Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have published one book, the first in a series of sci-fi fairy-tale novellas. I have written the first sequel and am in the editing stages on this sequel Deception.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The first book of the Forgotten Princess series is called Impulse.
I started with this brainstorm that it would be amazing to retell Snow White’s classic fairy-tale as a Sci-Fi. (I know, Snow White stories are a-dime-a-dozen, but bear with me.) I imagined proactive dwarfs storming a castle to return Snow White to her throne in an epic fantasy sort of way, set in an alien galaxy where the evil queen was larger than life. (All of the characters in Snow White’s classic fairy-tale are indeed incredibly passive.) And from that simple concept, I developed a new story with a new princess.
Impulse begins with a simple twist on the Snow White fairy-tale. Rather than bringing the guts of a creature to the queen, something that wouldn’t work in a sci-fi (because we now know what human organs look like), I imagined the huntsman presenting Snow White herself before the queen in a death-like state, as Juliet was in during Shakespeare’s classic play. Only, the queen was not satisfied to see a death-like princess, but demanded her heart removed. And with no intention to kill Snow White, the huntsman fled the scene with her in his arms. (I imagined all the scenes of Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, fighting a bunch of thugs while carrying the damsel in distress.)

I started adding properties to this poison. What if the poison that put Snow White into her death-like state hid her memories so that she didn’t know who she was when she emerged from the coma? That simple concept seemed like an interesting place to start.

I sent out a call on DeviantArt, with this pitch in mind. I found a series of concept artists who loved the idea enough to donate their artwork for inspiration. And as the pieces of artwork were added, everything became clear. Old dwarfs were replaced with heroic alien teenagers, the huntsman became a mutant alien, and the story drifted further and further away from Snow White and took on its own life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have some interesting quirks. I tend to be what some refer to as a “pantser”. That’s to say, I try to write my stories freely without a complicated outline. I’ve been learning to use one recently. But I love those moments where something happens that I, as the author, wasn’t expecting. If I can keep myself excited about what’s happening, I am confident that I can keep my audience excited about it too. I have been writing novella length stories since I was seven years old, and I remember what life was like relying on writing for excitement as a kid. It’s the same excitement I hope to bring to other young ones when they read the stories of this series.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There were a few I read that improved my writing simply for having read them. Among these are Robert Jordan, whose knack for description helped me significantly in this regard. I do not claim that my writing comes close to his. In fact, I doubt I ever could achieve a similar style. (There were some books of the Wheel of Time where nothing actually happened, yet he told that nothing in such a skillful way that I kept reading. I couldn’t feel as though I’d written an excellent lot of nothing. I wouldn’t have the energy to keep myself excited to write it.)

Naturally, as I read Wheel of Time, I discovered another tremendously skillful storyteller, Brandon Sanderson. I learned what I could from him, in part that a writer needs to hold himself to a higher standard of storytelling for the reader’s benefit. His three laws of magic/technology systems have changed my writing for the better. There are things which happen in my first book Impulse that seem like spontaneous craziness, but I have a governing principle for everything that happened in that book, and if the reader is curious enough to continue, it will be explained in detail gradually. This is another trick I learned from Sanderson. Limit the exposition to whatever a reader needs to know now in order to keep the story moving forward.

I also learned from Eoin Colfer, who is one of my favorite YA writers of all time. Eoin had a way of making the most intense build-up in Artemis Fowl stories resolve in a way that was not only epic but also hilarious. I love humor, particularly character humor. Serious plotlines keep the situation intense; character humor means that the intensity does not need to be sacrificed for hilarity to ensue. (I think, for example, of at least one occasion when a really dangerous situation in Artemis Fowl was resolved because a character passed gas. It made sense for the character. But the danger was real and intense, and though the resolution was unorthodox, it didn’t disappoint.)

Another middle-grade author who influenced me in a positive way was Lemony Snicket. Readers knew that the situations in A Series of Misfortunate Events were going to be grim, the humor would be dark, and the endings would not be happy, and they warmed up to the thought. Snicket wasn’t afraid to write a tragedy, even though most of his contemporaries were writing “Happily Ever After” endings. I learned from him that, if you are a good storyteller, you don’t have to end on a positive note. Even just an indication that things will not always be so horrible can be a tremendous reason to return to a series. I read his entire series as an adult and was never disappointed. So I learned that it is okay to enjoy a middle-grade series by an incredible author even outside of its target audience. I hope that my stories will be the sort that an older audience can enjoy along with the young ones they are meant for.

What are you working on now?
In addition to working on Deception, I have also nearly completed the third and fourth books in the series. I have outlined the fifth book and have a simple concept for the six book, which will complete the series. However, I also plan to expand upon the universe of this series gradually to round out the various storylines. I have found that the characters in the series each have their own unique story to tell, perhaps the most important event in their story is earlier than before the story began. Perhaps it won’t happen until later. And because the universe in which this series is based has a significant history, I would like to return to the history at an appropriate time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning how to do this. I have set up the necessary pages on Goodreads and Facebook. I am also currently developing my own website. But I am going to state here that I really appreciate what awesomegang.com/author-interview is allowing me to do. I am currently building from the ground up.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Look for help. No one is an author on his own. Brandon Sanderson, the author I referred to as a major inspiration, has at least two pages in most of his books that list everyone who read the book before it was published, gave advice, and kept him reaching out for better things. As stated in the section above on inspiration, I asked a series of artists to share a bit of inspiration with me, and now my story has a part of each of them, and has grown bigger and better as a result. There are places on-line to learn. Search google for most any writing question and someone has a blog or video there to help. Authors today know that for the good of their own platform, giving advice is a good thing. I’ll recommend one that helped me personally: www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com

When we ask for help, we let others in on the secret we can’t afford to keep. We want to be writers. Generally, we want others to buy our books. So we need to build our platform from the first page.

In addition to this, fiction writers, ignore the advice to “write what you know”. I’ll tell you why in a moment. But know what you write. If it is our determination to write outside the box, we need to do whatever possible to verify what we can. Fiction is “one big lie”. Fiction Authors “lie for money”. And as anyone already knows, the easiest lies to believe are the ones that are based on the truth. So if you’re going to write fiction, research as deeply as you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what’s in your heart. This is in stark contrast to the advice to “write what you know”.
This was said to me by my 7th grade English teacher. (Hi, Mr. Johnson!) He had just told the class the day before that we should write what we know. Then I turned in a short story about crazy aliens doing crazy alien things (even then, I knew I wanted to be a Sci-Fi writer), and he had to revise his statement. He thanked me for having the guts to write something I couldn’t possibly know about. We can’t always write what we know. But we can write what’s in our heart.

What are you reading now?
I am crazy about Graphic Audio. I listen to their comic book adaptations, but they’ve also produced a number of Brandon Sanderson’s books. And though Michael Kramer and Kate Redding do an excellent job with reading anything, (Seriously, you should hear Kramer read Graendal from Wheel of Time.) Mistborn and the Well of Ascension are way better in Graphic Audio. (I am hoping they will release Hero of Ages soon.)

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a deadline of July, 2015 to complete editing and revising Deception. Self-publishing a novella is a tremendous lot of work. I am essentially responsible to proof-read and edit the stories myself in their entirety. I also need to check with CreateSpace, my printer, to be sure that the book comes together the way it should. I generally catch the majority of the mistakes long before I send the books to CreateSpace, but there are generally still a few to catch before I release the books to the public. Then I plan to have Conspiracy out by November/December, and Retrospect out by January/February. So a lot of work is ahead for me; but a good book in the right hands is its own reward.

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?
Good question. Okay, bear with me. I may lose a few readers, but it’s worth stating. I’d want my Bible. (It’s gotten me through the worst of times. Not even a desert island is so bad when there’s hope to be had.) After that, the book How to Build and Sail Small Boats – Canoes – Punts and Rafts, Robinson Crusoe (for enjoyment reading), and probably a copy of [your own least favorite book here] to use for kindling so I can draw the attention of passing ships as a back-up plan.

Author Websites and Profiles
Iffix Y Santaph Amazon Profile

Iffix Y Santaph’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Iffix Y Santaph is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Though primarily a small-business owner, I wrote my first book in 1992. I self-published the book, but it was later bought by Peachpit Press. The book had a cult following and I was picked up by Que to write after-market computer books—of which I wrote or contributed to about a dozen. I worked for several years running my software company and then bought a magazine, which I published and edited, and often, for which I wrote. My next major book project was a compilation of that magazine’s best how-to articles, followed by a business book in 2009. Seed Money is my first fiction effort, which is turning out to be the first of a series of at least four. Glyphs is now available, and Willows will be out soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is Glyphs, and it was inspired by a hiking trip I took through the Andes a few years ago. I became fascinated by the Peruvian people and their architecture, given that they have no written word. I wrote a story that gave a reason for that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Perhaps—I do not write linearly. I write whatever chapter pops into my head and then when all of my chapters are complete, I write the text to bridge them. I prevents me from having writer’s block on any particular topic.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hundreds! I am a voracious reader—sometimes as much as a book a day.

What are you working on now?
Willows. It’s the third book in the series, but I am also working on books four and five at the same time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still testing the effectiveness of various marketing activities, but I am a data hound at heart. Not only am I testing, but I’m also working very hard on actual numbers to identify what works best. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I have another business book percolating–especially for aspiring authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get it written. Don’t get stymied by the details and trying to make it perfect. Write it, let it alone for a few weeks, then go back and read what you’ve done. Until it is in the marketplace, it is a work in progress and you can make changes to your heart’s content.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t buy a used washer or drier.

What are you reading now?
The Flight of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
The Great Reset by Richard Florida

What’s next for you as a writer?
Complete Willows and books four and five, and perhaps create a book to help other authors navigate the marketing backwaters.

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?
Mine. I’m pretty sure I could improve them, and as much as I am an author, I am an editor.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cyndie Shaffstall Website
Cyndie Shaffstall Amazon Profile

Cyndie Shaffstall’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cyndie Shaffstall is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest release is titled Hauntings. It is a duet of two tales of supernatural terror. The first was inspired by the rumours of Castle Reuversweerd being haunted after it was boarded up and closed by the baron’s widow at the end of world war two. The second story was inspired by a personal experience I would prefer only to share in the form of fiction.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I enjoy participating in Nanowrimo, I encourage everyone to give it a try at once.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kilgore Trout has inspired me and has given me the confidence to write and to continue writing.

What are you working on now?
I am working on another ghost story of sorts this one has a working title of Ghost box. You can see a preview at the following link. https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1167732

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon.com is a good friend to self published authors.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writers write and successful writers keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go west young man.

What are you reading now?
Ubuntu for nongeeks

What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue writing until I reach a word count critical mass sufficient to snowball into something larger.

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, the old book of common prayer, and a couple empty journals and some pens.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lewis Stanek Website
Lewis Stanek Amazon Profile

Lewis Stanek’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lewis Stanek is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in Ohio and presently live in an old house in a small central Ohio town, famous for its giant gourds. I come from a family of avid gardeners. Now retired, I had the privilege to work with people with disabilities for over thirty years.
My tiny city garden is crammed with an assortment or a collection of plants. During the long cold Ohio winters I continue gardening in the house and in my small backyard greenhouse. I am passionate about plants and writing.
In my youth I traveled the world. The diversity of plants around the world is amazing! I especially enjoyed my time teaching in a bush school in Africa and spending a summer with the legendary Masai Tribe on the Serengeti Plain.
For years I have enjoyed the study of the ancient uses for plants and herbs. Many cultures today still believe in the magical qualities of plants. Grow a tomato, a tree, or plant some tulip bulbs, or grow some herbs in your kitchen window. It will make you feel good and you will be making our world a better place!

I have written a three book series called The 415 Raspberry Picket Trilogy. The first book, The Seven Sacred Seeds was published in 2005. Since I retired in 2012 I finished the series and they were published by another company.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
415 Raspberry Picket-The Seven Sacred Seeds-Book One
415 Raspberry Picket-The Cursed Seed-Book Two
415 Raspberry Picket-The Seed of The Wormwood-Book Three

I am an avid gardener and have a passion for plants. I am concerned about climate change and the loss of habitat for plants and the effect on the planet. By using fantasy and local Indian myths I combined these ideas with tales of traditional witchcraft and mythical creatures. The heroes of the novels use magical herbs to battle a host of monsters, ghosts, witches and try to defeat the Dark Master and stop him from destroying earth’s plant life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I try to make my characters to be as human as possible with human flaws. The characters battle with anxiety, doubt, fear and uncertainty. I wanted the story to take place in real time and even though they are witches they don’t live in castles in Scotland but on a small town street in Ohio, in middle America. I tried to add as many plants and work in the folklore and myths of magical plants. While most of the plants discussed in the novels are real , I imagined a few mythical magical plants!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs who wrote several Tarzan novels. Many people don’t realize he also wrote three Science Fiction series, the most well known was the John Carter of Mars series. A man is transported to Mars where he fights plant creatures. I love the swashbuckling sword fights in the stories.

I am also a Harry Potter fan, but I don’t want people to compare my novels with Harry Potter. Both are stories about witchcraft, magic and battles with evil, but I wanted my focus to be on ecology and plant conservation and the issues the devastating results of plant extinctions.

What are you working on now?
For over thirty years I had the privilege of working with people with physical and intellectual disabilities. I met many wonder people who taught me a lot about life. I am working on a book about the people I served who had a huge influence on me.

I am also working on a science fiction novel with religious and spiritual undertones.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion is difficult and expensive. Three newspapers have ran stories on my books. The local paper printed all three book covers in color. I have sent out thousands of colored postcards with the book covers to a targeted audience of middle school age children. I hand out the full colored post cards and business cards everywhere I go. I have been speaking at garden clubs and schools. I have been trying to use Facebook, and Pinterest. A local PBS station ran a story on their website. I have also e-mailed many groups, clubs and organizations.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is the fun and easy part of being an author. I had terrible luck with a trio of editors. They were expensive and some did not do a very good job. In the end I asked my website designer and he did a good job editing. There were many times I felt discouraged and wanted to give up. I contacted various companies to publish the book. One large company representative would quote me different prices every time I talked to him. I compared him to a used car salesman and he became highly offended. I did not apologize and used another company!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am close to 60 years old and this might make me sound like a momma’s boy, but my mother continued to encourage me and continues to give a lot of support. You have to believe in yourself! You can’t give up! Promoting these books almost seems like too big of a task. Most people don’t have thousands of dollars to promote and publicize their books. I am grateful for sites such as this one. Every little bit helps!

What are you reading now?
I just purchased the Grave Yard Story about a boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard! An older guy who volunteers at the hospital told me about the books when I had an appointment last week. I am looking forward to reading them!
I like about any kind of plant/gardening book too!
I just bought a cook book called Irish Pub cooking. Can’t wait to try some of the sea food recipes! If nothing else it is full of pretty pictures of the Irish landscape.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I guess we all have dreams… maybe they are not realistic, but I think its important to chase the dreams anyway. It is better to chase dreams than to regret later that you didn’t try.

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?
Some sort of herbal medical book, a cookbook, and a garden book. Maybe I could learn to grow coconuts and use the cookbook for some nice coconut meals!

Author Websites and Profiles
R. L. Patterson Website
R. L. Patterson Amazon Profile

R. L. Patterson’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

R. L. Patterson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a physicist and science writer from Philadelphia. I’ve written 14 popular science books exploring the mysteries of the universe such as exoplanets, higher dimensions, time travel, quantum physics and other topics.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Einstein’s Dice and Schrödinger’s Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics, was inspired by a trip to the Princeton University library in which I found folders of letters between the two great scientists documenting how their friendship turned into a media fiasco. Many people know about the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment, in which a feline is enclosed in a box with a radioactive material and is in a mixed state of life and death until the box is open. But relatively few are familiar with the crazy, contradictory life of the man behind the cat.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t like writing in solitude and I get distracted if I’m in a place with people I know. So I often like to write in coffee shops where there are people but few distractions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a great fan of speculative fiction, including the works of HG Wells, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Jorge Luis Borges and Ursula K LeGuin. Sometimes I try to put myself in the mindset of Carl Sagan, who was a brilliant writer. In terms of non-fiction, I grew up reading George Gamow and Martin Gardner.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a lot of pieces for two blogs: The Nature of Reality (NOVA) and Starts with a Bang! It has been fun blogging and seeing the great comments from readers.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now, my latest book is being promoted on the Basic Books website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advice new authors to try to market their shorter pieces to blogs and magazines before venturing into books. That said, when I first started writing popular science I began with a book, not popular articles. So it is different for everyone.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In college I had the pleasure of interacting with the poet Henry Braun who advised people to try to maintain short periods of creative focus, rather than expecting constant creativity. Around that time, my English professor Stephen Zelnick suggested that a diverse life is better than only doing one thing. So I often like to “switch gears” and put all of my energy into whatever I am doing at the time.

What are you reading now?
I’ve been reading Doctor Syntax by Michael Petracca which I found in a Vermont bookstore.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to continue to pursue creative ideas at the intersection of science, history and culture.

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 build a raft, how to desalinize ocean water, and how to catch fish? Seriously, there are many long novels that are considered classics such as Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and Joyce’s Ulysses, that I haven’t yet a chance to read because they require a time commitment (and, with Dostoyevsky, keeping track of all of the characters’ names.)

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Halpern Website
Paul Halpern Amazon Profile

Paul Halpern’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Paul Halpern is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I currently have one completed novel, ELDORADO, and one completed novella, CHOPPER MUSIC. Both are currently available on Amazon. A second novel is scheduled to be released at the end of May, and I have two more in the works. I’m hoping to release at least one of those sometime this year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘The Arx’. It’s about an ex-homicide detective on medical leave after a mental breakdown, who stumbles on a bizarre conspiracy and can’t convince his former colleagues that it’s real.

Without giving away too much, it features an ‘underground’ group who have lived among the rest of humanity undetected for years. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of secret societies living in our midst.

The book also has a medical component, which was inspired by thinking about the side-effects of drugs people take believing that they’re harmless.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I take the ferry from Vancouver, where I live, to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, quite often (one and a half hours each way), and I do a lot of my writing on the ferry.

I prefer to write outside my home, typically in coffee shops, I think because going somewhere specifically for the purpose of writing gives me an added incentive.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the old classic adventure stories, especially ones taking place in exotic locales. I recently read James Hilton’s ‘Lost Horizon’, and loved it. Those are the kinds of books I want to write as well.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on two books at the same time. Both are Science Fiction, and both are Young Adult. I’m really excited about both of them. One takes place in the relatively near future, where a single medical treatment changes the lives of all who receive it, but in ways they can’t predict. The second takes place far in the future, on an Earth that is unrecognizable from the one we know now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have enough data to really say which sites have helped me the most. Would it help to say ‘Awesomegang’?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write because you love doing it, not for the money. The money may come, it may not, but the joy of creating something is guaranteed. I may be naive, but I believe that if you write a great book, people WILL read it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Godda Wanna – translation: if you want to achieve anything you’ve got to work for it.

What are you reading now?
I’m just finishing off a great non-fiction book on travel and surfing called ‘Island Explorer’ about a group of people sailing around Indonesia on a quest for the best surf spots. Love it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to keep writing things I love to write, and I hope (and believe) that people will love to read them. My immediate goal is to finish the two novels I’m working on. I don’t generally go in for series, but one of them will probably end up being two or three books before it’s finished.

I’ve got several other ideas on the back burner, which I may or may not ever get time to complete.

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?
Something long, with lots of characters, like Tolstoy, or Proust.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jay Allan Storey Website
Jay Allan Storey Amazon Profile

Jay Allan Storey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jay Allan Storey is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
T.K. CHAPIN is a clean entertainment author. He writes Contemporary Christian Romance, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy. He is actively engaged with fans on all social media sites and through email. When not reading or writing, T.K. enjoys playing video games and spending time with friends and family in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

My name is Benjamin Chapin, and T.K. Chapin is my pen name for fiction. I’m a Clean entertainment writer, I write fantasy, romance and sci-fi. I’ve written and published 15 total titles, but my latest release, “The Perfect Cast” is the first full length novel I’ve written. The other books were novellas primarily.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Perfect Cast” and I was inspired by life? I don’t know, I write because I’m a writer.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about unusual, but I usually binge write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Bible

What are you working on now?
I just released, “The Perfect Cast” and now I’ve started on the next story, which is about a young girl that is going through some difficulties and discovers God’s unyielding love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t gotten into a whole lot of promoting, but from my own experience BKnights on Fiverr does some pretty amazing work if a book is free. I’m working with Awesomegang right now for the first time, I’m excited to see how that goes.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just publish that first one and stop freaking out, nobody cares as much as we think they do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just get it done.

What are you reading now?
I’m not currently

What’s next for you as a writer?
Write more.

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

Author Websites and Profiles
T.K. Chapin Website
T.K. Chapin Amazon Profile

T.K. Chapin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

T.K. Chapin is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have actually written three “novel length” books, but so far only one has been published (another has been sent to the editor). I really enjoy the process of creating an entire alternate world out of my imagination. I’m not sure I know what my genre of choice is going to be. I like sci-fi, action, adventure, suspense, and horror (if done properly).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Intergalactic Charters is my latest book. I like hunting and fishing, as well as space-based sci-fi. So, in my estimation, it was a natural thing that the two would come together in a kind of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of literature. I suppose early television based shows like Star Trek and Lost in Space were inspirational. And my main character was a lot of fun to write dialogue for…he has a snarky, sarcastic streak that serves him well in tense situations.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write very early in the day and later in the evening (by necessity). I also find that I write better if I’m completely naked. Or actually, no. I just made up that last part.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) in The Hound of The Baskervilles. Possibly the best suspenseful story I have ever read in my lifetime. I also like Stephen King and some of the unique things he does to bring the reader in to the story, like being able to hear a characters inner thoughts, for example.

What are you working on now?
I have a project started that is a deviation for me. I am writing it around one character, a small boy, and have found for some reason that this little guy brings out an emotion response from me. He’s a sweet kid who is eventually going to be in peril. But don’t worry, I fully intend to take good care of him.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Yikes! I don’t know. That is the part of the writing process that I am just learning. Wish me luck!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Judging your own work is like hearing your voice recorded and played back for the first time. Your response is almost guaranteed to be “I don’t sound like that!” Find somebody trustworthy (and qualified) to give you fair feedback. Otherwise, it is my belief that you just won’t know how your writing is going to sound to others. And hang in there. Only one in a million gets successful right at the beginning of their career.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Wear clean underwear. Oh, you mean pertaining to writing? Find an editor. Even the super popular writers do that. You will not believe the mistakes that you will miss…even on a manuscript that has been reviewed multiple times. And don’t be afraid of writing short stories.

What are you reading now?
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a full agenda, including two novels (one written, one just started), several short stories and a young adult adventure story I wrote years ago that has just been dusted off.

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, The Stand (Stephen King), The Lord of the Rings (all substantial tomes)

JD Huff is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written several ebooks covering different sides of online business – from online security to effective methods of web traffic generation.
However, previously the purpose of my books was mostly lead generation.

With my latest book I decided to join the fleet of self-published authors, so it’s now available on Kindle. I am planning to write many books related to social media marketing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Twitter Influence – How to Manifest Power, Skyrocket Authority and Supercharge Your Business”

The inspiration came from my social followers/ friends. Many of them are asking the same questions about Twitter and don’t know how to use it effectively.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if they are unusual… Sometimes I can’t write a single line (writer’s block), sometimes I write non-stop for 17- 20 hours…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many authors from self-improvement/ inspiration genre…

What are you working on now?
New book – this one about serious mistakes people make on Twitter that can jeopardize their business and online reputation…

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I just began looking into promotion methods for my book. This market has its own specific and flavor.

For now I mostly use my established social media networks, but also looking into other venues (such as awesomegang, Kboards, etc)

Do you have any advice for new authors?
try to create a habit of writing at least several pages each day. And then – publish your first book. You will never learn all the ropes while you just reading all these helpful advises. You will learn quicker by doing it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stop looking for excuses, and get it done

What are you reading now?
not much time to read at the moment

What’s next for you as a writer?
hopefully will write several books this year

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 Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

The Luzhin Defense by Vladimir Nabokov

Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque

Author Websites and Profiles
Oleg Ilin Website
Oleg Ilin Amazon Profile

Oleg Ilin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Oleg Ilin is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in South Wales more years ago than I care to remember. I lived in England for nearly two decades but returned to my roots when I felt the mountains of my youth calling to me, and hiking in my beloved Brecon Beacons is now one of the joys in my life. When I’m not working as a full time secretary, I love spending time with my family, hate doing necessary chores, and try to fit in writing whenever I can. I have published several books: the Resurrection trilogy, beginning with “State of Grace”, continuing with “Amazing Grace”, and ending with “Sanctifying Grace”, “The Spirit Guide and most recently – The Medium Path. I’m currently working on another paranormal romance set in Wales.
I am also seriously addicted to chocolate

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Medium Path – the death of my father a couple of years back. Some people said he was watching over me, and that got me to thinking about ghosts and spirits.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only write when the house is empty, and that only happens between 6am and 8am – not nearly enough!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many to count, by my favourite author is Stephen King – I’m simply in awe of his skill.

What are you working on now?
Another paranormal romance, set in medieval Wales, around the time of Joan, Lady of Wales – wife of Llewelyn Fawr, and sister and daughter to kings of England.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Just get the word out there by any means you can. I’ve found that it’s probably the best plan to concentrate on the launch of a new book, then return to writing the next, and try not to get sucked into an endless round of marketing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, and keep writing. It’s all very well spending time promoting your ‘author platform’ but don’t spend time on the net that you could use to write. Oh, and join a writing site, like Scribophile – it will help you hone your craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t remember the exact quote, but Stephen King once said that in order to be a good writer you need to read – a lot!

What are you reading now?
My Life in a Nutshell by Tanya J. Peterson

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing. I can’t stop now, even if I knew no one would ever read my work.

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?
Stephen King – The Stand
Jean M. Auel – Clan of the Cavebear

Author Websites and Profiles
Elizabeth Davies Website
Elizabeth Davies Amazon Profile

Elizabeth Davies’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Elizabeth Davies is a post from Awesome Gang