Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and raised in southwestern Ohio, I’ve lived for the past 25 years on private land inside Daniel Boone National Forest. My household consists of my husband, four dogs, and two cats. All were rescues, even the husband (although he might say he rescued me)!

I’m now retired from the nine to five grind, but over the years I’ve paid the bills by being a dancer, bartender, police officer, registered nurse, and technical writer–plus a few other odd jobs mixed in. I’m a three-time graduate of Miami University of Ohio

I’ve written one mystery, Catch A Falling Star (An Eden Mystery), under the name Laurel Heidtman, and two romances, The Boy Next Door and The Wrong Kind of Man, under the name Lolli Powell.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Wrong Kind of Man. It’s a romantic intrigue. The intrigue part is inspired by the international news–and that’s all I’ll say about that. I don’t want to give out a spoiler. As for what inspired the romance element, that’s hard to say because I actually wrote the first draft of this book back in the nineties. I dragged it out of the file cabinet a few months back and reworked it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nope! I just sit down and do it whether I feel like it or not. It’s a mistake to wait for inspiration to strike–at least for me. I find that when I make myself start writing, the words start coming. Sometimes it feels like I’m channeling the characters and they’re telling me what to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’d have to say that all the authors and books I have read have influenced me–even the ones I “read” before I knew how to read. My mother told me that, before I could read, I made up stories based on the pictures in books. I wanted to write fiction since I was about six years old and learned that some people actually did that for a job. Unfortunately I let life get in the way and only did it sporadically over the years–until now.

What are you working on now?
My first book, Catch A Falling Star (An Eden Mystery), is the first in a series set in a small college town in eastern Kentucky. I’m currently working on Bad Girls, the second book in that series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still working on that, which is one of the reasons I’m doing this author interview. I’m also beginning to do signings and panels. Kentucky libraries are very receptive to supporting Kentucky authors. I didn’t realize that until a woman from our local county library called me last fall to arrange a November signing with three other authors. It was great and I sold some books. Since then, one of those authors and I have started calling other Kentucky libraries. So far I have two panels/signings scheduled for February, one book fair scheduled for May, and two other libraries who will do panels/signings in the spring (no definite dates yet). Kentucky has 120 counties and most of them have libraries, so I think my dance card will be full this year!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Put your butt in the chair and write. When you’re not writing, read. Read books in your genre and read books about writing. And if you know or suspect your spelling, grammar, punctuation skills leave something to be desired, GET AN EDITOR!!! I can’t emphasize this enough!

Self-publishing is great because it’s given so many people a way to get their work out there, but the downside is that some people don’t learn the skills needed for their craft. If you were going to build a piece of furniture, you’d learn how to use power or hand tools, wouldn’t you? It’s no different with writing. You might have a great story to tell and be good at developing characters and controlling pacing, but if you don’t know how to handle the tools of grammar, spelling, etc., you’ll turn off your readers. I know not everyone starting out has the money to hire an editor, but at the very least find a friend or relative who is skilled at proofing. And use beta-readers (easy enough to find online at places like Goodreads). They can be great at spotting weaknesses in your characters and plot.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Thomas Edison said it best: “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Although writing doesn’t usually make one sweat, the idea still applies.

What are you reading now?
Everybody Takes the Money by indie writer, Diane Patterson. It’s the third in her Drusilla Thorne series and a great read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More romances and more mysteries–and one day I might try yet another genre. Not for a while, though.

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?
Green Mansions, The Lovely Bones, and the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Okay, that’s five, but if I put them on an eReader . . .

Author Websites and Profiles
Laurel Heidtman Website
Laurel Heidtman Amazon Profile
Laurel Heidtman Author Profile on Smashwords

Laurel Heidtman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Laurel Heidtman is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love to read and make up stories in my head. That translates well to writing. My favorite stories are magical adventures. Although I’ve never met a dragon in person, I hear they have bad breath. If you breathed fire, you’d smell like rotten eggs, too.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book in the Dusky Hollows series is Adrift. It’s Carrie’s story and how she struggles to become a part of her new blended family, which includes a step-sister who is more than human. I wanted to write a sea story. When I was thinking about possible ideas, two oceans and their inhabitants became victims of major disasters with Fukishima and the BP oil spill, so I’ve been worried about the sea life and wrote something about that.

If you’d like to try the series out, Book 1 of The Dusky Hollows series (Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons) is free.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I write every day. My netbook doesn’t connect to the internet, so I have no distractions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So very many. I love C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Tina Wainscott (who now writes under the name Jaime Rush). I love epic adventure stories!

What are you working on now?
I have a new book coming out called “An Unexpected Adventure”. It’s the story of a boy with cerebral palsy who is drawn into a magical adventure with Carrie and Ivy. It is Book 5 of the Dusky Hollows Series and will be out hopefully in March. I have a ton of ideas and am already planning Book 6.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still rather new at this, but I try to submit to anyone who will listen.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write constantly. The first book will probably be torture because you’ll worry about every sentence. Stop worrying and write. It DOES GET EASIER. Like anything, it takes practice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Shoot for the moon. If you miss it, you’ll still land among the stars. (Of course, I also wonder if getting lost in space might not be the best idea ever, but for metaphor, it’s a great quote.)

What are you reading now?
The Black Isle by Sandi Tan

What’s next for you as a writer?
More Dusky Hollows. I love writing in the series and have ideas for the next two 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 can’t do it. There are too many. Ok. Limit 4. There are the books I reread every few years. Here goes.

The Deed of Paksennarion.

On the Way to Heaven.

The Hobbit

The Guardian

Author Websites and Profiles
Nan Sweet Website
Nan Sweet Amazon Profile
Nan Sweet Author Profile on Smashwords

Nan Sweet is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I born and raised in New York City. I am a Navy Vietnam Veteran who was honorably discharged in December of 68. Since; got married, had three children, moved a couple of times, settle with an International Bank and retired in 2008. I use to entertain my friends with stories I would make up on the spur of the moment. Later on I was telling stories to my kids and their friends. Before retiring I wrote a story for the son of a friend of mine. She suggested that I turn to writing when I retire and I took her suggestion with my first book; The Heart of an Assassin.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Tragedy Chronicles. These stories come to me when I least expect it. The Tragedy Chronicles is about good vs evil. How Lucifer uses his followers to acquire newly departed souls and how the battle between Angels and his minions (Takers) rages on.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I know of.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, J. R. Tolkien, Lawrence Sanders

What are you working on now?
Among Us; The coming of a Messiah in modern days.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook via friends. I don’t think the ad’s on Facebook or Google do anything for me. But honestly I can’t prove it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it and eventually, if your books are captivating, you will be discovered.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You need to take the first step to finish.

What are you reading now?
Various religious books in support of my next book; Among Us.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue to enjoy life.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to Survive on a Deserted Island, SAS Survival Handbook, Island of the Blue Dolphins, A Wrinkle in Time.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tony Bertot Website
Tony Bertot Amazon Profile
Tony Bertot Author Profile on Smashwords

Tony Bertot’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tony Bertot is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a guy with a lot of interests, art, self improvement, travel, the paranormal, sex are just to name a few. I’ve written one book on men’s sexual health and how to improve mens’ libido all naturally with no drugs.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Mens’ Sexual Health: The Ultimate Guide to Natural Virility is the title. I have some knowledge on the subject and wanted to help other couples.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No really. I’m not the best writer but when I have some good information I love spreading the word.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
David Shade has done some great work.

What are you working on now?
A guide to female orgasms and squirting.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth works. I’m not much of a marketing guy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Two things you gotta know in life: “Where are you going? and who are you going with?”

What are you reading now?
Paranormal stuff

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to do a book kind of like the joy of sex which was a huge hit in the 70s.

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?
Charles bukowski’s women, Henry Miller’s Sexus, Celine’s Journey to the End of Night

Johnny Kansas is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a native Arizonan, 45 years of age, and have been married for fourteen years to my beautiful wife, Vaneza. I make a living as a medical biller, but I would love to make writing a full-time job. Joshua’s Island is my first novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Joshua’s Island is a story about bullying, and about friendship. I was inspired to write it because I was bullied at that age, and I wanted to tell a story based on my experiences. It was truly cathartic, and it was especially satisfying to give my main character the happy ending that I never got.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I promised my wife I’d never tell.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Douglas Adams “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Richard Adams’ “Watership Down” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy remain my favorite books to this day.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a sort-of sequel to “Joshua’s Island,” which will involve some of the same characters but take place three years later.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up, and never stop being yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Inspiration comes from without, creativity comes from within.

What are you reading now?
R3 by Jorge Ponce, an author I’ve become friends with.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to have at least a rough draft of my next book done by August, and hopefully in print by next year. Beyond that, I’m just trying to get Joshua’s Island in as many hands as I can!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to Survive on a Desert Island, Vol. I, II and III. I’d probably need them for kindling.

Author Websites and Profiles
Patrick Hodges Amazon Profile
Patrick Hodges Author Profile on Smashwords

Patrick Hodges’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Patrick Hodges is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve worked as a journalist and freelance writer for more than 27 years. Writing is my passion and defines who I am as a person. I’ve written six novels, including three science fiction, a military thriller, and an erotic romance.The latter is currently under contract with L. Perkins Agency. The others are on the back burner for possible indie publishing at a future date.

While I’ve written everything from non-fiction to scifi, my primary genre is romantic suspense.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Over the River, Through the Woods is my debut novel publishing-wise. It, like most of my novels, was inspired by a dream. In this case, a nightmare that someone I loved was struck by a drunk driver, was in a coma, then when they awoke, went missing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Since my dreams are very lucid and linear, I keep a dream journal and draw from it for my writing. I also find having cats interrupting me on a regular basis as I write keeps me on my toes creatively.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many great authors out there. Some of my favorites that have influenced my style over the years are Maya Angelou, Colleen McCullough, Frank Herbert, Jack Kerouac, Patricia Cornwell, and Iyanla Vanzant.

What are you working on now?
A romantic suspense called, “The House,” which takes place on sleepy little Whidbey Island, Washington. It features a forensic psychic medium and skeptical deputy sheriff on the hunt for the truth in a seemingly open and shut murder case with ghostly overtones. It is a bit of a love letter to the place where I live.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find Twitter offers the fastest and most widespread platform for self-promotion. I’ve also used several pay-for-promotion websites to reach farther afield.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. I tell everyone, even if they don’t see themselves as a writer, to write a book. It’s cathartic and necessary. Keep writing. Even if you have to do it with a crayon on the sidewalk. Keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Maya Angelou, in “Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ for My Journey Now,” tells a tale of her maternal grandmother who, when abandoned by her husband for another woman, sets out to improve her way of life any way she can. “I looked ahead to where I was going, and back the way I come. I didn’t like what I saw, so I stepped off the road and cut me a new path.”

When all things seem against me, I step off the road I’m on and cut myself a new path.

What are you reading now?
To inform the ambiance of my current manuscript, “The House,” I’m listening to Stephen King’s audio book, “11/22/63.”

Just for pleasure, I’m also reading Tamara Alexander’s “A Beauty So Rare.”

I’m a long-time fan of Mr. King and have just recently discovered (through my passion for historical fiction) Ms. Alexander.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The five year mission, as it were, is to continue writing romantic suspense novels. Hopefully, it will also include the publication of my erotic romance, “On Deployment,” via a large publishing house. That’s the plan my agent and I have in mind at any rate.

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?
“Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ For My Journey Now,” by Maya Angelou, “Yesterday, I Cried,” by Iyanla Vanzant, “Dune” by Frank Herbert,” and “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jacqueline L. Landry Website
Jacqueline L. Landry Amazon Profile

Jacqueline L. Landry’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jacqueline L. Landry is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born Matthew Roland Stephenson, I decided to use the pen name Roland R. Stephenson to honor my grandfather, who unfortunately passed away last month. His name was Roland Stephenson.

May he rest in peace.

I initially began writing to make sense of my thoughts, with hopes to one day better understand myself. Although the more of myself that I bring to light, the less I seem to understand. I’ve been an aspiring indie author only since early 2014, and gain my inspirations from imaginative spiritual beliefs and life struggles. I’ve had a surprisingly interesting life, filled with death, incredible accomplishments, and a handful of un-explainable events. I also notice the more I mature, the further society distances from me (which worries me I confess, because I’m only 25).

I’ve written and published two indie books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book, The Conceptual Revolution: Awakening (published on Amazon January 30th 2015) is a unique novel, inspired by my frustrations with society around me. Not simply people and their greedy tendencies, but companies and corporations as well. It started as a smaller poetic project, that turned out so well, that I decided to expand the project into an artistic ebook. I’m very happy with the results!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oh jeez, the list would be too long to speak of. I have “a lot” of unusual writing habits to say he least (from how I use/or incorrectly use grammar, to the music I have playing in the background while I write, to feeling more comfortable writing with a phone/or tablet than a traditional keyboard), but probably the two most unusual writing habitsthat I’ve tried to break are 1). I had an initial tendency to rhyme everything I put on paper 2). I am the worst with run on sentences (it’s something I’m currently struggling with).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony was (is) truly the most incredible book. I was addicted to his books growing up (the Xanth series). His use of imagination opened the doors into my “own” imagination.

What are you working on now?
It’s an imagintive fiction novel, about a young man who dies many years before his time, and due to unfair circumstances gets sent to hell. It might only be a short story/ebook (rather than a traditional sized novel), but I can’t wait to release it. There are so many unique aspects to the story!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ll have to get back to you on that once I know haha, but so far I’d have to say awesomegang.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get stuck on one project. If you hit a wall and/or don’t know how to continue, set it aside and come back to it later (it isn’t going anywhere).

Lastly if you write because it’s your passion, don’t ever get discouraged, everything will fall into place.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When life gives you lemons, find some sugar.

What are you reading now?
To be honest, I’m not reading anything at the moment. I’ve been spending time on philosophical and scientific sites, talking and learning about the many things that interest me. Reality is so much weirder than science fiction!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next I’d like to write a pure and simple fiction novel. I’ve got two stories already in the making!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a quuestion I can’t truthfully answer (my brain would overheat and I would keel over dead if I even tried to).

Although, one without question would be “How To Build A Raft From Turtles And Back Hair, For Dummies”. Classic!

Roland R. Stephenson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Roland R. Stephenson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a physical therapist focused on work with children with disabilities and their families. Writing and storytelling is something I’ve always dabbled in, but I never had the time to hone the craft until my own children were grown and gone. Then I learned how to write to get published.

I had some success in publishing articles for parents and professionals, and fiction and creative non-fiction stories for kids in national magazines. Risking Exposure is my first novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Risking Exposure was somehow always in my heart. All four of my grandparents emigrated from Germany between the two world wars, and while I grew up one grandmother lived with us. So my German heritage was all around – the boisterous songs, the rich language, the ethnic food, and the beautiful photos of the land of my grandparents’ youth.

My younger sister Joyce was born with multiple disabilities, and she was an enormously positive influence on my life. (Risking Exposure is dedicated to her.) Because of what I learned from her about joy and patience and the value of human dignity, I became a physical therapist. I’ve worked most of my career with children with disabilities. Supporting them and their families is a life-long passion for me.

As an adult I learned about a Nazi-era pogrom in which people with disabilities were exterminated. The seeds for Risking Exposure came from my attempt to mix the oil and water of these disparate feelings – pride in my German heritage and the horror of realizing that people with disabilities were also Nazi targets. Over and over I wondered, “What would have happened to Joyce, to my patients, if we had all lived there then? And if I were an ordinary German citizen, what would I have done about it?”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write in a frenzy. An idea may hit me at 4 am and I’ll write like a woman possessed before work. But more typically, I write in the evening or on weekends.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love historical fiction, so as a kid I was very influenced by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is amazing, and I adore the way Connie Willis intertwines historical fiction and fantasy.

What are you working on now?
A sequel to Risking Exposure, as yet unnamed. The characters just wouldn’t let me stop.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Write from your heart, not for the market.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the best story you can, then shelve it for a couple weeks. When you look at it again, you’ll see where it needs improvement.

What are you reading now?
I just finished Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff. Now I’m reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and The Boy in the Toy Room by Regge Episale.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Working on the Risking Exposure sequel!

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Jeanne Moran Website
Jeanne Moran Amazon Profile
Jeanne Moran Author Profile on Smashwords

Jeanne Moran’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Jeanne Moran is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Canadian born and bred, and a lifelong dreamer, I began writing at an early age and can’t recall a time when I wasn’t creating in some artistic form. My life has had several on-going love affairs that shape much of what I write. In the past half dozen years, I’ve released books in all lengths and genres, and it’s something I hope to continue to do for many more years. A visit to my websites will show the diversity of what is currently available, as well as other surprises and extras! At present, I’ve published professionally and as a fan writer, approx. 400 stories and novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is a very short paranormal called Within The Mist, and it was inspired by a combination of things. My love of Venice, Carnival, Riccardo Foresi’s music, and Gaston LeRoux’s Phantom of the Opera are the main influences.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it’s unusual to spend weeks preparing notes and outline points before I begin to write, but I do that a lot now.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Brooks, Margaret Mitchcell’s Gone With The Wind, and in a very real way, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories – all have influenced me in various ways. I’ve also been very influenced by all things Western when it comes to historical writing,

What are you working on now?
I’ve just begun work on my first series, a romantic suspense set called “The BlackHawk Agency” and I’m hoping readers will really like this new direction in fiction for me.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My blog, I think. I have two, and both have their own domain names now. The combination of blog and Twitter seems to work best for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, always. Focus on what you want. NEVER stop learning. And most important of all, leave your ego out of your interactions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write. Plain and simple. Just keep writing.

What are you reading now?
A wonderful little suspense novel called Buried by Elizabeth Goddard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
BlackHawk, and a brand new paranormal world involving Roman gods, and ancient curses.

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?
Gone With The Wind

The Sword of Shannara

Dragonriders of Pern

Complete Sherlock Holmes

Author Websites and Profiles
Denysé Bridger Website
Denysé Bridger Amazon Profile
Denysé Bridger Author Profile on Smashwords

Denysé Bridger’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Denysé Bridger is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m British and have been living in Bulgaria for the last seven years, with my partner and three rescue dogs. I’ve written three books to date. The first was a couple of years ago, non-fiction, focusing on stories of the dogs I have rescued, which I also illustrated with a portrait of each dog. This was done to help raise the profile of, and funds for the dog rescue NGO I helped set up. The second was last summer and is an illustrated children’s book, about British woodland creatures. I wrote and illustrated this as a gift for my three-year-old nephew who lives in Kenya. Now I’m back to writing in the genre I’m best at, crime thrillers with a dark side, short stories and flash fiction with twist. My interests include, psychology, spirituality and the metaphysical, and that helps me to weave tales that explore the darker side of human nature, which I find fascinating.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book was published on 21st January and is called “Predator or Prey ~ Short Tales With A Twist.” As the name implies it’s a collection of short stories that explore the darker recesses of the human mind. The collection was inspired by my interest in what makes a person tick, using characters as far removed from me as possible. Is it nature or nurture that causes a person to turn bad, or are they born that way? Are they a product of their environment and experiences or is it something that has been there from the beginning, is it genetic?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in a sauna. Literally. When we moved to Bulgaria seven years ago, it came with the house. I initially used it as an art studio, but then when I turned to writing full-time, it made sense to empty it and turn it into a writing cave. It works very well and is like being in my own log cabin. If I do need to write at the kitchen table, which is often, then I’m usually doing so with a dog asleep on my knee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m an avid reader, as most authors are, so I have an eclectic taste. In terms of influence I would say, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker. Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie.

What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on my debut novel, ‘A Poisoned Mind” featuring protagonist Dr. Mary Gray. She’s a criminal profiler and poisons expert with a secret past and an eerie gift. She was a child prodigy with an unhealthy upbringing and this, followed by an event in her twenties, has catastrophic repercussions. And she teeters on the brink of a mental breakdown whilst on the hunt for a serial killer. It’s a British based crime thriller.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As I’ve only just got to grips with setting up my writer platform, it’s probably too early to say which are working and which aren’t. But I promote my books on most social media, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, as well as my own website. And I’m active on Goodreads.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I have advice and tips on my website under the Author Toolbox, I update this regularly as and when I find new information that I think will help other Indie-authors. I also have a Readers Group newsletter, which I send out once or twice a month. I give away a free short story, currently The Yellow Cottage, to all those that sign up. If there are writers within the group then I also send additional tips and must-have tools and connections to them periodically. But the best tip I think is to write every day. It doesn’t matter what you write just get it down. Your brain is like a muscle and needs exercising regularly.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you’ve finished your first draft, let it sit for a couple of weeks. Then go back to it with fresh eyes before you start to edit.

What are you reading now?
Write, Publish, Repeat, by Johnny B Truant and Sean Platt, those of the Self-Publishing Podcast. It’s a must read for any indie-author. I’m also reading some authors work I’ve recently connected with on Goodreads: Stormling – The Legend of Mordana book 1 by John Hennessy / Joshua’s Island by Patrick Hodges / Exceptional Merit by George P. Norris.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several projects in mind to tackle after I’ve finished A Poisoned Mind; it’s deciding which one to choose. But hopefully I’ll begin work on the mystery series I’ve been mulling over for a while.

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?
* Stark by Ben Elton

* Anything from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

* One that tells you how to build a seaworthy boat from a palm tree, a coconut and a handkerchief!

Author Websites and Profiles
J. New Website
J. New Amazon Profile

J. New’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

J. New is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I enjoy writing, being outside, playing with my ginormous German Shepherd, and putting maple syrup on absolutely everything. I write stories to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love. I’ve tried to stop writing, but the voices in my head won’t quit. My books capture those voices and allow me to lead a semi-sane life.

Sort of.

I’ve written a bunch of romances in the contemporary vein, but dip into paranormal every now and again because I just can’t help myself. I’ve been focused on my Maple Leaf Series for a while now and hope to move on to new writing adventures soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
More Than Rum is my latest contemporary romance. It is Book Three in my Maple Leaf Series. This book was inspired by the home bar that my husband and I built in our home in Vermont. We have an all-black German Shepherd who looks (and acts) like a wolf, so we named the bar Black Wolf Tavern. I decided to make Black Wolf Tavern a central place in the first three books in the Maple Leaf Series. All my heroes are sawdusty mountain men types who make things with their hands and are rough around the edges. My heroines know just how to soften them up.

Oh, More Than Rum was also inspired by my favorite drink – Rum Swizzles!

More Than Pancakes is the first book in the Maple Leaf Series and is FREE as an ebook in a bunch of places online.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to take walks with my characters. When I’m stuck on a scene, I’ll leash up my dog and walk around the neighborhood, visualizing that my characters are with us. Do I talk to my characters on these walks? You betcha. Do I look like a crazy person? Most definitely. But hey, it works. I always get un-stuck after these walks.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Danielle Steele, Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis

What are you working on now?
I’m in the polishing phase of Book Six in my Maple Leaf Series. This one is called More Than Peaches. It’s the last book in the series. I’ll be moving on to something a little different because I’ve spent a great deal of time in the contemporary romance realm. Time to change it up!

I’m also finishing up a poetry collection with author Joseph Mazzenga. We have one poetry book together already, Night Eternal, which is poems between a female werewolf and a male vampire. This next installment, Salvation Eternal, will be coming soon and chronicles an encounter between a female demon and a male guardian angel. An interesting thing about these works is that Joe writes the females and I write the males.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook because it allows for instant interaction between author and reader. I just wish I knew who was able to see my posts because I’m not convinced they are reaching everyone I want them to reach.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. If you love to write, just do it. Do it for yourself. Do it for your grandma. Do it for your readers. Do it because it makes you happy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen King said something about gluing your butt to the seat and dedicating yourself to writing. I think that’s the advise that keeps me focused.

What are you reading now?
Then Came You, by Jill Shalvis

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m thinking about writing something different from what I usually write. I’m not sure what that means yet. I’ll probably have to meditate for a bit and an idea will come to me. It’ll still be romance, but I’m in search of an interesting twist.

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?
Only 3 or 4? Can’t I just scrap all the other survival supplies to make room for more books? Please! Okay, okay, I’d take 3 brand new books, most likely by Kristan Higgins or Jill Shalvis or Amanda Torrey. I never reread books so I’d definitely want new ones. The last book would be a notebook so I could write my own tales.

Author Websites and Profiles
Christine DePetrillo Website
Christine DePetrillo Amazon Profile

Christine DePetrillo’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Christine DePetrillo is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have published two books and am currently writing the third in the series. I am a 52 year old school teacher. Wife and mother of three girls. I’ve always loved reading and just recently dived into writing and have come to love it pretty quickly. We live in Jacksonville, Florida but I am originally from Long Island, NY.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As I stated, my books are part of a series. I started with my debut novel, Tatiana’s Chance which was released in July 2014. The sequel, Tatiana’s Choice was released in November 2014.

This series was inspired by my own life and my station in life. Society tends to think of 50 years of age as old or middle aged which denotes a feeling of being on the down slide. Twenty to thirty year olds think being fifty is ancient and that people over fifty have little to nothing left to contribute to society. That couldn’t be further from the truth! These same people think of passion and sex for the over fifty crowd as something bordering disgusting and that handholding should be the limit.

I am here to say that while men peak in their late teens to early twenties, that women peak much later in life. While women see their childbearing days getting further and further behind them, they can also gain a sense of freedom! Until I was in my mid forties, I was pretty much the basic “vanilla, no sprinkles” kind of woman, now I am much less inhibited and willing to do much more in the pursuit of physical and emotional satisfaction.

An author friend of mine says it like this, “fifty doesn’t have to have any shades of gray.” So, I’m spicing things up and letting my readers know that while some of the over 40/over 50 crowd may look like they’re slowing down on the outside, on the inside they are still young, vibrant, sexual beings but possess all their years of experience (and practice!)

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? No, I don’t think so. I like to listen to music and drink wine while I write. However, I don’t think that’s unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
None have influenced me to write and because I haven’t really read much in the erotic/romance genre about people my age I’ve decided to write them myself!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the third book in the Tatiana series, a book of poetry, and I am kicking around some ideas for a new novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still a relative newbie to the publishing scene and for me, Facebook has been the most prolific outlet for promoting at this time.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never settle for mediocrity, do what you love and you will end up loving what you do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If it were easy to do then you won’t have any real sense of accomplishment. No challenge, no change.

What are you reading now?
Right now, nothing because I am promoting and writing. But when I get a couple more books out then I plan on getting back into reading.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am very interested in finishing the Tatiana series several stand alone novels and I would love to do a movie!

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 only book I would take would be my Bible because it’s got EVERYTHING in it!!

Author Websites and Profiles
Elaine Wood Website
Elaine Wood Amazon Profile

Elaine Wood’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Elaine Wood is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m originally from Essex, UK and now live in Suffolk, UK with my husband, grown up son and Masai the cat.

I work part time as an administrator and apart from writing in my spare time I also love reading, Formula One racing, rock music, seeing live groups, theatre, gardening, keep fit, cinema, travelling and having fun with my friends

I started writing at the age of ten, but have been writing seriously since 2009 and am currently working on my 16th book. I have a series of paranormal/romance books signed to Red Sage in the US and the first one, The Atlantean Birthright – book one of the Eternal Love of the Seekers, was released last October.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Flame is due to be published by Little Bird Publishing House on 6th February 2015. It was quite literally a Eureka moment around 15 years ago. I was in the bath listening to a George Michael CD – unusual for me as I am a huge metal fan! – when the idea came to me and I actually stood up and shouted yes!!!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure about unusual writing habits but I am very much character driven, I never write plot lines and just allow the story to go the way it wants to.

I do have a tendency to text myself with ideas so I don’t forget them too.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I guess David Eddings, Tolkien, Sherrylin Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Carol Goodman and lots of wonderful Indie authors I’ve met via social media.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just submitted another contemporary romance/thriller to Little Bird, it’s called Retribution. And over the last few days I’ve started writing a new fantasy/romance and am around 11k words in at present, so it’s still early days on that one. It doesn’t have a name yet, but that will come…eventually.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter an awful lot, then there’s my website and I have used Tasty Book Tours Services, they’re really good. I also look for spots on peoples’ blogs, I’ve been on blog talk radio ( here’s the link if you want to listen to me ramble http://www.blogtalkradio.com/indiereviews-behind-the-scenes/2014/10/24/indiereview-behind-the-scenes-culture-shocked-w-author-toya-Richardson), local radio and the press. I’ll have a go at anything if it helps to promote my work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Phew, that’s a hard one because I’m still learning but here goes…be patient, have faith in your work, make sure when you submit to publishers that you check and adhere to their submission guidelines to the letter, also make certain that you do your homework on them to be sure they accept your genre and most important of all edit, edit and more edit, there is nothing that puts a publisher off more than a badly edited MS.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow the advice an author gave to me at a workshop a few years ago and I quote, “write because you love writing, if you’re in it for the money, you might as well stop now.” Very true as writing is a passion and should be something that you love to do

What are you reading now?
I have actually just finished Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn and I loved it. Not certain what to start on next as I have several which I’ve downloaded onto my Kindle, probably be Boss with Benefits by Lelani Black.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll keep doing what I love most and that is writing. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and happiness, a natural high

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow that is a toughie!! Acheron by Sherrylin Kenyon, Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan, It’s cheatin as it’s a series but The Belgariad series by David Eddings

Author Websites and Profiles
Toya Richardson Website
Toya Richardson Amazon Profile

Toya Richardson’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Toya Richardson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my First Book. I am presently looking to grow my Social Media presence and I have been working on growing my blog. Guest bloggers are welcome to suggest possible thematic blog posts for publication.

I have always had an interest in politics, and being multicultural, I view issues from a more international perspective. In 2004, five days before the election, I flew to Cleveland and pitched in to help with the political process. What I discovered was the dissolution of the American Dream, which I write about in my book.

Andendall was educated at English boarding schools from the age of seven through eighteen, the final five years spent at Lancing College. This respected English high school, with its impressive literary and religious heritage, is also known for its stunning chapel, sitting atop the Sussex Downs. Leaving school, he immediately started work, sometimes holding three jobs at once—a trainee underwriter/claim broker at Lloyd’s of London, running his own one-man cleaning company (cleaning the very offices of a reinsurance company he would transact business at), plus doing seasonal work on various farms.

Having made some windfall profits after borrowing money to be a “stag” (short-term speculator)— taking advantage of opportunities created by Margaret Thatcher’s denationalization policies of the mid-1980s—Andendall evolved into an entrepreneur with a core specialty in reinsurance in London and New York, where he looks for patterns in numbers. Self-employed in a field not normally conducive to self-employment, he is able to remain in control, juggle different jobs, travel, and pursue his various interests.

Ending up in New York via romance in the African bush, Andendall now lives on Long Island with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

patrickandendall@yahoo.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
STUPIDPARTY MATH V MYTH. I was inspired to look into the notion first posited by Governor Bobby Jindal and then many others from across the political spectrum. I wanted analyze if this sentiment is correct and why. I wanted to get the the bottom of why so many people seem to vote against there own best interests and why so many people believe in fairly obvious false hoods. The answer is pretty disturbing.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The book is very unique – my narrative style is to keep some complex issues very simple and I intertwine numerous quotes, sources, color coded images, cartoons and artwork into the fabric of the book. It is vital that my facts are irrefutable. I explain the problems concisely and let the reader arrive at their own easy to figure out solutions. This book leaves opinion at the door. I am just the messenger, nothing else. The font is also color coded to help clarify if it is my voice or some one else’s. I refused to allow a Black and White Print version, (which explains why there is no cheap version of the print book) and I try to discourage any one who only has a black and white reading device from purchasing the Ebook. That might be a first.The book has 1500 hyperlinks and numerous links to humorous or sometimes disturbing videos to underscore a point.

I do not believe that there is any other book quite like it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Perhaps Al Franken – but what I am attempting to achieve is far more ambitious effort to look at the whole picture. I feel academics have had their chance, and don get much traction outside of the “literati” – so I decided on a totally different approach

What are you working on now?
Growing my Blog.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am just beginning to market the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get a great Copy Editor. Do not involve too many friends in the process, unless they really know about the process themselves or have something to contribute other than a pat on the back.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing a good book is really hard work. Your first effort will likely be pitiful and strewn with errors, yet you will not be able see that. Every time you improve your draft, you are mortified that any even saw the previous draft.

What are you reading now?
Patrick O’Brien and Infidel

What’s next for you as a writer?
Blogs.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
They would have to be large books. Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials, Biography of Mao (makes Stalin look like a wimp), collected works of Shakespeare. If I knew I was only going to be on such an Island for a short period of time my choices would be different and riskier.

Author Websites and Profiles
Patrick Andendall Website
Patrick Andendall Amazon Profile

Patrick Andendall’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Patrick Andendall is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Alison Morton and my first novel, INCEPTIO, an alternative history “what if” thriller, was published in March 2013 by SilverWood Books. It’s the story of a 25-year-old who crosses cultures, battles with an entangled emotional life and faces a relentless, vindictive pursuer. On the way she finds out quite a lot about herself.

And, of course, like the best of novels there’s a twist in the tale…

So what made my first book gripping, page turning, a ‘good read’?

– The ordinary person baffled and menaced by an unknown outside threat. Who is this guy who wants to destroy her?

– An alternate timeline of history. How would a small colony surviving from antiquity change the world?

– Universal human needs and goals – survival, security, love, self-knowledge, a place in the world and the urge to make things right

– A personal quest

Simple stuff, then

Read more about INCEPTIO: http://alison-morton.com/books-2/inceptio/

The second in series, PERFIDITAS, came out in October 2013 ( http://alison-morton.com/books-2/perfiditas/). The third, SUCCESSIO, was published in June 2014 (http://alison-morton.com/books-2/successio/).

INCEPTIO was shortlisted for the 2013 International Rubery Book Award and along with PERFIDITAS was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion. Both books were shortlisted in the Writing Magazine 2014 Self-Published Book of the Year Award.

SUCCESSIO is the Historical Novel Society indie Editor’s Choice Autumn 2014.

Not a natural short story writer, I do try! Delighted to have been shortlisted in the Writing Magazine 2013 New Subscribers’ Short Story Competition for ‘Booked‘.

I’ve always been a ‘wordsmith’. Translating professionally for much of my career has made me pretty nit-picky about words, grammar, punctuation, document cohesion, theme and structure.

Oh, the qualification stuff: BA in Modern Languages Studies (French, German and Economics), post-graduate Diploma in Translation (Business & Legal options), MA in History (with a distinction!)

Annette Crossland of A for Authors literary agency represents me for the subsidiary and foreign rights for my books.

I’m a contributor to the Alternate History Weekly Update a site I thoroughly recommend – it’s friendly and knowledgeable.

I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) under the New Writers’ Scheme in 2010 and have found it supportive, collegiate and brimming with knowledge and experience. My other memberships include the Historical Novel Society (HNS), the Society of Authors and International Thriller Writers.

I give talks on writing, self-publishing and historical fiction at writers’ conferences, tutorial groups and associations.

Hobbies? Reading, wine, gardening (weeding is excellent inspiration for solving plot holes!) and, of course, anything Roman.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SUCCESSIO – it’s the third in the Roma Nova series and is both a standalone thriller as well as taking the story of the first two books forward.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly, just procrastination, a chaotic approach, but determination to achieve 500-1,000 words a day

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fatherland – a masterly alternate history thriller by Robert Harris. He also wrote Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum set in Ancient Rome

Anything by Anne McCaffrey and J D Robb

What are you working on now?
AURELIA – the fourth in the Roma Nova thriller series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think a wide and mixed approach is best: personal appearances at events, my own blog, my monthly newsletter (http://alison-morton.com/contact/newsletter/), traditional social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

But a very efficient method to reach committed readers is a site like Awesomegang, of course!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going! Write rubbish other than write nothing – you can always go back and edit it later. And be true to yourself by writing what you are passionate about rather than writing for the market.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be your own most determined (and if necessary, harsh) critic.

What are you reading now?
Wulfsuna by Elaine Moxon, a story of Britain just after the Romans left.

What’s next for you as a writer?
On writing, more of the same! My agent is seeking markets outside the UK. It would be lovely to be published by a big US house!

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?
Dreadful question – I’d want to tale 100!

Restless by William Boyd

Cross Stitch by DianaGabaldon

Pompeii by Robert Harris

The Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Author Websites and Profiles
Alison Morton Website
Alison Morton Amazon Profile

Alison Morton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alison Morton is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have authored six books with the seventh to be published in March 2015

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Deadly Justice
I asked myself the question `what if?’ What if the voters in America elected a serial killer as the president of the United States?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write early in the morning, 5 or 6 a.m. starting at 6 a.m. in my office next to the woods accompanied by my dog. Sometimes we hear coyotes and see deer in the woods, turkeys and squirrels.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
several authors I read widely. I usually have two or 3 books I read at a time, mostly mystery and thrillers.

What are you working on now?
Deadly Justice

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
sending books out for reviews, giving books away, and websites that offer free promotion

Do you have any advice for new authors?
take your time, make a good product, check it out, don’t quit. If you wrote one book write the next one.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
don’t quit

What are you reading now?
`Invisible’ by James Patterson and David Ellis

`Witness & Death’ by J.D. Rob

What’s next for you as a writer?
promoting Deadly Justice and planning my next 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?
my Bible, and a instructional book on writing by Steven King

Author Websites and Profiles
Darrell Case Website
Darrell Case Amazon Profile
Darrell Case Author Profile on Smashwords

Darrell Case’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Darrell Case is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a thirty something writer of prime time Erotica. I believe that sex is a natural expression of one’s self, the less inhibited, the better the self esteem, and of course, the better the sex!

I admit to being a nerd, but nerds have some of the wildest imaginations.

Nothing in her sex life is the “norm.” And that’s why my writing holds no bounds!

I have penned a total of seven erotica short stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Naughty Office Girls, Book 1: Bent over for the boss

Personal experience as a naughty office girl!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing while wearing only a g-string and stilettos. Gets me in the frame of mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

What are you working on now?
A foot fetish story.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make a regular time and place to write, free from distractions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, write, and write!

What are you reading now?
The Snowden Axalanche

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing my memoir.

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?
Puppy Chow ids Better than Prozac, Into the Wild, High on Arrival, The Writer’s Idea Book

Author Websites and Profiles
Staccie Supple Amazon Profile

Staccie Supple’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Staccie Supple is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in California with my husband of eleven years. I draws inspiration from everyday life for my stories, characters, and sensational sex scenes. I have published three erotic romance novellas, My Perfect Match, Resolve to Resist, and The Roommate.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My Perfect Match is a Valentine’s Day themed erotic romance that mixes an online dating website with a TV show inspired by Shark Tank. My main character’s goal is to raise money for her business. She never intends to fall in love with the millionaire across the table. I wanted to know if she could resist the physical temptations thrown out her and concentrate solely on her business. It was a lot of fun to write and I’m pleased with the way the story turned out.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up at 4:30 AM to write while my house is still quiet. Crossing off my writing goals first thing in the morning lets me enjoy a stress free day that includes reading and research. On days that I don’t wake up early or can’t get the words to flow, I often take my laptop to bed with me and stay up late writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Chelle Bliss’ Men of Inked Series
Jinsey Reece and Victoria Green’s Untamed Series

What are you working on now?
My first biker story! it will also be my first series, so I’m very excited about working with these character long-term.

I’m also working on a longer novel-length piece about a repossession agent for a Wattpad competition (think Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Twitter! I spend too much time online, re-tweeting all the good stuff that I wish I was funny enough to have written.

Facebook is probably the best updates on my new releases.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself. And make time to write. You’ll never realize your dreams if you continue to make excuses.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Quit your day job. My mentor told me that if you always have something to fall back on, you will never succeed as a writer. This is a hard pill to swallow because so many of us need our day jobs to pay the bills in our current situation. But start looking for ways to make writing your day job. Hustle. And stay hungry!

What are you reading now?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully everything! As long as I have readers interested in my stories, I will keep producing and self-publishing.

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

Author Websites and Profiles
JJ Phillips Amazon Profile
JJ Phillips Author Profile on Smashwords

JJ Phillips’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

JJ Phillips is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Auckland, New Zealand with my two dogs. Although I have had

training in Beauty and Spa therapy, editing, journalism, animal behavior and

photograpy, criminology and counseling, my main interest lies in writing

novels which allows me to explore and learn about other eras and countries,

creating characters that have deep rooted flaws, but uses those to achieve the

end goal. My inspiration for novels came by accident, when finishing writing

my first novel and starting to edit it, I stumbled across a conspiracy theory, in

which some believed the Freemasons were involved in the Jack the Ripper

murders. From there, the historical aspect took shape, continuing throughout

all the novels I write. I hope that each novel I write doesn’t necessarily cause a

person to believe in the conspiracy or myth, but challenges what they really

believe could be possible. To everyone reads my books, I hope they can

transport themselves back in time, learn more about the world around them,

and maybe even question certain things they believe in.
As an author of historical/present day international thrillers, my books can challenge readers, as well as taking the reader on a journey throughout Europe and abroad.

Having studied in Criminology and Neuro Linguistic programming, in addition to doing a diploma course in body language, enables me to give an authentic feel to my characters, and the crimes committed. Because I’ve always been fascinated with human psychology, especially criminal psychology, I always include that element in every book I write.

My books don’t just cover the crimes committed, but what drove that person to commit those crimes? Examining their history, their weaknesses, childhood; all building up to why some of the most infamous crimes were perpetrated.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Initiated to Kill was inspired through my fascination with conspiracy theories. Only when I finished the book and started editing it, did I see the potential for it being part-historical, part-present day.

I’ve always wanted my books to be something a little different from mainstream thrillers; hopefully I’ve accomplished that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
For me I need complete quiet, away from other distractions. Then allow my mind to wander to places that encourage the thought process to take place.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dan Brown is probably the biggest influence. He’s books leading towards conspiracy theories, and especially the Freemasons, got me thinking more about these topics, and wanting to learn more.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am editing my second book, in which the historical part is about the first female serial killer, Countess Elizabeth Bathory; while the present day takes Annabella Cordova to Romania to investigate the disappearance of young girls.

I have also written two more books based in Egypt and Greece. All part-historical and part-present day.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Constantly connecting and communicating with readers and authors to spread the word about books, As well as getting on as many promotional websites as possible.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. It took me four years to publish my first novel. Stick to what you love, not just what is popular. You have to enjoy what you are writing about, eventually others will enjoy it too.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey, and who you meet along the way.

What are you reading now?
I am reading a Kathryn Dance novel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing, keep marketing, have fun with what I do.

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?
Of course, it would be all four Dan Brown novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sharlene Almond Website
Sharlene Almond Amazon Profile

Sharlene Almond’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sharlene Almond is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was in the sixth grade. San Andreas school in Pacifica, California, the late 60s. Our teacher would write all of the day’s assignments on the blackboard, and each table of six students would work together to get through them. When finished, you went to the back of the room where each student had a card, green on one side, red on the other. You turned your card from red to green and spent the rest of the day working on extra credit.

One day I chose to write a short story. The next day, my teacher handed me a theme book. She said from that day forward my only extra credit was to fill that theme book with stories. How cool was that? Every day my extra credit time was spent writing in that theme book.

We moved away about halfway through the sixth grade; never saw that teacher again… or that theme book.

But since then, I’ve written dozens of novels, novellas, short stories, screenplays and stage plays. I can point to that day and that teacher. That’s when it started.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I recently completed the “Black Tower – The Complete Series”.

This novella serial is based on the eleven one hour screenplays of the television miniseries “The Black Tower”. This omnibus volume contains all eleven novellas, with each novella a direct adaptation of one of the episodes in the miniseries. They are structured and formatted exactly as the one hour screenplays from which they have been adapted.

BTW, the miniseries is currently being marketed to the industry…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
It’s not unusual to me. To me, it’s perfectly normal…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
About a year or so ago I noticed that a significant percentage of my fan base is in England. I thought a bit on that… I grew up reading the British science fiction writers from the sixties (Brian Aldiss, John Wyndham, John Christopher), and no doubt my writing style was influenced by them. Perhaps my growing British audience picked up on that before I did.

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up “Genesis”, the final novel in the Shylmahn Trilogy. It’s scheduled to be published this May, 2015. The screenplay adaptation of the first title in the trilogy, “The Shylmahn Migration”, won the Pacific Northwest Screenwriting Competition” a few years ago.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My marketing methodology is still evolving.

I have developed a fairly significant author platform. I have my own websites (davidrbeshears.com and greybeardpublishing.com) and have a presence on a number of social media sites.

I’ve only recently started looking at the for-fee promotion websites. Over the next few weeks I’ll be placing a different title with each site’s promotion program. I’ll monitor to see what each does for immediate sales, but more important what it does for my long-term fan base. We’ll see what we see…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t sit on a single title, don’t sit on a single format. Get a number of titles out there, and publish to all formats: print, ebook (multiple formats!) and audiobook.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you want to be a successful author, you need to be equal parts writer and salesman.

I came into marketing very, very reluctantly, but once I set the goal to work 50% at writing and 50% marketing, everything began to change.

What are you reading now?
I’ve made a conscious effort to seek out unknown writers. I periodically go digging through hundreds of ebooks and buy/download five or six at a time. I’m finding that one or two will be quite good, another one or two not too bad, and then one or two that I have trouble finishing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish the third volume in the Shylmahn Trilogy, I’m scheduled to start work on an eight part audio web-series. The outline has been completed, writing to start soon. We’ll be producing it in a sound studio we’ve put together here, and we hope to have the episodes available on the greybeard website beginning in June.

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 seldom read the same book twice, but if was to choose from my past reads, I’d have to go with Dune, To Kill a Mockingbird and Watership Down.

Author Websites and Profiles
David Beshears Website
David Beshears Amazon Profile
David Beshears Author Profile on Smashwords

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

David Beshears is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an army brat, born in Nuremberg, Germany. When I was ten, my father was stationed in Toul, France where I discovered a treasure trove of books hiding in the furnace room. The house was rumored to be the former headquarters of the Nazi Party with bullet holes decorating the foyer as evidence. The books I found, sci-fi, mysteries, fantasy, and the classics, opened my mind to the power of story.

Raised on army bases, I’ve lived many places, none “home” until I returned to south Alabama. I live with my husband, three dogs, and two cats near the farms where my ancestors struggled to scratch a living from the ground.

I’ve written three books in one series, In the Shadow of the Cedar and have begun another series, Moonbow. I’ve also published a book for writers, Rise, Write, Shine.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Thunder’s Shadow is my latest book. I sat enthralled at my mother’s knee as she told stories of her childhood.

I was born at the right time, a time when some homes here in the south still had outhouses and where hog killings took place. It was a time when some relied solely on a fireplace to keep them partially warm in winter (only the part turned toward the fire), and relied on nothing but hand-held fans or electric fans that could cut off a finger, if you got too close, to keep a little cooler in the hot, humid summers.

I walked barefoot in the fields of cotton, burning the soles of my feet. I helped slop the hogs and watched my grandmother milk the cow and often give a waiting cat a stream of tastiness. I explored the one-room school my mother had attended and climbed the red-clay hills she walked to get there. The same red-clay hills that ruined clothes when children took a notion to slide down them.

So these stories solidified in me because I saw and experienced some of the same things my mother did. And I knew I wanted to share her stories, along with some of my own, with others.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write on my laptop, kicked back in a recliner. Lotion is my best friend, and I use it on my hands before I begin typing. Perhaps that accounts for my slippery keyboard… or maybe that’s from the drool when I fall asleep in my recliner. I drink copious amounts of coffee to keep the drool at bay… but I think that’s a habit of many authors (the coffee, not the drool).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie has been my greatest influence. I try to emulate the twists and turns in her best works, although none of my books so far have been mysteries. All books benefit from having elements of mystery that keep readers turning pages.

What are you working on now?
I have set myself a daunting task. First, I am writing a mystery, The Frailest Branch, that is a spin-off of my In the Shadow of the Cedar series. It takes place immediately after World War II and involves the murder of a presumed Nazi spy in Auburn, Alabama. Concurrently, I’m working on Echoing Thunder, Book 4 of the In the Shadow of the Cedar series, that runs parallel in time and has overlapping characters with The Frailest Branch.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth is the best method. Websites, such as Awesome Gang, help reach potential readers who, hopefully, will spread the word.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Devour, dissect, and digest the best stories. Develop your own unique stories based on your research.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, edit, publish, repeat.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Up next will be Moon’s Silence, the second book in the Moonbow series. I’m also working on two young adult books, Jillian’s Journey, a fantasy about a ten-year-old girl washed out to sea and rescued by a strange creature who carries her to an underwater kingdom, and Flight, a sci-fi about an alien invasion in which everyone is enslaved by exposure to metallic spheres, except for a small group of children who must somehow save the world.

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 Lord of the Rings (technically one book), Pride and Prejudice, and The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sheila Hollinghead Website
Sheila Hollinghead Amazon Profile

Sheila Hollinghead’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sheila Hollinghead is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a author living in Hollywood, California. I came from screenwriting and under this pen name, I have written 1 serial that totals in 20 books, three of which are novels. I have two more serials on the way, the next one starts at the end of the month.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Black Star Canyon is my latest. It is a serial along the likes of Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, American Gothic, Lost, etc. It was inspired by an actual canyon that I grew up by in Orange County called Black Star Canyon. There were tons of myths I heard growing up about how bizarre and haunted it was. It sort of shaped my childhood.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
As far as the episodes go, I usually write them in a week. So, I end up writing anywhere from 2k to 8k words a day depending on how close to the deadline I am.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would have to say that I am probably a nice cross between Kurt Vonnegut and Edgar Allen Poe, sprinkled with some Kafka. At least that’s what I hope.

Breakfast of Champions is my all time favorite book. But others in there would be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Naked Lunch, Clockwork Orange, The Shining and I’m really into those old Nick Carter Killmaster books from the 60’s at the minute and also The 1930’s pulp, The Spider.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on a serial called The Gavel, about a district attorney that is fighting a corrupt city hall and mafia, while hiding his own opiate habit. The first issue of this comes out Feb. 17th

And also Hitman Black, which I like to say is like James Bond’s demonic half-brother. This comes out in March.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My mailing list. I’m slightly new to using promotion sites.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Build sales funnels. Build sales funnels. Build sales funnels.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m still waiting to hear that.

I would say grow your mailing list. Focus on that.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading another Spider pulp called Corpse Cargo. It’s pretty good so far. I’m reading my second Nick Carter book called Safari for Spies which is supposed to be like Casablanca meets 007. And I just bought Harry Whittington’s Night for Screaming. I’m excited to read that. Today is his 100th birthday. So happy bday, Harry!

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Gavel and Hitman Black this spring and then starting season 4 of Black Star Canyon on June 2nd!

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 say my kindle, but I feel that the question means that my Kindle was packing light. Breakfast of Champions and Fear and Loathing in las Vegas for sure. Then, probably some really good erotica that I don’t know about yet, just to keep me company. Any suggestions?

Author Websites and Profiles
C.C. Wall Website
C.C. Wall Amazon Profile

C.C. Wall’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

C.C. Wall is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been told I’m a prolific, passionate writer with a purpose. I have over three decades of writing experience for the Christian market. My writing career began, in the 1980s, when I was hired by a Christian publishing company for their book department. Since then, I have worked as a full-time staff writer for two international ministries and was once named Christian Writer of the Year (San Antonio, Texas) by the American Christian Writers Association. My credits include writing for Christian radio, television and the Internet. I am the author of The Dusty Road Chronicles, a series of three books: Mystic Dreams and Dusty Roads, Book 1; Black Mesa Magic, Book 2; and, Love’s Hidden View, Book 3. I have written numerous magazine and newspaper articles. My favorite quote: “Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing.” — Benjamin Franklin.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Love’s Hidden View. This book is a continuation and ending of a story line that began with my debut novel, Mystic Dreams and Dusty Roads. It’s about a young single mother who inherits a Fortune 500 company, and she has no business experience. She is surrounded by people she thought she could trust but who only seek her destruction. It’s a story of hope, courage and faith in the midst of tragedy and turmoil.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write with an outline. Many times, I’ll have the title, beginning and end in my head, but I let my characters dictate how the story goes. I guess I’m a “write-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” kind of writer. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it does for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list as I like nearly every genre.

What are you working on now?
I just completed writing my third book, so I’m taking a short break and focusing on marketing my series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website, which you can find the link below.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
You can talk about writing, dream about writing and even hope to write someday, but until you actually sit down and write, you won’t go far. Be passionate about what you write, and be persistent.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As far as writing, exactly what I would say to new authors. It was the best advice given to me by my writing mentor.

What are you reading now?
Nothing currently. Taking a breather.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have ideas for two more books and have already decided which one I will begin writing soon.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, of course, and probably a classic or two from Mark Twain, John Steinbeck or Charles Dickens.

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Valleau Website
Robert Valleau Amazon Profile

Robert Valleau’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Robert Valleau is a post from Awesome Gang