Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author of YA books–fantasy and sci-fi mostly, but also hi-lo readers for struggling readers. I am a reading interventionist in an urban school district in the Kansas City area. I sometimes have a hard time finding books for my struggling readers that have middle school protagonists and themes, but that are at a level they can access easily and enjoyably, so I write them myself. My first published work, The Second Battle, is a retelling of a tale from Irish mythology.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The first novel in my series, The Were-Children, is entitled Cat Moon. It will be published by Distinguished Press in late summer, 2015. Honestly, at the time I wrote it, the market for vampire YA fiction was exploding, and I just wanted to write something different. I took the approach of lycanthropy’s being more a disease than an evil, but that fear led people to attack or shun those afflicted. I think that has any number of modern, real-life parallels.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really what I’d call unusual. I write straight to the laptop, which I suppose is skill I gained as a high school/college journalist back in the day. I have been known, if I’m honest, to steal a moment here and there while my students are working on something. Some might call it shirking my duties. I call it modeling being a writer!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
No YA fantasy writer can work today without reckoning with J.K. Rowling. My children grew up with her series, and they have been and continue to be a great unifying factor in our family. Other YA popular authors I admire are Rick Riordan, Eoin Colfer, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Suzanne Collins. I’m also working my way through the Divergent series, and I’m enjoying it very much. I would also say that Victorian literature has been a great influence on my writing.

What are you working on now?
I am currently editing Cat Moon for publication, as well as shaping up the second novel which is in very rough draft form, following this past November’s NaNoWriMo. I’d never done NaNoWriMo, so I gave it a shot this year. There’s a lot of collegiality in the KC metro group, and I loved every stressful minute of it. The results are the roughest draft I think I’ve ever written, but it’s 160 pages of story I didn’t have in October!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I only recently acquired a publisher for my novel, so this is all so new to me. Distinguished Press has a pretty sharp PR lead, and I’m only just beginning to learn what I need to know about marketing and promotion. Right now, I have an author page on Facebook and a WordPress blog. Learning as I go!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read everything. Make carving out time for writing a priority. If you don’t, it won’t happen.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard is exactly the same advice I give my students or anyone who writes. In other words, see above.

What are you reading now?
I am currently working through my unread books on the alleged BBC meme that goes around the internet. Not sure why this goal struck my fancy, but I plan to be able to post that I’ve read 100/100 books on the list, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the BBC, of course. I’m working on A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole now, and I have three more to go after that. I’m also working through Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I suppose what’s next is working through the process of editing the first novel in the series and getting that published. After that, we move on to the 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?
I will opt for four, of course:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In Search of the Indo-Europeans by J.P. Mallory

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Gadd Website

Jennifer Gadd’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jennifer Gadd is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for forty years, mainly short stories, some non-fiction articles which have been published in Australian magazines and delved into some fan fiction along the way.

About 14 years ago, I wrote my first novel “In the Blood of the Greeks” and since then have written another five novels in the series and I’m currently writing book six.

In addition to being a writer, I’m a web and graphic designer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is called “No Good Deed” and that is book 5 in the Intertwined Souls Series. It’s going to be published in February 2015. It’s a continuation of the story from my 4th novel “Awakenings”.

In the fifth novel deals with a decision taken by a loving mother for her child which has repercussions not foreseen decades later with devastating results for the two main characters. Sometimes a decision taken for the right reason turn out to be very wrong.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write without hitting a single keystroke on the keyboard. I get bits of dialogue in my head ALL the time. Driving into work seems to be a favourite time when stuff hits me or in meetings. I smile to myself a lot which gets me a great deal of funny looks. My characters are very talkative and I have to force myself not to think about it so I can get some non writing work done.

There have been many times when I have indulged in writing in my head and by the time I get to a keyboard, I have forgotten the dialogue. Sad but true so now I try not to think about it unless I can do something about it.

Creativity is such a marvelous but maddening gift. We writers live in our own heads and it’s so much fun. I get ideas in all sorts of places and don’t have any warning of it hitting. It just happens. Out of the blue, it’s there. Just magic.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are quite a few books that have moved me and have influenced but none greater than “I Am Rosemarie” by Marietta Moskin.

It opened my eyes to the Holocaust and gave me insight into my next door neighbor who survived Auschwitz. Very profound for a teenager in the 1970’s. From there I read Anne Frank’s Diary, The Hiding Place and many more. It paved the way to my first novel “In The Blood of the Greeks” (the title is taken from a line in the Greek National Anthem) which is set during the German occupation of Greece in 1942. I incorporated the theme of two courageous women working with the Greek Resistance and the plight of the Jews in helping them to escape.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the 6th novel in the Intertwined Souls Series “Into The Light” and I’ve outlined a new novel based on characters I wrote about in my 3rd novel “Hidden Truths.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I enjoy Goodreads a great deal and a few writer groups on Facebook and other forums. I have my own blog which I write about topics related to my novels.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a dream of writing a story, do it. Write for yourself; tell the story you want to tell. Go for it. Listen to the voices in your head and the absolute need to tell a story. Don’t waste time trying to figure out why you are the way you are; it’s a gift.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t live in the past unless you are writing a historical novel. Live in the moment, embrace the good and the bad because you will learn, grow and become stronger for it.

What are you reading now?
Women of the Resistance: Eight Who Defied the Third Reich – I love real life stories of courageous women.

Women took part in perilous resistance missions during World War II alongside a much larger number of male resistance agents. This book presents the lives of eight women who, at profound risk to themselves, chose to challenge the Third Reich. Hailing from diverse regions of the world–the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America–the women shared privileged backgrounds of financial and social prominence as well as a profound sense of social justice. As to their deeds with the Resistance, they ranged from forging documents and hiding persecuted Jews to orchestrating sabotage operations and crafting a nonviolent protest movement within Nazi Germany itself. As could be expected, the costs were great, capture and execution among them, but the women’s achievements did succeed in helping to win the war.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to finish book 7 “Into The Light” by the end of the year and start on Book 1 “Saint Gregori’s Gates” of a new series. Also on the agenda is to expand on a scifi short story I wrote twenty years ago and turn that into a novel. It all depends if the characters from my first series can be quiet long enough for me to write the others.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I Am Rosemarie by Marietta Moskin

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Author Websites and Profiles
Mary D. Brooks Website
Mary D. Brooks Amazon Profile

Mary D. Brooks’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Mary D. Brooks is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I am very new to the publishing end of writing, but have been scribbling since I was in junior high. Life kept me very busy, but now that I am an empty nester I decided time to publish and see what people think of my ideas, books etc. I really write because I love reading. I want to give a little back to the pastime that kept me happy, occupied and sane during those long and hard days.

Reading can enlighten, enrich, and just plain entertain. I want to do a little of each.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Five books on Kindle so far. Last one was A Trace of Love.

The first was science fiction, Seekership: Humanity’s Hope, Book One. Obviously part of a series that I am still completing. It was inspired by my love of science fiction and the hopes and dreams that it can impart. New worlds, space travel, I wanted to be living on another planet by now. It was followed by book two of the series, Seekership Creche-world.

Then Ordinary Annie, a children’s book dealing with self esteem for a little girl.

The next was on the racy side. A Hot Dark Knight.

And the last A Trace of Love, a love story with a dark twist. You never know who you might be dating.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I am aware of. Would like it if anyone told me if I did.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, my gosh, too many to count. Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Robin Cook, Agatha Christie and more.

What are you working on now?
Two more of the Science Fiction series in Seekership.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am on Kindle and Amazon. Any suggestions?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, eventually you find your niche.

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

What are you reading now?
The Imperial Connection by Charles Edward.

What’s next for you as a writer?
MORE 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?
Bible, Battlefield Earth.

Carol Lane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Carol Lane is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In 2001 I published my first book – MIKAYLA BOOK ONE. Recently I made an attempt at Sci-Fi with JOSEPH AND THE MUTANT KILLERS. I also worked on a couple of screenplays and a comic book. I hope to have a 13th Anniversary Edition of Mikayla out in 2015, along with MIKAYLA BOOK TWO.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Joseph and the Mutant Killers was inspired by watching sci-fi and fantasy movies, and anime of the 1980’s and 90’s. I also remember running home after school and putting the needle on the record of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s soundtrack and thinking of cool sci-fi scenarios and characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I work a 45 plus hour a week job so I write whenever I get a chance.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Michael Crichton. But I’ve to say old comic books are what really influence me.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a few different projects; my horror Blog JohnnyVeins.com, a comic book inspired by Johnny Veins, and a new edition to my first book along with its sequel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mutant-Kill-Squad/163736363718376 on Facebook

MutantKillers.com and JohnnyVeins.com

I also like twitter @JohnnyVeins

What’s next for you as a writer?

I really enjoy screenwriting. I have two screenplays registered with the Writers Guild of America at the moment and would like to continue to write more.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, Mark Millar’s Wanted graphic novel, and Munro Leaf’s The Story of Ferdinand

Author Websites and Profiles
John Hulsey Website
John Hulsey Amazon Profile

John Hulsey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

John Hulsey is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing most of my life, but it took awhile to get good at it. While waiting for that to happen, I’ve paid the bills as a software developer. I’ve published a couple of technical articles and two essays in Sky & Telescope magazine. I’ve also written a lot of essays for my website Planet Baha’i. Three books of those essays, along with a number written by my wife, have been published. My first mystery novel, “The Fibonacci Murders,” was published in October 2014 by Serpent Cliff.

Aside from that, I’m also an amateur astronomer and a bonsai-artist-in-training and (in case you hadn’t guessed) a Baha’i.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Well, I just said that. “The Fibonacci Murders” is a mystery novel based on a mathematical sequence, the Fibonacci series, in which each number is the sum of the preceding two. A few years back, I got the idea for a mathematician as a key character in a mystery novel. I don’t really remember where it came from, except I vaguely remember being stuck at a red light at the time. A couple of years passed before the character connected with a story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably not, but I don’t get out much, so I’m not sure what counts as “unusual.” I do a fair bit of writing on my lunch hour at work, but I also write sometimes in the evening or on weekends. These days I use a laptop, so it’s a fairly portable activity.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Being terrible with names, it’s a foregone conclusion that I’ll leave out someone important. But I think first on my list would be Ray Bradbury. Not that I can write like him–who can, really?–but I hope someday to be almost half as good as him, in my own way. I’m also a fan of Martha Grimes, and there are many other authors I have enjoyed over the years.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently at work on a sequel to “The Fibonacci Murders” titled “True Death.” It brings together the detectives and some of the other characters from the first novel and gets more into their backgrounds.

I also have a humor/science fiction novel in the works, about the misadventures of a space-faring opera company (roughly speaking).

I’ve started a cozy mystery with a little old Baha’i lady as the main character, but that one is presently stalled. Maybe I’ll get it restarted later in 2015.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I’m new to this, I don’t entirely know yet. I can say that getting the word out can be hard, but ultimately it seems those authors who figure out how to do publicity are the ones that sell the most books. We used a Kickstarter project to fund the print run for “Fibonacci,” and that worked out quite well. I’m also getting a fair bit of notice on GoodReads, although it’s not yet clear how many people will buy/read the book. I do have three good ratings there so far, which is encouraging if small.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write. Read. Write. Read. Write. Write. Etc. It takes time to become good at something, and writing is no exception. I’ve heard it said that a person has to write about a million words before becoming really good at it. The number probably varies from person to person, but the idea is the same. Practice makes perfect.

While practicing, have confidence in yourself, but don’t assume that you have nothing to learn. If you can find a small number of objective, honest knowledgeable readers to critique your work, it will help. My rule of thumb is that if one person points out a problem that I don’t see, it’s probably just that person’s perception, but if a group of people all point out a problem that I don’t see, then it’s probably real.

Did I mention write? And write? And write?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
An editor once gave me a critique that changed my writing life. Literally. They said of one of my short stories, “It reads like a tape recorder on fast forward.” Almost overnight, I found myself paying a lot more attention to details and writing much richer stories as a result.

What are you reading now?
I’ve been going back to some old material: some Agatha Christie that I’d missed, some Ray Bradbury that I probably read but don’t remember, and a really fun mystery writer by the name of William Marshall whose books are often hard to find, for reasons I can’t fathom. At the moment

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promotion and writing. That should keep me busy for awhile.

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?
Ouch. That’s going to pose a problem. A Christian might include the Bible. For Baha’i, it’s not that simple, because the various books that comprise the Baha’i Holy Writings are published as separate volumes. Between that and books I like and would want along and books I haven’t read and would like to take . . . sorry, no. It’s impossible. I just can’t get stranded, that’s all.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dale E. Lehman Website

Dale E. Lehman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dale E. Lehman is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for years, but my first published novel is Foreshadowed, released by 48fourteen Publishing on December 31, 2014. I have another novel, The Window With No Curtains, set to be released sometime in 2015. I write young adult, new adult, urban fantasy/paranormal, mystery, and suspense.

Along with writing, I love reading, dancing, and singing. I performed on a Contemporary Dance company in college, and occasionally teach/choreograph locally. I’m the director of my church choir, and I’ve sung the National Anthem at our local county fair two years in a row.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Foreshadowed is about two psychic teens trying to stop a murder before it happens. The main character, Hope Murdoch, knows she is going to be murdered. She doesn’t know when, but she knows it happens in a dark place, so naturally she has a fear of the dark. This was inspired by my own fear of the dark (as a youth, I read way too many scary books and watched too many scary stories). In college, I preferred to sleep with the light on. That got me thinking…and several years later, I wrote Foreshadowed.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. Unless it’s unusual to write three books at a time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Harry Potter is my all time favorite book, but I hesitate to say it’s influenced me. It’s a masterpiece. I suppose, it has taught me to flesh out my characters and give then unique quirks–even the secondary characters.

Growing up, I read Christopher Pike almost exclusively, and I know I was definitely influenced by his writing style.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the sequel to Foreshadowed as well as a new adult ghost story, and a Foreshadowed spin-off. And once I’m finished with those, I already have three more book ideas lined up.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Foreshadowed is my first published novel, so I don’t have a lot of experience with promotion yet. I do love Wattpad though. I have some loyal followers on there–people I would never have met without the website. I think Wattpad is a great website for authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Seriously. I’m published because I never gave up.

Also, don’t be afraid to rewrite. Chances are, your book isn’t as polished as you think it is. You don’t have to take every agent’s/editor’s/writing group member’s piece of advice, but at least consider it. Shake off the sting of rejection and criticism, and then take a good look at your manuscript. Can it be improved? Don’t be afraid to start over from the very first chapter if you need to. I’ve done that many times, and the novel improved with each revision.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To work hard. There’s no magical formula for success. Pretty generic advice, but it’s so true.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading The Duchess Quest by C.K. Brooke.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to finish the three books I’ve been working on, and start three more.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Harry Potter (can I lump all seven books into one?)

Mercy Thompson (again, I can’t decide which book in the series I like best)

Les Miserables (I’ve only read it once, but if I’m stranded on a desert island, I’ll have plenty of time to read it again, right?)

Pride and Prejudice…or maybe The Princess Bride

Author Websites and Profiles
Holly M. Campbell Website
Holly M. Campbell Amazon Profile

Holly M. Campbell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Holly M. Campbell is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve just released my debut novel, “See You” and will be publishing my second novel, “The Cricket Jar” in March.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“See You” is my latest novel and although it’s a love story between a man and a woman, it was inspired by the last day I spent with my father. I didn’t grow up with my Dad, and only saw him three times. The last time was when I was 21 and he was about to have his right lung removed due to lung cancer. I travelled up to MA to spend the day with him.

During that day, I got to know him adult to adult and found him so charming and so incredibly funny. When I was leaving, I bent down to kiss him goodbye and I told him that I loved him. I vividly remember thinking that it was the first time I really meant it. He passed away less than two months later.

Over a decade later, on Dad’s birthday, I was thinking about how much harder Dad’s death was for me because we had spent that day together and because I had finally truly loved him. But I also realized that because of this, I had the one thing I had always wanted, a daddy. I could keep that; it would always be mine and the joy of having that was worth the pain of losing him.

That day, the idea of taking that theme and applying it to a relationship between a man and a woman came to me and “See You” was born. It just took me 17 years to finally write it.

It sounds maudlin and sad, and readers report that they do cry a lot, but there’s also a great deal of humor in the book. Like me, my characters get through things by using their dry humor and their sense of the ridiculous.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
All of my notes come to me in dialogue. I started out as a screenwriter, so my characters talk in my head constantly. I take down bits of dialogue and figure out where they belong, create a scene around them.

I also take all of my notes in longhand. That’s a relic from my early days of writing, when my screenplays were hammered out on an IBM Selectric. I miss that thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, my goodness. So many. I write Southern fiction, so of course Faulkner, Caldwell and all those wonderful icons.

Today, I love James Lee Burke’s sense of place, Elisabeth Berg’s genius at creating beauty from the mundane. Neil Gaiman for his genius and wit.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on “The Cricket Jar,” which is also a Southern love story, but very different from “See You.” Someone said it’s a Nicholas Sparks book made into a Coen Brothers movie. I like that. It’s set in 1974 Alabama and it’s at once lighter and darker than “See You.” Lighter because there’s a lot more humor and quirkiness. Darker because of the Southern Gothic elements, the dead body and whatnot.

It’s about unlikely heroes finding ther own strength and place in the world, about being black and white in 1974 Alabama, and about being a dreamer in the midst of circumstances that discourage dreaming.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m a very grateful member of Kboards.com, where I have learned a graduate degree’s worth of information on marketing strategies and so much more.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Even if you have a hard time believing in your talent, believe in your story and let that compel you to finish and publish.

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

What are you reading now?
I wish I had time to read. I’m beta-reading a book by a fellow author from Kboards and that’s pretty much all I can do right now. I miss reading, but marketing “See You” while writing “The CRicket Jar,” plus keeping up with freelancing work – all of that is all I can handle without giving my children away.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I wish I knew. The only thing I do know is that now that I have finally published, after years of setting my writing aside, I will continue to write. I won;t set it aside again. I’ve rediscovered a part of me that I was afraid I’d stifled.

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.
T.R. Pearson’s “The Last of How It Was”
Something from Beth Moore.
A copy of Poe’s “The Raven.”

Pretty odd combo, there.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dawn Lee McKenna Website
Dawn Lee McKenna Amazon Profile

Dawn Lee McKenna’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Dawn Lee McKenna is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Florida near the beach with my husband and furry friend, Catnip Smurfy. I fell in love with romance novels in my teens and always dreamed of writing one. Someone asked me why I wasn’t pursuing it, and I didn’t have a good reason. So far, I’ve written five books. Three of them are in various stages of publication.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is NAUGHTY LITTLE WISHES (Jan 2015, Entangled Publishing). Writing Drew and Tab’s story gave me the opportunity to explore the not so pleasant side of memories with humor, honesty, steamy romance, and a dose of smart-assery. My characters reminded me that no one is perfect. We don’t always make the right decisions, and emotions can lead to unlikely reactions in the heat of the moment. In the end, forgiveness is the path that leads us back to the goodness we deserve and opens up our lives to love.

This book is also the second in the Birthday Dare series. It’s a standalone book but reading TAKE ME IF YOU DARE first will help provide insight into the importance of the friendships involved and the birthday dare.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I start a book, I need open space and a good view outside of my window. During the final stages with my editor, I’m usually locked in my office aka the writing cave. I also have a few “lucky” things I keep close by.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name or count. I’m an eclectic reader. I enjoy a variety of genres and appreciate the creativity that inspires them.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing the next book in the Birthday Dare series. I’m also working on the sequel to THANE’S REDEMPTION (March 2015), my fantasy/paranormal romance release with Kensington Publishing-Lyrical Press.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesomegang.com of course! For me it’s a unified platform effort (Facebook, Twitter, www.ninacrespo.com). Blog tours have also helped introduce me to new readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love and learn to accept that everyone won’t love the stories you choose to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Remember that you’re in it for the long haul and not just one book. Pace yourself, stay focused, and keep moving forward.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading books on the craft of writing and Lothaire by Kresley Cole.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to get all of the stories in my mind on the page. I guess I need to learn how to write faster.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d have to go the spiritual route: The Four Agreements by Don Miquel Ruiz, Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff, the Bible. I’d also hold onto whatever book I happen to be carrying in my bag or if I could sneak my tablet into the pile, I would read as many books as possible before the battery ran out.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nina Crespo Website
Nina Crespo Amazon Profile

Nina Crespo’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Nina Crespo is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a relatively new author. I am also a public health professional with a concentration in Epidemiology. I have always loved writing. From the time I began to read other people’s literary work I felt a nudging toward writing. In school I always loved essay questions and compositions because they allowed me to express myself, to exercise my creativity and imagination. I saw this as an opportunity for me to hone my writing skills. Writing gives me a voice to reach people I might never meet in person and to share my thoughts with them just as I have had access to the thoughts of other authors I might not have the privilege to meet in person, ever. It never ceases to amaze me that these squiggly lines we draw on paper have such tremendous power, and that they can carry information that can alter an individual’s life or even change the course of history. I think being an author is an awesome responsibility.

So far I have written and published 2 books. I am currently writing a third one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Biblical Principles in Modern Legislation. But that’s not the book I will discuss here. I feel I need to follow the sequence of publication and discuss my first book titled The Perfect Prescription: Godly Wisdom on Public Health. Maybe we can talk about the other one next time.

As a healthcare professional I am well aware of the disconcerting constant rise in the cost of healthcare. That is why I believe that one of the best strategies any healthcare system can advocate is disease prevention. Most diseases (not all, but most) are preventable. Disease prevention, to me, is an important aspect of healthcare delivery anywhere in the world, for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. It is not only cost effective, but it is also absolutely accessible to anyone in most community clinics and other settings. Preventive campaigns that include smoking cessation programs and cancer screening programs and vaccinations have been known to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality rates. As far back as Bible times when there were no hospitals as we know them today people always relied on preventive measures. They were warned against engaging in certain deleterious behaviors. Even in modern day we know that most diseases are linked to certain behavioral choices and lifestyles that can be prevented. Modern public health community education campaigns have adopted some of the age-old strategies and are using the help of technology to design and implement related intervention programs to reach their target audiences. This is what inspired this book. The book highlights and underscores the role played by disease prevention strategies in optimizing personal and community health.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For some reason my Eureka moments occur when I am showering. This is my most creative time; the time when my insight is at its peak. Probably the water’s cleansing and revitalizing power somewhat translates into a rejuvenation of my mind as well, and stimulates it to be innovative. As such, I often carry a recorder with me when I go to shower so that I can record my thoughts. Sometimes I awake in the middle of the night and have clear thoughts about a certain topic. In order not to lose these thoughts I record them, too.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am indebted to a host of authors since reading is my main hobby. I learned early in life that each time I open a book and I read a minimum of one page I learn something new. Different literary work has influenced by my life greatly. I read an array of books by different authors such as public health authors, philosophers, Christian authors and secular authors. Some of the authors include Mary-Jane Schneider, Viktor Frankl, Norm Geisler, Simone Weil, Wole Soyinka, Richard H. Hiers, and authors of some Old and New Testament books as well as a multitude of other authors I have not mentioned but have equally influenced me. I always say I am standing on the shoulders of numerous individuals; producers of stellar literary work.

What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on a third non-fiction book, The Red Letter Gems.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As of now, I hesitate to say I have found the best method to promote my books. I am still feeling my ground, as it were. But I have my books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Tate Publishing websites. I also have a Facebook Fan Page but I need help to tweak it so that it can attract more traffic. I sometimes advertise via Twitter, Tumbler, my website, and I also have a blog. I am also grateful to individuals and organizations who have given me book interviews such as the Awesomegang here.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a relatively new author myself and I am in need of the help of experts in increasing the visibility of my books, but I can share what I have learned so far: If you feel you have something to share with the world, go ahead and write it down.

Getting your work published is a great accomplishment, but it is only the beginning of a rigorously challenging journey. Getting the word out about your book is tough, but with perseverance and tenacity and help from other authors, it is doable. Someone once said, through perseverance and patience the snail made it into the ark. Adversity fosters resilience and survivability (I just now made that one up).

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The darkest hour comes just before dawn. Often times when we feel we are at the end our tether, when all options seem exhausted, that’s when things start turning around for the better. As such, I believe that there is always a way out no matter how long it may take; no matter how dismal or formidable the situation may seem at the moment.

What are you reading now?
This may sound strange, even weird. But I am concurrently reading 3 books. One on philosophy, a second one on religion and a third one on field epidemiology. I have identified a common theme connecting all three of them.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on finishing the draft of my third book and to get it published in 2015. Then I will start writing my fourth book, after that my fifth, sixth, seventh…etc.

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 need a book on how to protect myself from nocturnal predators, a book on what wild plants are edible, a book on how to quickly get the attention of rescue vessels and aircraft, and my Bible to bolster my hope and courage.

Author Websites and Profiles
Reigh Simuzoshya Website
Reigh Simuzoshya Amazon Profile

Reigh Simuzoshya’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Reigh Simuzoshya is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I married initially at the age of sixteen and had all four of my children by the time I was twenty-two. Between raising a family and forging a career in the contact centre industry I had little time to be creative and when I had time I found it difficult to write.
Approximately 3 years ago I found out that my father wasn’t in fact my biological dad. With my world turned upside down the first thought that came to mind was writing. I found that sitting down and creating a romance was very therapeutic. It took me away from my day to day worries and transported me to somewhere much more enjoyable. I was able to finish my first novel and I’m now writing a second.
It was also around the time that I finished the first draft of my novel that I met my husband. Between the two of us we now have six adult children whom we adore. My husband is my very own Italian romance hero.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is titled The Perfect Date. The inspiration actually came from a real life phone conversation I had with a customer over a decade ago and which I used for the opening line in the book. On this phone call I stated that my name was Melita. The customer said “Melita like the coffee? I like mine strong and black. Would that be you?” To which I replied, “No, I’m sweet and white. How may I help you today?”
I found it memorable so decided to tweak my female heroines surname to Tetley, like the tea in order to incorporate this into my opener.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say all that unusual though I do find that I write best when I’m trapped in a noisy place like a train. The majority of by novel was written on a train from The Central Coast to Newcastle on my way to work each day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say Mills and Boons novels have played the greatest influence. I was introduced to them in my early teens and have never looked back. As a young teenager I would read up to five a day during the school holidays. I also love Papillion, Gone with the Wind, Enid Blyton books and a good biography.

What are you working on now?
I’m attempting a second romance novel but this time will attempt to add a lot more of an emotional connection.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best sales success I’ve had was when I advertised on Kindle. My facebook fan page www.facebook.com/melitajoy.australia has also been great for sharing my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
We are all different and should do what works for us as individuals. For me what works is to sit down and write the book. I allocated time and gave myself a deadline. I chose the train as I couldn’t be tempted to get up and do something else during that time. I aimed for a thousand words a day on my way to work and what worked for me was not just giving myself a timeline but communicating it on Facebook to my family and friends. It added that little push that I needed.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My friends mother told me when I was a young mother not to worry what others were thinking of me. To do what made me happy and worry about my own well being.

What are you reading now?
I tend to read multiple books at once a habit formed since buying my first e-reader. I’m reading a few different self help writing books, The Tao of Coaching, Mills and Boons novels, Empress Dowager Cixi and a few books on learning to speak Italian.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Another romance novel and then I’ll look at delving into something inspirational.

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 Gone with the Wind because it’s my favourite and it’s not a quick read. I’d take a romance set which offers 3 novels in the one book so that I’d have something new to read the three books would only count as one if they were bundled into one book. If my family were not coming with me then I’d love to take a picture book with them all in it. Finally I’d take a very comprehensive book on learning Italian. If I’m going to be stranded I would love to come back literate in another language.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melita Joy Amazon Profile

Melita Joy’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Melita Joy is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a romance author, blogger, wife and mother of two little boys. I love reading and writing, TV, movies, live theatre, music, and hanging out with my family. In the last four years, I’ve written three books. One has been published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dream Hunter is my latest book and the first to be published. I literally dreamt up the idea for Dream Hunter. I have a seriously overactive imagination and the craziest dreams. When I was younger, I actually kept a dream journal and would often write short stories based on my dreams. A couple of years ago, I had a dream which inspired the first sequence of Dream Hunter. I knew I had to finish the story… so I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I need quiet to write. I find noise distracting. If the TV is on, I won’t get any writing done. I also need to be comfortable, my favorite writing spot is in my old blue recliner, but it’s best if I don’t get too comfy otherwise I may fall asleep since my prime writing time is after my little kids go to bed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Karen Marie Moning is one of my favorite authors and has definitely influenced the choice of genre I write.

What are you working on now?
I just finished a vampire story so I’m currently in the self-editing stage.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Dream Hunter is the first book I’ve published so I’m new at this. I think the best promotional method is to foster relationships with your target audience. In the past few months leading up to the release of my book, I made an increased effort to add to my Twitter/Facebook/blog following.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you love writing, then keep at it. Publication is the prize, but you have to enjoy the journey as well.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Complete your first draft within three months. I wrote the first draft of my vampire in three months without pause. I didn’t even insert chapters. But I managed to capture my ideas while they were still fresh.

What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Love In Bloom by Karen Rose Smith.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Polish my vampire story, find the right publisher, and write another 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?
Oh, that’s a difficult one. Too bad I can’t bring my Kindle with me…

The first book is an easy choice – The Princess Bride. I could read that book a million times over. Next, Gone With The Wind because it’s epic and long enough to keep me busy for a while. Lastly, a book on home medical remedies and some kind of survival guide.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maya Tyler Website

Maya Tyler’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Maya Tyler is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written just one book so far although I have plenty more planned…

I’m actually a blogger and write the brutally honest NotSoSexintheCity.com. It’s been a rough couple of years what with having my heart broken NUMEROUS times and having what I can only describe as some of the most horrifying sexual ordeals over the years. Some funny, some not, but they all inspired me in one way or another… or taught me something.

It was actually a friend of mine that encouraged me to start writing and honestly, I’ve never looked back! It was the best decision of my life and I can’t think of anything else I enjoy doing more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Twenty-Something’s was 20-something blog posts from my 20-something life. The toughest times, the best of times, the most ridiculous of times – I have a lot of things to say and I felt it was about time that I put it all down into a compilation book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write really late at night and I always find I have the most productivity at 3/4am. I tend to drift off into my own little world when I get into he ‘writing zone’ so my friends are always shouting at me after I’ve ignored them for twenty minutes, so engrossed in my laptop screen.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Danielle Steel was one of the first authors that I really got into and I’ll be honest, that was because of my Nan! The Dave Peltzer books really got to me and I never can quite finish them without crying. With regards to influence, I would need to say some of the blogs I follow are more influential than anything else. I always think reading about something that actually happens hits home far more than a piece of fiction.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently continuing with my blog as well as starting off a new book which I hope to get finished and out this year! You’ll just need to watch this space…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really enjoy social media networking and I find it’s become a bit of a habit now. I love using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook because it gives me a chance to interact than other ways.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be yourself and write from the the heart. You won’t always make it straight away and in fact, I’ve been doing this for ten years before I decided to really make a name for myself. If it’s something you really want to do, just do it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Sometimes you just need to breathe and reboot.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually reading a book on serial killers because I’m a little bit of a weirdo like that.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows… The world is my oyster!

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?
Ooooh that’s a tough one! I really liked The Carrie Diaries so I reckon that would be a good one. I also love the Hunger Games books and found them a really great read. I’d much prefer to take my phone and then I’d have access to many more books… although I much prefer a paper book to a digital one!

Author Websites and Profiles
NotSoSex intheCity Website
NotSoSex intheCity Amazon Profile

NotSoSex intheCity’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

NotSoSex intheCity is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the President and CEO of a global communications and information company. I have a master’s degree in engineering physics and have published more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers on space industry topics and cosmology. I am also a longtime student of religion and for the past 15 years has attended the Vancouver Kollel center for learning. I study and write on the origin of the universe and life on earth from both the scientific and biblical perspectives. My work on reconciling the biblical account with scientific observation utilizing his biblical clock formula has been reported in conferences, various newspapers, magazines, television and radio talk shows and was a Readers’ Favorite 2013 International Book Award Winner,

My first book, The Genesis One Code, demonstrates an alignment between key events and times as described in the creation narrative in the book of Genesis with those derived from scientific theory and observation. My second book, The Broken Gift: How did we get here? demonstrates an alignment between the key events and timeline recounting the appearance of humans in the book of Genesis with those derived from the fossil record and genetic studies.

I was born in Chile and raised in Canada.

For more information see http://danielfriedmannbooks.com/about-daniel-friedmann/

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is The Broken Gift. in it i try to reconcile the scientific and biblical account of our human origins. It was inspired by questions from my teenage nephews and nice.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a new book about the future, entitled The Roadmap to the End of Days. Here is the book description:

Is history a purposeful process with a beginning and an end? Or is it a random series of events with neither purpose nor direction? If history is a guided process, are we near the end? In other words, have we almost completed preparations for the End of Days? What will happen next? When? Are we backseat passengers in this journey, or are we steering in the driver’s seat?

Every plan becomes suddenly evident when enough of it has played out. Have we reached the point in history where the plan is apparent?

Read the Roadmap to the End of Days and discover what is really going on. Then glimpse the future and ponder the role you will play.

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

What’s next for you as a writer?

complete my third book

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Daniel Friedmann Website
Daniel Friedmann Amazon Profile

Daniel Friedmann’s Social Media Links

Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Daniel Friedmann is a post from Awesome Gang