Good Morning/Afternoon depending on your time of day! In these interviews you will discover what other authors are doing to write their books. The also share what they are doing to promote their books. Sit back and enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage and maybe you will learn a few things to help you with marketing your books. If you want to advertise on Awesomegang click here.
Vinny
Claretta Maynard
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing and telling stories since I was a child. I can remember putting my little nieces and nephews to bed when I was around 10 years old and offering to read them a story. They would always beg me to just tell them a story instead, so I would make up stories and they would listen intently always eager for more.
I currently have two books out, Water Saga and its sequel Into the Unknown.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Water Saga and its sequel Into the Unknown. The inspiration behind these books came from a cold wet winter’s day. I live in the Carolina’s where winter is normally mild and pleasant. Like the rest of the US we had an abundant amount of cold weather thanks to the polar vortex, and with it we had a fair share of rain and snow. The kids were out of school for several days after a decent snow and on one of these wet and soggy days my little girl was playing outside in the snow, of course she kept coming in frequently to warm up and with each trip inside came more and more water and mud. I stood in the kitchen holding a mop and decided right then and there, that I was going to write a story and Water Saga is the result.
What are you working on now?
I am working on part 3 of Water Saga which I hope to have out by fall.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To just keep writing. That may sound easy, but at times it is difficult, you know life sometimes gets in the way. But it is so true, even if it’s just an hour a day, it makes all the difference in the end.
What are you reading now?
I just finished Wayward Pines and I am getting ready to start on Wonderland by Sam Winterwood. It’s a series written in Hugh Howey’s world of Sand.
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 have to have Hugh Howey’s Wool and Sand. I could just read those over and over, along with James Rollins Amazonia and Subterranean. I am sure there are others that aren’t coming to mind right now.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
A member of RWA, I give presentations on writing, lead a critique group, a creative writing group, and belong to three writing groups including, The Las Vegas Romance Writers. I also co-host a romance readers group. I write short stories that are published in four Anthologies. My hobbies are playing canasta and dominoes. I also volunteer in a warehouse that provides medical equipment to seniors.
I read at least three books a month and like to keep up with the latest trends. My eBook, The Hidden Journal, Published by Tirgearr Publishing is available on Amazon. I have two self-published book, Broken Promises, and Don’t Dance on my Heart, also available on Amazon. I’m presently working on a series.
I live in Las Vegas, Nevada with my husband Tom and our teacup Yorkie.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, MISPLACED, was released July 15. I was inspired by a newspaper article and asked myself, what if?
It didn’t take long to plot out the book about a woman who witnessed her parents murder and the assailant shot her and left her for dead.
What if that privileged young woman’s assets were frozen? What if she was placed in a small town broke and for the first time in her life, had to work to support herself? What if she felt the entire community plotted against her?
I had fun writing about my character and her discomfort about being what she perceived as MISPLACED.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in the morning. I read email and play a few games of Spider Solitaire before I get started. When I begin a new novel, I use Dragon to dictate my every thought. I find it easy to put everything on the computer and edit later.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Deborah Coonts for one. Her Lucky Books are a hoot. I love books by the late Maeve Binchey, Debbie Macomber, and Robyn Carr. My favorite mystery writer is Harlan Coben.
What are you working on now?
I’m presently rewriting a series, The Women Of Rexford. These stories take place in a small town, much like the one where I was raised. I love writing about small town. Everything happens there and everyone is aware of what’s going on. I like the rumors and gossip that change my character’s lives.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I hope fans visit my page on Facebook. www.facebook.com/joycewrites romance/ I also write a blog , www.joycebrennan.blogspot.com/ where I post information about writing and sometimes include my short stories. I use Google+, Kindle MoJo and their many other programs. Tirgearr Publishing provides assistance with marketing. If course, Awesome Gang is one of the first sites I place my book information
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Read.Read. I can’t stress it enough. Don’t stick to the genre you write but expose yourself to everything. Join a critique group and writing groups. Spend time with other authors. Do an intense interview with your characters. Learn how they think, what they like and their inner emotions.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put it down on paper. Write everything you think about your book and characters without worrying about editing.
What are you reading now?
Caught, by Harlan Corben
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a few ideas for new books. As soon as I finish writing the Rexford series, I begin plotting.
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?
Anything by Maeve Binchy, Gulliver’s Travels, the Bible and one of Deborah Coonts’ books.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Lou Majors, a billion year old soul awakening in the third dimension.
As you read these words on your screen I hope you realize I am a thought you’re having about yourself.
An opening to the possibility of a faster more complex experience.A thought that’s a wormhole to visiting
our self on every level of existence; and, thoughts that can show you how when you’re ready.
Life is a beautiful experience of knowing more and more about our selves and loving the adventure of our souls as everyone and everything.
Books writtern 8
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
STEP3 A Supreme Beings Guide To Existence
Forty years research, 7 years of writing and experimentation led to the publication of this
how-to manual for any human wishing to evolve to our final stage and empowered position
as a conscious being or Supreme Being living as consciousness.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My original insights come as inspiration, I would write about it on my blog for any of my 300,000 readers to try and after 7 years of this process the information was put in my book.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Napoleon Hill
Lee Lozowick
Bible
Jane Roberts
Neem Karoli Baba
Wayne Dyer
Fred Alan Wolf
Albert Einstein
Hugh Everett
Shakti Gawain
Esther Hicks
Neal Donald Walsch
What are you working on now?
STEP4 How To Create A Universe In A Multidimensional Envornment
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Haven’t decided yet.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up – publish when you’re ready wherever you can.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow your bliss.
What are you reading now?
Mostly internet updates in science and Twitter messages from my favorite writers.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep open to new inspiration and discoveries and continue to share in writing and video.
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?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
The Nature Of Personal Reality by Jane Roberts
Be Here Now by Ram Dass
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To date, I’ve written six novels and one novella, numerous short stories and articles. I’ve been fortunate to garner a couple of awards for my suspense novels, and that means a lot to me. It’s a validation of my work.
Like many authors, I don’t enjoy promoting, but I do like being in touch with my readers. I’m the mother of four adult children, grandmother of eight granddaughters and one grandson, and two great grandsons.
When I’m not writing or teaching, I like to play the piano. Though I don’t play very well, it relaxes me, and it’s a nice diversion. I’ve been a writing tutor with Winghill School in Ottawa for many years.
I live in Quispamsis, New Brunswick Canada, in a modest but very nice home, on the banks of the beautiful Kennebecasis River with my wonderful husband and sweet dog, Scamp.
Always working on the new novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest suspense novel is ‘The Deepest Dark”. The idea came to me that the worst thing that could happen to a woman is to lose her child. Not only has author Abby Miller, my main character, lost her ten year old daughter in a horrendous car accident, but her husband as well.
Following their deaths, Abby sinks ever deeper into depression. She contemplates suicide as a way to be with them, and to end her unrelenting pain.
In a last desperate effort to find peace, she drives to Loon Lake where they last vacationed together, wanting to believe they will be waiting for her there. At least in spirit. Barring that, the pills Doctor Gregory gave her to help her sleep, are in her purse.
The cabin at Loon Lake was her and Corey’s secret hideaway, and not even Abby’s sister, Karen, to whom she is close, knows where it is.
But someone else does. He is one of three men who have escaped from Pennington prison. They are dangerous predators who will stop at nothing to get what they want – and to keep from going back to prison. Having already committed atrocious crimes, they have nothing to lose.
Unknowingly, Abby is on a collision course with evil itself. And the decision of whether to live or die will soon be wrenched from her hands.
I like to write about ordinary women who are at a difficult time in their lives, and are suddenly faced with an external evil force. I didn’t think a whole lot about theme until I had written a couple of books, but I realized with the writing of Chill Waters that my books generally have to do with betrayal and abandonment, and learning to trust again. And more important, learning to trust oneself. Almost any good book will tell you something about the author herself. (or himself.) You can’t avoid it..
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. But then, I may not be aware of them. I do know I’ll attack housework (okay, I’m lying now) – I’ll browse the net, play the piano- wrestle with my dog .. anything to keep from settling down to the creative process. Writing a novel is an enormous undertaking, something most authors well know. But once I’m into it, everything else fades away and I’m doing what I love to do – telling a story.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many it’s hard to say. And I’m sure some books have influenced me that I’m not even aware of. But some of those that have stayed with me over the years are books by Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King of course, James Patterson and more. My favorite book remains Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
What are you working on now?
Mainly, promoting my latest novel ‘The Deepest Dark’, and also letting folks know about my other books. Always, the subconscious mind is throwing up ideas for the next novel which I consider and let go, one after the other. Soon, one will catch my attention and I’ll let it simmer for awhile. If I still feel excited about it after a few weeks, if I find enough chills in the idea, it will probably become an novel.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Though my books are available in paperback, I mainly promote through the net with great websites like awesomegang.com Also Kindleboards and Kindle Nation Daily are effective. I use a dozen or so, and tend to use the expensive sites very occasionally. And of course social media including twitter and facebook. But you have to be careful not to turn people off by doing too much blatant book promotion. There’s a fine line. I’m sure I cross it from time to time.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t realize your dreams. And write from your deepest self. A few words about characterization.
With any novel, regardless of genre, characterization is the most important element. Without a character readers can care about and identify with at some level, the most ingenious plot won’t matter. That doesn’t mean your character is without flaws, quite the contrary. Consider the late Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley. He is a ruthless killer, but we are fascinated by his complexities and we’re happy to follow him throughout the books.
In the end, I don’t think you can separate character and plot. They are interwoven. With suspense, I am always aware of the thread in my story and I hold it taut, letting it out a little at a time, but never letting the thread go slack. It should grow tighter and tighter until it fairly sings. This is what constitutes a page-turner. It’s a promise I make to my readers and one I take very seriously. Reviews tell me I’ve succeeded for the most part, and that makes me happy. You will too. I wish you great success in your writing journey!
Oh, and pick up a copy of Stephen Kings’ ‘On Writing’ if you haven’t already. Thanks for listening.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to follow a trend. By the time you finish your book, the trend might be over. Forge your own path.
What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading ‘A Dog’s Ransom’ by the late, fabulous Patricia Highsmith of The Talented Ripley fame. She also write other books including ‘Strangers on a Train’. She’s one of the best, in my opinion. If you’re an aspiring suspense novelist I recommend her book for writers ‘Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction’.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The same thing that’s always next – a new novel.
Language is important to me, and I hope my work is always improving in some way. Maybe the dialogue is crisper, the transitions smoother, the characterizations deeper, but always evolving. And that comes simply from being an avid reader of the best there is, both in my own and other genres. And writing and writing and writing. Since I both love to read and write, it’s not a chore. Too, I like to think I’ve grown as a human being over the years. I’ve become more insightful, more compassionate. And that reflects in your 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?
Wow, that’s tough. I’ll try. Great Expectations by Dickens. Stephen King’s boxed books. (I’m cheating a little.) Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author, archer and photographer – at least that’s what I tell myself while moving numbers around on spreadsheets in my day job as a data analyst. Trust me – if you spent your days as a data monkey you would need creative outputs too, companies generally don’t like it if you get too creative with the numbers on the spreadsheets (it tends to lead to court cases, arrests and other such non-fun activities).
I have been very happily married to my muse since 2010 and I use the word ‘muse’ because without her I would never have completed my first novel, she gave me the confidence to do it. We live in a secret location in West London (seriously, did you think I’d give out the address?). I can be contacted by email at archerctb@yahoo.com or through my blog (http://archerctb.wordpress.com), all messages offering large sums of money will be gratefully accepted.
I have almost written many, many books over the years but I have only self-published two, should I ever finish the others I will publish them too.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Chasing the Future’ and is the second in my series featuring Bel and Emily Cater, it will be published in the next week or two. Apart from the first book in the series (Sovereign Nation) it was inspired by my love of old British mythical histories, thrillers and odd secret societies.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Doesn’t writing itself count as an unusual habit? I don’t think I have any particularly unusual writing habits, I just write what I can, when I can.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors? Everyone I have ever read – some positively, some negatively. Books? Too many to mention.
What are you working on now?
Getting ‘Chasing the Future’ ready for publication. Then I have to decide what is next – either a revision and expansion of my novella ‘Second Time Lucky?’ or something completely new, probably in a different genre. After that another book featuring the Carters I expect.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far bombarding Facebook groups has worked well but I am about to try out Awsome Gang’s $10 promotion so we will see how that goes!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish what you are writing now and then self-publish it. Seriously. I know you have got stuck on what you are writing or you are convinced it is no good or both, but just get it finished. If you never finish a story then you will never get published.
Don’t bother with traditional publishing, unless you are one of the lucky 1% of 1% that get an agent who can then get you a publishing deal then you are on a hiding to nothing. Self-publishing gives you control over your work (creatively and financially) and allows you to work at your pace – if you want to publish one book every five years or one every five days it is up to you. It doesn’t matter if your story is 5,000 words long or 5,000,000 with self-publishing you can publish how and when you like.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t eat yellow snow.
What are you reading now?
Just finished ‘Michael Jordan:A Life’ and trying to work out which of the massive pile of unread books I should go with next.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. Trying different genres, different lengths of novels, different styles – but self-publishing the lot. Then of course the movie deals for those novels and the life of extravagant luxury that brings. What? I can dream can’t I?
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Complete Works of Shakespeare, the King James Bible, Cold Comfort Farm, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Dinesh Gupta Author of 2 Hindi Poetry Books “Meri Aankhon Men Muhabbat Ke Manzar Hain” & “Jo Kucch Bhi Tha Darmiyaan”.
Books are Published by Diamond Pocket Books New Delhi.
My Poetry has been featured in 3 joint Poetry collections:
1.) Kadam Dhundhati Rahen
2.) Shabdo Ki Chahalkadmi
3.) Bikhri Aus Ki Bunden
My Poetry, Book Review, and Interview has been has been featured in several reputed online and offline Magazines.
You can see few of my creations here.
dineshguptadin28.blogspot.in
https://www.facebook.com/dineshguptadin
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
” Jo Kucch Bhi Tha Darmiyaan”
Its collection of Articles with connecticing Poetry on variety of thoughts strike to my mind everyday. Journey of this Book started from First Poetry of this Book I wrote ” Jo Kucch Bhi Tha Darmiyaan”
तेरे सुर्ख होठों की नरमियाँ याद है
तेरी सर्द आँहों की गरमियाँ याद है
कुछ भी तो नहीं भूले हम आज भी
जो कुछ भी था दरमियाँ याद है….
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am Poet of Emotions. I hardly write by taking pen and paper in hand. I feel about surrounding things like sadness, Love, Poetry anything which touch my heart very sensibly and if can get right words I can create Poetry out of it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dr Kumar Vishvas, Koi Deewana Kehta Hai
Pandit Atal Bihari Vajpeyi, Mei 51 Kavitayen
Harvan Roy Bacchan
What are you working on now?
I am working on my Third Poetry Book which is untitled yet.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I mostly promote my work on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus
Do you have any advice for new authors?
“Don’t write for Market, Write from Bottom of your heart and Market it”
दिल की सुनो, शब्द चुनो और बस बुनो. कविता खुद-बी-खुद बन जाएगी
But whatever you write, it should be with full responsibility because:
कलम की ताकत है ये, अलख भी जगाती है, आग भी लगाती है
चुप रहे तब तलक ठीक है वरना, जन्नत इस जमीं को बनाती है
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well struggling as writer I received to accept Rejection and keep you Patience and Passion.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Story books of Chetan Bhagat, Preety Seenoy, Crush by debutante Authors.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next Goal is to write Lyrics for Movies and establish myself as Known Author as well by touching million of hearts.
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?
Well I would like to read few of Poetry Book which I still did not got chance to read like
Books of Munnavar Rana, Rahat Indori
I would also like to read all books of Amish Trpathi.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
We are starting our fourth book. We have released the first two and the third is on the editing table.
He had already written an historical novel and I a cookbook. We decided together to pursue the non’fiction sex and erotica books because we love the subject matter. He was the hands on the keyboard at first but as time went by the writing melded into us.
We must be addicted to this process because we spend all our free time talking about or writing our books. New ideas strike us everyday.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
BDSM ROMANCE How One Man Recruited and Trained a sub. I suppose this is a subject we have both been interested in, so we decided to share that interest with others but not in a direct “do this” “say this” kind of way, but rather through modeling. That was our goal- a non-fiction that read easy and entertaining.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think the fact that we write the books with such integration is unique.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tom Corson-Knowles
What are you working on now?
The fourth book in the series about 4 couples that have a private sex group and the way they share their passions.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I think networking with and supporting other authors is the most effective. We can help each other and we understand the value of editing, reviews,and social media shares. I have benefitted must from authors on Twitter and G+.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persevere
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write. Just keep writing. Don’t depend on just one book.
What are you reading now?
The Law of Compensation by Marianne Williamson
What’s next for you as a writer?
The final book in our four part 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?
What matters if I am on a desert island.
Empty books so I could record my journey.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a relatively new author. I just finished writing my third book, Isle of Dawn, the final book of the Skye Trilogy. I love to cook and bake( like my character) so I decided to write a cookbook called Scrumptious Skye Confections.
The cookbook was a lot of fun to write and much less stressful to edit!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my newest book is Isle of Dawn. It is the third and final book in the Skye Trilogy. I was inspired to write the series because after starting and not finishing several books over the last twenty years I decided to pluck up the courage to write the kind of books I wanted to read. I was sick to death of wimpy heroines and too good too be true heroes. I wanted to create a sense of realism to an unrealistic genre.
Isle of Dawn is a book I am very proud of and I cannot wait for my readers to find out what happens to Mathias and Willa!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
At the start of every book, I always buy a new notebook for my notes. I love to take a picture of the before and after because by the time I’m done the notebook looks like it has been through the war and back.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have loved Jane Austen since I was high school. I still remember getting past the antiquated language and having a stunning realization that this was extremely relatable to the here and now.
I love J.K. Rowling as well. Any author that can reach an immense amount of people regardless of age is truly amazing.
What are you working on now?
I have just started working on The Cursed Charm which is book one of the The Fae Witch Series.
It is a spin-off series to the Skye Trilogy.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is always the best but Twitter is great as well. There are so many great sites, such as Awesomegang.com, that really help indie authors like myself get the word out about their books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take your time, edit, edit and then edit some more!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go with your gut and never second guess yourself.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading The Hobbit. I haven’t read it in years and when my son was finished, I grabbed his copy and sat down to soak in J.R.R. Tolkien’s genius.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have two series planned and I am setting a rather unrealistic goal of four years to complete this task…yikes!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to survive on a desert island for Dummies?
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was raised in Northern California, and lived for many years in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, which was the inspiration for the fictional town of Cypress Bay in my new Cypress Bay mystery series. For the past thirty years I’ve made my home in New York City. I’m married to TV personality Sandy Kenyon, entertainment reporter and film critic for WABC-TV in NYC.
Bones and Roses, the first book in my Cypress Bay mystery series, is the 16th book I’ve written. I’m the New York Times bestselling author of 15 women’s fiction titles, numerous YA titles and one cookbook, “Something Warm from the Oven.”Baking is how I keep my sanity and keep my husband happy. Whenever I get stuck writing a book or I’m in a funk, I get out my apron and mixing bowl. How bad can anything be with the aroma of a cake in the oven wafting throughout the house?
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bones and Roses is my latest book and the first in my Cypress Bay mystery series. I’m really excited about it because it’s my first adult mystery, and also because it’s set in a fictional town closely resembling the one I lived in, which means I get to “visit” whenever I like. I have a sand dollar on my desk that I picked up at the beach near where I stay whenever I’m out there. It’s my touchstone.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up in the mornings when it’s still dark out. I light a candle on my desk, make myself a pot of tea, and get to work. I call it my “Jane Austen” time. Though she didn’t write on a computer, and I won’t go so far as to revert to pen and ink. Early mornings, when my head is clear, is my productive writing time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I decided I wanted to become a novelist after reading “Jane Eyre,” in fourth grade. I recently re-read the book and loved it just as much all these years later. I believe I subconsciously modeled myself after Charlotte Bronte, striving to write novels that would stand the test of time. I don’t know that I achieved that goal, but why not aim for the stars? You just might make it to the moon.
What are you working on now?
Book 2 of my Cypress Bay mystery series, Swimsuit Body, starring my intrepid sleuth, Tish Ballard. I’m having a lot of fun with it! Look for it in the spring of 2015.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I see a lot of ads online for paid promotions that guarantee thousands of new Twitter followers. But I think the personal approach is best even online, just like when I used to make the rounds of bookstores in the old days, getting to know booksellers and readers. I do a lot of social media and enjoy connecting with fellow authors and readers. I comment on other people’s blogs, and this leads to lively interaction. My motto: If it’s not fun, don’t do it! Simple as that. Awesomegang is a great site for that reason – it’s a fun way for authors to connect with readers and vice versa.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write something every day, even if it’s only a paragraph. Practice may not make you perfect, but it’s the only way to learn.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Years ago, an established writer advised, “You can court many Muses but marry only one.” I took that advice to heart. I gave away my piano and packed up my paint brushes. From then on, I devoted myself to my first love: writing. I never regretted that decision.
What are you reading now?
Just finished gobbling up Stephen King’s ‘Mr. Mercedes.” Eagerly awaiting the next Raine Stockton mystery from Donna Ball.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m staying with the mystery genre for now. Down the line, who knows? I go where my Muse takes me.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I should probably say the Bible, but I’m not gonna lie. I’m a lover of fiction. I’d take “Jane Eyre”, “The Stand,” by Stephen King, and maybe one of my own titles and a red pencil, because then I could endlessly revise.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a journalist by day so I write all the time, but when it comes to books, to be honest I’ve only written one. The problem was it was 636,000 words long (which is 25% bigger than “Lord of the Rings”). That isn’t for want of harsh editing either, I might add.
OK I admit, it was always going to be a trilogy, but it’s a whopping trilogy so it’s now also available as a sextet, but you can buy the whole thing as one very large file – it’s too big to print.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The whole story is called “Changels Genesis”, of which “Changels Initiation” is part one and available separately. I wanted to write an action adventure story with young teenagers in it that was set in the real world. I guess my guiding question was “so if you have special powers, how could you really make the world a better place?” To a certain extent I was inspired by a friend of mine from Cambodia who was a child soldier under Pol Pot. It made me realise just how little the average young adult in the West knows about the worlds that their refugee classmates come from and what needs to happen.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
“Changels Genesis” was written on an HTC Touch Pro 2 cell phone. It’s an old Windows 5 phone but it has a slide-out physical keyboard and excellent integration with Word. I wrote much of the book on public transit in my home town of Wellington, New Zealand. I find writing on the hoof, as it were, much easier than sitting at a screen watching the cursor blink at you.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have to admit I was influenced by “Lord of the Rings”, because I find it inherently racist, and that annoyed me. “Harry Potter”, because while I loved the emotional struggle of Harry I found the forces of antagonism weak. Authors who I have learned technical tricks from include Ursula le Guin, John Fowles and Robert McKee. Other influences for this book include Shakespeare and Bram Stoker.
What are you working on now?
Part seven of Changels, and another science fiction comedy set on a future farm.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know yet. Goodreads certainly isn’t.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t hide in your garret. Get out, talk to other writers, join groups. You learn so much you won’t find out by yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Lao Tze’s homily on kindness. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love”
What are you reading now?
The Monuments Men
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing. But I bet everyone says that.
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 Collected Poems of TS Elliot. It’s a book I have read all my life. The Collected Works of William Shakespeare. That’s all the stories dealt to. Eric Newby’s” Traveller’s Tales” which is full of wonderful small anecdotes of travel through the ages. And the “SAS Survival Manual” because I’m a practical person and I like their advice that “any fool can suffer in the wild, it takes knowledge to
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
About the author:
Alysha Kaye was born in San Marcos, TX, where she also received her BA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. She worked in marketing for a brief and terrible cubicle-soul-sucking time until she was accepted into Teach for America and promptly moved to Oahu. She taught 7th grade English in Aiea for two years and also received her Masters in Education from University of Hawaii. She now teaches in Austin, TX and tries to squeeze in as much writing as possible between lesson planning.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I dreamt about The Waiting Room once, and offhandedly wrote my boyfriend a love poem about waiting for him after death. Somehow, that became a novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
With The Waiting Room, I didn’t plan, brainstorm, pre-write, or edit…and I’m an English teacher! I know, terrible. But I get into ferocious fits of writing and I don’t like going back and changing anything. Thank God for my editor…
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Salinger for sure (his short stories). He’s the King. More recently, The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Book Thief. They captured love in such a raw way…I wanted to do the same.
What are you working on now?
I have a chapter written of a new novel, but I’m thinking of abandoning it for a new idea…haha ah, writer problems.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Wordpress and Twitter have been AMAZING avenues of networking and support.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
When other people say you’re crazy, use that as fuel. The only crazy people are the people without dreams.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Throw everything you’ve got at your writing- don’t hold back.
What are you reading now?
Mark Zusak’s new novel.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Mucho marketing for the novel, since it just came out! Hopefully I’ll have time to get started on novel #2 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?
A book of E.E. Cummings’ poetry, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Catcher in the Rye, and The Book Thief.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a young Jamaican author on a mission to inspire others. I am proud of my heritage and I couldn’t imagine being born anywhere else. Although I was not blessed with the gift of singing, I enjoy belting out some of my favorite tunes and amusing my friends. Music, books and movies are my comfort. I am a hopeless romantic and therefore enjoy books that have a mixture of romance, mystery, and suspense. However, I am also very focused and always looking for ways to improve myself. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoy books in the self-help niche.
So far, I have only written one book. Being a novice author has been both a frustrating and enlightening experience.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Becoming the Best You: Ten Pressure Points that Lead to a Successful Life”. I know that there are people out there, just like me, who are looking for more out of life. Although I have had my fair share of disappointments, I believe my experiences have helped me to become a better person. I wanted to share my experiences and observations with people just like me.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will go for days without writing and then, suddenly, I’ll find myself in front of the computer typing like crazy! I am not a night owl so I have to get my work done on weekends or on holidays since I work during the week. Despite my odd writing style, I produce the finished product by the deadline I have set for myself.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are two main authors in the self-help niche who have influenced me. The first is Myles Munroe, author of the book “Understanding Your Potential”. There is one principle from that book that has stuck with me even though I read it several years ago; the graveyard is the richest place in the world. Why? So many people die without becoming who they were meant to be. It has been my mission since then to not contribute to the wealth of the graveyard.
The second author who has inspired me is John C. Maxwell. Years ago, one of my friends gave me two of his books. The book that stood out the most to me was “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”. The principles in that book changed my whole perspective on leadership. They also helped me to realize everything I was doing wrong.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on my second self-help book. I am only at chapter one, but I have fleshed out the concept. I don’t want to release the title yet because I may change it when I have finished writing. What I can tell you, however, is that it will be good.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is a tough question. I have been finding it very hard to promote my book. However, awesomegang.com seems to be the best site I have found thus far.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Research publishing carefully. The publishing site you use will vary greatly depending on what you want to achieve. If you want to offer free promotions and book discounts to attract reviews and future purchases then Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) may be your best option.
Also, you have to be willing to spend some money. I wish I had more money to do some of the things that I need to do, but that’s just the way of life.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading ‘The One You Love” by Paul Pilkington. I hope to tackle “Blindsided” by Jay Giles soon.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next adventure will be completing my second book.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Scarpetta Factor” by Patricia Cornwell
“If Caterpillars Can Fly So Can I” by Alvin Day
“The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Did you ever wonder how you would survive a global nuclear apocalypse? Lynn Lamb imagined it into existence on the written page!
Lynn Lamb is the author of The Survivor Diaries Series of novels. She was inspired to write her first novel by the characters in her own family and hometown of Monterey, California. Lamb was both fascinated and saddened to turn her beloved city into a torn and broken place that her characters must learn to navigate and pilfer in order to survive. Lamb is also an independent filmmaker and script writer. Her dream is to produce the Great American Documentary.
Lamb’s debut book, Monte Vista Village (The Survivor Diaries, Book 1), has made a splash on the ebook scene.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Monte Vista Village, is the first book of The Survivor Diaries Series. I was inspired by the characters in my own family and hometown of Monterey, California. Living in Steinbeck Country, I was raised on his works, and throughout my books I pay homage to the amazing John Steinbeck.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing in a dark room. I am expecting to get rickets any day now.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am inspired by John Steinbeck and Margret Atwood. There are really two many to list.
What are you working on now?
I am now working on getting Book II of The Survivor Diaries Series, The Beginning at the End of the World, out within the next month. I am also in the process of writing Book III, Moving Mountains.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I usually promote on my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thesurvivordiariestalkpage?ref=hl and my website: http://www.the-survivor-diaries.com/ Check them out!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay with it, especially when you want to give up the most!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“When happiness calls, offer it a comfortable seat.” E. Joseph Cossman
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. It’s funny how your take on certain books change with the passage of time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s Next? I will continue with The Survivor Diaries Series, but another series is coming together 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?
If I were stranded on a deserted island, I would probably take The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss and my own books, only because they are full of survival tips that I could use if I was on my own on a desert island.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m 57 years of age and grew up in the east-end of London. I had no formal education, leaving school at 15 with no qualifications other than I could be an expert nuisance. I always loved reading though and enjoyed writing essays.
I began writing about ten years ago, wrting a couple of very bad horror stories. Then, I took an online creative writing course with The London School Journalism. My tutor gave me much encouragement, stating that she believed I had a “raw talent the needed nurturing”. I suppose, to paraphrase, the rest is history.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
What inspired me to write Warrior King Legacy? A love of the underdog I suppose.We all know of Asterix the Gaul, but far fewer people have heard of Vercingetorix, the man upon whom the cartoon character was based. He was an extraordinary young man, who against incredible odds, united the tribes of Gaul and built an army that very nearly destroyed Julius Caesar and his best legions. Imagine history if that had happened. Rome would be just another capitol city today (if it even existed). The Colosseum would not have been built. Would The Vatican exist? Would there even be a Pope as we know him? For a man who very few people even know existed, he could have changed the course of history. But, at the end of the day, he was only defending his nation’s way of life.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have any unusual writing habits, I don’t think I do anyway. I don’t like to start writing halfway through the day, or if I have to stop at a given time. I try to write a couple of thousand words in a day, but that can be dictated by research.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the work of Conn Iggulden. The Conqueror series in particular. Bernhard Cornwell’s Sharpe. When I was younger: Wilbur Smith, Clive Cussler et al. I didn’t read much as a youth, too busy living a London life. Only wimps read books in the east-end of the 60′s and 70′s. I allowed myself a grin there.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the sequel to my second novel, Thirza Dellow, the first being in it’s final editing stage. The first is set against the Napoleonic war. A young woman grows up with the overwhelming need to find her soldier father, who abandoned her mother for a life in the army unaware that she was pregnant. Thirza has lots of adventures, culminating at the Battle of Waterloo, where she and her companion find themselves embroiled in the defence of Chateaux Hougoumont. The sequel is in its infancy, but I have a good idea where it is going.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know that I have a best method to promote my book(s) as yet. I’m still very new to this. It’s a case of suck it and see what works best at the moment.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I wish I did have some advice for new authors, but I am a new author myself and would not wish to appear patronising. For myself I would say: “Stick at it son”.
On a technical note, I would advise, keep it tight. Never waffle or fill pages with endless exposition. If I, as a reader, become bored for even a few pages, I will put the book down and probably never pick it up again. Don’t be afraid to dump a day’s work if, when you read it back to yourself, you have doubts about it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard must be, to go with your gut. If it reads right to you, then half the battle is won. After all, if you don’t like your own work how can you expect others’ to?
What are you reading now?
“Bite” by Nick Louth. A new author to me, but we must give all us newbies a fair crack. I’m 40% in and still enjoying it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hope that I’m successful in my 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?
Probably the Iggulden Conqueror series, I can read those over and over. I know I should be choosing something from the classics, but as I said, when I was a kid reading was for wimps. I never read a classic and today they just seem dated. I always waited for the film to come out. Another grin.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write under P.A. Zimmerman I am a married, Mother of three, Grami to six. A native of the New Jersey Shore and a beach bum now retired in Florida. I have always ‘told stories’ to my kids and grand kids; tried to make time to write but as a career woman/ working mom I was lucky to accomplish that alone. When my husband announced he wanted to retire, I did as well. It was difficult at first because I loved what I did.
As a salon owner and colorist for many years, I knew I had to ‘give back’ to my profession, got my teaching credits and began a new career in my forties as a regional education manager/ seminar trainer for Wella USA. A fabulous job and great feeling of accomplishment to share my expertise in the Metropolitan area and East Coast. I wrote lesson plans and business building ideas and traveled in and out of the country.
I woke up one morning; kids all married, giving us grand babies in record speed. Loved it. I told them stories and when they got old enough to give me feed back, I realized I had all the time I needed to write.my first book Olivia’s Magic Conch depicts my love of the ocean and how badly I want to protect it. It is a fable braided with fact set in present day for all ages. My biggest fans are the parents and grandparents who buy it and read it first. My second, It all Began With…THE WART a humorous mystery for adults. I guess you could say I haven’t found my genre yet but I like to say it is just my creative juices having fun
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It All Began With…THE WART…started out as a short story I wanted to enter in a contest. I chose to write a funny mystery and cracked myself up laughing out loud only a few pages into it. My husband walked in read it and laughed saying,”You are not really going to send this in are you?” Well I didn’t not for any other reason but that I couldn’t stop writing and surpassed the required word count. I ended up with a novella. It is really weird, because the mystery is hard to solve with several options, the subject matter is to some questionable, and it is a funny love story. I will tell you if you are anti gay then don’t read it. However, if you choose to be open minded there is nothing involving the gay community that is offensive. I have worked with gay men throughout my career and my main character is a culmination of who I perceived them to be. And that is meant as a compliment. Your choice. The reviews have been excellent.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well let’s see…….I think of a title that would give me license to concoct a story and I sit down and type away. When I get stuck….I get up and leave the area, do something that takes my mind off of it and when I am clear I go back and try again. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes days go by before I nail it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Newbies like myself. I mean what the heck, I could never compete with Hemingway or Alcott. There are tens of thousands just like me out there. Sometimes luck intervenes and you are discovered.
What are you working on now?
Unfortunately, my computer was hacked and I lost four chapters of a really good start. My fault for not backing it up. I will never retain all of it but things happen for a reason and maybe what I can do is make it even better. the title is The
Lost and Lonely Unlovable Four.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I stink at this part. I was scammed with my first book but thanks to Victoria Strauss and Writer Beware the scoundrel has been stopped but his M O is to come back under a new handle. So beware I lost a lot of money and time.
I need help as an indie so I am so glad to have found OurAwesomeGang.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes! I love to offer a few words if asked.so here goes.
Believe in yourself. How can you expect to succeed if you don’t?
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not let negativity in your house!
What are you reading now?
An oldie, I missed. The Road Less Traveled by M.Scott Peck M.D. Because I am still learning about life.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows? But I am never bored. I will continue to write! I paint in oils and I am also an interior decorator who drives her husband nuts because he never knows where his favorite chair will be 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?
Hawaii, Bridge Over Madison County, The Notebook and a Dictionary.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in a very beautiful part of Scotland, down in the south west, not far from Gretna Green, one of the most popular and romantic wedding venues in the world.
I have written two books (three if we count the one languishing in a drawer, which I think of as my practice piece!): one is a novel and one, Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is a narrative non-fiction account of time I spent working in Afghanistan.
The novel, No More Mulberries, is also set mainly in Afghanistan.
I had the privilege of working for several years on health projects in Afghanistan, which was an amazing experience. I wanted to people back home to meet the women I met and to share my experiences and so I wrote about them.
I have also had a collection of poetry published called Thousands Pass Here Every Day, which includes some poems about Afghanistan (it’s a country which gets under the skin!) as well as poems of memory and family.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is the latest book – although it was also the first. It was originally published some years ago under a different title then I made a return trip to Afghanistan after the end of the Taliban regime and added some chapters to bring it more up to date ad it was re-published.
The inspiration for writing it came from the women of Afghanistan who were shocked when they learned my collection of books about Afghanistan nearly all focussed on the fighting, the mujahideen, the men. When they asked me what the books saif about the women they were not pleased to find they were more or less dismissed as ghostly shadows with no voice and urged me to write a book to show the west that they hadn’t got the right idea about women’s lives. So, I did. I think the women of Afghanistan deserve much more than to be depicted as downtrodden victims. yes, life is tough – soetimes unbearably – but most of the women I met are like women everywhere – strong, fesity, funny and human.
I wrote the novel No More Mulberries in between the two editions of the non-fiction book for much the same reasons as I write the non-fiction account – hoping to show what life, particularly rural life, is like for Afghan women. I added a British woman married to an Afghan, threw in some problems in their marriage and let them decide if and how they were going to solve them.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so though I am a terrible procrastinator – many writers are. I can find any excuse not to sit down and get on with the job: feeding the washing machine, watering the houseplants, replying to emails, playing just one more game of solitaire.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I hate this question! It’s so difficult to answer. If we are looking at whose books influenced me to want to write than I’d have to say Enid Blyton and her Famous Five books and The Secret Seven. I so loved being transported to the world those children inhabited and the adventures they had that I wanted to be able to do it.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a variety of projects right now incuding a commission with a photographer to do a book on one of our local towns showing in words and pictures the past and present. Dumfries Through Time will be available in the summer of 2015.
I am researching for a biography of a woman who was a pioneer in many way – engineering, car racing, business – but whose achievements have been forgotten.
I’m also thinking about how to use the material in the book languishing in a drawer. It is about Afghanistan but much of it was not included in either of my other books so I’m thinking of something along the lines of ‘The Bits That Were Left Over’.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The importance of word of mouth can’t be underestimated. If people enjoy a book they will recommend it to their friends (best if their friends BUY rather than borrowyour book). I believe reviews on Amazon also help.
I have only just realised there are sites like awesomegang.com which help authors promote their books. I have American writer Jackie Weger to thank for nudging me in the right direction.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Read lots and read widely. I’m astounded when I hear writers say they don’t have time to read or make an excuse they don’t want to be influenced by or inadvertently plagiarise other writers. Nonsense – writers need to read.
Be persistent, be open to criticism and be as generous towards other writers as yould wish them to be towards you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To look on the first draft as a rough draft. Get the story written from beginning to end without worrying if the bit in the middle sags or some characters aren’t doing what you want them to do. Get it written and then you have the raw material on which to work re-writing and cutting and polishng.
What are you reading now?
Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks. A novel about a Scottish woman in Occupied France in 1942. She has been sent on a mission by a British special operations group but styas on after her task is completed to try to find her lover who is ‘missing in action’.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep on 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 Enemy of the Good by Michaeil Arditti.
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. It’s slightly under 1000 pages so on a desert island it would keep me going for a while.
Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone. I read it a while ago and would like to re-read it as it is so beautifully written and incredibly well researched.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Wyoming, I have lived here my whole life, and I would be content to do so until I die. Personal interests of mine include running (very slowly) when I don’t feel too lazy, baking all sorts of tasty treats, spending time in nature, and sampling all of the dark chocolate I can get my hands on. Reading, of course, has been my main hobby since a young age. Writing, on the other hand, is a passion that I have only discovered fairly recently. To date, I have written and published one book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and first) published book is titled Riddles From a Recluse. It is a collection of fifty original riddles written in a poetic style. These are riddles meant to be enjoyed not only as a challenge, but as beautifal creations worthy of one’s time whether or not they are actually solved right away. The riddles are more closely related to those of antiquity than they are to the simplistic “what gets wetter the more it dries” or knock-knock joke style riddles of today. As a sample, here is one of my personal favorites:
Inadequate reflections of each facet of the mind.
The essence of profundity once skillfully combined.
Great stairs within a tower granting never ending sight.
Or petals on a flower with no purpose save delight.
These jagged stones thrown wantonly in ignorance and hate,
Are only given substance through the change they may create.
The original inspiration for writing a book of riddles most likely came from reading The Hobbit as a child. I was fascinated by the erudite exchange between Bilbo and Gollum, and I have been captivated by riddles ever since. A few years ago, while discussing the book with some friends I boasted that if given time I could probably write similar riddles. They scoffed, but to prove them wrong I went home that night and wrote my first riddle. Since then, I have poured my soul into perfecting Riddles From a Recluse. Writing and re-writing each riddle, laboring for hours over a single word choice, learning how to properly format a book, and creating the cover where all part of the labor of love.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As anyone who reads Riddles From a Recluse will be able to tell, a large part of my inspiration comes from nature, so I try to write outdoors whenever possible. Usually this entails heading out for a run, and refusing to go back home until I at least have a good idea for a new riddle. Since the weather in Wyoming is not exactly balmy year round, this has led to some interesting adventures. Suffice it to say that if any of the riddles in the book do not seem up to snuff with the rest, it can most likely be attributed to impaired mental capabilities resulting from the negative thirty degree weather.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
One of my favorite authors is J.R.R. Tolkien. The sheer amount of original thought needed to craft his world is astounding. Down to the smallest detail, the setting and characters of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings are realized with the thoroughness of a historian paired with the creativity of a true artist. If I had even one hundreth of his ability as a writer, then I would consider myself a success. Another author, Hugh Howey, has given me inspiration in a different way. While I massively enjoyed his Silo Saga, what I find most impressive is his story of success. As a self-published author, his book Wool achieved massive success that earned him a place of high regard in the writing community. Afterwards, rather than abandon his self-published roots, he has become a figure-head in the movement for non-traditional publishing. I am proud to say that I agree whole heartedly with his policy that writing should be about the stories and the readers, not about the profits.
What are you working on now?
I am currently dedicating all my efforts to speeding the word about Riddles From a Recluse. It is a difficult process, and one that I am struggling with for the first time. That is why I need all the word of mouth support I can get from dedicated readers, wherever they may be.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, the site Good Reads has been invaluable. The site makes it easy for writers to connect with a community of thousands of readers. I have even found several new books myself to enjoy!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to write about a topic that you truly find interesting. All too often I hear of fellow writers who are writing a book intended only to cash in on the latest craze (zombies, vampires, dystopia, young adult…). If nothing original is written, then nothing new will ever make its way to bookshelves. Society will become mired in the same overused scenarios, and readers will stop reading out of sheer boredom. So, my advice is to write the best book you can, without worrying about whether or not it will appeal to the largest current subset of the population.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is that failure is a part of life, as hard as it can be to face. As humans, we constantly strive for perfection even though we know it is unattainable. There is nothing wrong with seeking self improvement, unless we become too harsh on ourselves. Failure is unavoidable, so the best course of action is to learn from it rather than spend too much time indulging in self pity.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Pure, by Andrew Miller. It is the story of Jean-Baptiste Baratte, an engineer tasked with removing an ancient cemetery and church from Paris in 1785. So far, I have enjoyed it greatly.
What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer, I usually have at least a few concepts swirling through my head at any one time. Though I would love to write another book of riddles, I am a bit burned out at the moment. Instead, I may try my hand at a science-fiction or fantasy novel.
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 choices would be The Lord of the Rings, A Canticle for Liebowitz, Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing all of my life as a way to capture the many experiences and relationships I have known in my lifetime into the worlds of my stories. In 2013, I released independently ‘The Grand Lady of Springs Valley’ and my second work, “Sovereign of the Seas’ in 2014. Since then I have grown a smart and dedicated readership that I connect with regularly on Facebook and through my website.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Sovereign of the Seas’ and it was inspired by people, places, and events that have been a part of my life. It was borne out of my own quest for answers related to the human condition and our relationship with the divine.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a horribly undisciplined writer as I can never force myself to write. I write when I feel creative and avoid it when I don’t. I usually find editing my own work helps break through those monents when creativity is lacking.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would not say any book or authors have influenced me. I am more influenced by cinema and music in terms of the type of atmosphere I like to create in my books. As far as authors go I do like W. Somerset Maugham, Carson McCullers, and James Hilton to name a few.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the first installment of a quirky detective series right now. I hope it will be finished in 2015. But of course I may switch to something completely different by then, who knows? I have several projects started right now.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Really word of mouth through free e-book giveaways and sites like awesomegang where you can cannect with new, intelligent readers, and by keeping active in your social media. I really like intercting with my readers. I’m not too good at Twitter as I feel like if I had anything clever to say it should go in my book, not in a tweet. (But I do try.)
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t ever be discouraged, no matter how many rejections or criticisms you get. Stay true to yourself when writing, don’t try to be someone else, always write from your own heart. Look in your own life for story inspirations, you will find them, and never forget that selling a book should not be your motivation for writing it. Write it because you have a story to tell and a reason for telling it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go to bed.
What are you reading now?
My own work actually since I am currntly writing and I have to do lot of revising, re-writing, etc. So not a lot of time left for reading anyone else.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully many more books to come. I’m not sure I want to share everything I write though, some I just write for my own enjoyment.
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?
Some kind of survival guide, an atlas, an inflatable book of some sort, and a language translator.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks for listening.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.