Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a professional writer, working as a journalist, editor and in public relations. I have been writing fiction most of my life but quite intensively in the last 5 years. Dawn of the Shadowcasters is the second book in the Stevie Vegas Chronicles trilogy, the being Shadowscape. I plan on writing the final book in 2014, Luminous.

I have also written a book for adults, Belonging Places. It’s the story of three women and their journeys to find themselves, and where they belong in the world.

I also love writing and reading horror – not gory stuff, or vampires and werewolves which have been done to death, but good horror/paranormal with a real shock or twist at the end that makes you think. I am currently working on an anthology of short horror stories, Evil Imminent.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Belonging Places – an adult contemporary book. The story is about three women, at different stages of their lives. I see some of myself and the women I know, in all of them. The inspiration for the book comes from a belief that we all need to belong and it’s in human nature to keep searching until you find that place where your heart knows…just knows that’s where you should be.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing very early in the morning, with the sun coming up and a view of outside, and a steaming hot cup of coffee in hand.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of them. I have been an avid reader since I was a child. I studied English Literature at university and my favourite author is Albert Camus. But I love Hemingway, and the Bronte sisters right through to Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

What are you working on now?
An anthology of short horror stories, Evil Imminent. I am enjoying writing these, as each one is different. They range from alien abductions, to love lost in the otherworld, through to a ghost hunter that picks on the wrong ghost.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Probably my blog. It’s not overly commercial and it’s where I feel I really connect with readers. You can find me at: http://extrasensitiveperson.wordpress.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. I don’t know of a book that goes off with a bang on launch date. Getting your work noticed takes persistence and innovation. And don’t spend so much time marketing that you forget to write. Writing and the love of it, is what it’s all about. Never forget that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For Twitter, don’t expect to sell a lot of books, but use it to really brand yourself. And for social media generally, don’t be rude and spam people about your books, really connect with potential readers through interesting interaction and engagement.

What are you reading now?
I am too busy writing and marketing but hope to read another of Dean Koontz books soon, as I finished his book Odd Apocalypse in March and want to read more of his work.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the final book of the Stevie Vegas Chronicles trilogy, later this year and then writing an adult horror book. I have the plot and characters swirling around in my mind.

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?
Albert Camus’ The Plague

Charlotte Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird

Author Websites and Profiles
Maryann Weston Website
Maryann Weston Amazon Profile
Maryann Weston Author Profile on Smashwords

Maryann Weston’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Maryann Weston is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Charles C. Hagan Jr. is a practicing Attorney in Louisville, KY with 34 years of experience. He is also CEO of Millennium Vision Press, a gifted public speaker and the author of four books. His latest book is 12 TITANIC LESSONS FOR CHRISTIANS: Lessons to Motivate, Challenge and Empower (Millennium Vision Press 2014). His website address is millennium-vision.com and his email address is chagan1@bellsouth.net.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The inspiration for the book 12 Titanic Lessons for Christians came from my fascination with the Titanic disaster of April 1912. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that GOD has lessons for his children to learn from the Titanic disaster. The more I thought about it the more challenging it became to find out what the spiritual lessons are. I am now debating whether to write 12 Titanic Lessons for Non-profit Organizations!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Just to write on any kind of paper I can get my hands on and then transfer it to the computer!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
John Grisham and John Ortberg

What are you working on now?
12 Titanic Lessons for Non-profit Organizations

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Using a variety of social media connections to get the word out about my books

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Plunge in feet first and don’t stop until you have accomplished your goal of writing a quality book. Do not skimp on editing and cover. No one wants to read a book with typos, misspellings, grammatical errot, etc.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You have about three to five seconds to woo someone with your cover and title

What are you reading now?
David & Goliath Misfits, Underdogs and the Art of Battling Giants

What’s next for you as a writer?
To firmly establish Millennium Vision Press as a small independent book publisher

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
All of John Grisham and John Ortberg’s books

Author Websites and Profiles
Charles Curtis Hagan, Jr. Website
Charles Curtis Hagan, Jr. Amazon Profile

Charles Curtis Hagan, Jr.’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Charles Curtis Hagan, Jr. is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Yorkshire with my husband and two lunatic terriers. I’ve always written but life, as it often does, got in the way and I turned back to writing some years ago. In 2000 I was selected by North West Playwrights of England for further development but found I preferred writing fiction (novels and short stories).

Over Christmas I took up a challenge to write 52 stories this year. I began on New Year’s Day. I am keeping up with it. You can follow my progress here:

http://carolegillauthor.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-challenge-52-stories.html

My publisher, Creativia will be publishing the stories.

I am widely published in horror and sci-fi anthologies. Currently I have a four novel series out, The Blackstone Vampires Series, published by Creativia. I’ve just completed the first book in a new series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fourth Bride (of Dracula). Actually two things inspired me. One, was the novel, Dracula and the other was Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). The film was able to combine real romance with horror: dark horror. Dracula is both demon and lover. The seed as they say was planted! It was only a question of time when I would get it down on paper. Well it is in paperback and kindle!

I spoke with a number of people about Dracula (while writing it) and I found that many expressed the same opinion, with regard to depictions of Dracula (pre-Coppola’s film) in fiction and film, they said they would have liked Dracula’s background and living life to have been shown in greater detail. Well, I’ve done that in my novel.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love writing in the kitchen or living room. I can retreat to an office upstairs, but I love being in the center of the house. I prefer to write early in the day. When I am writing a novel my aim is to write one chapter a day which I do with very few exceptions.

With regard to unusual writing habits–I don’t think I have any. I’m quite happy as long as I have coffee and my laptop at my disposal!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Anne Rice, Edgar Alan Poe, Susan Hill, Daphne Du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King and Richard Matheson.

If you took Wuthering Heights, added Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and topped it off with Dracula and Interview with a Vampire, you’d have what kick started my writing.

What are you working on now?
Just readying book 1 in my new series for Creativia.
I write historically based horror (longer fiction) . This novel is expansive. It tells the story of Justine who was born in pre Revolutionary France. There are aristocrats behaving badly (I love doing that) in France and England–the ones in England fare better what with Mme. Guillotine.

This is my most romantic novel and I’ve had a good time writing it. The second in the series tells of a doomed love in Ancient Egypt, one that cannot be. It will cover many centuries.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like blogging. Truthfully, I rather promote that way than plaster the newsfeed on Facebook and Twitter.

I really enjoy blogging because I try to keep it interesting. There are excerpts and articles that relate to what I’m writing that I often expand upon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’d say to read a lot–to write as well, start with stories. Flash fiction can be a great deal of fun. Also, flash contains the basic elements of a story.

And really, everyone has time for very short fiction!

I’d also say that your writing keeps changing, it improves. But writing is a commitment and has to be seen as such. Whatever your expectations are, you will keep finding yourself surprised along the way.

It is one ongoing learning experience that never stops.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The very best was not to wait for inspiration. Inspiration comes as you write. If you have an idea for something, go with it. Writing is a discipline. You make time for it. You can’t not make time for it. Eventually you learn how to do that. Time can vary in different amounts, remember.

What are you reading now?
River God by Wilbur Smith.
I not only love historical fiction, I am using it as research for the second novel in my new series!

What’s next for you as a writer?
As far as I know, I will just continue to write. I enjoy it. I can’t imagine not 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?
Wuthering Heights
The Vampire Chronicles (Anne Rice)
Works of Edgar Allan Poe

Author Websites and Profiles
Carole Gill Website
Carole Gill Amazon Profile

Carole Gill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Carole Gill is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an American author with the independent publisher, CREATIVIA. I debuted my writing career with my novel, FEARS OF DARKNESS. I followed the release of my first book with SOUL SEARCHING: A Novella of Poetry and my second novel, A PRISONER WITHIN. I just completed my first middle grade book, the first installment to The Adventures of Boris and Olga Series, entitled, FELINE FASCINATIONS: A Forever Home. I am currently working on completing the prequel to FEARS OF DARKNESS and second installment to The Fears of Dakota Series, A RIPPLE OF FEAR!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I just signed on with Creativia, both FEARS OF DARKNESS and A PRISONER WITHIN are being re-published as second editions. I’m very excited about this because they will have updated cover art and professional editing! This is important to me because I want to give my readers the best product I can.
I am currently working on A RIPPLE OF FEAR. It is actually the prequel to my debut novel, FEARS OF DARKNESS. I hadn’t intended to write a series based on my first book, but it was so well received by my readers that they requested I write more! That is really flattering and I’m thrilled to comply; after all, a writer only exists because of their readers!
A RIPPLE OF FEAR is meant answer some of the questions my readers had about the characters and story line that was not included in the first book. The second installment to my Fears of Dakota Series is about the build up of the war, the blossoming of Chris and Dakota’s romance, and the unique upbringing of the three sisters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know that I have any unusual writing habits because every writer has their own personal way of approaching a story. I think for me, I want to make my readers feel something, so I tend to have more imagery to make you feel the pulse of the tale. Maya Angelou once said, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel” and I believe that is true; this is sort of the premise of which I write from. It my readers can’t connect emotionally to my work then they won’t enjoy the adventure of it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is so hard because I have so many! Of course, I love Shakespeare; his plays and his poetry, with TAMING OF THE SHREW being my favorite. I have always been influenced by the poetry of Robert Frost and the short stories of Ray Bradbury (his piece, THE LOTTERY still keeps me from buying “scratchers!” LOL). Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children Series was probably the most influential body of work for me until I was introduced to the First North American Series by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. Historical Fiction is totally my favorite genre and I have to say that Kathleen O’Neal Gear is by far my favorite author! Still, I am a huge fan of the Twilight Series and Stephenie Meyer. It was actually her success story that finally motivated me into putting pen to paper. My other favorites include Charlaine Harris, Suzanne Collins, and Veronica Roth.

What are you working on now?
While I am focusing on completing A RIPPLE OF FEAR, I am continuing to research and develop my future projects. These include additional stories for both the “New Adult” series, Fears of Dakota and the “middle Grade” series, The Adventures of Boris and Olga. I enjoy trying new things and challenging myself as a writer, but I also want to be personally connected to each of my stories. I want to entertain my readers while sharing a piece of who I am with them and hopefully encouraging them to look at the world in a new way.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I am still very new at all of this. I have been learning so much since my amazing publisher signed me on, but there’s still so much more to explore. Still, I have been using my author Facebook and Twitter for the bulk of my promotions. I have a blog that allows me to connect with Google+ and Good Reads is a fantastic resource. I think it is really cool to have an Amazon author’s page too! I know my publisher is working to create a personal website for me as well, so that’s exciting and something to look forward to!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I guess my personal advice is to approach your work as a reader yourself. Is your tale interesting to you and do you enjoy it? Does the story connect to you and flow as you read it? If you cannot enjoy your own work then no one else will enjoy it either. You need to write from your creative heart and not worry about your target audience or so-and-so’s opinion. Your work needs to come from and mean something to you or it won’t be the magic a book should be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am inclined to say, “Don’t be a dick!” LOL Seriously though, that perfectly paraphrases “The Golden Rule” for me. I mean, I truly believe that we need to treat people the way we want to be treated. this means that I need to uphold all the values I want in someone else in my own person. Some days I’m exceptional at it and other days, I fall incredibly short from my standard of existence. Still, “nobody’s perfect!”

What are you reading now?
I about to finish reading the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth and starting the debut release of my friend, VR McCoy’s, entitled, “Shaman: The Awakening!”

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m finishing A RIPPLE OF FEAR. Though I jot down my ideas for other projects, I try to stay true and focused on the manuscript I am working on. I want to quality work so I feel that is best accomplished when I allow my mind to exist in the current story. That being said, it will be interesting to see what inspiration strikes me next!

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?
Can I have my eReader with an unlimited power source, WiFi, and unlimited credit card for book purchases? LOL
If I could only pick 3 or 4 books then I would say:
1) The Bible because it has so many stories, as well as, beautiful poetry in it. It is like a library in itself!
2) RAISING ABEL by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear.
3) BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer (it’s my favorite book of from the series).
4) CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR by Jean M. Auel.
There’s so many books I love that it is really hard for me to select only a few. Most of my favorites are a part of a larger collection that it kills me to even think of breaking up the series! LOL

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

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

J.M. Northup is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Western North Carolina with my two mini weenie dogs, Smith and Wesson. I have a day job at a community college, but I’d much rather be at home reading, writing, watching TV, or playing video games. I’m a proud nerd – I can spew FullMetal Alchemist, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, Supernatural, or a thousand other quotes at the drop of a hat. I dream of visiting Ireland or Gallifrey, whichever one happens first.

When I’m not obsessed with some scifi/fantasy world, I bake bread (just bread, nothing else), work out, and bounce around a few feminist sites online. And I spend entirely too much time playing Candy Crush.

I’m currently working on my first trilogy, Book One of which has been published by 29 Palms Publishing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and first!) book is entitled Sedich : The Annals of Lusiartha. The first of a trilogy, it follows Rilan Crendu, a 16 year old slave, as he learns of his destiny to free his land from the tyrannical dictatorship that rules it. Sedich is a young adult fantasy story, on sale now in ebook form on Amazon.

I don’t know if Lusiartha had one specific inspiration, or just a bunch of things coming together at the right time. I’d always enjoyed writing (I used to write stories involving my Beanie Babies when I was little), so writing my own book seemed like a natural extension of reading so many. The first thing I came up with was the world itself – Lusiartha. I loved the idea of living in a world of islands, of traveling everywhere by boat . The landscape, I realized, would shape the economy of Lusiartha, and from there, the story just sort of coalesced. I’ve always had an interest in discrimination, on what it is that makes us split humanity into “us” and “them.” That passion crept into the story too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I don’t know if it’s classified as a habit or not, but I wrote the entire Lusiartha trilogy by hand before typing it up into Word. I’ve got four five-subject notebooks under my bed with the first draft in handwriting.

I also have a habit of talking to my characters. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting to a scene I was really looking forward to, only to realize that my characters won’t let the scene happen as I expected. I guess it’s both a joy and a curse having fully formed characters that can defy even my expectations. Or it could just be a sign of mental instability.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so, so many. Most recently, the writings of Ursula K. Le Guin have been my passion. She brings such beauty to simplicity, and she writes stories of worlds that are simultaneously like and different from our own. She raises ordinary lives to the extraordinary, and tells her tales with such respect and grace. Everyone should read her books.

Having said that, it’s hard to write a list of every author that’s impacted me. My first reading addiction, as far as I can remember, was KA Applegate’s Animorphs series. As I grew up, I moved onto CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, DJ MacHale’s Pendragon series, and, of course, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. My favorite book of all time is probably American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Or a Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Or Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Seriously, having a favorite book is like having a favorite child. Don’t ask me that.

What are you working on now?
Books two and three of The Annals of Lusiartha are in the works now. I’m also working on spreading the word about Sedich, so feel free to help me out!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You can find me on Twitter and Facebook, mostly. I check these several times every day. I’m on several other sites too (see below), but I’m sort of a social media newbie, so it might take me some time to master all those.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. A lot. Every day. I used to worry about editing and publishing and marketing and all that stuff, but if you actually manage to eek out a coherent story without losing more than a week’s worth of sleep, then all the stuff that comes after it will be cake.

And don’t be too hard on yourself. A bad day of writing is better than a day of no writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Quit worrying about what other people think. Be much more concerned with what you think, and why.

What are you reading now?
I’m almost done with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, which I probably should’ve listed up there under my favorite books. It. Is. Amazing.

I’m also reading Rachel Held Evans’ A Year of Biblical Womanhood. I read it with my devotions every night, which is the reason it’s taking me so long to read it. Evans’ sees Christianity with a refreshing eye, and writes very accessibly.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve still got a lot of work to do with everything Lusiartha – marketing Book One, getting Books Two and Three ready for publication. I still write every day, of course, so maybe another book idea will coalesce one day soon.

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 Fault in Our Stars – I haven’t finished it yet! It HAS to come with me!

Ender’s Game – Being inside Ender’s head is fascinating. He’s so analytical and passionate at the same time.

American Gods – I could re-read this book a thousand times and still see new symbolism and mythological references. Neil Gaiman brilliantly “updated” ancient mythology, which I wouldn’t even think was possible if I hadn’t read this book.

Author Websites and Profiles
R. Ann Humphries Website
R. Ann Humphries Amazon Profile

R. Ann Humphries’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

R. Ann Humphries is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Dr. Merrie P Wycoff is a recognized author, speaker, entrepreneur, and former Entertainment Tonight Lead Segment Producer.

At the age of ten, while on a school field trip to a local museum, I saw a colossal statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten. I was instantly mesmerized, and so was born my passion for Egypt, its history, and its ancient people. That passion has stayed with me from my growing-up years through today, fueled by my long-ago vow to write Akhenaten’s story. Now, I have fulfilled that vow with the publication of Shadow of the Sun, a 2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award finalist in Multicultural and Fantasy, and Honorable Mention winner in Fantasy.

In addition to a B.A in Public Relations at CSUC, an M.A. in Metaphysical Studies with IMM, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion with The University of Sedona, I earned my Egyptology Certificate with the University of Manchester in Great Britain. But I feel that perhaps the most important part of my education was my time spent with Abd’El Hakim Awyan, a recognized Elder and Indigenous Egyptian Wisdom Keeper of the Eye Tribe and Keeper of the Keys, whom I met on one of my visits to Egypt. My studies with him taught me things that could not be learned from books, invaluable teachings of ritual, magic, and history, all of which I have put to good use in this book, and in my personal life.

Merrie resides in Colorado, close to the majesty and the magic of the Rocky Mountains. There I follow my calling as a Vibrational Healer, writer and entrepreneur. Shadow of the Sun is my first historical fantasy.

My three other books are non-fiction. Born in Orgasmic Bliss, which is a personal diary of my journey through pregnancy and how I turned my pain in to pleasure during childbirth.

Work Like an Egyptian: The 9 Leadership Styles of the Ancient Kings and Queens is both an entertaining and insightful look at the leadership styles of Egyptian royalty. This is a study of valuable and relevant lessons that can easily be applied to the current business world, and everyday life.

Niche to Rich: Zap! Your Way to Success offers simple, yet compelling tips to give you courage in launching or improving your business. This book is full of useful tips and is based on my personal experience in turning a garage-based business into a thriving multi-million dollar enterprise.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stealing the Shadow of Death is the second book in The Shadow Saga. This epic tale reveals the truth about mummification. It is one royal daughter’s journey to find her murdered grandmother’s body and bring her home for burial. Instead the Princess discovers that black sorcerers intend to mummify the Queen in direct violation of civil and spiritual law.

I have always been fascinated with mummification, but I felt there was more to the story than history books revealed. I was determined to uncover the ugly truth.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I hate to admit that I am a messy writer. I have open books scattered around my office because writing historical novels takes a great deal of research. My family has chosen to turn a blind eye when mama is writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Marion Zimmer Bradley and the Mysts of Avalon made my heart sing. I knew I wanted to be an author after reading that historical fantasy. Frank Herbert and Dune was very influential in the creation of a new world. Surprisingly enough A Wrinkle In Time rocked my world as a kid. These books made me yearn to tell a story from a different point of view. In my Egyptian studies, historians paint Akhenaten as a heretic who destroyed Egypt. I portray him as a visionary who dreamed of a Utopia ruled with love and compassion versus the greed, superstition and fear of the previous rulers.

What are you working on now?
I am just starting to work on the third book in The Shadow Saga, Taming the Red Lion’s Shadow.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Booktweetingservice.com is the best way I’ve found to get the word out via Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. Edit. Edit. Edit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Some will. Some won’t. So What. Some’s waiting. Your book may not to appeal to everyone in the world. Write what you love and that passion will show through.

What are you reading now?
I finally have time to read Inferno by Dan Brown. I love reading about Florence, Italy because I studied in Florence, and the book mentions all my favorite places.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Taming the Red Lion’s Shadow is about the Egyptian’s use of alchemy. I have just ordered 15 books on alchemy for my summer research project.

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 History of Egypt by Manspero, The Complete Works of Shakespeare and something by Nora Ephron to make me laugh.

Author Websites and Profiles
Merrie P Wycoff Website

Merrie P Wycoff’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account

Merrie P Wycoff is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a new author and have finished two books, both in the Privateer Tales series. I am interested in sharing stories in both the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be alive during this golden age of literature where anyone with a computer can both write and publish a work. I am very excited to be able to share the stories that I have been dreaming about for decades.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Fool Me Once is the second book in the Privateer Tales series. It is a novella and while I was writing book #1, Rookie Privateer, I became infatuated with the idea that all of the people, even the pirates, would be interesting to follow.

I am especially inspired by the idea that the bad events of our life don’t define us.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think I am like many indie authors who have full time jobs. I sit in the living room with my family and build my stories. I especially enjoy it when I am able to read these stories out loud and get feedback on a particularly tough passage.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am an avid reader and find inspiration from many different authors. I love the classic science fiction writers, Asimov, Heinlein, McCaffery, Herbert, et. al. I have also found some amazing indie writers like Nathan Lowell and Elizabeth Moon.

What are you working on now?
Parley, #3 in the Privateer Tales series. I am at this moment sitting at 25,000 words. The way I write I will need to get to about 90,000 words knowing that I will trim out a lot of fat once I start working back through the story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well .. awesomegang of course!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
For me it is all about writing every day. If all I get out is 200 words that is just fine, but I try to never skip a day. It helps keep the story moving forward.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To stop sitting on my hands and finish a story.

What are you reading now?
Wool 2 – Hugh Howly
Blur (Night Roamers) – Kristen Middleton
Board Stiff (An Elliott Lisbon Mystery) – Kendel Lynn
The Spider and the Fly (The Spiderverse Saga) – C.E. Stalbaum

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to finish Parley (Privateer Tales #3) by the end of Summer 2014. After that I am going to shift gears and write a first book in a light mystery / science fiction book. This will also be a series. I expect to be flipping back and forth between these two series to help keep things fresh.

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 know it sounds preachy but book #1 would be the bible.

after that I think it is terrible that someone would limit me to 2-3 more books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jamie McFarlane Website
Jamie McFarlane Amazon Profile

Jamie McFarlane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Jamie McFarlane is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi
My name’s Julie Ryan and I’m the author of the Greek Island Mystery series. My first book, Jenna’s Journey, was published on Amazon in September 2013 and this summer, my second book, Sophia’s Secret’ is due to be published. The books are all set on the same Greek Island but can be read independently as they each feature different characters. I’ve lived and worked in France, Greece, Thailand and Poland and love books set in other countries: I’m more of an armchair traveller these days.
I was born in Yorkshire but now live with my husband and young son in rural Gloucestershire. When I’m not writing or thinking up ideas for my books we enjoy travelling in our camper van, Harold, although usually within the UK but we have ventured as far as France in him.
I studied French Language and Literature at University before becoming a teacher for many years. I now work from home teaching English as Foreign Language.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Sophia’s Secret’, the second in the series. It was inspired by the time I spent in Greece during the 1980s. It’s a mix of romance, mystery and suspense, not quite chick-lit and not quite thriller.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any particular quirks but I can’t write without coffee. Usually though if I get engrossed in the writing the coffee is cold by the time I come to drink it so I go and make another. Many times the same thing has happened again and I’ve even gone to heat it up in the microwave and found it there untouched the next day. Must be a kind of comfort thing!

What are you working on now?

I’m just doing the edits for the second book but at the same time I’m thrashing out ideas for the third in the series. I don’t want to give too much away at the moment. I’m also writing a Christmas novella which will be a total departure from my usual style and nothing to do with Greece.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think you need to try everything and see what works for you. I’ve managed to engage with a lovely writing community on Facebook and they have been very supportive. I have also built up a Twitter following since launching my first book. It’s tough to get known but I approach as many reviewers as I dare and reciprocate by reviewing on my own blog www.allthingsbookie.com.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You need to get your book into the best shape possible and that means either finding an editor and proofreader or relying on the goodwill of friends who have a good grammar knowledge. When you’ve read your own book at least ten times, a kind of word blindness sets in so I would definitely recommend beta readers. They have helped to improve my book and make it what it is. Finally, be prepared for hard work and don’t give up. There are thousands of new books coming onto the market every week yet at the same time, there are so many people who never finish their book or don’t do anything with it. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who else will?

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

What are you reading now?
At the moment I’m reading ‘Slope of Love’ by Melissa Foster

What’s next for you as a writer?
A Hollywood film of my first book and a six figure contract for the series from a major publisher. Oh well, we can all dream! I really don’t know to be honest. It’s an adventure and I have an open mind to see where this journey will lead. In the beginning my goal was simply to write a book. Then my goal was to publish it on Amazon. Now it’s turned into a trilogy. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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?
First it would have to be a survival book because I’d be pretty useless at surviving on my own. For pleasure I’d take John Fowles’ The Magus, as it’s a book I can read and reread and find something new each time. I did think of taking ‘The Collected Works of Shakespeare’ so that I wouldn’t run out of something to read but that might be a bit heavy going!

Author Websites and Profiles
Julie Ryan Website

Julie Ryan’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Julie Ryan is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve always loved books. The natural progression for me from loving to read was loving to write; this started as stories and poems throughout childhood to finally publishing my first novel in 2013. In 2012 my husband suggested I try writing as a career, so I did just that and am loving it. I have a busy house with three children and a husband to organise, but when work and school occupy them I write. I’m currently writing my second book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Family of Strangers was published in October 2013 and has seen a second edition published by Creativia this year.

I was inspired to write Family of Strangers by a dream I had and wanted to share. I’d also had the character of Lola in my head for some time and I really wanted to write about her. I enjoyed every minute of writing the tale and a number of people have asked for a sequel, although the book I’m currently writing is not connected to it in any way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any particularly unusual writing habits; my only real writing habit is drinking tea!

My writing style is to sit down and start writing and just see where the characters take me – I write the beginning and the end, then fill in the middle afterwards. Any twists and turns in the story seem to drop onto the keyboard as I go along. It’s probably not a very organised approach but it works for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love so many books and authors it would be hard to narrow it down; recent reads have included Jonas Jonasson, Kate Morton, Harper Lee, Andrea Levy, Suzanne Collins, Victoria Hislop, Kathleen Tessaro, Pam Jenoff, Kathryn Stockett and Lauren Kate.

I think every book I’ve ever read has influenced me in some way.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a book about the West End in 1940. The idea came to me on a trip to the West End with one of my daughters and evolved during a family trip to Paris. The story follows two main characters who meet the morning after one of them sees their home reduced to rubble and continues through the hardship and bravery of living through the Blitz, as one of them unwittingly becomes entangled in something more sinister.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Creativia have provided great guidance on promotion. I have a Facebook page and Twitter account on which to post updates and I also subscribe to and use sites such as Awesomegang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors would be to write in whatever way works best for them and not to get tied up in trying to follow ‘how to’ books. All books have advice worth absorbing but each person needs to find what’s best for them.

Any writer needs (and would want to) read, read and read some more. I read books that grab my attention, books that are recommended (but may not have been my first choice) and books that help me to research a topic.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best writing advice I’ve heard is to write a book you’d like to read.

What are you reading now?
12 Years A Slave – Solomon Northup

What’s next for you as a writer?
After book two is finished I have a third already in mind, so that will start straight 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?
That’s a really hard question! One would be Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. As I have so many favourite books, I think I would have to take the opportunity to bring some ‘Classics’ or weighty tomes that I want to, but haven’t yet, read. Either that or I’d try to smuggle in a solar powered e-reader with hundreds of books on it!

Author Websites and Profiles
Barbara Willis Amazon Profile

Barbara Willis’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Barbara Willis is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a crime fiction and mystery novelist probably best known for my Marty Singer detective series (five books and counting). Marty is a retired Washington DC homicide detective who’s left the force to battle a life-threatening disease, but finds that there’s more to life than just staying alive.

Personally, I have an educational background in English literature which was lousy training for writing genre fiction, since for years I compared my scribbling to that of recognized masters. While my writing hid in the drawer, I was busy riding the tech wave of the early and mid-nineties, which allowed me to keep my head above water, financially speaking. I became serious about my writing about ten years ago and, since self-publishing became a viable option, haven’t looked back.

I’ve always had wandering feet, which has helped with my fictional material. I’ve visited six out of seven continents (including Antarctica…can you guess which one’s left?), gone horse-back riding in Iceland, toted the bear-gun for soil scientists in Alaska, and sailed around the world–literally–as a staff member for the Semester at Sea college program. Travel really *is* fatal to all those bad things Mark Twain said it was.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Wicked Flee (June 2014) is the fifth mystery in the Marty Singer series and was inspired by the rash of child and juvenile trafficking going on that was discovered in my neck of the woods, the Northern Virginia area just outside of Washington DC.

Human trafficking stories in the media usually portray the (very real) horrors of what’s going on in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, but those regions don’t have a monopoly on greed, cruelty, or lust and little attention was being paid to the crimes happening in our own backyards.

I wanted to bring attention to the issue by bringing the problem very close to home for Marty.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Every writing guide has a commandment in it, “Thou shalt write in the same place at the same time every day!”

I think this is excellent advice starting out, but I can’t make myself do this. I suppose if I could, I would put out ten books a year. But I write in coffee shops, on my couch, outside on the lounge, at picnic tables down by the Potomac. I have a word quota I know I need to meet and I reach it, come hell or high water, in whatever way I can.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
In my own genre, the list is a little predictable: Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker, Martin Cruz Smith, James Lee Burke, Henning Mankell. In more modern times, Lee Child and Barry Eisler. But I read widely, so I’m just as influenced by Bill Bryson, Michael Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Alexander, Roger Zelazny, Piers Anthony, and Kim Stanley Robinson. Inspiration can come from any quarter.

For about six years now, I’ve written old fashioned book reports on books that I hate and love. The document is now up to seventy pages. I started it because I found that, when I tried to remember why a book caught me just-so as a reader, I couldn’t get the quote just right, or I couldn’t put my finger on how or why a particular writer had such an impact on me. I put a lot of my growth as a writer down to keeping up with those book reports.

What are you working on now?
The Wicked Flee, Marty Singer #5, should be out before July and I’m outlining book six over the next few weeks. I’m also planning to release a standalone novel, The Road to Sturgis, sometime this year.

The audiobook for One Right Thing, the third Singer novel, is nearly finished and should be out before July. I’m working with veteran voice actor Lloyd Sherr (the voice of the History Channel show Modern Marvels for many years), who also did the audiobook for A Reason to Live and Blueblood.

I’m also excited to mention that a novella of mine was accepted by Amazon’s new short story marketplace, StoryFront. Originally self-published under the title “Finding Emma,” it’s been released as “The Kindness of Strangers,” due out this spring. It’s a creepy, psychological drama that will have you looking at your neighbors in a new light…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookbub has been the biggest bang for the buck in very specific terms, but they’re just taking a well-known concept (email lists) and executing it to perfection. There’s nothing new about the method, per se.

In broader strokes, the best method for any author is to devote time to staying current and in touch with colleagues, then having the courage to experiment a little. I wouldn’t have heard about Bookbub if other writers hadn’t been sharing their results, for instance. There are new distribution and promotion opportunities for indie authors coming out every day (Oyster, Scribl, Noisetrade, Patreon to name a few). You can do them all, but you should try some.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The BIC method: Butt In Chair. You have to write to be a writer. It’s the simplest advice in the world, but the hardest. Words simply do not write themselves, no matter how much we wish they would.

Sub-advice: Pay for editing. Don’t spend more than a year on any book. Write a series if you want to make a living. Be ready to help and be helped by other writers, at all levels. You’re not as good as you think you are and your writing is not nearly as bad as you think it is.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Much of what I wrote above, but for specific advice: Sue Grafton once said that she keeps an “OUT” file open next to her manuscript file. Everything she cuts, she saves and puts in the OUT file, which sometimes grows to the tens of thousands of words. George R. R. Martin said it more succinctly: Never throw anything out.

What are you reading now?
I’m re-reading Ken Follett’s Eye of the Needle for the tenth time. Alain de Botton’s Religion for Atheists. Whatever’s on my Kindle! I read less when I write more, because I feel like I draw from the same “well” and when you write a lot, there’s less mental space for the words’ of others, unfortunately.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m sticking with Marty for a while, but I hope when the series begins to take off (book seven? Eight?) that I can turn to some standalone thriller ideas that I’ve had zooming around in my head for years.

I’d also love to write for some of the bigger video game companies as a consultant (I’m an RPG fanatic), but that’s a long shot.

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?
Christopher Alexander’s “A Pattern Language,” Tolkienn’s LOTR (can I have the deluxe edition with Silmarillion, please?), Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything.”

Oh, and Howard Chapelle’s “Boatbuilding: A Complete Handbook of Wooden Boat Construction.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew Iden Website
Matthew Iden Amazon Profile
Matthew Iden Author Profile on Smashwords

Matthew Iden’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Matthew Iden is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer, college instructor, husband, father, grandfather, pheasant hunter, scuba diver, and now a novelist. Rapture of the Deep, my first major work, is contemporary fiction and is published by IndianGrass Books, my own self publishing house. Born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, I now live in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Jill is my wife. Together we have four children, two grand children, and a couple of brittanys.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I mentioned earlier, Rapture is my first book.

Yes, I think it’s wonderful (what else would the author say?).

OK, enough of the shameless promotion. I do hope you read it. Rapture of the Deep is about little things, ordinary things. It’s about ordinary people and what makes them tick. It’s about trials and heartaches and the way those unseen matters silently shape the lives in which they exist. It’s about how people look so in control, so together, but beneath that placid surface those same people are in complete free fall. Not only have I spent a lifetime getting to know these people, but I am one of them, and so are you.

The people in this book?

They are you,

they are me,

and we are lost,

all of us lost,

all of us seeking a way back home.

So…I’ve set this in a story, introduced you to people you already know, and given you access to their lives, to who they really are, what they do, and why they do it. I can’t wait for it’s publication. Mostly though I can’t wait to hear from you and what you think. I hope Rapture of the Deep connects. I hope it touches you.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Running. I write as I run. Sometimes I make voice messages with my telephone. I almost always take one of my characters with me. They run beside me and tell me their secrets.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Salman Rushdie, Kent Meyers, Henrik Ibsen, Ole Rolvaag, Marilynn Robinson, Stephen Ambrose. All of these authors have one thing in common, they are WONDERFUL story tellers.

What are you working on now?
I’ve begun thinking through the next project, which may end up being a sequel. We’ll see. This book will begin at the back of a shopping mall, where an employee who is dumping the trash finds a homeless man in the dumpster. There is no foul play. The man dies of natural causes. He has no name.

The rest of the book follows the lives of three people, the mall employee, the police officer who is called to investigate, and the homeless man and a search for his identity.

Yes, I have a really interesting plot twist planned for the end of the book…

Does this sound interesting?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I found that face book has been a great place to do book promotion. I’ve also been introduced to the world of Pinterest, which is more soft promotion. I like it because of it’s visual appeal.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
oooo. That’s a tough one. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by so many wise people. The think I’ve noticed about all of them is that they are great listeners. More than advice, I think that I’ve learned by watching them.

What are you reading now?
Crossings by Brian Newhouse.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I may do a 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?
Per Gynt (Ibsen)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Rushdie)
An Anthology of Robert Frost Poems
The Christian Bible (even though I already have large portions of it memorized)
Lots of blank paper and a pile of pencils

Author Websites and Profiles
David Grindberg Website
David Grindberg Amazon Profile

David Grindberg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

David Grindberg is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We are a mother and daughter writing team, currently living in New England. Our stories thus far are of 17th century fictional characters blended together with real people from our family history. Our stories have a flavor of romance intertwined with faith.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our third will be out this year, but our latest, already on the shelf, is Grandmother’s Namesake. Grandmother’s Namesake was inspired by stories from our family history. “June 1693. It has been nearly a year since Susanna Jameson’s beloved grandmother, Susanna North Martin, though innocent, was hung as a witch. Mrs. Martin’s namesake, despairing over the loss, is having a crisis of faith. Susanna’s mother convinces her to visit their friend, Madeline Osgood. Upon her arrival, she meets Madeline’s handsome neighbor, William Gage….”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to music, KLOVE, while I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen, Lori Wick, Julie Klassen.

What are you working on now?
We are currently working on our 4th inspirational/historical fiction novel.

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

http://www.pinterest.com/cathylynnbryant/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
There are a lot of options for publishing these days, so don’t get discouraged if you receive rejections following queries to publishers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard: “Allow God to direct your life, including all of your plans etc….”

What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading my own work for editing purposes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently working on book two of our second series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My bible, Seven Guides to Effective Prayer- by Colin C. Whittaker, Promise Me Tomorrow- by Lori Wick, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall- by Julie Klassen.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cathy Lynn Bryant Website
Cathy Lynn Bryant Amazon Profile

Cathy Lynn Bryant’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cathy Lynn Bryant is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I write inspirational fiction. My blog is called Love Colored Glasses, because I hope to encourage folks to look at life through the love of Christ. I have a degree in All Level Music Education, which has served me well as a public school teacher and private studio lessons. Writing has always been a part of my heart.

My 5th grade class was assigned a poetry challenge. The Charlie Brown comic at that time often featured a “Happiness Is…” theme. I wrote a poem called Happiness Is and the piece was chosen as winner. Can’t remember anything about it except that the last phrase was “and at school work, doing your best.” I remember getting to go to the office and draw the poem onto poster board. It was displayed in the foyer of the school. The feeling of having made some kind of impact, whether I understood it at the time or not, really stuck with me.

I have three published works: a self-published poetry collection, a Bible Study called H.E.A.V.E.N. – A Handle for the Storms of Life, and Washout Express, which released from Harbourlight Books/The Pelican Group last June 2013. I’ve a handful of other books that I’ve not attempted publication for. They were written early in my journey. I’ve learned so much since then that they will have to be rewritten. I’ll get to it someday:)

My husband and I have raised six children, and have 11 grandchildren so far. I work in Administrative Services/Interlibrary Loans/Music Director at our public library.

I’ve numerous poems and articles published in various magazines, online and print.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Washout Express. I was traveling home from East Texas Christian Writer’s Conference in 2011, oozing with excitement and inspiration. I passed a sign that said Washout Express. I began to wonder and dream about someone who might feel completely, expressly if you will, washed out. The story was born. By the way, Washout Express is a chain of washing facilities for large trucks. The company granted me permission to use the name.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it’s unusual, but since I have a full time job, I have to get up with the chickens. I try to get two solid hours of writing in before I have to go to work at 8:00. My goal is 2000 words per day. No editing, researching, marketing, or social media allowed during that time. Just writing. I can get bits of time to edit throughout the day. I try to review before I go to sleep at night what I’ve written, so my brain can work on it while I sleep. I’m off on Fridays, and I try to make my writing an all day priority.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been a life-long reader. I didn’t discover Anne of Green Gables until I was grown and married with children. Montgomery’s writing inspired my soul, and I wanted to influence people the same way. Jan Karon has a huge impact on me. Her Mitford series struck me the same way as the Anne books. They made me want to be a better person, and to inspire others. First, and foremost, the greatest book ever written, the Bible, is my largest influence.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to Washout Express is under review with my publisher, and I’m working on the third installment. I have a Boomer Lit story brewing for after that, and then a historical based on the history of Fort Stockton, Tx, where I live.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use all the social networking sites to promote my books. Still new to the game, so not sure yet what’s working best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a critique group, in person or online. Go to conferences. Above all, just write. Talking about writing is not writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t submit a blank page.

What are you reading now?
Just finished H. L. Wegley’s Moon Over Maalaea Bay. Loved it. Just started Bonnie Doran’s Dark Biology.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just planning on learning as much as I can, writing as much as I can and getting it out there. I’ve started filling out applications to go for a MFA in Creative Writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery), In The Company of Others (Karon) , and something by Dickens, I believe.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jody Bailey Day Website
Jody Bailey Day Amazon Profile

Jody Bailey Day’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jody Bailey Day is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My life-long career has been in teaching. I taught in Seaford, in the Middle School when it was a Junior High, and in the High School. I taught science, ending my career in the high school as Department Chairperson, teaching biology, chemistry and forensic science. I went on to teach at Hofstra University, forensic science and biotechnology. I also supervised science student teachers at Adelphi University.

It was my forensic science courses coupled with my love of Nancy Drew and other mystery heroes that led me to write the Annie Tillery Mysteries, “The Madonna Ghost”, ” Girl With Pencil, Drawing”, and “Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys”.

It was also my involvement with my students that inspired me to create a young female heroine who embodies the qualities that my students could emulate, enabling them to create happy productive lives for themselves.

I was awarded the Seaford High School Teacher of the Year in 1989, and received an award from the American Association of University Women in 1995 for inspiring young women to pursue the field of science.

Presently, I am marketing my Annie Tillery Mysteries. I am also producing a TV show, The Writer’s Dream, on LTV-EH, a local access station in East Hampton, as well as Long Island Cablevision. We interview guests who are involved with writing, publishing and marketing in all genres.

It is my goal to find venues to help market my books to schools and libraries. My website has lesson plans based on my books. Eventually I want to gain entrée into film and television, hoping to see my books on either the big or the little screen, not just Kindle and Nook. The books are now available as soft cover, e-book , and digital audio. Find me on Twitter, facebook, Youtube and Linked-In.

I’m a native New Yorker, born in N.Y.C. and a lover of that city. Living on Long Island affords the best beach experience on the East Cost which led to my years of sailing.

I love to cross country ski and also love to travel. Those interminable waits at the airports and long flights afford me the opportunity to write which I still do long-hand on a yellow pad before committing text to the word processor.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys” is the latest Annie Tillery Mystery, published 2/14. The third in my series that I like to refer to as “Nancy Drew Meets CSI”, my heroine delves into an amazing archaeological dig in Turkey. I really dig archaeology, foreign travel, and the DNA technology used in the book.

Amateur sleuth Annie Tillery has been warned to stay away from Nevshehir, Turkey, where she is

heading to meet her boyfriend, Ty Egan, and Cedric Zeeks, Ty’s best friend. Intent on helping the two excavate an archeological site where they hope to link human remains to the fi rst African ancestors, Annie does her best to shakes her foreboding feelings as her plane lands in Istanbul and she prepares to embark on her next adventure.

But when a stranger claims he is there to pick her up and then disappears once he sees Ty, Annie is immediately thrown back into worry mode—especially after Ty tells her there is unexplained tension surrounding the dig and she receives a threatening note at the hotel. Still, as the three head to Nevshehir, Annie is buoyed by the excitement surrounding ancient Turkey and the possibility of uncovering secrets. The dig is plagued by accidents and theft, however, and the three friends, assisted by the head archeologist’s twins, must search the ancient city of Istanbul and the caves of fantastic Cappadocia to find who is sabotaging their work.

In this young adult thriller, detective Annie Tillery must once again walk on a dangerous path in an attempt to unravel a complicated mystery and solve the secrets in the fairy chimneys.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to completely disconnect from the world when I write. I do it on yellow pads, no computer, and the best place of all for me to write is near the speed of sound, 30,000 feet in an steel can. It frees my mind, literally of earthly cares, and the creative juices flow. Cars and trains, even a long subway ride let Annie come alive for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steven King. He paints the best characters.

Steve Berry. Love his take on historical events.

Elizabeth George. I like the way she weaves sociological aspects into her books.

But, don’t laugh, my all time favorite is Charles Dickens.

What are you working on now?
I am marketing my Annie Tillery Series. I do workshops on mystery writing and self-publishing at libraries, museums, historical societies and schools. I keep my local access TV show, The Writer’s Dream, going. I’ve interviewed over 90 authors, and I get to plug my books there as well.

I will start research on the next Annie Tillery mystery which will take Annie back to a mystery connected to WWII through some letters from her great grandmother, discovered by her mother.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think it’s my social media posts through facebook and twitter. The press releases I do that link to my amazon pages, my social media pages and my website seem to be the best for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a manuscript, get a good professional book editor. English teacher friends are great, but they are not aware of industry standards.

Look into self-publishing. Weigh you options.

Go to a lot of workshops on writing, publishing and marketing.

Don’ spend a lot of money.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get a good editor.

What are you reading now?
“Me Before You”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to improve my TV show, The Writer’s Dream

Writing the next Annie Tillery Mystery.

Translating the books into Spanish.

Improving the lesson plans I have on my website for the Annie Tillery books.

Getting Annie Tillery Mysteries into as many libraries as possible.

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?
“War and Peace” Maybe on a desert isle, I could finish it.

“Chapman’s” An encyclopedia for sailors. Might help me find a way back to civilization.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” My favorite.

The USAF survival in the tropics manual.

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda Maria Frank Website
Linda Maria Frank Amazon Profile

Linda Maria Frank’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Linda Maria Frank is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a thirty something flame haired chick who accidentally wrote a book and is now an author.

Life Lived Twice is my debut romantic fantasy novel.

I am a qualified Homeoeopath and Kinesiologist, and I live in country Victoria, Australia with my husband, and two teenage daughters.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Life Lived Twice is a romantic fantasy and was inspired by the dual phenomenon of love at first site and reincarnation.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a pantser rather than a plotter with my writing. I sit down at the computer each day, give my characters free will and wait to be surprised by what they will do.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

What are you working on now?
Here and Now, the sequel to Life Lived Twice.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads, and all the amazingly generous and wonderful book bloggers who have so willing agreed to read, review and promote Life Lived Twice.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Redraft, Redraft, Redraft!!! Then let it sit then REDRAFT!!

Less is always more- if you can say it 3 words instead of 5 say it 3.

Every word must count, there can be no fill.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Every single word must have a purpose.

What are you reading now?
Nothing. I find I can’t read while I am writing. I need my brain to completely in the writing zone.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working towards getting the sequel to Life Lived Twice finished, and then published.

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 Fulfilment- By Lavyrle Spencer

The Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruis Zafron

Author Websites and Profiles
Sherrie Wouters Website

Sherrie Wouters’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Sherrie Wouters is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, let’s start with my “official” bio (written third-person about myself — I always love that part):

David Pandolfe is the author of two novels, Jump When Ready and Streetlights Like Fireworks. Currently, he’s working on a sequel to Jump When Ready, to be published in 2014. His short fiction has also appeared in literary reviews.

While he’s still writing about himself in third-person, David should probably also mention that he lives outside Richmond, VA, with his wife, two kids and a dog who’s terrified of thunder (not the best situation since it thunders from spring until fall in Richmond).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My new release is Streetlights Like Fireworks. As for what inspired it, well, I’ve always enjoyed stories about ghosts and psychics but also wanted to put a new spin on things. I approached Jump When Ready the same way and was really glad to hear that people enjoyed that novel (by the way, there’s a follow-up coming out soon).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits. I’m not sure I could call any writing habits unusual, though. Am I constantly keeping one eye on my writing? Yes. Do I keep writing down notes throughout the day and shove them into my pocket to review later as possible ideas? Yes. Do I send myself texts and emails about edits or changes I should make later? Yes. Is that unusual? Hmmm, maybe I do have unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, my God. All of them, each and every one, good or bad. I guess as a kid I really loved Ray Bradbury (and I can’t believe I haven’t written an science fiction yet—that is going to change). Later, I went on more of a literary fiction journey (started with John Irving and Anne Tyler – a weird pairing, I realize). Lately, I’m reading indie writers as much as possible since there’s so much brilliant stuff out there and I’m so proud of being part of the “publishing revolution.” Hugh Howey, for example, and Jason Gurley. On the traditionally published side, I really loved Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan and Nina LaCour’s The Disenchantments (a friend read my novel, Streetlights Like Fireworks, and pointed out some minor similarities between those two novels).

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m completing edits on Jump When Ready, part 2 (still knocking around titles). I think that one will be ready to go in about two months. I hope, sooner, but I know how it goes. Then, I want to wrap it up with the final third part. I’m thinking of writing a sequel to Streetlights Like Fireworks (I was thinking about it anyway, but then people started asking). I also have a few other novels that are more in the literary fiction genre that I may publish. I really love those novels but have been waiting to take a look at them again while working on my new YA projects.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still experimenting but thank you so much for creating the Awesome Gang for all of us!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, revise, collaborate and support each other. Have fun. Be original. Don’t give up. This is the best time ever (ever!!) to be a writer. Be indie, be trad, be hybrid. Doesn’t matter. No one is stopping you now. Just make it as wonderful as you can and your work will find its readership. Good luck!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Don’t workshop this story, it sucks. What else do you have?” (from a friend while in a writing program). I was working on another story and I workshopped it. Then it got published in a literary review. The point? Honest writer friends are good to have (and she was right about the other story—it totally sucked).

Also, “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” We’re in this for the long game. Very rarely do writers make it big overnight. Keep writing, love writing, find your readership, write some more.

What are you reading now?
Just read David Levithan’s “Every Day.” Loved it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to wrap up the final, third part of Jump When Ready. I’m thinking of writing a sequel to Streetlights Like Fireworks too (I was thinking about it anyway, but then people started asking). I also have a few other novels that are more in the literary fiction genre that I may publish. I really love those novels but have been waiting to take a look at them again while working on my new YA projects.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Nope, can’t choose. Sorry. How about I have a ton of paper and a lifetime’s supply of pens. Maybe no one will read what I write on that island but at least I’ll keep myself entertained. Oh, and candles. Lots of candles.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Pandolfe Website
David Pandolfe Amazon Profile

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

David Pandolfe is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Christina Hoffman. I was raised mainly in the UK, but have lived several places since. For now, I am enjoying the cold, chocolate and seagulls of San Francisco (yes, I said cold. I thought California would be warmer!)

This is my first Contemporary Romance. It has take me about two and a half months to write, though there was a fair bit of thinking about it before I ever sat down at the computer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel’s name is INVITATION. I was trying to find a word to convey that Madison was being offered a chance to try again, that if she was willing, she could have help bringing herself back to life. It’s a part of life that had been ruined for her, and she was being invited back in. I also liked it, because it’s my first romance book, and I’m inviting in new people to read it and hopefully really enjoy it.
For this book, the idea of having someone be healed by sexual intimacy came to me before anything else. Then the heroine formed herself out of that. It needed to be someone scarred, but someone who could still take a risk. After that, I started thinking it through, and the type of scenarios which would allow her to overcome these demons began to emerge. Liam himself was tough to figure out, but one morning he just popped onto the scene with his black hair and his playful grin, and there he was. Ready to go.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m writing, I can get quite anxious and stressed out (also very tired because i’m a Night Owl in an early bird world), so i tend to overdose on candy. And Diet Pepsi. My niece considers it a real problem and attempts interventions regularly. Sometimes I’m tempted to take up crack just to get everybody off my back. (The proceeding was a joke – don’t do drugs).

And, this is humiliating. You know, I procrastinated so long trying to set up this perfect little “office” area for myself — flea market desk, cute shelves, bulletin boards. You get the picture. But when I finally just kicked myself in the butt and got writing, it turned out that the only time there was really any peace was at night with everyone asleep. And it’s freezing where I am, so I write in bed with my little laptop on my knees! It’s giving me wicked backaches, though; so maybe if the book’s a success, I’ll be able to write in the daylight at my desk.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m in the mood for the classics lately — all the Jane Austens.

When I’m writing, I don’t read at all. Partly because it’s too easy to fritter away time, and also because I start to hear other other characters talking in my head.

When I write, I become completely immersed in the world — reading other things seems to dilute the power somehow.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on Songs of Summer. It’s another Contemporary Romance. This one is about a beautiful but hard and cold cellist who is used to using her beauty, and her body, and her talent to get what she wants. She is chosen to attend a summer musicians’ academy in Italy where she meets a handsome maestro.

She thinks he’ll be easy to wrap around her finger, but he seems immune to her charms. He tells her she isn’t particularly sexy or passionate, because she keeps her distance from everything. Then he takes her around Italy, and introduces her to beautiful sights, smells and food, as well as big loud families and, of course, love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure, yet. I would say that, though the experts say a presence on social media (all 24 arms of it!, or so it seems) is required, I truly believe that a lot of talented authors are wasting A LOT of precious time scrolling through Facebook and twitter and whatever else.

It’s very easy to believe you’re “laying the ground work” for sales — but I can tell you unequivocally that Facebook does not sell books. I even “boosted” some posts, spent $80, got about 6 likes, and ZERO, repeat ZERO sales. Make some friends, find some readers who will give yo honest reviews, and then get off of there!

The best, in terms of $, promotions for me have involved paid advertising. I don’t see any other way to do it. I have had to save up at times in order to buy an ad or promo.

when I first published the book, it was listed at #455,000. I nearly had a heart attack. The I nearly called the unemployment office. Last weekend I got up the #545, and it was through a social media and advertising blitz.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am really excited about Invitation now, but it was a process, for sure.

I was very worried when I started out, because I was being told I had to write about bondage and that I needed to tell interviewers that I was sitting in my lingerie. I was supposed to create this persona, but it felt so forced and insincere and awful that I almost gave up on writing romance at all.

I researched what was doing well in the romance genre and found mainly BDSM themed stories. Or topics that were darker, more violent. I, very briefly, tried to write one, but it was impossible for me. The story I wanted to tell was completely different. In some ways I feel like the Pollyanna of contemporary romance, because there’s a sweetness to my story that concerned me, because it is not in style right now AT ALL!

Eventually I realized that that was just who I was as a writer, and I’d better just embrace it. So, now I ask, “Who says Heat can’t be Sweet?” I’m trying to write really sexy books showing that regular people can have rockin’ sex lives.

So, my advice, which hopefully will save you weeks of angst and bad writing, is to ignore whatever is in or trendy and write the story that only you can tell.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write the damn thing, already.

What are you reading now?
I’m writing, so no reading.

But I read “The Humans” a while ago and thought it was wonderfully sad and funny. Also, “Where’d You Go Bernadette” is comedy gold.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The next book, and the next book, and so on, and so on!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Honestly, I’d dump out the books and fill the bag with fresh water.

Or, I’d want to take blank books, so that I could write (or play tic tac toe by myself).

Author Websites and Profiles
Christina Hoffman Website
Christina Hoffman Amazon Profile

Christina Hoffman’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Christina Hoffman is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m living in New Delhi, India with my wife and 2 teenagers. I contributed 19 years of my life in building a world class company from scratch. I was Executive Director of Ansun Multitech (India) Ltd (www.ansun.com) till 2005. The company was promoted by me in 1986 and from 3 employees we went up employing 772 people. I handed over this company to my brother and re-invented myself for the love of following my passion. I participate in Real Estate, Stocks, and now latest being Writing.

My maiden book “Print Your Own Money- A Wellness Guide to Financial Freedom” was launched worldwide in March 2014. The book is about educating my Indian countrymen to explore online business oppurtunities and become Entrepreneurs instead of exchanging their time for money. I’ve explained the process of changing the mindset and have explained the elements of a journey of creating wealth.

I’m writing my second book and shall be launching in July 2014.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Print Your Own Money- A Wellness Guide to Financial Freedom, is the name of my book. The inspiration of writing this book came to me after seeing the youth of our country migrating from rural place to big cities to earn money. Back home they’re landlords, owning land, but when they migrate to cities they become slaves and exchange their whole time for money. In today’s world so many wonderful opputunities exist for online businesses which just needs a laptop and an internet connection, and a lot of money can be created with those businesses. My idea is to awaken the youth of our country to migrate back and deploy their energies in developing such businesses and enjoy their life living with their loved ones.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes many of them. Being a new writer I lack discipline and waste lot of time in unproductive things. Another unusual habit is writing quickly and mindlessly at times.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I generally like to read growth-oriented books. I do not have any author whom I follow but I like reading motivational books. I also like reading about future.

What are you working on now?
A book on passive money creation. That is living life on your own terms and own pace.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Being a new author I am yet to learn about book promotion. But I’ve started advertising, lecturing in schools and colleges, and using promotional websites like yours for example.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never be in a hurry. Complete your mind mapping and work on individual chapters with 100% dedication.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Life is in your own hands so pave your life the way you want it. Never follow the crowd, rather follow your passions.

What are you reading now?
Lords of the Land by Dana L. Thomas. A very old publication of 1977 about how real estate developed in USA. I had bought this book in 1984 in New York, and lost it. I found the lost book recently so reading it thesedays. Times have changed but I’m enjoying it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to write half a dozen books in this year itself. The idea is to create passive money by way of royalty for my 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?
I’ll see that time. I like good reading material so I’ll mooch around that time, but let me get deserted on an island first.

Author Websites and Profiles
Anil Monga Website
Anil Monga Amazon Profile

Anil Monga is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in England with my husband, bunny, cat, and assorted houseguests, and I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. My nana taught me to do joined up writing when I was five or six, and I got very confused and thought tat all the words needed to be joined together as well. It wasn’t until I asked what I was supposed to do at the end of the line/page that I found out it was only the letters that were supposed to be joined up.
Since then I have written three published novels, and eight or nine short stories, some of which are free in ebook format. The short stories are all horror, and my novels are paranormal and science fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Stars Are Falling.
I’ve always had a thing for the stars, even though I could never get my head around astronomy. And one night I had this image in my head of a little girl running away as the stars fell from the sky. I jotted it down, as I was in the middle of writing a different book at the time, and a couple of years ago I finished writing it. It’s now due out on July 3rd, and is my fist science fiction novel, though I had no idea when I first imagined it that it would be sci-fi.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write with my eyes closed or whilst I’m watching the TV. It’s a great party trick, and has lead to a couple of job offers, especially when I m sat staring at the TV, writing at the same time, and paying full attention to both actions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
L.J Smith is one of the first authors I consciously remember reading. I adored her world of the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. From there I progressed to Anne Rice and J.R Ward, as well as Richard Laymon for all my horror needs.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished working on my latest short stories, Playthings, and The Perfect Gift. They’re both short horror stories, and are both from the serial killer’s point of view. The Perfect Gift is a free short story, as it’s only a couple of thousand words long. Playthings, however, is something I have been working on for quite some time, and I am very excited to see it released into the world.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In person at events. For me, a lot of my readers are mainly paperback readers. I hold a couple of launch events for each novel and short story, and I talk at as many libraries as will have me, as well as taking a stall of my book to events all over England and as far as I can manage.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. Edit and edit, and then pay someone to edit. And be prepared, this is not a job for the faint of heart.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
People always talk about the negative more than they do the positive. So for every negative review, there are probably five people out there for love the book.

What are you reading now?
I am currently slogging my way through Possession by J.R Ward. Unfortunately it is slow going at the moment, as my mind is focused on my next releases.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More short stories, more books, and Texas! I am off to the Texas book festival in October in Austin. Never been out of the country on business before, so it is going to be very exciting. But there is a ten hour flight each way, so I will be writing on the plane.

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?
Dark Lover by J.R Ward.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
Affliction by Laurell K Hamilton.
The Lake by Richard Laymon

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Birbeck Website
Michelle Birbeck Amazon Profile
Michelle Birbeck Author Profile on Smashwords

Michelle Birbeck’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Michelle Birbeck is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a long-term resident of Chicago who has worked predominantly in university administration. Given my English and Theatre background, I didn’t expect to be involved with building databases, handling accounts payable, debriefing former gang members, or registering students for music lessons.

I started writing novels when I was in my teens, and knew this was what I wanted to do as a career. Some of my favorite times in life have been those in which I could devote full-time to writing. It’s exhilarating, relaxing, fun, agonizing, and the best, best way to spend my day.

How many novels have I written? Well, should I include all the ones I wrote in my teens before I knew what I was doing?

I’ve published one novel, Dead Hungry, and I’ve written a play, A Careful Wish, which was first produced in 2008. I am currently working on a novel entitled Reston Peace.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dead Hungry is the story of Ghouls in modern-day Chicago. Unlike undead zombies, Ghouls are humans with a predilection for flesh.

I developed the premise after reading Stephen King’s Danse Macabre, his nonfiction examination of the horror genre from the 1950s-1970s. In particular, his critique of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead reminded me how scary a movie it was.

Zombies are a particularly popular subgenre right now, and I thought there were plenty of good writers tackling the topic. Ghouls fall into a similar category — flesh-eating — but I was intrigued by the notion of these being non-supernatural beings. It seemed more horrific to consider what the world would be like if this subset of individuals began moving into the mainstream, and how society might adapt.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
After sketching an outline, I write the first draft in short bursts. Then, when I see what I have, I take my time fashioning the story arc that has emerged. Revising subsequent drafts takes time, because my brain digs down into the details, exploring the options, jettisoning the parts that don’t work, and building the bridges that might be missing from the first draft.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Victorian-era fiction: Dickens, Eliot, Melville. More contemporary authors: John Irving, Jane Smiley, Kazuo Ishiguro.

More recently, I’ve been discovering indie authors and loving their enthusiasm. I love unusual nonfiction and novels that cross genres or bend the rules.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on Reston Peace, which focuses on the disparity between real life and fictional entertainment.

Kenny Reston’s life is used as a case-study for a book on young men who were sexually abused. The book proves enough of a bestseller to garner the attention of a filmmaker, who wants to adapt Kenny’s story into a movie.

Kenny watches as his life is translated into entertainment. It forces him to reconsider how the abuse has far-ranging consequences throughout his life, and how he has worked hard to heal.

The novel is told from Kenny’s perspective, interspersed with excerpts from the case-study and the screenplay.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads. I’m exploring more sites like Awesome Gang for a way to connect with readers and other indie writers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write a messy first draft (thanks, Anne Lamott). To the best of your ability, turn off your censor, and blunderbuss all the words you can onto the page.

From there, step back to see what you’ve got, and that’s when you can start writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust your process. Consider the expression, “Write What You Know.” It doesn’t mean you have to write autobiography. There are a lot of things we know — love, heartache, loss, stress. It’s the emotions that draw us into a story. The careers or environments of the characters is the framework, and that you can learn about through research.

What are you reading now?
The Best American Non-Required Reading — one of my all-time favorite series.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World, edited by Davy Rothbart

What’s next for you as a writer?
More book promotion. My next novel will use Thoreau’s Walden as its starting point.

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?
Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read it, and it always wakes me up.

The entire collection of The Best American Non-Required Reading, edited by Dave Eggers. There’s so much there to enjoy — varied and different.

Author Websites and Profiles
Louis Arata Website
Louis Arata Amazon Profile
Louis Arata Author Profile on Smashwords

Louis Arata’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Louis Arata is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a rather shy author, not cherishing a spotlight. Unfortunately, to promote their books, authors must step out of the shadows. But it’s so nice in the shadows, allowing quiet to create.

About creating: I’m also a painter, which has taken a backseat to writing for almost 28 years. I miss it, but the color flow is in my stories’ word descriptions, I think.

I’ve researched on location every book I’ve written, and that would be close to 70 now, I think, plus some novellas and short stories, no telling how many of those. You can find my book list at http://caitlondon.blogspot.com/p/books.html and I’ve written in various romance subgenres for Dell, Avon, Berkley and Harlequin, so across the board. (Everything but sci-fi/fantasy.)

While my books are available through Avon and Harlequin sellers, I am now putting my backlist up in epub. Quite the learning journey, a hard one that takes a lot of time/energy from writing, but well worth it, I think.

I drive cross country NW and sometimes up into Canada almost every year and one of my back list is Delilah (going to retitle that one) as yet still not in epub. For that, I drove up B.C. Canada and researched the Mounties, which is the only book I know of it’s kind. Also, I researched historical billiards in The Wedding Gamble http://amzn.to/1psU026 Romantic suspense is my latest trend, and you’ll find humor in that style, too. So I have a few national awards, but mostly I’m enjoying myself.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
!!The Basket Maker’s Wife. http://amzn.to/1hB8uIk

I believe in people and their connections, good or bad. I read Sarah Allen Addison’s Garden Spells and was hooked on a woman’s fiction of real life, blended with hopes and dreams, and maybe intuition? Garden Spells really had an impact on me, enough to layout a series concerning Baskets–if I ever get the second one written. I think I’m about 1/2 way thru, with a lot of editing to do on that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m pretty regimented, unless some big disaster which everyone has. I call those Novel Interruptus. Placing my backlist back into Kindle/Nook, and more soon has taken an immense amount of time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krents/Castle, Sarah Allen Addison, and many more. I am struck by the kindness and sharing spirit of all authors–very few are selfish or what may be termed as “users”. Very few.

What are you working on now?
I have another Basket Book half way done, a novella series of humor detective, a sweet novella series, and a eerie psychic series started. My books sometimes contain psychic/intuitive flavor and an Avon trilogy, The Aislings of psychic triplets did/does well. Best read in order: At The Edge (dismiss the sexy cover), A Stranger’s Touch, For Her Eyes Only.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At this writing, I am switching from a formal website to a blog, because of the ease of maintenance. I do most of my graphic work, Internet promotion, FB, Twitter etc., and it all takes time. I hope you’ll visit my new look blog, http://caitlondon.blogspot.com and sign up for my free newsletter, which is all about me, me, me. Stuff like my photography, art work, sewing, crocheting, travel. That’s at: http://mad.ly/signups/105014/join

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Plenty. Just visit my blog, http://caitlondon.blogspot.com and look for the labels, Writers, Writerly Stuff, etc. As of this writing, I have one up about Character Conflict. I hope to put all of many articles into book form at some time.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nora Roberts’ (and forgive me if the quote is not exact, pls) “I can fix a bad page. I can’t fix a blank one.”

What are you reading now?
I’m reading some friends’ new books. I’m behind on that. I read across the board, and listen to audio books, especially on long drives.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m continuing to write, but I did just buy a super easel I’ve always wanted. I want to finish that next Basket book, and indie publish some novellas, short stories, books that have waited.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably the Bible. My 1890s Vikings Vol 1 & 2 non-fiction, both as I love history. And a How to Survive on a Desert Island book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cait London Website
Cait London Amazon Profile
Cait London Author Profile on Smashwords

Cait London’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cait London is a post from Awesome Gang