Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I discovered a true love of mysteries as a girl reading Nancy Drew and The Happy Hollisters, and decided I wanted to write my own series. SKYLAR ROBBINS: THE MYSTERY OF SHADOW HILLS is my first book. It introduces Skylar Robbins, a 13-year-old sleuth, much like a modern Nancy Drew with a sense of humor. The sequel, SKYLAR ROBBINS: THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN JEWELS, comes out this August, and I have two more Skylar Robbins mysteries in the works.

In addition to writing Skylar Robbins mysteries and reading, I love to cook, hike at the beach, go boating, and travel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SKYLAR ROBBINS: THE MYSTERY OF SHADOW HILLS is my first book, and the inspiration came from an incident when I was six years old. I played hide-and-seek with the little girl who lived in a creepy two-story in Santa Monica Canyon. There were closets and secret hiding places with doors that opened into other rooms. Later I wondered, “What if there was a clue hidden in one of those closets? Or a message written on a wall in invisible ink?”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ll write anywhere the inspiration hits me, and if I’m without my laptop, I’ll improvise. I even have an airplane “barf bag” with a novel idea scribbled on it!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My influences include Judy Blume, Deb Caletti, Sarah Dessen, Robert Crais, Ayn Rand, and Lee Child.

What are you working on now?
The sequel, SKYLAR ROBBINS: THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN JEWELS. After solving the mystery of Shadow Hills, thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins is ready for a new adventure. Sure enough, as soon as she decides to start her own detective agency, a thrilling case falls right into her hands.

A deserted mansion perches on a steep hillside, overlooking a rocky canyon. Tattered curtains hang behind broken windows, and a turret stretches toward the sky. Three years ago the owner disappeared suddenly, leaving behind a house full of secrets: A mysterious note, tantalizing clues, a hidden floor, a partial treasure map written in code, and a missing fortune in diamonds.

Armed with her detective kit, and with the support of her BFF Alexa and a team of secret agents, Skylar embarks on a new and dangerous mission. Can she outwit a gang of aggressive bikers and find the hidden jewels before they do? Or will the perils of middle school–like battling ruthless bully Emelyn Peters–get in her way?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook and Twitter to drive traffic to my website, www.carrie-cross.com. I also have a gang of kids who signed up to be Skylar Robbins Secret Agents after reading my first book, and they help me spread the word. My second book is interactive, and Skylar’s agents can post guesses on my website as to what the clues could mean.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself, and if you have trouble getting an agent, self-publish. These days authors have to do the majority of their own promotion anyway and publishing contracts are hard to come by, so don’t waste years trying to obtain representation.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My mother had Calvin Coolidge’s quote hanging over the desk where I used to do my homework, and “persistence and determination” became my motto. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” So I guess the best piece of advice I’ve heard would be, “Never give up! ”

What are you reading now?
Lee Child’s Never Go Back and a non-fiction book about conjoined twins.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing the Skylar Robbins mystery series. The Mystery of the Missing Heiress is next (2016), followed by The Curse of Koma Island.

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?
A how-to book on how to live on a deserted island! Plus anything new by Lee Chile, Sarah Dessen, or Deb Caletti, and my most recent Skylar Robbins draft so I could spent time revising it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carrie Cross Website
Carrie Cross Amazon Profile

Carrie Cross’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Carrie Cross is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My bio says I was not born in a small cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin, which is true. I’m from Michigan. However, it’s true I did grow up in a little house…one of those adorable suburban ones built in the early 1960s. Right after high school I toured Europe for three weeks, during which time my family moved to Arizona, though not with the intention to ditch me! I flew to Tucson on faith that someone I knew in this city I’d never been to before would be there to meet me at the gate and take me to my new home whose address I didn’t actually know yet. And yes, for the record, that was before cell phones! My next adventure was college at the University of Arizona where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts Studies. That’s the cool, and not entirely useless, degree where you get to dabble in all the dark arts, I mean, Fine Arts. I majored in drama, minored in art, music, and dance. Studies in film and literature rounded out the curriculum. For the P.E. credit I took fencing. Every novelist of fantasy lit ought to duel with a rapier at least once.

Did I mention I knew I wanted to be an novelist when I was 16? While the mechanics of writing can be learned from a textbook, my studies opened up a whole new way of seeing things. I write scenes as if I were a stage or film director. Words are my camera. They capture sets and costumes, drama and emotions. Words are my power tools. Words are my paint box. I love to build and paint with them. I’m a big fan of employing color and imagery for their symbolic as well as literal content. Those techniques, and others, are in the books I’ve written, which include “Distant Eyes,” “Sword Striker,” “Charm of the Gloaming,” and “The Crystals of Yukitake.” When the big publishers failed to take notice of me, I founded my own publishing house: Little Pebble Press. In addition to my novels, Little Pebble Press has published children’s picture books and a cookbook.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Sword Striker” was born during the wee hours of a June night in Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is the location, according to legend, of a mystical vortex. I don’t know what the vortex is or if it’s real, but there IS something special about Sedona. I went to bed that night with fragments of “Return of the Jedi” settled in my mind and by sunup a story of my own had emerged. By the time I returned to Tucson the story that would become Sword Striker had begun to whisper its secrets to me.

Politics and spirituality have always fascinated me and inevitably find some expression in the stories I write. In “Sword Striker” they surface as Lord Brant’s reaction to the oppression suffered by ordinary people and the vengeance raging in him over the death of his father. For me as a writer and a person, there is no more powerful theme or act than forgiveness. It’s something more than one character in the novel has to grapple with, and to do it requires true courage. What I created is a great adventure – one born out of political strife within the kingdom but also internal strife, where a boy learns what it means to become a man of compassion. Controlling your temper and being able to forgive those who wronged you, along with putting the needs of others before your own, that’s strength that takes courageous formation, and it’s an achievement worth chronicling.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This may or may not be unusual but my writing method is non-linear, meaning I don’t write from page One to page End in order. For me, writing a novel is like working a puzzle with a thousand pieces and no picture on the box. Everything is already there, pre-existing in that inexplicable realm of creativity: it’s just a matter of touching the pieces and figuring out how they fit together. What a thrill when they do! When my brain is on fire with ideas, it’s a total high, and I can write for ten hours straight and forget to eat. At other times, when the fire has long since died down, inspiration likes to purr as a way of procrastination against stuff I don’t feel like doing. I get a lot written at tax time. Then, at the times when the brain is totally dry or squishy, I work on marketing or do research or clean the house.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Margaret Mitchell, and James Joyce, not necessarily in that order. I made the acquaintance of Ms. Wilder’s series when I was in junior high. She made me feel like Laura was my best friend. I read “Gone With the Wind” when I was 14. Ms. Mitchell taught me to write the ending first so you know where the story is heading. I encountered Mr. Joyce in high school but didn’t really appreciate him for another five years. A shout out to “Dubliners” for turning 100 this year. “Dubliners” is an amazing collection. There is so much to learn from Mr. Joyce. A big influence on me presently is Charles Dickens. I love the way that man uses imagery and personification. Jane Austen also gets a spot on my dance card. And I must credit Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain chronicles for getting my mind tuned in to a medieval sensibility. He and the masterful J.R.R. Tolkien. With Tolkien as a model I invented a foreign language. I don’t care that George Lucas isn’t an author of books. The biggest influence on “Sword Striker” was “Star Wars.”

What are you working on now?
“Star and Sun” is the sequel to “Sword Striker” and the third book of the Khryterdon Sage trilogy. It takes place twenty-five years after the events of Sword Striker when the kingdom of Khryterdon has new adversaries on the horizon. Book Three concludes with Intrigue, a web of murder and sorcery that threatens to destroy Khrytish liberty for decades to come. Projected release date is late 2014.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website: www.stanincelarts.com. All my publications have their own page where you can learn more about them, as well as find links to prominent global retailers. For fun, I post my photography on my website too. If my website is my baby, Twitter is my new best friend. The world connects on Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know English grammar. Know when to use their, they’re or there. Grammar is your toolbox. You can have the greatest idea for a shed but if you don’t know how to use a hammer and saw you’re either not going to get the thing built or it will be a rickety tumble-down disaster people will avoid. After that, write because you love doing it. Write because the people in your head are real. Write because you have a gift to share. And don’t stop.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ll give the nod to Yoda: “Do or do not, there is no try.”

What are you reading now?
Barbara Eden’s autobiography. I loved “I Dream of Jeannie” as a kid. Sidney Sheldon was a brilliant man. I wish I could remember the exact quote, but he once said something about how terrific it was to write novels because you can take the reader to any exotic location and you don’t have to worry about a production budget, and you have total artistic control. That inspired me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing, more editing, more publishing. There is always another book to create. The craft is too glorious to ever get dull. Along with my work on the Khryterdon Saga, two of my authors are writing sequels to their children’s books.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First of all I’d bring a really good dictionary and Roget’s Thesaurus. If I’m stuck on a desert island I will want to recline on the sand and write. For pleasure reading, which is the gist of this question, I would bring “Ulysses” because being stranded on an island would give me time to read it again and again and again and maybe then I’d start to understand it. I’d probably have to bring “The Odyssey” too for reference. I’d bring “Dubliners” as well because I love it. Then the Harry Potter series for pure fun.

Author Websites and Profiles
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Website
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Amazon Profile
Elizabeth D’Onofrio Author Profile on Smashwords

Elizabeth D’Onofrio’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Elizabeth D’Onofrio is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Krissy Daniels, hopeless romantic, lover, dreamer, coffee addict. If it weren’t for my hubby and kids, I’d lock myself in a dark room and write until my fingers bleed. I love telling stories. I’ve written three books, two of which are published with Kensington/Lyrical Press. The third is coming soon. I’ve many more planned and can’t wait to share them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is How To Kill Your Boss – An Erotic Love Story. I started writing it the day I was fired from my job. The boss was a bully. He’d yelled and screamed in my face and I stood up for myself. He didn’t like it so much. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise. I wrote three books, and I was able to purge my anger with him through How To Kill Your Boss.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I’m aware of. I do need quiet, which is hard to come by in a small house filled with teenagers and dogs.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is such a tough question for me. I don’t think any particular book influenced me, but one author did inspire and encourage my journey. Rebecca Zanetti. I’ve know since grade school that I wanted to be a writer. Life just got in the way. I’d always had a vivid imagination. My mom always encouraged me to write. It became an attainable dream for me when I’d read that one of my high school classmates, Rebecca, had written a book. I bought it, read it, fell in love. I hunkered down and wrote my first book, Aflame, book one of the Apotheosis series. I honestly was doing it just to prove to myself that I could. When I finished, I reached out to Rebecca and asked for advice. She was so gracious and giving of her time and knowledge. I took her advice and joined RWA and GSRWA. A year or so and eight million revisions later, I signed my first contract with Lyrical Press.

What are you working on now?
Aglow, book two of the Apotheosis series. I’m determined to have it revised and turned in by the end of July.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a newbie, so I’m still figuring that out. Promoting, for me, is harder than writing the damn book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh jeez. I feel too new to be giving advice. If I had to say anything, it’d be to just write for yourself. Don’t do it to please others, because then it isn’t genuine and it isn’t your true voice. Write because it makes your spirit soar, not because you want to make money.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If the words aren’t coming, go do something else until they come. My doctor told me that exercise is one of the best ways to inspire creativity. And you know what? She was right.

What are you reading now?
Nothing. I just finished Devil’s Game by Joanna Wylde. Loved it! I won’t let myself buy another book until I get Aglow turned in. I don’t want other author’s voices in my head while I’m writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Writing. 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?
Can I take an unlimited supply of pencils and paper instead?

Author Websites and Profiles
Krissy Daniels Website
Krissy Daniels Amazon Profile

Krissy Daniels’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Krissy Daniels is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Whitney Pagano. I’m a self-published author. Other than the first volume in an intended series of poetry, The Cracked Heart’s Club, I’ve also written two YA fantasy manuscripts that I’ve yet to publish as well as a lot more poetry.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest published book(that happens to be my first published one, also) is The Cracked Heart’s Club. It’s a small collection of a portion of my poetry. At the time I wrote it, I was going through a break up, and I was depressed. I felt as if I needed to let it all out-all the sadness, anger, confusion inside of me. I let my fingers write the words that my mouth refused to say. When I finished writing, some two days later, I discovered that I’d basically written a book of poetry. I decided to publish it; hopefully, someone will gain solace from their personal problems while reading it, just as I gained comfort from writing it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do have writing habits/writing routine. I’m not sure if they can be classified as unusual or not. I write every day, and I’ve found that I can’t write anywhere else currently except while sitting on my bed. Before I put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I must do two things: Listen to Neil Gaiman’s expert on writing advice from the Nerdist Podcast while smoking a black and mild. That’s basically it. If I try to start writing without doing both of these activities, I get major concentration/writer/imagination block. I guess that’s what makes my writing habits unusual-that I simply can’t write without first performing that particular ritual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ah! So many authors have influenced my love for books and the written word. I’ll name a few favorites: Maya Angelou, Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Wale (the music artist/poet/lyricist), Jill Scott and C.S. Lewis-to name a few.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the second volume of The Cracked Heart’s Poetry Series. It’s entitled The Bleeding Heart’s Club, and should also be available on Amazon, soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion for myself means that as soon as I’ve it ‘publish’ on Amazon, I start the process of marketing my book. I have an intensive method when it comes to promoting my books. I take the usual route: promoting through companies/websites that offer promotional services for indies writers like Pixel of Ink and you guys of course, Awesome Gang. I have a list of hundreds of sites for book promotion. This list is divided into categories according to price and popularity. Promotion for me takes up to 24 hours after I’ve published. I put a lot of work into promoting my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Continue to write. Exercise that muscle. Write as much as you can without compromising quality, because the more product you have available, the more money you could make, increasing the possibility that you could do what every writer dreams of: making a living off of your writing alone.

2. Set aside a budget for your book. Have a set budget for promotion/marketing, cover art, and editing.

3. Don’t be ashamed to be a newbie. All of the most talented authors that ever existed were new authors initially.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Neil Gaiman: “If you want to be a writer, you must finish things.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading several books: Maze Runner by James Dashner, Wool by Hugh Howey and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (a legacy not soon to be forgotten and who will be sorely missed.)

What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend to publish the second and last volumes of my poetry, then I’ll resume working on one of the aforementioned YA manuscripts I’d taken a break from.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, a Sherlock Holmes Complete Stories and Novels Volume, and a book of pictures of my son.

Author Websites and Profiles
Whitney Pagano Amazon Profile

Whitney Pagano’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Whitney Pagano is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Romance author Lindsey Brookes has finalled in/or won more than 75 RWA chapter sponsored contests with over a dozen different manuscripts. She is also a four time RWA Golden Heart finalist as well as a past American Title III finalist and winner of Harlequin’s Great American Romance Novel contest.

Lindsey writes for Kensington Publishing, Amazon Publishing, as well as Indie pubbed several of her contemporary romances. Ms. Brookes was recently announced a finalist in the Booksellers Best Awards with her contemporary romance – Kidnapped Cowboy. She’s written 11 contemporary romances under Lindsey Brookes as well as 4 young adult novels under the pen name Kat Brookes.

Check out her websites:

www.lindseybrookes.com

www.possumhollowseries.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I had two books released the same day. Loving Ellie is an emotional romance with touches of humor and won the Harlequin’s Great American Romance Novel competition. I wrote it because I have a thing for cowboys and wanted to try something with a bit more emotion in it.

The other book – Reeling in the Redneck – is the third book in my Possum Hollow Series. It’s redneck romance at its best! I love writing this fun, sassy, southern series with its zany characters and will be putting out more in the series in the future.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t write if its quiet. I’m usually on my couch with the television on, people moving about the room, dog barking. You name it. But it gets the job done.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have so many published friends who have given me support and guidance over the years. But I can’t say that any one certain author or book influenced what I write. Mostly because I read historical romance, love it, but I write contemporary romance.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Kidnapped Cowboy. Captive Cowboy is going to give Brandon (the hero’s brother in Kidnapped Cowboy) his very own happily-ever-after.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Besides Awesome Gang, I have a list of promo websites/newsletters that I try and notify or place ads in. Facebook is a great place to promote as well.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. There are so many more options out there for authors these days.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write because you love to.

What are you reading now?
A Highlander romance series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up Captive Cowboy.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d take Pamela Clare’s McKinnon Rangers Series and Lori Foster’s Love Undercover series. (Hopefully they’d be available in bundle sets so I could take both series)

Author Websites and Profiles
Lindsey Brookes Website
Lindsey Brookes Amazon Profile

Lindsey Brookes’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lindsey Brookes is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Coyote Jack and the Bluebirds is the first novel that I’ve seen through to completion for several years (having self-published with a local printer back in the pre e-book wild west days). The characters and story really meant something to me and it was a joy to write. Aside from that I have also published two novelettes and am currently balancing the cherry on the top of my next novel, due to be published in a few months’ time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Coyote Jack and the Bluebirds was inspired by a real life blues musician that visited my home island of Jersey several years back, and whom my band and I supported for several rather embarrassing gigs. He was supposedly the son of a real famous blues guitarist and his website featured all kinds of cool articles and excellent studio tracks. In the flesh though he was awful and my band and I had to carry him both nights. I remember thinking at the time that the whole idea of a bogus bluesman exploiting our preconceptions of the genre and what it is to be ‘famous’ would make a cool story – which it did. Much else of the novel is based on my 15+ years experience playing in various bands; plenty to draw on there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well at the moment I have three kids under the age of five so my writing habits are dictated by whichever scraps of time and quiet get thrown my way. I’m not the sort who can sit and write for hours – I tend to nip in and out when composing, though wilfully submit to the grind of second and third time edits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always been a big fan of satire; from Swift through Austin and Thackery and on to the likes of Self and Amis. I’ve read everything by H.P.Lovecraft and would love to write something set around the Cthulhu Mythos one day. Favourite novels are To the Lighthouse by Wolf, Pale Fire by Nabakov and Infinite Jest by Foster-Wallace, all of which are just incredible. Kurt Vonnegut is something of a hero too.

What are you working on now?
A detective novel set on my home island of Jersey. It’s rude, dark and oh so nearly finished.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still experimenting with that. To be honest I absolutely hate the endless clickery and field-filling that comes with promoting one’s work on the internet, though accept that it such a crowded market it’s absolutely necessary and right that one should be forced to work at getting noticed. My greater game plan is to create a larger body of work before REALLY going to town in that respect.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Edit, edit, edit. Always leave a good few weeks in between edits to allow your brain time to detune from the composition process so that when you come back to the next edit it’s as a reader – that way you’ll be more likely to spot deficiencies in plot, pace and structure. Always think of the reader – no-one owes you their time; you have to earn it. Give them a reason to want to turn the page, otherwise why should they bother?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A good friend of mine once told me that he had given up on one of my books (not Coyote – this was years ago!) after several pages as ‘there was nothing there to make him want to continue.’ Brutal words but they stuck with me. The best advice is often the hardest to hear.

What are you reading now?
Just finished reading ‘Look Who’s Back’ by Timur Vermes. Nice idea but I suspect something has been lost in the translation as I’m glad it’s over.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My detective novel, followed by a shot at some short story writing. Time to see if I can get myself published somewhere.

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?
Gulliver’s Travels, The Bhagavad-Gita and a couple of Ray Mears’ survival guides, preferably the desert island editions.

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Bisson Website
Paul Bisson Amazon Profile

Paul Bisson’s Social Media Links

Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Paul Bisson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an artist, a poet and a writer. In the past, my professional life has undergone several changes, as so many of us are experiencing in this day and age.

I earned a master of architecture from RPI in Troy NY. Later I earned a Master of Computer Science from the University of Michigan. Now, on it face, this transformation seems like a 180 degrees of change, from artistic to mathematical persuasion. But for me, I love to extend my skills in opposite directions, reinvent myself and find out the common areas between different disciplines.

during the last couple of years, I published four books: Apart From Love. Rise to Power, Home, A Favorite Son, and Twisted.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is RISE TO POWER. It is volume I of the trilogy, THE DAVID CHRONICLES.

This story is greatly inspired by painting and sculpture throughout the history of art, depicting this fascinating character. The view of the story has undergone amazing transformation over the ages. Take a look, for example, at the Painting ‘David and Bathsheba’ painted by Lucas Cranach the elder in 1526. He treated his subjects with awe and reverence, and the only naked skin visible is Bathsheba’s little foot, bathed by an adoring maid. David is presented as a psalmist, rather than a leering, dirty old man peeping on an unsuspecting, naked woman. There is not a hint of sin here!

Now compare the way Picasso transformed this very painting. The composition is exactly the same (only mirrored left to right) but the brush stroke is modern, it is spontaneous and fresh, bringing a sizzle to the entire scene. He enlarged the proportions of all the figures, especially David, so it is easier to spot the king here, because he is the only one fleshed out among the men at the top. His musical instrument is barely sketched, because the important activity is not playing heavenly music but rather gazing at the women, gazing at all the women, with keen, sexual interest. The water dripping from Bathsheba’s foot is clearly emphasized, with its juicy suggestion of a symbol of lust.

There is no right and wrong way to interpret the story. As an artist and writer, I believe that my mission is to let the characters speak to you through me. The king is flesh and blood in my mind, and so is Bathsheba. This story is happening here and now. I invite you to take a listen to David’s voice, to be found in the voice clip for the audio edition of Rise to Power.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Opening lines present themselves to me all the time. It is the closing lines–those that must carry a punch, and linger in your mind–that are more precious to find. I put my thoughts on this very subject in the mind of my character, Mr. Schribner, in my boo HOME:

“Mr. Schriber reflects upon his writing method. In his mind, it is best to skip any introductions and open, quite abruptly, from the middle of things. There may have been some events in the past, events leading you up to that first sentence—but he, the writer, allows you just a sense of them, a sense vague enough just to come closer and listen.
Beginnings, he tells himself, are cheap. They come to him every morning by the dozen; and as easily as they come, he finds himself compelled to discard them. Too bad about the trees. Most of them have been sacrificed for nothing, for the pulp upon which he attempts to write his first, second and third drafts. His waste basket is already overflowing with crumpled beginnings.
An ending, on the other hand, is precious. It comes rarely, sometimes in a dream. He has to jot it down quickly, before it evaporates. A good ending allows the tale to linger in your mind, well beyond the last sound of the last sentence. It invites the words, utterances and expressions, the little fragments that float there nebulously, over his head, to come to him. Once captured, they will flow out of his pen. Only then will he pour himself out. But right now—without an end— Mr. Schriber is stuck.”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Surprisingly, I find poetry to be the greatest influence on my writing: I appreciate the nuances, the overloading of words, and the musical rhythms used in the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, the sonnets by Shakespeare, and the lyrical descriptions of Virginia Wolfe, to name but a few. I love The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, and Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, for their expressive use of ‘stream of consciousness’. Playwrights Arthur Miller, T. Williams.

What are you working on now?
I am just about to publish A PEEK AT BATHSHEBA, which is volume II in the trilogy THE DAVID CHRONICLES. This is the book description:

Against the backdrop of wars, raging within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom, cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: stopping the bloodshed, uniting the nation and bringing about healing and peace.

But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine power. That error is most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, and his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.

This is volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles, told candidly by the king himself. David uses modern language, indicating that this is no fairytale. Rather, it is a story that happens here and now. Listen to his voice as he undergoes a profound change, realizing the magnitude of his sin, and the curse looming over his entire future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The heart of my book campaign is my blog. I update it daily, with thoughts about creativity, the back story behind the story, the cross pollination between my art and my writing, and the latest news and reviews regarding my books.

Check it out: http://uviart.blogspot.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice to develop your writing–besides reading a lot–is this: read your story aloud in front of a live audience. Listen not only to their comments and suggestions, but more importantly–to their breathing pattern while the story is being read. Are they holding their breath at the right moment? Do they burst out laughing, or wipe a tear when you intended? If not, you must go back to the drawing board and adjust your sentences.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

What are you reading now?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am just about to publish A PEEK AT BATHSHEBA, it will be volume II of the trilogy THE DAVID CHRONICLES. Here is the book description:

Against the backdrop of wars, raging within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom, cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: stopping the bloodshed, uniting the nation and bringing about healing and peace.

But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine power. That error is most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, and his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.

This is volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles, told candidly by the king himself. David uses modern language, indicating that this is no fairytale. Rather, it is a story that happens here and now. Listen to his voice as he undergoes a profound change, realizing the magnitude of his sin, and the curse looming over his entire 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?

Author Websites and Profiles
Uvi Poznansky Website
Uvi Poznansky Amazon Profile

Uvi Poznansky is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started out writing YA paranormal horror under my own name in March of 2011. After seeing dismal sales, I switched to writing erotica in July of 2012 with the goal of making a full time income from my writing. I achieved that goal in November of 2012. Since then, I have written an published 132 books, and I’ve sold close to 120,000 copies. Recently, I switched to writing romance in the hopes of making the USA Today or New York Times Best Seller list.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book I’ve published is Wrong or Write: Boxed Set. It’s a three novel series about an author and the young woman who has always lusted after him. It was loosely inspired by one of my favorite animes.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I certainly have quite a few OCDs that I think mess up my writing style. I have issues with using a characters name after so many instances of the word he or she. I also don’t like to start two sentences in a paragraph with the same word. I’m trying to get over these issues, but it’s kind of hard when my brain continuously points them out. My writing style is always evolving and changing as I try to adapt to a more relaxed and natural flow.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot of the authors that have influenced me are people I’ve met on KBoards. People like Amanda Hocking, TattooedWriter, and Belinda have been my biggest influences in indie publishing. Of the big names, I believe that Ann Rice, Stephen King, and J. K. Rowling have inspired me the most.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently in the process of reviewing audio files for two of my books that are going to be translated into audio book soon. As far as writing goes, I’ll be picking up my The Billionaires Club series once I’m caught up with the audio book stuff. I have about thirteen hours worth of audio to listen to, so I’m a bit backlogged.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is using my list. I’ve also had a lot of success with My Romance Reads and bknight on Fiverr.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Decide what you are trying to set out to accomplish. If you’re writing just for the pleasure of it, then enjoy it and write whatever you want. However, if you’re trying to write to make a full time income, it’s important to know that not everything sells. Do market research in the genre you want to write in. Read some of the books in the Amazon top 100 of that genre to find out what stories and writing styles resonate with readers. Look for reoccurring trends in subgenres, and write what people actually want to read. There’s just as much of a formula for failure as there is one for success.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep publishing. You likely won’t see a lot of money from your first book. Building a career from your writing is a marathon, not a sprint.

What are you reading now?
Do Dead People Walk Their Dogs? by Concetta Bertoldi

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal for the end of this year is to get a USA Today Best Seller. I’ve been involved in quite a few boxed sets in my effort to reach this goal. I also have a lot of serials planned. Basically, just keep busy and keep 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?
They would definitely all be survival books. I think if you’re stranded on a desert island, surviving is a lot more important that being entertained.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sky Corgan Website
Sky Corgan Amazon Profile
Sky Corgan Author Profile on Smashwords

Sky Corgan’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Sky Corgan is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Pennsylvania. I got my B.A. and M.A. in English literature and creative writing there. When I was a junior, I spent a semester in Florence, Italy, and loved it, so I decided to move there after graduation. I spent four years in Florence, teaching English mostly and working on fiction writing, then returned to New York City, where I started working for magazines. I also wrote a book called “Living, Studying, and Working in Italy,” which Henry Holt published.

Eventually I moved to Atlanta, where my now-husband was living, and worked for magazines and websites. I was a Senior Editor at Departures magazine, the Home & Garden editor of Atlanta magazine, and the Editor-in-chief of a monthly lifestyle magazine called The Atlantan. But, I always wrote fiction in my free time. About six years ago, I decided to retire from the magazine world so I could just focus on my daughters, my fiction, and volunteering.

This year I took the plunge and started my own company, Pearl Multimedia LLC, and my own imprint, Northside Books. The first book I published is a novel I wrote called COME FIND ME. It’s a love story and stayed in the Top 100 bestseller lists on Amazon.com for seven weeks since I released it in April 2014. It’s very exciting! By the end of 2014, I plan to release three more of my novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
COME FIND ME is a story about a woman named Jessica who has discovered that her teenage daughter is becoming very self-destructive following a break up with her boyfriend. She’s scared and she wants to do whatever she can to save her, but little is working. So, Jessica tells her the story of how her first love (the only person she ever fell madly in love with) walked back into her world as she was preparing to marry someone else.

The bulk of Come Find Me is the story that Jessica tells. It takes place when she’s 26 and Mark, the boy she fell in love with ten years before, rides into her hometown on his motorcycle, ready to find out why she disappeared from his life. What they discover is that they’ve both lost a lot. Their fathers died in Iraq, and her brother-in-law died in Afghanistan. Mark has also lost his mother and was forced to leave the U.S. Air Force, where he was a pararescueman, which means he’s specialized to parachute into dangerous situations to save people. I think that the Kindle Book Review summed up the novel well when the reviewer said, “Beyond presenting a good story, the book raises questions, important questions, in this case, questions about love and marriage…. Can you love two people at once? Who would make a better husband?”

COME FIND ME was inspired by a lot of things. As my daughters get older (my first just turned 13!), I’ve been remembering more how it felt to fall in love for the first time, and how much it hurt when that relationship ended. I’ve also been in touch with families of people who were sent to war, and have thought a lot about how hard it is to be the ones left behind. But, the biggest inspiration probably comes from my own marriage. I met my husband Brian when I was 17, and we became great friends. We lost touch for years and had our own adventures, then fell in love in our late twenties. It’s pretty cool how a person can come back into your life in a very new and exciting way, if you’re open to it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write with all the curtains pulled shut. I’m a big gardener, so seeing the outdoors makes me want to jump up and run outside. When I see the sunlight at the end of a writing session, it’s a treat!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! The first author I ever loved was William Faulkner. He got me hooked with “Light in August,” but “The Sound and the Fury” was the one that blew me away. In terms of more contemporary works, I’ve really enjoyed books by Gillian Flynn (everything by her, but especially Gone Girl), Anita Shreve (The Weight of Water), Cathleen Schine (The Love Letter, The Evolution of Jane), Tana French (Faithful Place, The Likeness), Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), Emily Giffin (Love the One You’re With, Something Borrowed), Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes), Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier), A.S. Byatt (Possession), Stephenie Meyer (Twilight), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games). I write in different genres, so I’ve been influenced by lots of writers from different genres.

What are you working on now?
I’m wrapping up work on my next novel that I’ll publish this year. It’s called THE UNIFIED THEORY OF LOVE AND EVERYTHING. I’ve been working on it for years and it’s very dear to me. The story is about two married people in their thirties, Emerson and Finn, who volunteer to help fix up an old, overgrown estate in Delphi, a fictional town in middle Georgia (USA). The woman that owns the estate, Sybil Hay, is a retired physicist who spent the summer of 1951 with Albert Einstein on a lake in Princeton, when she was a young woman and he was depressed When the novel opens, Emerson is having major marital problems and is dealing with her father’s recent suicide. She desperately wants to convince Sybil to let her to restore her gardens, in hopes that it will help her failing garden design business take off. As soon as Emerson learns that Finn is already helping out at the house in the mornings, she’s worried. Emerson has met Finn once before through her husband, and she felt an incredibly strong pull. Finn is dealing with his own marital problems and is trying to decide whether to retire from his career as a Master at Arms (i.e., cop) in the U.S. Navy. As their attraction grows, and as Sybil becomes sicker, they each have to make difficult choices that can threaten the lives they’ve built.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method for promoting my books is through people that have come to know me, even if just through social media. I let people know all over the place — Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, email — and they help me spread the word. I’ve been amazed and humbled by the generosity of these people. I also put my ebook up for free sometimes through Amazon’s Kindle Select program, then I post about it on lots of fantastic, generous sites that will list it for free and feature it for a small sum — sites like AwesomeGang.com! This really gets the word out, too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing no matter what anyone tells you. When you try to get published by traditional publishers and through agents, be prepared for people to love your writing, but not necessarily love the work you’re offering up. Just keep writing. Don’t let their criticism get into your head in a negative way; take a good, hard look at what they’re saying and decide if you can use it to improve your work, or if you need to chock it up to their own, subjective opinion and ignore it. Remember that you know best whether your work needs to be changed. Also, whenever you read a book that you feel strongly about (love or dislike), pick it apart to figure out exactly why you feel that way. Other authors are the best teacher for writers.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Live in the present.

What are you reading now?
I’m rereading “The Likeness” by Tana French.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to start rewriting my other two novels soon. One is a romance set in 1951. The other is a crime novel set in contemporary Georgia. I also want to keep adding great posts to my new blog, www.patchofearth.com. I’d like to write a book about writing, too. Plus, I’m mapping out a romance series right now. I’ll start work on that soon, too.

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. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Faithful Place by Tana French. Jaws by Peter Benchley.

Author Websites and Profiles
Travis Neighbor Ward Website
Travis Neighbor Ward Amazon Profile

Travis Neighbor Ward’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Travis Neighbor Ward is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My first book is a young adult paranormal romantic comedy called My Zombie Ex-Boyfriends. This was released in summer of 2013.

My second book is a contemporary young adult novel called Heart on a String which just came out in June of 2014.

I love YA books and YA authors and am so happy to be writing in that genre.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Heart on a String- a ya contemporary novel.

The book is in large part about dealing with grief. Having experienced the loss of someone very significant in my life this is what I drew on to get in touch with the main characters feelings. Everyone deals with grief differently and I wanted to show to different characters and how grief affects them both and how they use each other to heal.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m an all or nothing writer. I’ll write a full rough draft in 30 days or less and then I wont write for a month. There seems to be no in between with me. I love doing events like Nanowrimo.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I LOVE Sarah Dessen (I got to meet her last summer and it was a thrill!) and I love John Green. Also Sarah Ockler wrote one of my favorite ya books called Twenty Boy Summer.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a new contemporary ya book about twins. It’s a little darker than other things I’ve written and my process has been a bit different with this piece. It’s been interesting!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a big fan on booktube on youtube and you can find me on there- username: shewritesbooks

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a lack of support around you in your life don’t fret because there is a HUGE supportive community online! If you want to write than by all means WRITE!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust your gut. If the story feels wrongs than it probably is. Go with your gut.

What are you reading now?
Currently I’m reading Anna and the French Kiss.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on my next book and working with agent to sell my 3rd book to one of the large publishers! Scholastic is currently reading my latest work and I’m on pins and needles waiting for a response!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh my!

Hamlet- Shakespeare

Dreamland – Sarah Dessen

On Writing- Steven King

Author Websites and Profiles
Susan Soares Website
Susan Soares Amazon Profile

Susan Soares’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Susan Soares is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I work full time, but I write every spare minute. I’m a dentist. So you might think I would write horror stories, but I don’t. I write clean romantic comedies and young adult fantasies. At least that’s what I’ve written so far. I’ve published three novels and a novella in my romantic comedy series, The Best Girls, and one book in my young adult fantasy series, Alora. I have another romantic comedy in the editing stage and the sequel to Alora is in the works.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Alora is my most recently published book. It’s a fantasy that involves modern day America and a medieval realm. I think the fun part of this book is the way the teens from this realm interact with the people from the medieval realm, and visa-versa. The young people from both realms easily accept new ideas and possibilities, while the adults are totally resistant. It is quite believable, since most adults have a pretty set view of their world and are quite difficult to convince in a case where they are mistaken.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write anywhere and everywhere. I write when I have a short break between patients. I’m desperate, so I use every opportunity.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the imagination of Anne McCaffrey. I love the romance of the classics, such as Pride and Prejudice.

What are you working on now?
I working hard on the sequel to Alora. Everyone keeps asking about it, so I feel compelled to hurry. But it’s such a great story, I don’t want to rush it.

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

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Write what you love.

What are you reading now?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m writing a detective series for my newly adopted grandson who loves books. He’s eleven, and he’s blind. So my hero is, of course, an eleven-year-old blind boy. I guess I’ll have to have these books made into audio-books for him.

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?
A bible and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tamie Dearen Website
Tamie Dearen Amazon Profile
Tamie Dearen Author Profile on Smashwords

Tamie Dearen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tamie Dearen is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! My name’s Andrew Butcher. I’m twenty-three years old, I live in England (although I don’t want to!), and I don’t really think the essence of anyone can be effectively summed up in words (which sounds silly, really, because that’s exactly what I try to do through my writing!).

I’ve written two full-length novels and one short story, all parts of the Lansin Island Series, and I’m currently working on the third full-length book in this series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release was A Body Displaced, the second book in the Lansin Island Series. It follows on from the first book, so I suppose the events that happened in Book One: A Death Displaced are what inspired it. But more seriously, I think the main storyline was my way of processing of a past, mostly unpleasant relationship, and dealing with my feelings of loss. It gave me a sense of closure I never received in the real life situation. Of course, I couldn’t help but throw in lots of paranormal elements! And all of that was inspired by the types of shows I watch and books I read–I like to do something that’s already been done, but to do it in my own way. The Lansin Island Series is steadily expanding on its mythology.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I excessively outline, and if I’m not sure what to write in a scene, I’ll put a placer there, something like: (BIG PUNCH-UP HERE, AND THE PROTAG IS LIKE, WHA-DA-FUH?!). But I’ve heard of other authors doing this too. Is it unusual?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
If I hadn’t started reading Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles when I was about sixteen, I never would have fell in love with reading or writing at all. She’s my number one influence. Later on I got into Charlaine Harris’s The Southern Vampire Mysteries, and some other urban fantasy books by different authors. I know it seems like there’s a trend here–VAMPIRES!–but I haven’t written any vampire fiction myself, and I’ve now read more non-vampire books than vampire books. I also like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, and the occasional Stephen King book, but I’m more influence by TV series and movies than books.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on A Spirit Displaced, Book Three of the Lansin island Series, and a short story that will loosely tie in with this novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I just try to get as much visibility as possible in a short space of time, and then I leave my books to fend for themselves while I write the next one. I’ve created a big list of book promotion websites for authors on my own website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ignore your critics. Don’t dwell on reviews (or if, like me, you’re not very confident, don’t check reviews at all). Take any writing advice with a pinch of salt. Trust your own method, even if every other author says it’s the ‘wrong’ way. If you are struggling, reach out for help, because although some authors may be too proud to talk about this, writing comes with a lot of stresses, ups and downs, and self-doubt and depression can easily set in. Writing isn’t worth it if it makes you miserable, so make your priority to be happy in yourself, and then your writing will flow more easily anyway.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t pinpoint anything specific right now, but Anne Rice always gives good advice on her Facebook page. She encourages writers to ignore their critics and trust in their own processes.

What are you reading now?
Although my page on Goodreads says otherwise (I keep forgetting to update it), I’m re-reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. For the past year or so, I haven’t been taking my own advice above and I allowed the voices of my critics and other authors to get inside my head to the point that I wasn’t even sure what my own opinions were anymore. Now I’m taking some time out to re-read some ‘spiritual’ and self-help books that helped me to find my ‘self’ before. On the fiction side of things, I’m reading Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries–I love a good murder mystery!

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the Lansin Island Series. I’m not even halfway through writing it. I already know plot lines for the next two or three books. The moment I decided I wanted to be a writer, I knew I wanted to create a layered series with overarching plot lines, similar to the type of thing you get in TV shows like Lost. I’ve had some other ideas, some for spin-offs of the Lansin Island Series, and one is an entirely new series idea … but I’m keeping quiet on these!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Vampire Lestat. (Fave book ever!)

2. I’d be cheeky and pretend a box set counts as one book, so I could take the entire collection of Sookie books. I’d have to use my (non-existent) charm to get the security on this desert island to see it my way. If they try to take my books away from me … well, can you get away with murder on a desert island?

3. I suppose I’d take The Power of Now, because then I could be like, ‘Ahhh, who cares if I’m stranded (and possibly a murderer)? I’m in the Now; problems don’t exist in the Now, beeyaartch!’

4. I’d be cheeky again and sneak the 7-volume box set of A Song of Ice and Fire with me … but I’d be in eternal torment that the series is incomplete and I’ll never know the ending. But Eckhart Tolle’s book can help me out with that little torment issue, I’m sure. =]

Author Websites and Profiles
Andrew Butcher Website
Andrew Butcher Amazon Profile

Andrew Butcher’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Andrew Butcher is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a wanderer at heart. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, I started college at the University of Alabama on a swimming scholarship, transferred to the University of Northern Colorado, and finally graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture. I now live in Kauai, Hawaii, where I’ve worked as a bookkeeper for several years while trying to find my dream job.

An avid outdoorswoman, I enjoy outrigger paddling—both one-man and six-man—running, surfing, and scuba diving, as well as yoga. I am always up for adventure and love doing things that scare me a little.

Wandering is my first book, and I hope to write many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Wandering is my first and only book so far. I needed a change of pace, I sort of freaked out when I turned 40, so I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Mexico. I spent nine months traveling in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Australia, Cambodia and Thailand. I blogged throughout the trip.

When I returned home to Kauai, many people couldn’t believe that I had done all that by myself, especially being a woman traveling solo. Since I had such great reviews from my blog, I decided to turn them into a travel book.

The book is more humor than guide… I have a bit of social anxiety and get lost everywhere I go. There was no lack of funny and ridiculous situations in which I found myself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write near the beach, with just a bit of tequila to make the words flow better.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love humorous books, like those of David Sedaris and ‘Holidays in Hell’ by P.J. O’Rourke.

What are you working on now?
Advertising and promotion! And vaguely planning my next adventure for a new book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Along with social media, I like to mail a copy of the book, along with a handwritten letter, to various companies that might be interested in the travel genre; not necessarily publishing companies, but magazines and stores that can promote in an area where I cannot visit.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start working on a marketing strategy while your book is being published. I underestimated how many marketing sources exist and spend almost as much time now on my computer as I did while I was writing. Advertise everywhere you can and become very active in social media.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just be yourself.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak, ‘Close to the Wind’ by Pete Goss, ‘The Geography of Bliss’ by Eric Weiner, and ‘South America on a Shoestring’ by Lonely Planet.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am planning another solo trip, this time to South America, and will continue to keep a blog and write about my adventures. The future hold more travel in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. So many places I’d like to explore and write about!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring Jane Eyre and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And hope that someone else with 3 or 4 books was stranded nearby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Burovac Website
Melissa Burovac Amazon Profile

Melissa Burovac’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Melissa Burovac is a post from Awesome Gang