Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Brooklyn. I joined the Air Force and saw the world. I got a degree in English literature from Saginaw Valley in Michigan and then became a science teacher at Miami-Dade. Figure that one out!  I now live surrounded by mountains in a Caribbean island with my sixteen-year-old little dog, Wicked.  I stay away from the news, pushy people and anything stressful.. I am finally doing what I always wanted to do; I read, enjoy the views surrounding my home and write. My first novel, Daniel’s Fork, is available at most ebook stores. On sale also is my novella A Time for Love and the short story Edge of The World.  I am currently at work on my next novel. Zeecé Lugo is my writing name.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Strongheart’s Woman. It will be available at Smashwords, Amazon, etc. late 2014. It is part of the Daniel’s Fork series and was inspired by my desire to build a whole, complete, and logical world for the series. Characters must not exist in a vacuum. They must have history, motivations, lives that have come from somewhere to the point where we meet them. Setiyah, the healer, is a central character in Daniel’s Fork and destined to be the central character for Will Evers. Strongheart’s woman is about her; it deals with her years before she meets Will Evers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I will go two or three days without writing and then write for twelve or fourteen hours straight. When I write, I do nothing else. I tune out the world completely.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Ursula K. Le Guin with her Earthsea fantasy world, Ellis Peters and her beautiful, simple, and complex medieval world and lovely prose. I loved Anne McCaffrey and her Pern series. In fact, in my series I have more or less fashioned myself after her in that I am building a future world that mimics the past. Although Daniel’s Fork is set in the future, it reads like a historical novel. I have also been influenced by more recent writers of paranormal romances like Karen Marie Moning and Kresley Cole in that I love their very male heroes and gutsy heroines.

What are you working on now?
I am working on two novels at the same time. I am doing the final edits to Strongheart’s Woman, and I am also half-way through A Time for Lords, which goes back to tell the story of how trekker Daniel Montero leads his ragtag group of survivors to start Daniel’s Fork. My next book after that will be the sequel to Daniel’s Fork. It will focus on Will Evers and the healer again, their adventures and developing relationship.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have done absolutely no promotions. This is the first site where I have actually listed Daniel’s Fork. I wanted very much to have something to offer the readers other than reading one book and having to wait for a year for the next one. Now that there are three titles available and another shortly to come out, I think it is time to start promoting. I do have a Facebook author page, and I am on Goodreads. My own website and blog are primarily geared to promote my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. There are a zillion indie authors and assorted people out there eager to get you to ‘like’ their pages and offer advice and trade reviews. It is easy to lose sight of what you really want to do. It can be overwhelming and take up incredible amounts of time. It can also lead to you following bad advice. Look at what the ‘successful’ indies are doing and model yourself accordingly.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, write, write. Then, edit, edit, edit.

What are you reading now?
Hercules Gone Mad by Kurt Brindley. By chance, I wondered into his blog, read a group of short stories he had posted, and I was hooked. I immediately went looking for his book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing and building a fan base.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I have always been the type to read a book and then read it again years later. Some, like The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, I have read many times. I would bring the brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. I would choose my favorite four out of the twenty she wrote. Or I could go totally romantic and bring Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series. After all, in a desert island, highlanders and sex would be not too shabby.

Author Websites and Profiles
Zeecé Zeecé Lugo Website
Zeecé Zeecé Lugo Amazon Profile
Zeecé Zeecé Lugo Author Profile on Smashwords

Zeecé Zeecé Lugo’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Zeecé Zeecé Lugo is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a lifelong writer and riot grrrl. After studying and reading literary fiction for most of my life, I put my toe into the pulp, PNR, and plot-driven story pool and I haven’t turned back since. I’d been collecting my writing for years thinking that literary fiction was the only goal that traditional publishing was the only way to get there. Thankfully, I learned my lesson . Since then, I’ve independently published two books in an urban fantasy series (Incarnate Series) and two standalone women’s fiction novels. In 2015, I’ll be releasing the third installment of the Incarnate Series and another women’s fiction novel, The Closest Thing to OK.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Heart Grow Fonder is my latest novel. I think the title speaks for itself. It was inspired – of all things – by Weezer’s “Across the Sea” and the budding friendship of the actors on the set of Star Trek: Into Darkness, *and* the troubles of a close friend at the time. I’m a fan girl and a riot grrrl, and those things just came together in the perfect way to create the perfect story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a marathon writer. I think that’s pretty unusual. I can pound out a novel in a very short time. I work on it for a long time after, but getting it out of me doesn’t take that long at all.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jane Austen, without a doubt. But I guess that’s like tossing a grenade because it sets a precedent, right? I say I write the books that Jane Austen would have written if she had been a riot grrrl, and that might confuse some people, primarily because they don’t know what a riot grrrl is. That’s OK. When it comes to urban fantasy, I’m really just inspired by the variety of books out there and the genre, as a whole. I love it. I love the conventions, I love the romance of it all, and I love the magic.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on revising The Closest Thing to OK, which will go to editing in February.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think that people much more successful and much more savvy – like Dean Wesley Smith, Joe Konrath, David Gaughran, Joanna Penn, etc. – have the right ideas, and I’m willing to follow the path they lay out so long as it works for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stephen King said it best: Read a lot.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See above.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading James Randi’s Flim-Flam! and Sam Harris’s Waking Up. I guess that’s pretty odd considering it’s probably the furthest from my genres that I can get, eh?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I did a lot of publishing in 2014 and I’m content to sow my garden in 2015. I think that’s going to be the focus. If I get a new story out, then that will be a boon.

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?
Without a doubt, I’d take something I haven’t read. So one fiction work, like Proust and another nonfiction book that can teach me things that I don’t understand very well, like something by Sagan or even Krauss. It will take me forever, keeping me occupied and satisfied and giving me plenty to ponder. Then, I’d want to take my comfort food: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens. I’d want something that uplifts me, so I’d take the biggest collection of ee cummings I could find. Seriously. Whichever has the most of his poems, I’d be good with.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cristy Rey Website
Cristy Rey Amazon Profile
Cristy Rey Author Profile on Smashwords

Cristy Rey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cristy Rey is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing my entire life while working full time in the investment marketing field. Over the past 30 years I’ve written four novels and one non-fiction book of short essays. My novels generally include elements of corporate intrigue, strange supernatural happenings, strong female protagonists, with healthy dollops of humor. Most of my books have been sitting in a dusty attic over the years until I started getting into e-publishing last year with the idea that there’s no reason why my stuff shouldn’t sit on a website as opposed to rotting away in an unvisited portion of my house. Besides, every now and then I may even sell a copy or two. So far I’ve published two books, one which is from my backlist of a few years ago.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called MEDICUS, which is available on Amazon and bunch of other places. It’s a way over the top literary revenge novel, a corporate thriller, with a little bit of romance at the end. It features crazy characters and a very strong female protagonist and has been fairly well reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads (though it was bitten by a review troll on one review), which I found gratifying. I’m still trying to find a larger audience for it because it’s a bit unusual, but it’s certainly nice to have some people reading it after letting it sit mouldering in the attic for about eight years. Oh, and the book was inspired by a stint at an evil health insurance company back in the 90s.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in the nude with my tongue hanging out. Usually in a public park. With lots of kids. And nuns. On Sundays.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I gravitate towards literary novels and have been deeply influenced by Phillip Roth, David Foster Wallace, Wallace Stegner, Charles Dickens, Tom Pynchon, Tom Wolfe, Martin Amis, Jonathon Franzen, and Joyce Carol Oates.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on trying to retire soon so I can spend more time publishing. I’m marketing for MEDICUS, which I hate, because it means I’m not writing. I think I’ll just forget about my marketing and work on editing one of my attic orphans–an story about a riot that takes place during a 10K race (and much more!)–and develop a plot for my next novel. The idea I have for that right now is about a late-middle-age man who copes with the sudden death of his wife of 30 years, and how he goes from passively relying on someone else to make all the domestic decisions to having to recreate his identity and forge a new path in the world. This project will take a few years, I think.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t found it yet. I’ve sold a couple of dozen books. Most of my traction has come from Goodreads and Amazon, but it hasn’t been much. My books are rated nearly 4 stars, so I think I could be doing better. Any suggestions?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t do it–already too much competition. Actually, new authors, like old authors, need to rewrite constantly, seek out professonal editors, and don’t hold unrealistic expectations about sales. And, finally, develop a thick skin. The vast public will not be as supportive of your writing as your high school English teacher.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t believe your best reviews. Don’t believe your worst reviews.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Don Delillo’s WHITE NOISE. All I can say is he’s a much better writer than I am. But that’s okay because he’s a much better writer than most of ‘em out there!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I answered 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?
INFINITE JEST, GRAVITY’S RAINBOW, LE BERNADIN COOKBOOK, HOW TO SURVIVE ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH A KNIFE AND FIVE COPPER PENNIES

Author Websites and Profiles
Carl Ehnis Amazon Profile

Carl Ehnis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Carl Ehnis is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I used to write Lonely Planet guidebooks to Latin America. Now I write mostly science fiction, but occasionally hardboiled noir, sometimes satire.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
DREAMS MUST DIE is a postapocalyptic dystopia in which everyone is a given brain implant at birth that connects them by direct thought to every human being on the planet.

Trust me. That would be bad.

I’m a member of the Lifeboat Foundation’s Advisory Board, a distributed think tank dedicated to preventing human extinction.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to get up, take a shower, drink a cup of coffee, then kill a chicken with a rusty carving knife and fling blood around the room to get into the mood. Sometimes, if I get stuck, I rip out its viscera with my teeth and study it for clues.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Cory Doctorow. Roger Smith. George Orwell. Oswald Spengler. Oh so many more.

What are you working on now?
Cleaning up all that chicken blood before my wife gets home. Yikes!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Attacking passersby in the street and shoving a free ebook down the front of their pants.

The invisible nature of the ebook tends to confuse them a bit, I find.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sell insurance instead.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Eat your vegetables.

What are you reading now?
The words “What are you reading now?”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Death?

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?
David Mamet’s “Three Uses of the Knife.”

Shakespeare’s Collected Works.

“How to Build a Raft”

Author Websites and Profiles
J.M. Porup Website
J.M. Porup Amazon Profile
J.M. Porup Author Profile on Smashwords

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

J.M. Porup is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an attorney and a businessman. I attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for both undergraduate (political science) degree and law school. Early in my career I practiced law with a small firm and as in- house counsel for several corporations in the Twin Cities. I have also owned several small businesses and worked for a number of other companies in Minnesota.

So far I have written and published two Kindle books on Amazon.com– both dealing with finding your calling, making a career plan and following the plan to achieve career success. I do not really consider myself to be an “expert” career counselor, but during my career I have both applied for many different jobs and hired and managed many employees. I have also counseled corporate clients on a myriad of employment issues. I am hopeful that everyone, young and old alike, who is looking for a job or a new career will read my eBook trilogy and follow the detailed road map I have laid out. Visit my web site at www.daretobewealthyandhappy.com to learn more about the trilogy and read my blog.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is entitled “The 101 Best Jobs in America” and the second book tells you how to get one of the top jobs. Observing the recent struggles of my son Jerome in attempting to obtain suitable employment in the film industry inspired me to do the research which resulted in the Dare to Be Wealthy & Happy trilogy. I found it hard to believe that a student who graduated Summa Cum Laude from America’s number one rated cinema and television arts program at a very prestigious (and expensive) university found it impossible to get a job paying a “living wage” in the field for which he studied!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The goal of my book trilogy is to give anyone working on their career all the information and motivation they need to improve their chances of getting the best job they are capable of. There is nothing more important than discovering your true calling and passion in life and then working toward finding a career that will enable you to make your passion your life’s work.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A wide array of authors and books have influenced me over my career but this year I have focused on classic self-help authors such as Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, and Anthony Robbins.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the third book in the Dare to Be Wealthy & Happy series coming soon on Amazon.com– Manifest the Career of Your Dreams.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My marketing efforts are so new that I have not yet discovered what works best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep working the program! There is a lot of great advice available on the Internet!

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

What are you reading now?
The latest book by Tony Robbins about MONEY.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I intend to write a book about the best colleges in America and the best college majors to pursue.

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 Noam Chomsky

Author Websites and Profiles
Ronald Berglund Website
Ronald Berglund Amazon Profile

Ronald Berglund’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Ronald Berglund is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of a novel The Chrysalis, and a personal memoir, 38 Candles. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree and double majors in English and Mass Media, along with a host of accolades, including the President’s Award. I later pursued a Master’s degree in English. I am currently working on my next novel, Almost Paradise: Book 1 of The Garden of Eden, a serialized Young Adult (YA) novel. I work and live in South Florida.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Chrysalis. The Chrysalis was inspired by my experiences with 20s and the pressure of marriage. Even though it was at times stressful and, at times, comical how obsessed Indian parents could be with getting their children married, I always felt like there was so much rich material to write a book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Judith McNaught. While she’s in the romance novel category, a category that is not well received by some parts of the literary community, when I read her books, I became so engrossed in her novels. Her characters were so real and detailed and the dialogue flowed amazingly. To this day, I still re-read parts of her books to inspire me as to how to bring my characters alive with the right balance of dialogue, exposition, and detail.

But it was Colleen McCullough’s book, The Thorn Birds, that made me really want to write a novel. Her storytelling captured me… From the way she wrote some passages and described her characters to the way the story unfolded to the poem at the beginning and the way it ended. At the end of the novel, I felt as I had lived their lives with them, and after the last lines, I took a deep breath of satisfaction. Truly epic, in my opinion. To this day, it remains my favorite novel.

What are you working on now?
I am working on my next novel which is completely different… it’s a supernatural Young Adult (YA) book. I was inspired by Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and some other supernatural novels that

also had a romantic element to them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

If writing is your passion, write and don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise. You don’t need to quit your day job to do it. Create a realistic schedule and stick with it.

What’s next for you as a writer?

Working on my next novel Almost Paradise: Book 1 of The Garden of Eden, a serialized Young Adult (YA) 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?
The Thorn Birds, The Bible, Paradise

Author Websites and Profiles
Bindu Adai Website
Bindu Adai Amazon Profile

Bindu Adai’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Bindu Adai is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The author is a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California’s Medical School at Davis, near Sacramento in Northern California. Jerry writes “tweener” mystery books (hard boiled stories that follow the cozy conventions of no graphic sex and no cussing) that are fast moving and entertain the reader, while introducing the readers to a region where he has lived and worked that is a long way from home for most English speakers. He and his wife lived previously in Salta, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay for several months each. Jerry selected the most interesting South American locations he found for Roger and Suzanne to visit while solving miscellaneous murders. Montevideo, Salta, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Iguazu Falls are also characters in these books, and the novels portray these places as vivid and real. The series presently consists of nine books. Jerry and his wife Elaine also breed prize-winning German Shorthaired Pointer dogs.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book, released 12/21/14, is entitled “Unbearably Deadly”. This suspenseful murder mystery is set in Alaska’s Denali National Park. The setting was inspired by our visit to the park during a recent vacation in Alaska. In addition, Roger and Suzanne asked me to let them go somewhere else than South America; they were getting tired of eating beef!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write the first draft from the beginning to the end before I worry very much about editing the book. My stories are plot driven, but usually the story evolves while I’m writing it. I’m often surprised at how the story ends, because I don’t work from a plot outline.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Mostly the classic mystery writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald. More recent authors like Robert B. Parker and James Lee Burke.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just begun the next book in the series, presently untitled. Roger and Suzanne will solve a murder, or a few murders, against the backdrop of canine hunt tests, a venue our dogs are very much engaged in these days. It’s an interesting and highly specialized world most of my readers are probably not familiar with.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I honestly don’t know what works the best. There isn’t any way to know who bought which book and why. I use Facebook, Twitter, and any free book promotion sites I can find. For “The Deadly Dog Show” I also added direct e-mails to all of the American Kennel Club registered breeders and trainers of German Shorthaired Pointers whose addresses I could find on the internet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The easiest way to learn to do anything is by doing it. Write that book, edit it till you are sick of reading it, get somebody else to read and correct it, and go ahead and publish it as a e-book. Be prepared for the occasional 1-star review your book doesn’t deserve, and remember “the customer is always right.” Keep on writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As an author, it would be “Don’t quit you day job!” It would be very difficult to make a living with the only source of income being book sales royalties from e-books.

As a scientist, it would be “Do it right the first time!”

What are you reading now?
A strange little paperback mystery novel entitled “Drown all the dogs” by Thomas Adcock.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to sell the new book while writing the next one. Continuing my day job, including teaching classes and doing research. Thinking of new ideas for the next few books after the hunt test story. Reading a few good books, probably e-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?
I don’t know, but am sure they’d be mystery novels. Maybe some omnibus collections?

Author Websites and Profiles
Jerold Last Website
Jerold Last Amazon Profile

Jerold Last’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jerold Last is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My first venture in writing came as a high school student. Two specific occasions come to mind.

First, my Freshman English teacher assigned the class to write a short story. I based my three page submission on themes from an old television program – The Twilight Zone. After completing the story, I asked my mom for help with a title. She suggested The Epitaph of Jonas Barloff. I asked, what is an epitaph? For all my efforts, the teacher gave me a D and accused me of plagiarism, though she never sighted exactly whom or what I plagiarized. I often wondered, if I was guilty of plagiarism, why a D? Why not an F? My mom came to the school and spoke with the teacher, assuring her the story was indeed my own, except the title. To no avail. The D remained on the books. I hope that teacher stumbles upon The Epitaph of Jonas Barloff someday, which I turned into a three-hundred page novel as an adult. It’s available on Amazon.

Secondly, as a high school student, I worked at my small town radio station as a disc jockey. Station management also afforded me the opportunity to write commercial announcements for local businesses wishing to advertise over the stations airwaves. One “spot” received an award for the best radio ad in the state of Mississippi – for a cement company. Cement? Why not? I created a gangster atmosphere where a rival had his feet planted into a bucket of cement and dumped into the sea. Of course, the gangsters wanted to make sure they used the best cement possible. I guess any subject can be turned into interesting entertainment. Even cement.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, A Door Unlocked, is inspired only by my fascination with the afterlife. Of course, no one knows exactly what happens upon death. Even religious scholars offer differing opinions. Let me say, this book does not attempt to flush out these varying religious arguments. Instead, its a fictional account of what happens to the soul only in novels. If you never read A Door Unlocked, but I hope you do, at least get your hands on chapter 55 and consider the possibilities.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing unusual. However, I am trying to establish good writing habits. I am currently working on my third novel, and as you might expect, my habits have changed simply because I’m learning as I go. For example, my first book involved writing eleven drafts over a five year period of time. That’s because my characters kept evolving. I’d have to go back and amend earlier chapters to match these changing character traits. I guess I learned the hard way to carefully consider each character and record his or her traits in my outline.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Reading my books, I think you’ll see the influence of several authors – Arthur Conan Doyle, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon. One in particular influenced how I deal with profanity. Let me explain. I consider myself a Christian, and therefore, I have a hard time using inappropriate language. Yes, I know, I know – it’s not me saying those bad words, it’s my characters. Well, not really. I have a hard time separating myself from the things my characters say. Ted Dekker has a great solution to this dilemma. Instead of writing curse words, tell the reader that character X “spewed a list of offensive words from his tongue that left character Y speechless” – or something along those lines. It works.

What are you working on now?
My current work in progress is a ghost story: a bachelor buys a home in the country and learns the house must be exorcized of ghosts. The working title, “Ghosts in the Sycamores”, is my first venture into romance and humor. I think readers will find it unique, compelling and very entertaining.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still searching. Anyone have any advice?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to read, or course, but also to write. Write short stories, essays, whatever it takes to help you find your voice. I’ve heard others say it takes three novels for an author to find his or her voice. I’m finding that there is a lot of truth in that statement. I’d like to think I found my voice in my first novel, after writing eleven drafts. But my voice improved during my second novel, A Door Unlocked. And now, as I write my third novel, I think my voice is even more polished. I feel as though I’ve created a style that is all mine – and I’m happy with that.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am a father and a “trophy” husband. (It’s a joke, okay.) The best advice I’ve ever received came from my brother-in-law, and it has nothing to do with being an author, and everything to do with rearing children. When my daughter was born, he told me “don’t fight the small battles.” Now that my children are teens, that advice is harder and harder to follow, but his words ring true, keep me grounded, and help prevent me from going insane.

What are you reading now?
I just started “The Ghost Files” by Apryl Baker. This novel is being turned into a movie, so I thought I would read it first and then see the movie – see which one I like best. I suspect the book will win.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am not pretentious enough to know what comes next. Even my current work in progress has no solid timetable for completion, though I hope to finish the first draft by spring break in 2015. I’m just having fun living my life, helping with my son’s theater productions (I help paint the set), umpiring baseball games (I umpired four Dizzy Dean World Series games last summer), working out at the gym (I spend one hour at the gym six days a week) and doing whatever comes along. Live is good.

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?
In no particular order: The Count of Monte Cristo, Speaks the Nightbird (both books), Queen of Bedlam and the Bible. I named these because they’re long books and will require quite a bit of my time, which, if stranded on a desert island, I’ll have plenty of. But I’d also take my favorite novel, A Tale of Two Cities.

Author Websites and Profiles
Calvin Dean Website
Calvin Dean Amazon Profile

Calvin Dean’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Calvin Dean is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ian Schrauth and i am a seventeen-year-old boy. I have written two books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “vacillating Brown and Black” and it was just an idea that just came off the top of my head.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, i write during free time (while everyone is talking in class and I’m sitting at my desk on my computer) and i write listening to a genre of music called “Nightcore”

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Suzanne Collins and Hannah Hoffmeister for sure. those are the two people who have convinced me to write books.

What are you working on now?
I am actually working on book two in my book series called “The Tumspuv Genimis series.” Book one was my first book, “Powers in a teenage witch”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Usually, going up to the person and tel;ling them about it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
yes. Write for fun and just go for it! You have a story to tell! Why don;t you write it?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid to make a move

It won’t hurt you

Just do what you were born to do

And everything works out right.

That is from Miley Cyrus’ “Liberty Walk” song

What are you reading now?
I am reading “The fault in our stars” by John Green, “The warden in the gates” by D. L. Miles, “Victoria” BY Hannah Hoffmeister, and “New moon” by Stephenie Meyer.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Grow and be sucesfull. And write 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?
All four books in the twilight Saga

Author Websites and Profiles
Ian Schrauth Website
Ian Schrauth Amazon Profile

Ian Schrauth’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Ian Schrauth is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Fremont, CA, where I was born and raised with six older siblings (three brothers, three sisters). I grew up around science fiction and, by the time I was eleven years old, I decided to write down the series of Star Trek stories I had been creating at the time with my collection of Micro Machines.

A few years later, I was inspired to create my own science fiction Universe. The three novels I have out (Draconia: Forging Trust, Fractured Dream, Rehatching) are set in that Universe. But, before these three, I was working on a series of short stories that would have consisted of 60 stories, each one a chapter–I only made it to 45 before I got sidetracked with my Draconia series. I’ve also written four short “novels” and five short stories set on Draconia.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, due to launch January 1, 2015, is Draconia: Rehatching, the third book in my Draconia series.

Ten years ago, I had a sudden interest in dragons, which led me to discover Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern. Then, I happened upon an episode of the original Star Trek, where Spock mentions “dragons” on “Berengaria VII”. Around that time, I also watched J. Michael Straczynski’s Crusade, which had an episode featuring a dragon–a holo-dragon, but a dragon nevertheless. All of these gave me the desire to create my own dragon world set in the Universe that I spent the last six years creating. This world came to be called Draconia.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that I’m aware of.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne McCaffrey and her Dragonriders of Pern, definitely. When I started to read her books, I began noticing a marked improvement in my writing.

What are you working on now?
I’ve gone back to one of the short “novels” that I originally wrote twelve years ago. I’m re-writing it and expanding it to make it a true novel. For now, it’s called Final Frontier, but I might change that, and it follows Earth’s first interstellar ship, the EAS Frontier, as it’s thrown back and forth through time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m actually still figuring that out…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot and be observant as you go about your day. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

Listen to your characters. Sometimes, they’ll want to do something different than what you had planned. Sometimes, they know better.

What are you reading now?

Right now, I’m reading Fantastic Voyage, the novelization of the 1966 movie written by Isaac Asimov.

This is the first time I’ve read something from him, but I was told my style is very similar to his. I agree.

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
Nor Crystal Tears by Alan Dean Foster
The Dolphins of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

Author Websites and Profiles
Franz Hansen Amazon Profile
Franz Hansen Author Profile on Smashwords

Franz Hansen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Franz Hansen is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of two books. The first book is a memoir of my heartbreaks and challenges of growing up with bipolar disorder, how I dealt with stigma and achieved recovery. The title of the book is called Surviving Mental Illness, My Story by Linda Naomi Katz. This is a book where I have won three awards. One from Readers Favorite, a Silver Medal for best nonfiction autobiography, another from Readers Views – the Life Journeys Award and first prize for best nonfiction memoir, and finally the Best of 2013 Mental Health Services Award for the Queens Honors Program.

The second book is a children’s book which I co-authored with my husband Charles Katz. It is about two people affected by mental illnesses that show how they got better and recovered with proper medications and support by family and friends. I titled the book, Peter & Lisa: A Mental Illness Children’s Story.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book that I co-authored with my husband, Charles Katz is called Peter & Lisa: A Mental Illness Children’s Story. What inspired us to write a book for children on this topic is that not many children fully understand what parents go through when they have a mental illness. Children need to understand the symptoms of certain mental illnesses particularly depression and mania. Children also need to know that with proper treatment people can live normal, happy, healthy lives.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t have unusual writing habits but my vocabulary is limited so I try to write in words that I truly can comprehend.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Since the time I was diagnosed with mental illness, I have been reading a lot of books about mental illness, people’s lives and how they struggle with it. Some authors that I had admired were Ken Steele, The Day the Voices Stopped, Karen Tyrell, Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness, and Suzanne Handler’s book, The Secrets They Kept.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working hard to promote both my books by sending them to reviewers, bloggers, bookstores, local newspapers, appearing on radio shows, doing book signings, etc.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method I have right now to promote my books is through my website -www.surviving-mental-illness.com. Also my facebook page draws some attention- www.facebook.com/survivingmentalillness

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be careful not to go over your budget when it comes to marketing your book. Do what you can afford. It is not worth to market a book with a public relations firm that is going to cost you thousands of dollars. Try small publicity firms. One I recommend is Authors, Large and Small. They are reasonably priced and can do just a better job if you keep in contact with them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do your best and get as many as reviews as possible. The exposure and reviews are whats most important than how much the book sales for.

What are you reading now?
I am reading a book about a family that has a daughter with bipolar disorder and how they struggle with it. It is called, What are the cocoa puffs?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am not sure. Maybe I will start writing more articles on mental illness especially within my cultural group-the Modern Orthodox Jewish Community since they are very biased when it comes with mental illness.

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?
Books that are full of inspirations and meaning.

Author Websites and Profiles
Linda Naomi Baron-Katz Website
Linda Naomi Baron-Katz Amazon Profile

Linda Naomi Baron-Katz’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Linda Naomi Baron-Katz is a post from Awesome Gang