Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I actually write across three different genres: historical fiction, scifi/fantasy, and crime fiction. Currently, I have five books out, which represent three different series and one stand-alone. I have a dystopian scifi series, Interchron. Books 1 and 2 (Persistence of Vision and Quantum Entanglement, respectively) are out, and I am currently writing book 3. My crime fiction series is called Street Games. Book 1, Dark Remnants, is available everywhere. Book 2, Desolate Mantle, will be out next month. I also have Citadels of Fire, Book 1 of Kremlins, which is the first in a historical fiction trilogy. It’s set in Russia in the middle ages, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Finally, I have a stand alone crime fiction called The Botanist. More on that below.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Botanist is my latest. It’s a stand-alone novel about a serial killer operating in the desert outside a small, southern Utah town. It was inspired several years ago when I had siblings working on a dude ranch in extreme southern Utah. (I’m from northern Utah.) I made lots of five hour trips that summer through dusty, tumbleweed-laden desert that year. And, what can I say? I’m a writer. My mind wanders. The Botanist was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not especially. I just try to stay focused and disciplined. I do write several series at once, always juggling many, vastly different projects, but I’m not sure that’s entirely uncommon among novelists.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Terry Goodkind, Rachel Vincent, Katie McGarry, all the classic authors, and so many more!

What are you working on now?
I’m writing book 3 of Interchron, as well as working (in a mostly backburner manner) on an epic fantasy about dragons. I’m also planning book 3 of Street Games, and I just finished edits for Book 2 of Kremlins (tentative title: Bastions of Blood).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m actually still discovering that. I think right now my strategy is to get my name and my work out onto as many sites and platforms as possible. Of course Amazon is the quintessential marketing monster, but I’m still experimenting with smaller sites to move books and have yet to draw any meaningful conclusions. (I may write about my findings at the end of the calender year.)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! The only difference between a published author and an unpublished author is persistence!

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

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Katie McGarry’s Dare You To, Joanna Penn’s Business for Authors, and Robert Kiyosaki’s Retire Young, Retire Rich. (I tend to read more than one thing at a time, which is why it always takes me so long to get through a book. :D)

What’s next for you as a writer?
Right now I’m just trying to be more visible. Working on all my projects, of course, but also trying to get more speaking engagements and meet more influential people in the writing community. I also want to train myself to use my youtube channel more as an author.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh 3 or 4 is just not enough! (Does a loaded kindle count as one book?) I’d definitely take Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, as many installments as I could get away with. It’s my all-time favorite. I’d also take Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, one of my favorite classics. I read it probably once a year. Ditto Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Author Websites and Profiles
Liesel (L.K.) Hill Website
Liesel (L.K.) Hill Amazon Profile
Liesel (L.K.) Hill Author Profile on Smashwords

Liesel (L.K.) Hill’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Liesel (L.K.) Hill is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written nine books so far, with seven published. I love to tell my tales. I watch movies, and read books so my goal was to invoke that certain feeling with my writing. In high school my friends never wanted me to tell of a movie I’d seen before them because when they watched it, my description was better. I believe that was where spoiler came from (LOL).
Since I told stories so well, and was a comic book nut, after working for someone for 21 years, and going through a debilitating medical episode where I couldn’t work anymore, I decided to try writing my own stories. I just want people to play in my imagination.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This latest book is a work in progress right now. The working title is Celestial Summoner. This title will change. I have to do the keyword dance with Amazon to det it noticed.
This title was inspired by all the detective shows on T.V. I also have been watching this decade’s horror movies, and they don’t scare me at all so I wanted to do a thriller. Mediocraty drove my inspiration,

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really don’t know if this is unusual, but I write with a soundtrack of my music in the background. I listen to Trent Reznor, Metallica, or KMFDM when I want a dark setting. I listen to Tove Lo, Whitney Houston, or Bjork when I want to wtite a love scene. My music depends on the setting, and I’m very eclectic from Cibo Matto to Gustav Holst.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors are Phillip K. Dick, Stephen King, George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke, and Denniger Bolton. Denniger is an indie author as well.

What are you working on now?
I’m in the third act of Celestial Summner, and as I always say, it’s at the good part.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Ask David for promotion as well as the new one I’m trying, Sleepy Bookworm. I use my own web site, Stumble upon, Digg, and Facebook. When I do free promos, I use Ozbargains, an Australian web site, and Twitter.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors that are independent is to become a salesperson in order to get your books known. You already know how to write so that parts easy. Yo just don’t want your masterpiece collecting dust on a shelf.
Whatever you writ about, learn it inside and out. Anyone could read your work, and weather it’s fiction or not, you need to know what you’re writing about. I should take at least sevral months to craft your tale that will take days to read, AND GET IT EDITED!!! Go to finerr to find a good, cheap editor. Fiction writers can find a proof reader, and non-fiction writers should go full f;edged. You want your facts accurate.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your story is scratching to escape your mind so let slip the dogs of your imagination. Don’t get around to it, do it.

What are you reading now?
I;m reading another indie author named Al Macy (us indies gotta stick together) The eBook is called Contact Us: A Jake Corby Sci-Fi Thriller.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I write fiction, and I love to write. Your imagination becomes unfettered without realistic restraints so I usually pick up different nuggets of ideas. I’ve never tried a medieval tale before so I have to research that in order to make a eadable tale.

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 first book would be what I’ve read already, The Stand unabridged version. Then I would have to explore 3 different ones. You can be on that island for a long time so you should expand your repertoire. Read what you haven’t read before. Hit the library, and find out a DIY on how to build a boat.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kyle Robertson Website
Kyle Robertson Amazon Profile

Kyle Robertson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kyle Robertson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have ridden horseback over most of the landscape featured in my novel. I live in New Mexico, and love green chile. I also hate chocolate (go figure!). I was raised on a cattle ranch and my love of the outdoors is evident in my writing. I am an elk hunter, Vietnam veteran, worked as a cowboy and spent a career as a natural resource manager. Enjoys travel, desert walks and playing with grandchildren. Lived in Asia for five years. Once told a Bible story to a group of nearly-naked men in a grass hut with unsheathed swords laying across their laps. Met Emperor Hirohito in the flesh.
Like most writers, I have several partly-finished novels in the desk drawer that will never see the light of day, and the world is better for it. I wrote a serious book on theology a couple of years ago called “CrossCurrents: Making Sense of the Christian Life.” But I had started my novel before I had even begun that work. “The Stonegate Sword” was published a few months ago and it is my first novel. It has been favorably compared to FINGAL’S QUEST, RED HUGH PRINCE OF DONEGAL, and THE HITTITE WARRIOR.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Stonegate Sword. It started out as a sort of fan-fiction to the Lord of the Rings, but it would not stay in that niche. I then decided to write about a hero’s quest where the hero is a person with a modern world-view, but living in a medieval era. That would produce some interesting tension, and perhaps critique both modern and ancient values. So I thought about a time-travel adventure. Disliking this, I finally hit on the idea of a hero who had been reared in seclusion studying modern times, which were ancient times to him. He then would have to go out into essentially a medieval world, armed with modern values and thinking. That would make an interesting story, or so I thought, and I have tried to bring it to life. Otherwise, the story is mostly about places, landscapes and topics that I know something about. It is the old “write what you know” idea.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. I used to write longhand, and I still like the ability to cut and paste in a tactile way. But now I mostly stick to a word processor, unless I am on vacation and a notepad is more convenient. I try to write and get the ideas down before I lose them, and worry about editing later. A good idea, which I don’t actually do as much as I should, is to keep a pad by the bedside and breakfast table and jot ideas down as they come.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read widely and have done so for the last sixty years. That being the case, it is hard to pin down my influences. I like the classics of English and American literature, and at one time read most of the well-known Russian novelists. I very much like historical novels and non-fiction, and have read widely about the Civil War and World War one and two. I am a Vietnam veteran, and have enjoyed selected readings about that struggle, also. I can say for sure that J.R.R. Toliken, C. S. Lewis, and Stephen R. Lawhead have influenced me.

What are you working on now?
I am now working on a sequel to The Stonegate Sword. It continues the stories of Don, Philip, Deborah and Rachel and their companions as they struggle against the invasion of the Prophet’s army. I am probably half-way through a good, clean, first draft. Then, of course, the real work starts.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I send out a newsletter to friends and acquaintances. It is very hard to build readership, but this has had the biggest payback. I have had some small bumps from other promotions, but have yet to find a site that yielded significant results.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Set aside some time every day to write. Even 500-1000 words a day will mount up into a major work over time. Get you ideas down on paper. As the old saying goes, “You can’t edit what’s in your head.”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to do much editing while you write. I find myself thinking about scenes throughout the day, and try to imagine them in detail. Then when I sit down and write, it is almost as if I am writing a description of something that has actually happened to me.

What are you reading now?
God is an Englishman by R. F. Delderfield, Glory’s War by Alfred Coppel, Angel War by Philip Dodd, and The Shouting Man by Fiona McShane.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I envision a third book of the Stonegate series. I am not sure it it will take off where book two leaves off, or whether it will skip a generation and deal with children of the main protagonists. I see some attractive writing challenges each way. Along the way, I hope to continue to refine my technical skills.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably first place would be a book on desert island survival, or edible tropical plants. Seriously, though, the Bible would have pride of place. A one-volume Lord of the Rings, definitely. Perhaps Robinson Crusoe. Add Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. Finally the Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Author Websites and Profiles
Harry Fox Website
Harry Fox Amazon Profile
Harry Fox Author Profile on Smashwords

Harry Fox’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Harry Fox is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for over a decade and I’ve got about three other books lying around on my hard drive gathering digital dust, much like Jim’s brain in Do Not Resuscitate. I’m interested in getting at least one or two of those other books in shape for publication. But there’s no hurry. Writing has always been a hobby for me–a way to gather my thoughts in one place, rearrange them, test their strength and validity. I try to write my characters into situations that may seem outlandish, but are really quite plausible. Then I kind of wait to see what they’ll do. And that always says a little something about me and a little something about what I think of humans in general.

I teach. That’s what I really do. I don’t even want to pretend for a second that I’m a bona fide writer. I teach high school maths–the stuff you used to hate when you were in school. I’d like to think I make the maths a little more likable than they were when you were in school. They really are likable–maths.

I also coach, well I recently stopped coaching, but I used to coach high school cross-country and track. That’s another one of those things you used to hate as a kid–running. I am a bona fide runner. That I can say. I think I’ll know it if I’m ever a bona fide writer, but for now my writing is to ________ what jogging is to running.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Do Not Resuscitate is inspired by all the terrifying realities you read about in the headlines today, and it attempts to imagine the near future in the context of those realities.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If writing a novel and then leaving it to be forgotten for many years before digging it up and defibrillating it back to life is an unusual writing habit, then the answer is yes. However, I suspect most writers share that habit, in which case, my habits are no more remarkable than those of any other writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh. Everything Kurt Vonnegut has ever written.

What are you working on now?
Getting a bunch of strangers to read my never-heard-about-this-guy-so-why-should-I care book.

But seriously? I’m actually busy preparing my math students for the upcoming AP exam next week. I’m trying to get my homework done for a course on environmental sustainability I’m taking online. I’m a real person, so I’m not going to pretend that what I’m working on right now is even close to glamorous. And say I were working on another book–I’d like to think we could all agree that wouldn’t be any more glamorous than what I’m actually doing at the moment.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still figuring that out. If you happen to read this far into the interview and then decide to purchase my book–and then you actually read my book–let me know, please.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get educated. Get a job that pays the bills. Get outside of yourself. Don’t pretend for a second that anything you write is God’s gift to humanity. Remember you could always be doing something a hell of a lot more useful to the human race than writing a silly book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you think the goal of life is to be happy, then you’re an idiot.

What are you reading now?
Letters from Africa, 1914-1931 by Isak Dinesen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
You tell me. And by you, I mean the you that actually reads my book and has something to say about it. Because if you can’t even be bothered to finish the damn thing, then I don’t think there’s much of a “next” for me as a writer.

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?
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Author Websites and Profiles
Nicholas Ponticello Website
Nicholas Ponticello Amazon Profile

Nicholas Ponticello is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Me! Well, I love words, I am opinionated, loud, honest to the point of too honest, I live in Melbourne, Australia but I was born in London, England. I have two children and two grand-children. This is my first published novel but I have a few more percolating.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Consort In Blood is my latest publication and it was inspired by Twilight. I wanted to write a more ‘mature’ vampire novel for the older and more, shall we say, adult lovers of Vampire lore.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up before dawn to write while the world is relatively silent.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list here but, Stephen King, Anne Rice and Shakespeare.

What are you working on now?
I am working on another Erotic Novel. It is a story murder in outback Australia. It is purely fictional and not based on any true crime. It also has an older woman/younger man love story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is my first go around with promoting my book I don’t know yet. I am hoping this page is going to be the best.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it and don’t let your own insecurities get the better of you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just do it. It is better to regret that which you have done that that which you failed to do.

What are you reading now?
Too busy writing my new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my next book and moving on to another after that…

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Tara Devaney-Thompson Website

Tara Devaney-Thompson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tara Devaney-Thompson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have had a book out in print from Kensington Publishing company in New York, but decided to go the indie route and self publish ebooks because I see that being the wave of the future. Not that I don’t still love “real” books. I do and visit my local library at least twice a month for new releases by my favorite authors. But I heart my Kindle too.

I have written two books in a series called “Forever Cowboys” and am working on the third.

Book 1 is Cowboys are Forever. Book 2 is The Color of Forever. Book 3 is Two Times Forever,

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Book 2 in the Forever Cowboys series is The Color of Forever.

My inspiration fro this book came from my first book, Cowboys are Forever. Although I didn’t set out to write a series, there were two secondary chracters in the book that seemed perfect for a second book: Samantha and Ben.

So my second book, The Color of Forever, is their story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits to speak of. I just sit down in front of my PC and start typing. My practice is to outline a book so that I have a track to run on. That being said, like many authors I often find my characters taking a different road that the one I had mapped out and wandering off into unknown territory.

Is this a bad thing?

Not for me! When my hero and heroine have developed enough to do their own thing, I feel that their characters are much deeper and more interesting.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Honestly, this would be such a long list I wouldn’t even attempt it. I’ve been an avid reader all my life, normally devouring several books a week. The romance genre is one of my particular favorites because it’s uplifting to read a story about two people who meet, fall in love, overcome the obstacles that are in their way and then live happily ever after.

What are you working on now?
Book 3, named Two Times Forever.

It will have the heroes and heroines from Book 1 and 2, along with a couple of other recurring characters, as secondary characters.

This book is about people who have loved and lost a mate who died and how hard it can be to get past the grief enough to love again. I guess you could say it’s about second chances.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m pretty new at epublishing so I don’t really have a favorite website for promotion just yet. I’m trying out quite a few.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! If you’re a writer, sit down and do it. That may sound oversimplified but it isn’t, really. Writers are storytellers and if you have stories you want to tell, get started telling them.

So many people are held back from achieving their goals or living their dreams by nothing but fear of the unknown. With epublishing, you have nothing to fear except failure. True, this is a pretty big thing to be afraid of. But, even if your first book is a stinker that doesn’t sell, you can use this failure as a learning experience to make the second one better.

I have been exceptionally lucky because both of my books have risen in Amazon’s ranking very quickly. My first book in the Forever Cowboys Series, Cowboys are Forever, has been in the Top 100 paid books on Amazon in my category several times.

But, as a freelance writer of quite a few years, it was scary to take the time away from paying work for others and write just for myself. Sometimes you’ve just gotta gamble a little and take that first leap of faith into the unknown.

I did and it has paid off for me. Writing and epublishing my books so far has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It’s exciting! I have a lot more stories to tell and I hope that readers continue to enjoy reading these stories.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To thine own self be true.

What are you reading now?
The Future Widows Club, by Rhonda Nelson. She has been a top selling writer for Harlequin Blaze for over a decade and just happens to be my daughter.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the same I’ve experienced so far, I hope. The success of my first two books has just blown me away and I’m eagerly anticipating writing more and more and more!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh dear. I can’t even go there, such a tough decision!

Author Websites and Profiles
Hope Whitley Website
Hope Whitley Amazon Profile

Hope Whitley is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m relatively new. I have one book published (Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aids) and one slated for release (Sex, Secrets & Happily Ever Afters, August 4th 2015) with three more slated for the Twisted Sisters Club series.

In addition, I’m plotting a 9 book cowboy series, and 3 other 3 book/series to follow.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters is book 2 of the The Twisted Sisters Club series. The series is about a group of friends. It was inspired by the friends I’ve known in my life. Always being there for one another no matter what. The levels you’re willing to go to for those friends, and the mishaps and mayhem that happen along the way. The one fun running theme in this series is the girls play a game of “Truth and Dare” which doesn’t always have the expected results, and more often than not, leads to embarrassing circumstances and situations. And there’s always some sort of “revenge” being plotted…somewhere.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write long hand notes at the end of the day. Then the next day I’ll add the plot details I came up with to the current notes in place. Sometimes bits of dialog, situations, ideas, whatever…I decide the best place for it, and keep going…when I’m done writing for the day. I set that aside and just make more hand written notes. Something about writing it out long hand being away from the computer makes it easier to come up with ideas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Janet Evanovich. I hear people say, come one decide Joe or Ranger already…all I can say is “Why decide?” Stephanie gets into more trouble, has more fun, and two men wanting her…what’s not to like? It was the Stephanie Plum Series, which I love, that showed me you can have all sort of characters. I personally love Grandma Mazur…I just love the lady. She was the key to me finding my Blue-haired Brigade in my current comedy series. These ladies know now boundaries, they have no filter, and you can’t turn them off.

Another huge influence is Jude Devereaux and her Montgomery/Taggert saga. She writes men so darn well, you just have to keep reading to find everything you can about the characters and what they do, who they are, and who’s next. I’m working on getting her entire saga in hardcover now. That’s how much I like them. Same with the Stephanie Plum series…they’re my keepers!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on book 3 of my Twisted Sisters Club series. It’s Kat’s story, then I’ll do Jill’s, and last but not least Carina. Kat’s the wild child, the strongest female I’ve ever written, and boy does she fight me. Every time I think I need to tone her down, she won’t let me and does something outrageous just to prove it. Kat’s is a story about bullying and she’s not about to let it happen on her watch.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do a lot of sharing on Facebook, Blogs, Interviews, Blog Talk Radio shows, and now I’m working on other promos for visibility. It’s hard to know what works. Nothing is concrete and what works one time may not work the next. But, I am taking notes and will gladly share.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn your craft, don’t rush that learning process, and really get to know your characters. Writing isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, sorry for the cliché but it is. You can never stop learning, you can never be good enough, and seriously, it’s an addiction…I don’t know how to stop, nor do I want to.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I got was from a writer friend who came to speak to our local RWA chapter. I had a bad case of writer’s block, stuck in chapter 7 of Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aids…and I didn’t now why. During Tawny’s talk she said something about fear. I asked about what she meant…she said when she got a block it was fear, the character fears and fear from the author, and that when that happens ask yourself, what does your character fear and why, then give it to her…at the same time ask yourself why you fear for that character. IT WAS PURE GENIUS! I went home and finished the story in less than 2 weeks; it practically wrote itself. I then went back on every story I’d stalled on and finished them. I no longer get stuck because now I know how to get past it. Thank you, Tawny!

What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Stephanie Evanovich’s Big Girl Panties and Sweet Spot. Both are terrific books. I love the character Holly in Big Girl Panties. I can so relate to her situation, but it’s her moxy that endeared me, her sass and snark, and that she wasn’t afraid to extract her kind of revenge. She’s my kind of character.

And Amanda in Sweet Spot is in every woman I know…that want to be perfect, be the good daughter, good wife, good person, doing everything she can to always be good, ignoring the inner vixen screaming for freedom.

I can’t wait for her next book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m finishing up a story for an anthology that will be out this summer. More details on it to come, it’s kind of a secret for now.

And have finalized the first draft of the first book in a 9 book cowboy series. Sterling Bronco is an Army Ranger, injured during his deployment and sent home where he finds EVERYTHING has changed. I can’t wait to concentrate on him and that series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d bring one of the Stephanie Plum series probably Explosive Eighteen when they’re in Hawaii, Amanda/Miranda by Richard Peck, The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser, and Turning Angel by Greg Iles. Those four would fit any mood I would be in.

Author Websites and Profiles
Deb Julienne Website
Deb Julienne Amazon Profile

Deb Julienne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Deb Julienne is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Dawn of Modern Man is my first full length novel. Most of the writing I’ve done before getting started on it was journal entries, creative writing in school (short stories, poetry, writing prompts, etc.) and critical analysis essays in college, among other assignments I may have been less enthusiastic about. I love to write in a journal. I gained this habit during college when I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Greece for a summer and continued with it when I studied aboard the MV Explorer. I circumnavigated the globe on this ship, hitting ports in Asia, India, Egypt, and Eastern and Western Europe. To me a big part of writing is understanding people and during my travels and my day to day life I do my best to understand people and then write about them. I also like to keep a journal of the fish I’ve caught and what I was using to catch it. I’m not the best at updating this one because there isn’t always fish to report in it when I get back.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and only book out to date is Dawn of Modern Man. In one word, what inspired my book is Cancer. However, that is not the full story and that is a sad part of what inspired it. I wanted to be a writer ever since I read 1984, when I realized how powerful fiction could be. I would sit down and try to write from time to time, but without much ambition to finish and not much clarity on my ideas. I always had some excuse, something like, ‘Well an author should have read Moby-Dick before he writes a novel and I’m not ready to write until I’ve read all of Hemingway or I need to finish the Russian novels I started and continued to put down.” I ‘wanted’ to be a writer. I didn’t realize that I needed to just become one until I got cancer. Between my diagnosis and treatment, I got the idea for this book. After my first full week in the hospital and rereading Animal Farm, I remember walking from a coffee shop to my apartment in Seattle and having an epiphany, this overwhelming feeling that I needed to get to work. I didn’t need to keep adding to my reading list before I could consider myself qualified to be a writer, I had the tools and I would learn on the job what I didn’t already know. That very day I got to work. I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. Thankfully, I’m cancer free now, and I was able to have several years to work on this book. Perfecting it. At times I felt I bit off more than I could chew. Chapters would bring me down rabbit holes I didn’t know existed. At times I would have to let the work cool down before I could pick it back up with a fresh perspective. This world I was building created so many challenges I didn’t foresee, but I worked through them. I’m proud of what became of this simple little idea, what if we could get paid to play video games? That was the idea that this book was sparked from.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know what would be considered unusual. I do like to listen to music pretty loud at times and I tend to drink a little bit. That’s if I’m writing into the wee hours. Sometimes I get up early and write with a lot of clarity. I’ve got a lot of ideas about what tools we use as writers, i.e. computer, pencil and paper, pen and paper, typewriter or dictation, and how that impacts the final result. As of now, I think it is impossible to really know. I’ve been writing on my Ipad, I kind of like it, but it also causes a lot of problems when it comes to file sharing. Then I think, well it is still really easy to copy paste or delete entire sections, move something here to there, save a chunk for later…. none of that was possible a couple decades ago. Does that change what the final result is? I don’t know.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.D. Salinger and the Catcher in the Rye was eye opening for me. Something about the book made me realize what set Classics apart from Commercial Fiction. I still think of Holden Caulfield from time to time and that line about his roommate’s luggage. I know I’ve judged people based on their bag or people have judged me based on mine, it’s amazing how much we can assume about someone based on what luggage they carry. It is little glimpses into humanity that seem simple, but are timeless and ring true that a good author can convey in a few simple lines that stick with us for life. George Orwell is probably my favorite when it comes to ideas and how fiction can have an impact on the world. When it comes to world building there is no one better than Frank Herbert or Tolkien.

What are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on a compilation of period piece short fiction stories. I’m starting around the 1870s pioneer times and following a few different characters as they interact with some historical figures and events up until around the 1920s; keeping the world consistent with some overlap in characters, but primarily separate stories that stand on their own. I’m focusing on the Northwest and the fur traders, miners, rail-roaders, loggers and Calvary men that settled the area I now call home. There is a lot of untold history with regards to the Indian Wars and the early settlement of the region. I find it fascinating and really fun to write about.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning about this process of it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sit down and start writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That you can learn something from anyone. Everybody has something to offer if you just listen.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I recently finished this other comic called Spokane Country: The Way it Was by Ivan Munk. It was published by Spokane Heritage Publishing and has some really great info in it for my current work. Reading that got me on a little bit of a comic book kick so I picked up Watchmen. The characters are engaging.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting some words on paper today, and treating everyday like an opportunity to get more writing done.

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?
Do series count? I would bring Dune and the Dark Tower Series, Moby-Dick and Crime and Punishment.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nick J Plastino Website
Nick J Plastino Amazon Profile
Nick J Plastino Author Profile on Smashwords

Nick J Plastino’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Nick J Plastino is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a full time home schooling mother with eight kids, and we manage our rural home & farmstead in central Illinois. I began writing so many years ago I’ve lost track, but I didn’t attempt to publish anything until about five years ago when I wrote my first non-fiction work, The Road Goes Ever On – A Christian Journey Through The Lord of the Rings (published in 2011). After that I began to self publish my historical fiction adventures: The Deliverance Trilogy including ARAM (published in 2012), Ishtar’s Redemption – Trial by Fire and Neb the Great – Shadows of the Past (both published in 2013) After that I moved the story line into the first century with Georgios I – Hidden Heritage (published in 2014) Georgios II – A Chosen people is due out in 2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I recently finished a novel entitled Last of Her Kind which is set in the future. It is a science fiction adventure-romance and was inspired by current events and the direction our world seems to be heading. I am also publishing Georgios II – A Chosen People this summer and working on publishing (some time in 2016) the next book in the genealogy set in the 5th century entitled: Melchior – Vengeance is Mine.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Considering my busy schedule, I write when ever I get the time and inspiration.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have enjoyed books by Jane Austin, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Harper Lee’s to Kill a Mockingbird, the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, and a variety of children’s books.

What are you working on now?
I am reworking Last of Her Kind as needed before publication.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is: http://www.akfrailey.com/ where I write a weekly blog and keep readers updated about the latest events concerning my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up – it is a tough business. Plan to work hard and do your best – reworking your pieces until they are truly great. Be willing to take good advice and help other authors along the way.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writer what you really mean to say.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Holes by Louis Sachar out loud to my younger kids. We are loving it. I am also reading Beyonders – A World without Heroes for my personal enjoyment.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to go back and fill in some of the gaps in the story line especially in the middle ages…

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?
Jane Austin’s complete works, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet & Macbeth

Author Websites and Profiles
Ann Frailey Website
Ann Frailey Amazon Profile

Ann Frailey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Ann Frailey is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Semi-Retired and I have in the past 9 months completed 7 books. Six are the Hunter Blacke Chronicles that are a combination of Fiction/Non-Fiction however I would say mostly Fiction. They are based on world travel experiences in some exotic countries for the time and capture moments in history where I happened to be involved. The Seventh book is actually a grouping of events during the growing years of a young boy and is Non-fiction. It is about a rural quiet street that has since disappeared but at one time was vibrant with little kids and their lives. This takes place after the 2nd world war. The houses are now all gone but the street is now an egress and entrance to a Freeway. Back to the Operatives and Spies. They also were an enjoyable exorcism in a way and written in a frankly ordinary style that readers seem to enjoy.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Troika – Operation Siberia This book is a compilation of a series of visits to Russia and takes in primarily the Urals as winter arrives. There is an elusive character that keeps slipping into Hunter Blackes field of expertise and bails him out of numerous dangerous ventures. I feel it is the best of the six and that is likely because I was not a writer and with each book written the style and the plots become more interesting for the reader.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well. I am no Shakespeare or Tolstoy and my grammatical style is not that of a polished writer. It was asked do I want everything edited and I said no. The sentences and such may not be polished but they are my words and thoughts not those of someone hired to determine my process. I like the outcome and will keep writing as I do for now anyway.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read some of the classics but actually grew up on Western’s and World Sailing adventures. This included Pirates and swashbuckling adventures of old. I perhaps found Lord of the Flies, one that sticks in my mind. As to other authors I wish them all well but none really took my soul.

What are you working on now?
Now we are on Book Seven of the Hunter Blacke Chronicles. Another adventure piece that is taking place in Guyana South America. It is explicit in detail with lots of action for the enthusiast and good description of what being in an equatorial location feels like most of the time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I attempt to cross over into numerous sites depending on the book and content I am trying to promote. It is challenging to have the absolute ‘right’ outlet so I am still in experimentation.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. This thing some call Writers Block can get in the way but if you take your day and determine what the story is about you can fill in the details with research as you go. I wrote my first six books in less than six months. It was like a whirlwind of thought just kept pouring out. Now I find that rush a little slower. Take it in stride but do keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No such thing. Stay focused is probably high on the list. Enjoy yourself it is later than you think is up there. I do not really know the best but there are many that certainly rank high enough to pay attention too.

What are you reading now?
Basically research material on a wide variety of interests. There is no specific reason other than I enjoy learning things. I have an inquisitive mind and find myself wishing to know a lot about many things out there. Copious amounts of information makes my day. I process it and one day trust it will come in handy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to just keep writing. I am at an age where work is not in the picture and writing is a mixture of work and hobby. I do not play golf and do not enjoy small talk at the coffee shop. Writing is the plan with another 6 – 9 books to come.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Probably my own. I like what I write.

Author Websites and Profiles
Hunter Blacke Website
Hunter Blacke Amazon Profile

Hunter Blacke is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I’m Tracy Kauffman- author of young adult and kids stories. I started out publishing a memoir about me growing up in the south. Then branch out from there. After publishing books of my own, I decided to try my skills and publish other people’s books. I started a small independent publishing company, KG books, which has been rewarding. The fact is I wanted to publish everyone but wasn’t able to. As an author and book publisher, I have began coaching new authors. I feel I can help others achieve their goals in the writing industry. It only takes a small step toward success. So that is what I focus most of my attention on now.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Southern Attraction is a young adult romance book inspired by the tornadoes that blasted through the south in 2011. This book is about a girl from the north that moves to a southern town with her redneck uncle. From having everything in life to having nothing, she has to rediscover who she really is. Audience would be geared mainly toward teenagers.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I start off and go. I usually don’t write an outline but might jot down a few notes, so I won’t leave anything out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Boxcar children was one of my favorites when I was young. It seemed more original and down to earth that most of the fantasy type books out there.

What are you working on now?
I am working on promoting my coaching business but I have thought about writing a part 2 to Southern Attraction.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I have plenty to share. I have designed a 3 step video training series to help new authors succeed at their writing goals.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t ever give up and you can succeed at anything you put your mind to.

What are you reading now?
The Colorado Brides
Book One
An Unexpected End

What’s next for you as a writer?
As stated earlier, I will probably write a part 2 to Southern Attraction.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Bible
A very thick one!
Something written by Jeff Buick. I really enjoy his books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Tracy Kauffman Website
Tracy Kauffman Amazon Profile
Tracy Kauffman Author Profile on Smashwords

Tracy Kauffman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tracy Kauffman is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a lifelong fan of hard science fiction. I am a software developer by trade, and spent five years teaching computer science to undergrads. I have blended interests in computing, artificial intelligence, singularity theory, physics, and speculation on the future of technology. I started by writing technical books on computer programming with 19 published, and that largely explains why it took so long to get my first novel finished.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Mandate of Earth is my debut novel, which I started writing in 2003. I was inspired by reading rubbish from a well-known sci-fi author (in my opinion) and said to myself, “I can do better!” 12 years later, I’m not so sure. Wish I’d finished it sooner, but I began writing technical books instead. But the world was a different place back then for indie publishing too. I was very hesitant to go in this direction versus traditional publishing, but now I’m glad I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I occasionally get inspiration in spurts and fill in a couple pages in future chapters that I hadn’t thought about in much detail, then I tend to fill in up to that point. Also, I sit on my work for at least a year before releasing it, and review it from a fresh, objective point of view. I never rush anything out the door.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Greg Bear each influenced me in a big way.

What are you working on now?
A short story about a neuroscientist who builds a device that can download an animal brain and upload the data back again, and what happens (not good as you might imagine).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Follow all of the book marketers on Twitter and FB and that will tend to explode as they follow you, and their followers take an interest in your work, then begin writing daily about something interesting–not just pushing your book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get beta readers to review and give you feedback! This can be extremely helpful if you find good readers willing to give you advice. I rewrote the entire beginning of my novel when readers said it was too slow. I believe a very strong opening is critical to making it into the top 100 of your genre.

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

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Friday” (for the 3rd time) and “Methuselah’s Children” by Heinlein, and “The Science of Interstellar” by Kip Thorne.

What’s next for you as a writer?

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?
1. The Ultimate Survival Manual
2. Bush Craft 101
3. The Survival Medicine Handbook
4. Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties

Wait, were you just asking about my favorite books or are we talking a real desert island survival scenario?

Author Websites and Profiles
J. S. Harbour Website
J. S. Harbour Amazon Profile

J. S. Harbour’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J. S. Harbour is a post from Awesome Gang