Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. I’ve been an avid reader with an interest in writing since I was very young. Most of my childhood can be described as having my nose stuck in one book or another. Thanks to my believe in ghosts and the paranormal as I got older I developed a special interest in writing paranormal romance for young adults.

When I’m not writing I enjoy reading and adding to my extensive book collection, cooking, and taking photographs.

I still currently live in Wisconsin, not far from where my debut novel, The Haunting Love is set.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is The Haunting Love.

It’s a young adult paranormal romance novel set in Green Bay, Wisconsin. One night I was listening to music in my room and the thought came to me “what if you never got to tell that one person how you felt about them?” and from there I experimented with the idea “what if you had the chance to go back and tell that person exactly how you felt?”

I then began developing the story of Iza and Johnny; two high school students that, thanks to their own insecurities, had been unable to tell the other how they felt about one another. It isn’t until a fatal car crash traps Iza between the living and the dead and she returns to Johnny as a ghost that they can admit their true feelings.

I was inspired mainly because when I was in high school there was a boy that at the time I thought I had feelings for and I never had the confidence to tell him how I felt. I still to this day wonder what would have happened if I had actually said something to him.

I also wanted my potential readers to see that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. I want them, especially the girls, to realize that whatever you look like, whether you’re chubby or skinny, dark haired or blonde, popular or the school outcast, that everyone deserves to be loved. And that if you look hard enough, there’s someone out there waiting just for you.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, no.

When I start a writing project I usually write down the basic concept I want the novel to be about. Once I have that down I choose character names and the setting for the novel. After that I just sort of wing it.

When I’m writing I usually listen to music, preferably loud rock or alternative rock music because it helps me get the overall feel. I can write almost anywhere but I prefer either the kitchen table or my bed as my work station.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Some of the authors that have influenced me are: Wendy Higgins, Rachel Caine, Meg Cabot, Rosemary Clement-Moore, and Jessica Verday.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the second book in a trilogy I’m developing. The second book I’m tentatively calling Into the Light follows two of the characters from the first book as they move to New Orleans after they and their friends and families reveal to the world that all the paranormal creatures (as well as some that haven’t been heard of before) people have been reading about and watching in movies for years truly exist.

I’m also working on getting my second completed standalone novel Finding Elizabeth ready to self-publish hopefully sometime this fall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far Twitter has been the easiest way to get word out about my book to the most people. I’m still experimenting and seeing what works for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Build up your social media platform, interact & network with people, and get people excited to read your book. Also, remember that not everyone is going to love your book, so don’t take it personally and argue with a reader if they don’t like your book. All that does is make people look at you in a negative way.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My grandmother always taught me to go after whatever I want in life and to not give up if it doesn’t happen right way.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Blood Magick by Nora Roberts; the third book in the Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy. But I just got Asa by Jay Crownover, the final Marked Men book, and I can’t wait to dive into it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the trilogy I’m working on and self-publishing Finding Elizabeth is the main focus right now. Once I’ve finished that I have three or four other story ideas I’d love to explore.

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?
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore, The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie, and The Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot; but there are so many more that I don’t think I could live without.

Author Websites and Profiles
Taylor Fenner Website
Taylor Fenner Amazon Profile

Taylor Fenner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Taylor Fenner is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Im a young British man, grew up in the east end of London. Now live in Luton, Bedfordshire with my soon to be wife and two children. I specialise in technology working at Vodafone. I previously have been a cook and also a support worker for learning disabilities. I have always enjoyed writing and as a younger man I used to write song lyrics as I was initially inspired by music artists. Now I write more about what I know and participate in and also write what interests me and stories for my children. I am currently on my third serious book, but have only published one so far (Android Tips and Tricks) as my second book I am still editing some areas and expanding the story.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Android Tips and Tricks.
Inspired by my love and fascination with technology and my personal belief that Android is the closest to a free and more efficient operating system which also promotes user diversity in which other mobile/tablet systems do not.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to break up what I am saying. When writing a book I stick to the rules of grammar but when informally writing/texting, I tend to put alot of breaks in that are not needed or could just be paragraphed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hmmmm I dont have a favourite, but I tend to be inspired by the world around me and not the books I read, and I have interests in so many subjects it would be impossible to pick a favourite or influence.

What are you working on now?
I am working on editing my childrens book about a bear who goes on an adventure to a world within a book and takes his little sister on the journey to a world. This was inspired by Alice and Wonderland but the storyline, settings, characters ect are of no similarities, but the idea started from the same level of imagination.
I am also starting a book about JFK.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far just facebook. I am sure it will be this one though. Facebook is a sea of many ads that confuse consumers but this site is quite obvious to the fact that it specialises in promoting good books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well I am still a newby myself. Only advice I would say is that I have gave up on many things in my life that I wish I didn’t, so dont let lack of recognition make you stop, keep going and enjoy what you do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Good Karma breeds better Karma. Never be negative of ignorant.

What are you reading now?
Whatever you say I am
By Anthony Bozzar

Biograthy on rap star Eminem

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing.
Every idea I have I will write about it and share it with the world.
I want to be able to use my writing to produce boos that not only entertain but can be related to or reach peoples wave lengths.

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?
Alice in Wonderland
The Crow
Macbeth
Of Mice and Men

Author Websites and Profiles
Reece Jackson Amazon Profile

Reece Jackson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the small town of Norwood, NJ where I still live with my family. It’s really comforting knowing the ins and outs of the town, but I can’t wait to explore a new area outside of my comfort zone!
Tormented Soul is my debut novel and it is the first of the Storm Trilogy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is Tormented Soul, it’s the first installment of the Storm Trilogy. I’d always known I wanted to write a book about faeries because of the Art of Amy Brown. I love her paintings and whenever I wanted to start working on a story, they were the first things that came to mind. There’s so much character behind them! Once I knew I wanted to go with faeries, I started to do more research about them from what I already knew and found some really interesting things. As I got further and further into the stories plot, I was able to explore more mythical creatures and more twist and turns than I had originally planned.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say it was unusual, but I always have coffee by my side with the right soundtrack. I don’t know how anyone else writes without music. It sets you in a certain mood and helps make the story flow when I’m writing. I have different playlists for various characters and certain songs I listen to while writing action scenes. It’s a lot of Florence and the Machine and Daughter though.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Outsiders is still my biggest influence since elementary school. I write young adult fantasy, but I just love the idea that someone who was in high school could write such an inspiration book. S.E. Hinton is incredible and her book is so powerful. She’s hands down my biggest writing influence.

As far as authors or books in my genre, I’d say Susan Ee, Michelle Hodkin, and Cassandra Clare.

What are you working on now?
I just finished the second draft of the Sequel to Tormented Soul called Fallen Warrior. I have a few more edits to do with that before it’s ready, but I do have some other ideas simmering in the back of my mind.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a tricky question. Twitter is one that gets the word out quickly, but I think Goodreads really helps too. You can easily do a giveaway and get readers interested in adding your book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you plan to self publish, start promoting yourself right away. Generate some kind of name for yourself before you publish.
Also, it takes a lot of time and leg work before you get to where you want to be, so don’t lose faith.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
So far, it would be when my sister continued to tell me to keep going. When I first started my story I would ask her nonstop if it was good and she would always say keep going. It eventually got to the point where I didn’t have to ask her anymore and just did it.

What are you reading now?
Abandon by Meg Cabot while I wait for Susan Ee’s End of Days to come out.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve been going to events around my area and plan on continuing that while I work out all the kinks for Fallen Warrior. I’m hoping that will come out sometime in the fall of 2015 so I can start working on the final book. After that, I have several other ideas swirling around in my brain.

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 Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Two-way Street by Lauren Barnholt, and some type of survivalist book so I don’t eat the wrong type of berry like in Into the Wild.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dylann Rhea Website
Dylann Rhea Amazon Profile

Dylann Rhea’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dylann Rhea is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Somehow I made a name for myself covering combat sports, namely kickboxing. I’m not sure how that happened, really, but somehow a kid who grew up obsessed with professional wrestling and books became big into the idea of punching and kicking people. I even did it myself for a while until the injuries stacked up and the idea of traumatic brain injuries really made me decide that it wasn’t for me.

Then I started writing about combat sports instead. It seemed fleeting, just something to do and to keep me writing, but then the UFC became really popular and I was starting to actually get paid to do it.

My passion was always literature, though, and I always knew that I wanted to be a novelist, the inspiration just wasn’t always there. I made a decision in late 2010 that I wanted to leave my secure, well-paying job in the world of Public Relations to focus on writing and that writing about professional fighting would be how I’d fund this dream of being a novelist. It turns out if you hate your job and stop caring they want to not pay you anymore (crazy, right?) and I found myself hustling for writing jobs.

I released The Godslayer in 2013 on a whim and was overwhelmed by how well it did, but it still wasn’t paying the bills. Somewhere around mid-2014 my wife finally pushed me to realize that I was miserable writing about combat sports and that I should just finish the novel that I was working on (Terminus Cycle) and stop putting off what I really wanted to do.

Since then I haven’t looked back.

I’m currently working on the follow-up to Terminus Cycle and just about done with it, so I guess you could say that I’ve written three books now. As for unfinished projects that have been shelved? I’d say at least another three.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Terminus Cycle and it was inspired by a lifelong addiction to science fiction.

Well, in part. I knew that I wanted to write a science fiction book for most of my life and I’ve always had ideas floating around but a big part of what helped to push me in the right direction was actually getting cable. That sounds ridiculous, right? I hadn’t had cable in a few years and made the decision to get it and I just ended up watching the Science channel a ton.

The Wonders of the Universe series hosted by Professor Brian Cox was really what reminded me about how much I love space and pushed me to start doing a lot of research. Research can either be dry or exciting and for some reason I felt that trying to delve into “hard science fiction” was the right path for me. Then, somewhere along the way, it really struck me how limiting our understanding of physics and our surroundings really are, plus I’m terrible at math and as much as I love the theoretical side of physics, a lot of the nuts and bolts don’t appeal to me.

Then we landed the Curiosity Rover on Mars and a friend made a joke about how the United States just colonized Mars and my mind went into overdrive about space colonization. It reminded me of a lot of the things about science fiction that I’ve always loved and I decided to go the route I did, which was inspired by real science but not obsessed about it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I used to only write late at night because it tends to be when my mind is the clearest, but that led to a lot of what I’ll call binge and purge writing. I’d write a ton, just write until I pass out, then wake up and some of it might be brilliant and untapped genius, but most of it is just awful and should never see the light of day.

I keep pretty normal (if not still late by most standards) hours during the day and try to set a basic goal for each day and week when it comes to writing, editing and working on freelance jobs. I’m not sure if this is considered odd but a lot of the time I’ll write for a burst of 20 – 30 minutes, then play a game for a bit before switching back. It tends to help me clear my mind if I find myself stuck and work out any frustrations. The game I play is Mount & Blade: Warband for the most part and I’ll usually just leave it open for a while so I can quickly tab in, fool around with some swordplay, then get back to writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When the Star Wars Expanded Universe books first started coming out in the early 90’s I was all over them. I was also a kid in second grade but that didn’t stop me. I’d say I read those for at least a solid six years along with Stephen King and a few other things before I moved on to more heady stuff. While I’m not overly fond of Star Wars or Stephen King anymore it’s hard not to recognize how they helped to nurture a nerdy kid who loved to read at a young age.

I’d say it’s hard to deny my main influences as Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Pynchon and Frank Herbert, though.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the follow up to Terminus Cycle at the moment, that is my main project. I have a few other projects that I shelved but might open up and revisit once in a while when I’m frustrated or in need of some changes.

It’s a real joy to be working on book two of a series and to start playing around in the sandbox that I constructed in the first book. This is the kind of stuff that I really love when it comes to storytelling and I think that it will really shine through on this one.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There isn’t a best method, I’ve found. There are times for subtle, targeted advertising and times for a shotgun blast to try to reach a new audience.

What’s perhaps the most interesting and frustrating thing is that the market is rather fluid and changes all of the time. There are a lot of people that want to offer advice, marketing tips and services to writers and a lot of them are just awful. There’s a bit of a goldrush going on in the ebook market right now and there are a lot of people lining the streets with snake oil elixirs. That being said, it’s hard not to appreciate the people who offer frank, honest advice to other writers and share their experiences with them. Blog posts from such authors have been helpful beyond measure to me and have pointed me to some really top notch services and promotional ideas.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write.

Stop worrying about inspiration or what people will think of you. Stop worrying about being the best or making a ton of money.

Just write.

Sooner or later you’ll start writing stuff that you actually enjoy and maybe eventually some day other people will enjoy it as well.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That there is no right answer sometimes.

What are you reading now?
The Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham. I felt like I needed a bit of a break from science fiction so I decided to read some fantasy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Dune by Frank Herbert, VALIS by Philip K. Dick, Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Author Websites and Profiles
Dave Walsh Website
Dave Walsh Amazon Profile
Dave Walsh Author Profile on Smashwords

Dave Walsh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Dave Walsh is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the English countryside, in an old farmhouse. This may give you an idyllic vision of me skipping round a striped lawn talking to the animals Snow White or Doctor Doolittle style, or merrily trudging through charming mud in a pair of green wellies, as I feed chickens and pat the heads of gamboling rabbits. The truth is I am a bit of a countryside wuss. We had a bat in our sitting room last week. Whilst my two youngest children excitedly waited for Daddy to come home from work and rescue us all, I was cowering with a beach towel over my head in my eldest daughter’s bedroom. I also jump three foot in the air if I see a mouse and scream if I step on a twig and it makes a loud noise.

I’ve written one book so far; there’s another on the way…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current book is The Anti-Ageing of Harmony Richards, a funny chick lit novel. I was inspired by the youth-obsessed culture we live in. No woman, especially in Hollywood, is allowed look over thirty-five these days, it seems, and once we are, every wrinkle, sag or sign of ageing is sneered at. We all have this weird choice – either age gracefully and slowly become invisible, or have ‘work’ done and look very, very strange.

I wanted to explore the subject in a humorous way, and give this issue to a character who has other things on her plate making it all seem so much worse: a husband she’s never been sure of and a much younger rival who’s after him.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I mainline chocolate at twenty minute intervals. Does that count?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ooh, there’s a question. I have been influenced by other writers in the chick lit genre, namely Adele Parks, Jane Fallon and Marian Keyes. It was Marian Keye’s novel, The Other Side of the Story, that inspired me to give writing a go. So we can blame her!

I also adore Graham Greene and John Irving

What are you working on now?
My second novel, Total Eclipse of the Harriet, is coming out soon. It’s about a single mum who meets a female rock star from the 80s on the school run and finds herself stepping into the spot light of her life for the first time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning on this front. What I have learnt is that I am hopeless at Twitter and not much better at Facebook! Must. Try. Harder!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As I’m new, I don’t feel highly qualified to give any, but if I must, I would say just get on with it and write, write, write! Write until you can no longer remember your own name.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t be afraid; you have nothing to lose.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the Time Traveler’s Wife. I know I’m about ten years too late, unless I travel back in time, of course…

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve started book number three. I’ll just keep plodding on and hope that people want to read what I write.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A Widow for One Year by John Irving
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Playing Away by Adele Parks
The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Author Websites and Profiles
Fiona Jane Collins Amazon Profile

Fiona Jane Collins’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Fiona Jane Collins is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing for about eight years now. I have always been an avid reader and it just seemed natural to turn to writing my stories for others to enjoy. I tend to incorporate real life situations such as autism, domestic violence, child abduction, into my books. I have written 5 books, 3 of which have been published and I will have another out in September 2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Second Chances is my latest release. It centers around a single mom of an autistic child. This book was inspired by my own autistic son and the difficulties a mom endures to try and make life as normal as possible for her son.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I try to write daily, but as far as unusual, I don’t think so. I listen to music when I write and edit, and I do a lot of people watching.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced a lot over the years by Barbara Delinsky. I just love the way she makes her books easy to relate to and I strive to do the same in my writing.

What are you working on now?
I just finished up A FINE LINE and am starting on a book that is near and dear to my heart, FINALLY HOME.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing!!! The more you write (and read), the better your writing will become.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing. You can’t see the next book if it is not written.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading ROCK SOLID by Lisa Olech right now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue writing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Emma Leigh Reed Website
Emma Leigh Reed Amazon Profile
Emma Leigh Reed Author Profile on Smashwords

Emma Leigh Reed’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Emma Leigh Reed is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a North Carolinian writer of the psychological thriller “The Admirer’s Secret,” “A Fatal Affair,” and my latest release, “A Secondhand Life.” Along with being a wife and mom of three rug rats, I’m a wannabe psychologist, though most people just think I need to see one. Along with delving into people’s minds–or being the subject of their research–I enjoy being a literary reviewer and riding her proud Arabian horse, when he lets me. I have a passion for adventure, and my hope is to keep earning enough from my writing to travel the world in search of more good story material. Grab a free book on my website at http://www.pamelacrane.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“A Secondhand Life” is my latest release, and it’s inspired by an organ transplant recipient friend of mine and his experiences with a scientific phenomenon called “organ memory.” In a nutshell, after receiving a heart transplant from a young murder victim, Mia Germaine is plagued by nightmares. Are they clues to solving a murder case, or grim phantasms leading her further into danger? More than a page-turning thriller, “A Secondhand Life” weaves a tale of second chances and reclaimed dreams as this taut, refreshing story ensnares and penetrates you.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Do you consider loading up on caffeine and writing for days on end unusual? As a mother of three (going on four) kids, I have resorted to camping out in our RV (for a visual, imagine Cousin Eddie’s RV from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”) to get the solitude needed to write. I start out with an endless supply of coffee, then write until the story has told itself.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Almost every book I’ve read has influenced me as a writer in some way. I’ll pick up on certain ways an author describes things, or character traits that impact me, and grab bits and pieces of inspiration here and there. I’m an eclectic reader and enjoy a bit of every genre and every writing style.

What are you working on now?
I am in the process of writing a companion novel for “A Secondhand Life” called “A Secondhand Lie,” which uncovers a framed murder and how a serial killer ends up solving the case as his last cry for redemption.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I offer a free novella or free sample to build a fan base, since readers are willing to take a risk on a freebie. If they like it, they usually end up purchasing my other books, and so far I’ve had steady sales using this method. In fact, if you’d like to see for yourself, pick up on of my free books at these sites:

http://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Affair-Pamela-Crane-ebook/dp/B00GPU7MRI/
http://www.amazon.com/Secondhand-Life-Sample-Pamela-Crane-ebook/dp/B00SUMNFYI/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice, and I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, is to keep writing. If you want to sell books, you have to keep writing books. Consider writing a companion novella if you don’t have a full book idea in mind. For example, my novella “A Fatal Affair” uncovers the secrets of one of the main characters, Allen Michaels, from my other book “The Admirer’s Secret.” Since I felt there was more to Allen than I could get into in “The Admirer’s Secret,” the novella shares another story that needed to be told while expanding my book backlist.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take it one day at a time. That truly is how I live, or else I’d be in a straightjacket (with three kids ages four and under)! I can only handle each moment and each day as it comes, and that gives me the hope that each day will bring new experiences, new ideas, and new energy to deal with what comes.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually reading several indie thrillers right now to expand my literary taste buds. I like trying out new authors who don’t get the same chances to reach a wider audience, so I’m in a process of picking random indie thrillers to enjoy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing! I plan to put out about two books a year, since I don’t have a shortage of ideas crawling around in my head. “A Secondhand Lie,” the sequel to “A Secondhand Life,” should be coming out this fall.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A how-to book on basic survival–like how to build a boat out of tree limbs and how to identify edible bugs that actually taste like chicken.

Author Websites and Profiles
Pamela Crane Website
Pamela Crane Amazon Profile

Pamela Crane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Pamela Crane is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Foodist and writer with a hint of mint dividing time between south of France and London. Just published my ninth book and second full length novel with two collections about to be published in USA and Canada and a further book by author Chris Henson Tour De Europa to be published this summer – its a book about me on my book tour last year, funny, tragic and observational.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Life Of Parties. Its a fictional biography of a bright young thing Agatha Dewsbury. Agatha appears (albeit briefly) in my previous book Now Is Not The Time For Trumpets and as I was writing I felt she deserved a book and indeed a life story of her own, so I gave her one. The book is a complete analysis of her life from childhood, to becoming a writer, various love affairs and ultimately, and sadly, her downfall. But the real twist is that she doesn’t and ever has existed and yet the world I am am writing about did exist.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I observe everything , even with friends and always carry a notebook around so I can usually be found scribbling down a name or place I have hear and could use. Titles are also important to me. I am a nocturnal person so I love to write in peace at night without being disturbed. I guess one unusual habit would be walking my hound talking out loud various things I have composed to make sure it sounds right.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
E. M Delafield was a great writer, love the way she wrote and captured your imagination. Evelyn Waugh also, especially his early books before the war where he write about colourful beautiful people.

What are you working on now?
Two books. The first – Take Down The Flags – is a series of ten stories all set on 7 May 1945. I like to turn things round, end of war, people celebrating but would everyone be celebrating and waving flags – so my stories really look at the other side to the end of war. The other provisionally called Burn Baby Burn is a fictional novel set in the 1970s. It’s bringing together a whole set of short stories I wrote a few years ago and expanding them into something bigger. Obviously inspired by the disco era and I love the fact that both books are completely different in style and history so it is great to move between them.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social networking sites help but you have to get out and promote it and discus your book. So many people now self publish (which is great in itself) but the only downside is that so many good books go unnoticed. I used my Facebook and Twitter alot and have gained a small but good following. I have been fortunate in that I have done alot of media promotion, a few book tours so I have been able to get out there so to speak and promote the book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write. Edit. Write.
Keep writing, don’t throw anything away. I recently found a manuscript I wrote twenty years ago and its being reused into something else. Everything is valuable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It is what it is. It’s my usual saying when I am asked if I have any regrets in life.

What are you reading now?
I have just finished Gone To Ground – a real account of survival of a Jewish woman in Nazi Germany and totally recommended.

What’s next for you as a writer?
On the promo trail for my books but also some promotion for a book by Chris Henson Tour De Europa which is coming out in July. Chris came with me last year on my book tour and literally wrote down everything, snapshot conversations, observations, everything, and from that has created a funny book about life on the road promoting a 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?
Agatha Christie – Murder On The Orient Express. I read this every year, we know the story, we know the outcome, but I love the setting and observations. In my mind it is a classic.

Serious Pleasures – The Life of Stephen Tennant by Philip Hoare. I would have loved to have met Stephen, I think we would have been great chums. He was the David Bowie of the 1930s.

Under The Ivy – The Story of Kate Bush by Graeme Thomson. Friends know I am a huge fan, but this book gives a rare insight into her life.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mark Binmore Website
Mark Binmore Amazon Profile

Mark Binmore’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Mark Binmore is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian author in my 30s currently living in Zürich, Switzerland. My wife and I have traveled around the globe the last few years; we recently moved here by way of Melbourne, Australia and Victoria, Canada. I love to experience new cultures and locations as inspirations for my work. When I’m not writing, I’m usually on stage. I work all over the world as a theatrical director and performer. To date I have published six books, which include two novels, a short story collection, and a youth fantasy trilogy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled The Munsen Street Drive-In Theatre (& Tie Factory). I was inspired to write a comedy/mystery simply because I hadn’t yet done so, and I love new challenges.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this counts, but I tend to have the title first. Then I think to myself, “That sounds interesting. I wonder what that book is about?” Then I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really respect Lois McMaster Bujold for her ability to span genres while staying within a single universe, writing varying story styles with the same characters. Scott Lynch’s ability to write fascinating characters with great humour and pathos is something I aspire to as well. And Patrick Rothfus is brilliant at world-building and creating a sense of great depth and history to his work.

What are you working on now?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have my own website, www.jrvikse.com, but I also use other social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, etc to spread the word.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write! Then go read something totally unrelated and come back to see your work with new eyes. Then write some more. And don’t publish until you’re sure you’re happy with the final product.

What are you reading now?
The Manticore by Robertson Davies, while I wait for Patrick Rothfus to release his next book!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next I have to decide what story to attack next. I have a backlog of outlines to choose from. Once one of them is chosen, the chaos begins again!

Author Websites and Profiles
J.R. Vikse Website
J.R. Vikse Amazon Profile

J.R. Vikse’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.R. Vikse is a post from Awesome Gang