can remember right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I cycle through projects, moving from one to another when I feel like. I’ve got an idea for a thriller/ghost story that I’m thinking about plotting, but there’s also a story I’ve been stuck on for months and I’ve finally figured out how to cut it apart and restructure it so the problem becomes a solution. That one probably needs re-plotting to fill-in gaps now that I’ve changed one of the primary characters into a spirit. Logistical issues abound.

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 completely Kirk this and say: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo, followed by the OED. That way I get hundreds and hundreds of books as well as the Oxford English Dictionary. That would keep me busy for a long time and I’d know so many more useless words by the time rescue arrived. If they came too late, then I could write the ultimate self-obit!

Oh, okay, I’ll play fair. I would bring a volume of classic American poetry, the collected works of Homer because he touched on all the archetypes, and a history of world mythology.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lesann Berry Website
Lesann Berry Amazon Profile
Lesann Berry Author Profile on Smashwords

Lesann Berry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lesann Berry is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently live in Texas with my husband and daughter. I am originally from Kansas and have also lived in Maine, South Carolina, and Hawaii. My first love is geography and my first published writings were historical geography and later, travel articles. I recently published my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my book went through as many revisions as the book itself. I finally settled on the title 500 Tidbits of Insight after deciding that the phrase ‘tidbits of insight’ was both direct and optimistic. I choose the number 500 because I hit my target word count on my first draft by tidbit 481, so I rounded up. I added the subtitle for clarity. I do not want someone to purchase a copy and feel mislead by the title. Hence, 500 Tidbits of Insight: Living with and Overcoming Depression was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For this book, I wrote an outline by saving hundreds of text messages. I finally downloaded an app to my smart phone to ensure they survived long enough to make it to a word processing document on a computer. I complied all the tidbits by reviewing old notebooks, journals, and remembering events that I experienced. I took my phone with me every where during the drafting process and I would create a text or note as I recall a coping strategy, piece of advice, or insight. Once I start a draft, I usually need to work in the same space until completion. I find it greatly disruptive when a family member walks off with my laptop or rearranges furniture.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For my book, I was motivated by the general trend of writing in a blog or journal style that has been surfacing all over the internet. I am used to writing direct passages when covering travel destinations, but for the book, I needed a slightly different format. I discovered that many self-help books and blogs were beginning to use second person periodically, so I experimented with that style and decided to use it throughout my book.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on two book projects. One is about the transformation women undergo when they experience motherhood for the first time. The second is a more general self help book inspired by 500 Tidbits of Insight that explains how to bring more optimism and positivity into your life despite hardships it focuses more on residency building while establishing healthy expectations. It will have a more structured format and will be formatted in a more traditional manner.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find online promotions tricky because the internet is not a stationary, reliable thing and what is best will change periodically. I am still learning but patiently researching how to locate your target audience is a good start. Advertising across existing social media profiles is also good. It is definitely, by far, the most time consuming aspect of the book writing process.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write when you can, however you can. Worry about details later, which you can clean up during your revision process. Each time you read through your book, proof read for something different.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Instead of asking what is normal, just ask what is normal for you.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Man Who Walked Through Walls by Marcel Ayme.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am going to write more non-fiction books and consider making a formal draft of some my short stories. My writing seems to improve as I push myself to learn about new topics and styles. I enjoy getting feedback from other writers. I’m also working on collaborative projects, which will probably lead to new, interesting 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?
Recently translated in modern English copies of the Bible and the Quran (now having the time to read both in their entirety). A thick and thorough book about fishing, and a collection of Shakespeare’s works.

Author Websites and Profiles
K. Delaughter Website

K. Delaughter’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

K. Delaughter is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written fifteen non-fiction books and three novels. I have also written the screenplay for the film “Dahmer vs. Gacy.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is “Elvis Presley, CIA Assassin.” It’s obviously a satire. It was inspired by Elvis Presley’s real-life 1970 meeting with President Richard Nixon. During the meeting, Presley told Nixon he wanted to be some sort of undercover agent. My novel imagines that Presley ultimately became a CIA operative. He then worked his way up the ladder until he became a full-fledged CIA assassin.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I just try to write every single day. I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits, but I do have some procrastinating habits. And yet I am very prolific. This just goes to show if you do at least some work every day, it will eventually add up.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kurt Vonnegut, Elmore Leonard, Richard Matheson, Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a collection of horror short stories for Curiosity Quills. It will be called “Death Rattles” and will feature about 25 short stories.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t really have one. I’m just figuring this thing out as I go.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write, and don’t ever give up. Don’t take no for an answer. Just keep plugging away.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Elmore Leonard once said he tried to leave out the parts of a story that people skip. This includes heavy exposition. “No one skips dialogue,” Leonard said, and it’s true. I try to tell extremely dialogue-laden stories.

What are you reading now?
I’m about to read Richard Matheson’s last novel, but I can’t remember the name of it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the same. I’m going to just keep writing. I’ve got a book on the filmmaker Ed Wood coming out, and am working on several other projects, including a novel for Curiosity Quills entitled “Monsters vs. Nazis.”

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 Am Legend” by Richard Matheson, “Night Shift” by Stephen King, “Road Dogs” by Elmore Leonard, and “Breakfast of Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut.

Author Websites and Profiles
Andy Rausch Amazon Profile

Andy Rausch is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Joel Babbitt, and I’m a Lt Colonel in the US Army and a bishop in my church. I’m a happily married father of four, and yet still find time to write…

I’ve written 8 books, 4 of which are published.

Clan Lord is the first in a series of sci-fi shorts. It’s AWESOME! You should read it! And for only 99 pennies, who can resist!

The Trials of Caste (#1) and Into the Heart of Evil (#2) are the first two books of a fantasy series. They are a lot of fun, with intricate plots, humble heroes, and despicable villians. Oh, and did I mention that they’re all kobolds?

I also have a book on missionary work for the LDS crowd. Enjoy!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have been working very diligently on episodes 2 and 3 that come after Clan Lord. I’m right now going through the cover art, editing, etc process for episode 2 (Hunt Master) and I’m about 8K words away from done with episode 3 (Puppet Master). Hunt Master is AWESOME!!! It totally tears at the soul, yet makes you fly as well.

What inspired it? Well… so I grew up a red-headed, gangly, freckled kid among a bunch of people who didn’t look quite like me… so I had to learn to fight. Razz, the good guy in Clan Lord, does the same sort of thing. Through his own impetuousness and a stroke of good luck, he finds his true path among the clans of his home forest.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up at 0545 (that’s 5:45am in non-military speak) every morning and write for an hour before work. Is that so unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A bazillion. Okay, maybe only a couple thousand, but I’ve been a voracious reader now for about 35 years or so… so it’s hard to say. For Clan Lord, however, I would have to say Orson Scott Card and Bernard Cornwell, with a bit of B.V. Larson thrown in.

What are you working on now?
I’ve got a number of different projects:
- Hunt Master and Puppet Master (see above)
- Book 3 after Into the Heart of Evil: It’s written, but I’m editing, polishing, refining a few areas, etc. I want it to be everything my readers expect it to be, plus all they hope it will be as well.
- Ella Sister-Daughter: I’m a quarter of the way through with this one. It’s the delightful story of a Viking princess who just wants to make her own choices, despite what everyone else wants for her.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Kindle 99 cent promos so far, though I’m just getting into the free promos.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First of all, write AWESOME stuff that everyone will want to read because it’s soooooo COOL! Then *publish* it!
Second of all, get an e-mail list and a website. Maybe facebook and blog, but those are really just time wasters for most authors.
Third, unless you all of a sudden become super-popular and your books just sell themselves, don’t read about super-popular authors, because none of them have a clue how their books actually took off and it will just depress you. Instead, read books on how to effectively market your books and be willing to put in the hard work of marketing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Kill your darlings” by Stephen King. What he means is that you must snip out the parts of your book that YOU love, but that your readers will find boring.

What are you reading now?
BV Larson’s Dust World, plus K.C. May’s Kinshield Saga, plus Samurai: the Japanese Warrior’s Unofficial Manual by Stephen Turnbull, plus Kindle Free Promo Hacks by Andrew Scott (it’s an awesome little book, but he needs a good editor), and I just finished This Kind of War (it’s military history)

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! Duh! Okay, okay. Ahem.

Next for me is to finish up episode 3 and 4 after Clan Lord and to get Hunt Master published. After that, it’ll be time to get book 3 after Trials of Caste and Into the Heart of Evil ready and published. Then, as a special treat, I want to get back to Ella Sister-Daughter (because her story is so fun!)

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 scriptures, the Encyclopedia Britannica (That counts as just one, right? Right!), the entire collected works of all british authors who write great stuff, and my journal so I could finally catch up in it (and a pen or two, of course). Okay, maybe I cheated a little on this question…

Author Websites and Profiles
Joel Babbitt Website
Joel Babbitt Amazon Profile

Joel Babbitt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Joel Babbitt is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer/entrepreneur. I have been writing articles for 15 years about small businesses for the company I founded, smallbiz.com. I just published my first fictional book.

I am married to an incredible wife who supports my passions. I joke that I’ve been married three times: to my wife, my business, and now my writing. My wife is starting to get jealous! We live in Tucson, Arizona, and spend as much time at the beach in Rocky Point, Mexico, about four hours away – Hint: this is where much of STONE AGE is set. When not in Mexico, or in Tucson writing, Lisa and I serve at our church.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea that became STONE AGE fermented in my noodle after reading article about how a large coronal mass ejection – just think solar storm – could take our power grid down for decades. This scared the crap out of me. I wondered if we ever had a bad solar storm in the past and I read about the Carrington Event of 1859. I thought, “Wow, this is not only scary, this would make a great book – One that covered both the events in 1859 and an equally large event today, now that we are completely dependent on our technology. I couldn’t believe that no one had written this story… that is until I published STONE AGE.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
From what I read about other writers, I think so. I am a seat of the pants writer who outlines the story only after I’ve started writing. I usually get an idea: it can come from a dream, a movie I’m watching, a book I’m reading, or a story in the paper. I think about it and a basic story line forms, and then a character or two. I start writing about that scene. Then quickly, while it’s fresh, I write a quick story synopsis – beginning to end. If I’m really into the story and/or I have the time, I’ll start doing the outline, scene by scene. Then, I’ll go back and fill in the blanks. I know it sounds chaotic, but this is how I wrote STONE AGE.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hugh Howey and his Silo Series: Wool, Shift, & Dust. Stephen King and his novel, The Stand.

What are you working on now?
The second book in the series, STONE AGE – New Realities. This picks up right were STONE AGE ended, and will explain many of the mysteries left in the first book.

I’m also working on a science fiction short story and another post-apocalyptic novel. Both I hope to finish later this year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because I’m a fairly new author, my methods are ever evolving. Truly the best thing to shoot for is pushing your book to make it on Amazon’s Hot New Releases. In other words, try to get a push of purchases in the first few days to crack onto the list.

I didn’t even know this list existed, until STONE AGE made the list with about 28 purchases in two weeks (most in the later part of the two weeks). Then, because of the visibility, people really started buying. Yesterday, STONE AGE hit #6 overall on Amazon’s Best Seller list for Post-Apocalyptic fiction. It even edged Sand, written by Hugh Howey, who I think has something like a 100 billion fans.

For book 2, I will be focusing on communicating directly to my readers who have signed up on http://mlbanner.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! Don’t worry about whether it’s the right time, or whether your illustrations should be one way or another – that’s directed towards my sister. As the folks at Nike have said, “Just do it!”

There will never be a perfect time. You will never get your book perfect. So, just get started and enjoy the process, because writing is fun.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Other than my “advice for new authors,” the best advice I received from one of my early beta readers was to take my time. That is, take my time to write my first book and get it right.

The other one, which I didn’t hear until recently, is to make friends with other authors in your same genre. Discuss, review, & cross-promote. You’ll be helping each other.

What are you reading now?
Fiction: You’ll never guess, but books of a similar genre: Breakers, by Edward Robertson; Apcalypse Z – Dark Days, by Manel Loureiro; Extinction Point, by Paul Antony Jones. I probably won’t read any solar flare stories until I’m done with my series. I want my ideas to be original.

Non-Fiction: The Bible

What’s next for you as a writer?
Meeting deadlines. They’re self imposed mind you, but they are there just the same. Because of the success of STONE AGE, I’ve pushed up the date of release of book 2. I scheduled the time with my editor, who is booked solid through the end of the year, so I’ll need to meet my deadline with her to get STONE AGE – New Realities released by the Fall.

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 – I try to read it every day; The Army Survival Manuel; Fishing for Dummies – I am pretty dumb when it comes to fishing; & STONE AGE – It would make a great gift for the person who rescues me.

Author Websites and Profiles
ML Banner Website
ML Banner Amazon Profile

ML Banner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

ML Banner is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have published just one novel, The Lamb. But I did write another novel before that. It was my “starter novel” and it needs a heavy rewrite before its ready to be published. I wrote it in a fast and furious fashion over the course of a couple of months – kind of like my own personal NANOWRIMO – just to see what it was like to write a novel length piece of writing. I also wrote a new adult novella, which similarly needs a heavy rewrite before its ready for public consumption.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and only) book is called The Lamb. It is inspired by the Bible story of King David and Bathsheba. I’ve always found this story intriguing from a moral point of view and it was that aspect of the story that I wanted to explore.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Is writing in your underwear unusual?
Just kidding, I don’t do that. Um… I drink a lot of tea while I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really love Ann Patchett, Margaret Atwood, Harriet Scott Chessman, Alice Munro, Hemingway and Haruki Murakami. The one book that influenced me particularly while I was writing ‘The Lamb’, was ‘Waiting For The Barbarians’ by J.M. Coetzee. I studied his use of first person, present tense closely. I also examined ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Ishiguro while writing The Lamb. It’s such a beautiful and emotive novel.

What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on a short story called ‘A Japanese Man in Yangshou’. I hope to have it finished very soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My own website www.ebpurtill.com or Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JJAB8VC/?tag=ebl1-20

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Rewrite, rewrite and rewrite some more. The pages you start with won’t be the ones you’ll want to finish with.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To slow down and examine the particular scene I’m writing. Especially if its a scene that relates to the heart of the story or a particularly poignant moment.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘On Such A Full Sea’ by Chang-Rae Lee.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to publish my short story soon, and then I have a couple more short story ideas I’m brewing at the moment. I also have a novella half done that I’d like to complete. I also would like to do a project on Wattpad as well, but that may be a little while away.

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?
‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ by Truman Capote … no, wait, that’s too short. I’ll switch it for ‘Too Much Happiness’ by Alice Munro, my favorite collection of short stories. Then I’d go with a really long biography of Abraham Lincoln and The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Two things I’ve been intending to get through for my own personal education but never seem to have the time. And finally ‘The Hitchhikers’ Guide To The Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams to make me laugh when I got lonely and sad.

Author Websites and Profiles
E.B. Purtill Website
E.B. Purtill Amazon Profile

E.B. Purtill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

E.B. Purtill is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Lisa, a mystery/suspense author. I’ve been writing extensively for the past 10 years now. I live in a small suburb outside of Chicago with my husband and two kids.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
DISCONNECTED is my latest novel. What inspired it was struggling with my own mental illness. I’ve used writing as a way to cope since I was diagnosed in 2004. The main character has a split personality with her other self always bullying her.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write all over the place. Very disorganized and in a clutter. Notes everywhere.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice and Carol Goodman are my all time favorites. Carol is really poetic and has made me fall in love with prose writing. Anne of course has always opened up the dark side of me.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a young male main character. He is the stable friend while his best friend is the wild one. When his best friend steals his father’s gun and whips it out during a party in the woods, everything goes to hell.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads and Absolutewrite

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do as much research as possible, build your writing community online or off or both. Keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
NEVER give up!

What are you reading now?
CRANK by Ellen Hopkins

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m in the process of looking for a publisher for my next completed novel, PURPLE HAZE.

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 Witching Hour
The Lake of Dead Languages
Frost

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Cronkhite Website
Lisa Cronkhite Amazon Profile

Lisa Cronkhite’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lisa Cronkhite is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After growing up in the north east of England, studying English Literature at Sunderland University and failing to make it as a rock star, the real story began in 2006, when just days after my 27th birthday, I boarded a plane to Sydney, Australia, with no return ticket.

I spent 2 years in the land downunder and travelled through every far flung corner of the country, earning my keep by taking up jobs doing everything from pruning grape vines to tractor driving. In my spare time I vowed to try every new experience that was offered my way, no matter how crazy. I climbed glaciers, Swam with sharks, jumped from aeroplanes and pretty much tried to live life as much as possible.

During this time overseas, I was also fortunate enough to meet the love of my life; Katie. Upon our return to the UK in 2009, what was originally intended as a birthday present (a travel journal recounting our time in Asia) ultimately led to me finding my vocation in life. The travel journal soon progressed to fiction and I have since completed 3 novels and have several more in various stages of completion.

The Outback and Stealing Asia are currently available on Amazon and Diamond Sky is scheduled for release in the summer of 2014.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Diamond Sky is my third novel, but was really the first idea I had. It is about grief, loss and an inability to let go of our loved ones. The plot is based around a group of scientists in a remote location in the Australian outback who are conducting experiments into astral projection. The aim of the research is to explore otherwise inaccessible parts of the galaxy, but one of the team has an ulterior motive. She lost her parents at a young age and is determined to find evidence of continued existence beyond death.

The story came to me after a bad day at work. I got home and tried to think of the one place I would want to be to get away from everything. My mind settled on the Australian outback. There is nothing more beautiful than a clear night desert sky. There is so much colour in the stars – they glisten and sparkle like diamonds, hence the book’s title. When I wrote the Outback, I originally planned on developing it into the astral projection plot, but decided to go a different way and replaced the supernatural elements with Aboriginal superstition, creating a psychological murder mystery rather than a sci-fi thriller.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use only very vague outlines and tend to write by the seat of my pants. Therefore, my writing is very sporadic. When I am “in the zone” I can write for hours, churning out 10,000 words. When I am not, I can go days without writing a thing. During these blank moments I will edit or work on my blog just to keep writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I first fell in love with books when I was introduced to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series as a teenager. Those books completely changed how I defined my reality. I started writing fiction after graduating from university, but a dull office job sapped my creativity and it was only when travelling and I picked up a John Grisham novel at a book exchange that my love of the written word was rekindled.

In terms of my writing, Alex Garland’s The Beach was the biggest influence. I saw how he used his experiences travelling to create incredible fiction and emulated (though not copied) this spirit in my first two novels, which are about backpackers in Australia and Asia respectively.

What are you working on now?
I am adapting Diamond Sky into a trilogy. I am writing the second and third installments back to back and hope to have them ready by the end of the year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have only just begun the long, arduous task of promotion. I wanted to wait until I had built up several titles before promoting myself. I plan on experimenting a lot in this respect over the coming months.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take all advice with a pinch of salt. All writers are different and approach their art in a unique way. There are no rules that are completely universal. Just try to stay as true to yourself as possible. Write the stories that you want to read, not what you think others want to read. Finally, read ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. If you only read one book about writing, that is the one to read.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remove all unnecessary words and avoid the passive voice (Stephen King). Basically, it is not the words that matter, it is how effectively those words convey the story. The story forms in the readers imagination, not on the page. Over complicated prose creates a barrier to the reader forming those images. Reading should never require effort, but always be a pleasure.

What are you reading now?
I am doing the final proofread for Diamond Sky, but outside of my own work I am reading The Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer. He is an author and reviewer who has been incredibly supportive of my writing so the least I can do is to spare him the time he has given for me. I have not read much historical fiction (outside of my uni course, at least) and seeing the amount of research that goes into such stories is truly inspiring.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Fame, fortune, seven figure movie deals. Until that comes, I will just keep on writing. One day, I would like to write a screenplay, whether it be an adaptation of one of my novels or a completely original work.

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?
Number one has to be my anthology of John Lennon’s two books, A Spaniard in the Works/In His own Write. The stories and poems Lennon writes are surreal and often disturbing, but perhaps give more insight into the author than his music did.

The Beach by Alex Garland is a book that I can read over and over. It is also quite fitting for the desert island.

Lastly, I would look for a book of survival tips by the British adventurer Bear Grylls. If anybody knows how to survive on a desert island, it is Mr Grylls.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Clarkson Website
David Clarkson Amazon Profile

David Clarkson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

David Clarkson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I lived in six countries and consider them all to be my homeland. It helps me a lot in my writing, since I was exposed to so many cultures and traditions. At this point I’m starting to get an itch to move again. I lived in the US for almost twelve years now. That’s twice as long as any other country. But I tell myself that it’s time to be a responsible adult and end up trying to get the excitement in some other way.

At the moment I have a collection of stories and novelettes out, Curse Your Body.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Curse Your Body was inspired by another book, Hounds of Dracula. To be more specific, it was the teaser that they put in the beginning of the book.

The premise of that book was a man from Dracula family trying to escape the family’s past by moving to another country and changing his name. Unfortunately, a dog that was turned into a vampire by one of his ancestors was able to find him and decided to turn him into a vampire.

The idea of trying to escape being a vampire and failing, fascinated me so much that I got this itch in my head. I had to figure out the best way to use that idea, so I started thinking. If a person was born a vampire, they wouldn’t be as likely to hate what they are because they don’t know any other way. Besides, how are you supposed to escape it if you were born into it?

The other choice is fearing to be turned, but that takes away the heredity. Plus, victims wouldn’t really know that it’s inevitable, because they might be able to run, hide, or die before they are turned.

So, I decided that my vampires would live as humans but ones they die, they turn. Each member of the family knows about their inevitable change. There’s no way to stop it. There’s no way to kill a vampire, not even with silver of stake. The best they can do is to immobilize the body. Imagine spending eternity locked in a tomb?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I kill people. A lot. Every time I hit a writer’s block, it’s time to do something terrible to my characters. Sometimes I torture them, other times I kill them. Sometimes those who died end up coming back as ghosts, vampires, and demons.

In one of the books I’m writing right now, I managed to kill the main character, a small town, and a vampire unicorn.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It’s hard to say. I read a lot, but I try to read different authors from different time periods. Bulgakov, Pushkin, Turgenev, Shakespeare, Stephen King, Scott Sigler, and so many more. I think each of them influenced me in one way or another.

What are you working on now?
I’m actually almost ready to release the next series of short stories and novelettes. This one is based around Slavic mythology, World War II and the events that are unfolding right now in Ukraine.

I have a whole bunch of stories that follow different character through just over a century. In the last story, they will all come together to stand against the threat that Ukraine is facing.

It’s that last story that I work on every morning. I follow the news, talk to my family and friends who live in Ukraine, and try to incorporate it into the novella.

For the basis of the story I used the idea of ghosts of those who died in World War II rising to find their country in this situation.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I go to a variety of sites, often not book related. For example, I’m trying to promote Curse Your Body on atheist sites because of the atheist journey subplot, and pagan blogs because the book takes vampires back to their pagan roots.

However, the most important thing for me is nurturing the relationships with the readers I already have. I invite my fans to sign up for my email list at http://www.undercandlelight.com/ where I give them exclusive content, offer free review copies and even name characters after them.

I’m hoping to turn them into super-fans, who will read everything a write and will be generous with their reviews.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
When you’re done writing, get beta readers. I’m not talking about you friends and family who might try to spare your feelings. I’m talking about people who will tell you the truth, no matter how much it’ll hurt. If you don’t know people like that, try to find an online writing group.

When getting a critique, remember to look further that the words you’re hearing. When a beta reader is telling you that he didn’t like something, try to understand why, then figure out what to do about it.

Did he think a specific scene was boring? Is it because of the sentence structure? Because nothing is happening? Because it’s just not needed?

A beta won’t always be able to explain to you why they feel a certain way, so you have to decipher it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. If you finished one book, start writing the second. If you hit a writer’s block, who cares. As long as you sit down every day and put something down, you will not only finish this book, but you’ll improve as a writer.

What are you reading now?
I just started reading The Spider #6, Slaves of the Laughing Death. It was published in 1993. I was going to start a different book, but I was running late for work, so I grabbed the first book from the ones we got this past Free Comic Book Day, and ran out the door. Now I’ll have to wait to finish The Necroscope series until after I’m done with this superhero novel. Not that I’m complaining. So far it looks like a great story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There are a number of projects I’m working on. I want to finish the Kairan Curse series (Curse Your Body is the first collection. Curse Your Blood and Curse Your Soul are going to be number two and three.) Then there is this troll story I’ve been collaborating on. On top of that, I want to write stories that complement some of the comics and graphic novels that my husband, Vincent, is working on now.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I have this wonderful survivor book. It’s written and illustrated by hand. It covers everything from building a house to making mead. I got it as a gift while Vin and I were winter camping.

The next would probably be a book on edible and medicinal herbs.

I could use a book on making my own wind or water energy generators, because guess what my next book would be… a notebook. Preferably with wireless connection. This way I can download a whole bunch of fiction books that would keep me sane while I’m there. I hate rereading the same books over and over, so the idea of being stuck with only 3-4 books is very scary. I’d probably lose my mind.

Author Websites and Profiles
Armada Volya Website
Armada Volya Amazon Profile
Armada Volya Author Profile on Smashwords

Armada Volya’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Armada Volya is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in North London, and spent my schooldays playing football or looking out of the window wishing I was somewhere else.

After failing to make the grade as a professional football player, I spent much my twenties traveling, hitch-hiking around Europe and North Africa before heading to Asia. My experiences in Bangkok and India later inspired the thriller VENOM, and my adventures in the jungles of the Golden Triangle of Burma and Laos were also filed away for later, the basis of the OPIUM series about the underworld drug trade.

I moved to Australia and worked in advertising, before moving to Sydney where I freelanced for most of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines, as well as working in radio and television.

After the publication of VENOM in 1990, I became a full time novelist. I have now published over 40 books and my work has sold into translation in 23 countries.

I lived for many years in the beautiful Margaret River region in WA, and helped raise two beautiful daughters with my late wife, Helen. While writing, I also worked in the volunteer ambulance service for over 13 years.

I travel regularly to research my novels and the quest for authenticity has led me to run with the bulls in Pamplona, pursue tornadoes across Oklahoma and black witches across Mexico, go cage shark diving in South Africa and get tear gassed in a riot in La Paz. I also completed a nine hundred kilometre walk of the camino in Spain a journey described in The Year We Seized the Day.

I did not publish for over five years but returned to writing in 2010 with the release of SILK ROAD, and STIGMATA the following year. ISABELLA was published in 2013 and became a huge bestseller.

I liken my fiction most closely to Ken Follett and Wilbur Smith – books with romance and high adventure, drawn from many periods of history.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
NAKED IN HAVANA started with a letter from one of my readers:

‘… I would also truly love to learn what REALLY happened in the 50′s with Cuba. Something tells me that it wasn’t truly like what the teachers told us in school in Canada. I read a fictional book a long time ago about Marilyn, John, Bobby & Frank, that touched on the Che Guevara/ Fidel Castro story, but just not enough to satisfy me …’

‘Can you write a book about that?’ she wrote.

And because it intrigued me, I said I would.

The story of pre-revolutionary Havana appealed to the romantic in me; I had always been a fan of those big romantic movies like Casablanca and Gone with the Wind and my mind’s eye fixed on a sweeping love saga that would follow the winds of change of an entire decade, from Havana and Castro’s takeover of Cuba to Jack Kennedy’s Malibu hideaway, the Hollywood of Monroe and Sinatra, to the final days of war-torn Saigon, an epic with larger than life fictional characters, as well as real life legends.

That was the vision.

And as I researched more, the background did not disappoint; NAKED IN HAVANA is about Cuba before Castro took over, about the Mafia and the casinos, about Kennedy and Monroe and Che Guevara and that whole darkly glamorous story that ended with JFK’s assassination. It’s about glitzy mob-run nightclubs, gun runners, revolutionaries and torchy voiced bolero singers.

But I wanted a love story at its heart; two people who had only ever wanted love on their own terms, but now would have to give up everything to be with each other.

Passion changes us, and love is dangerous. It makes us reject our own sacred beliefs, turn our back on our own kind, do the unthinkable. It can ask more of us than we might ever think to give; it can also heal us more than we ever imagined. And you never quite know which it will be until it is too late to turn back.

That’s how NAKED IN HAVANA was born.

And that’s why when Reyes sees Magdalena in Havana in 1958 he knew that running guns in the middle of a revolution was the least of his troubles …

What authors, or books have influenced you?

Follett, Wilbur Smith’s early stuff. James Clavell.

What are you working on now?
A big historical called Fever Coast.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Another big historical called Fever Coast.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t even think about promotion until you’ve written at least 3 books. Work hard. Study! Learn! Get up at 7 and wait for inspiration. If it’s not there by five past, start without it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Bob Mayer: ‘the reader is God.’

What are you reading now?
Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next month I publish a novel called East India. It’s like a seventeenth century Titanic.

Then I’m going to Mozambique and India to finish research for Fever Coast.

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?
‘How To Build your Own Raft’, ‘Surviving in the Wild for Dummies’ and ‘The National Geographic Guide to Poisonous Snakes.’

Author Websites and Profiles
Colin Falconer Website
Colin Falconer Amazon Profile

Colin Falconer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Colin Falconer is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write psychological thrillers and am a sociopolitical blogger. I have written several anthologies, along with novels in various genres. My first book was a blog novel!

My current focus is on crime fiction and psychological thrillers because I enjoy exploring the darker side of human nature. My first psycho thriller series is a trilogy titled “The Wilde Twins.” It’s about an “evil twins” serial killing team, and the story begins in their childhood days.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest publication is ‘Owned’, a freebie on murder short stories. I realized one day that several of my short stories contained the theme of murder, so I gathered them into a compact eBook collection which explores how and why people are driven to kill.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to have a bottle of moisturizer nearby. Somehow it is relaxing, to have my hands look and feel smooth while I’m typing away at a computer. That being said, I enjoy disrupting the writing process sometimes to move around or do a bit of exercise/stretching. A sedentary lifestyle is not exactly the best thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list. Some of my favorite authors include Poe, Oscar Wilde, Roald Dahl, Stephen King, Jackie Collins. If a writer’s work moves me emotionally, it’s bound to have an influence on me.

What are you working on now?
I will be writing some short stories to contribute to The Mind’s Eye series. It’s a collaborative project that brings together a small group of photographers, poets, and writers. I’m so glad to be included in the team behind the third installment.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
From what I’ve observed, getting the genre and book cover right is of absolute importance. Writing a great story is valuable, but if it stays hidden or buried by tons of other books, few people are going to discover it.

In terms of sales and readership, books should fit in a clearly-defined niche in the commercial marketplace so that you can promote them to the right target audience in order to increase its visibility.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Refer to the above question.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To observe the people whose success you would like to emulate, and to maintain a positive attitude.

What are you reading now?
My draft notes for a review on Beyond Suspicion, by Francis Seow (former solicitor-general of Singapore).

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to start working on my next psychological thriller series later in the year, if possible. In 2012 I was a participating author in a writers’ festival. I hope to take part in a crime-related writing panel some time in the future!

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?
They would certainly be anthologies or thick books, so that I could take my time reading them on the island while relaxing in a shady spot overlooking the clear blue sea.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jess C Scott Website
Jess C Scott Amazon Profile
Jess C Scott Author Profile on Smashwords

Jess C Scott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jess C Scott is a post from Awesome Gang