Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a fourth generation Chinese Canadian who has watched the transition from North America considering Asians as inferior third class citizens to full members of society. This deeply affects my work as writer, filmmaker and community worker and I’m considered a “bridge person” between cultures, religions and races.

All this is not on the page directly but shows itself up as authentic characterizations, backstory and information in my books. I’ve written about ten books, action thrillers and paranormal thrillers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series is what I’m working on. I wanted to combine East and West, Yin and Yang, Christianity and Chinese Religions and authentic Martial Arts into one kickass bunch of novels.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Ludlum, James Patterson, Stan Lee and Russell Blake are writers I really admire and I take a little bit out of each one. As a Christian, I’m strongly influenced by the Bible and as a Chinese, I have strong influences from Confucius and Lao Tze.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on a new series, still untitled, featuring twenty-six-year old Rayna Tang, a remarkable young woman who is a black belt martial artist as well a Ph.D in psychology who becomes an operative of a clandestine private anti-crime organization FIDELITAS. Her cover is that of a very high end investment banker/dealmaker.

As this character is an offshoot of the Noah Reid series, there is also East and West, Yin and Yang, Christianity and Chinese Religions.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Different strokes for different folks.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never stop learning. Be open to criticism but remember, you make the final call.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman’s famous line. “Nobody Knows Anything.”

What are you reading now?
A bunch of indie action authors. Russell Blake. Nick Stephenson. Ernest Dempsey. Mark Dawson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the #@** book!

Author Websites and Profiles
Wesley Lowe Website
Wesley Lowe Amazon Profile

Wesley Lowe’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Wesley Lowe is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The basically put it in a nutshell, I’m just a country boy from North Carolina with a dream to write books. So far I only written one book with plans to write many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book that I wrote is “Mama Raised Me, God Made Me: My Life…My Story.” What inspired me the most about writing this book came from my fiance. Her and my stepson became the biggest influences in my life. They gave me hope and being that I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and everything that has happened in my life been hell for me, I didn’t think that my life has a purpose.

I wrote this book for those out there could read my story and be inspired to push themselves beyond their limitations and circumstances in life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I write anything, I tend to write as if you were watching a movie unfold.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The book that I can say influenced me was “Think & Grow Rich”

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing other book including fictional books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
SEO (search engine optimization), Radio and Word of Mouth.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always write with passion because it will show through you. Never turn from it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Write On!” Create your world and turn it into a movie.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to continue to write as much as time allows me to.

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 Power of Positive Thinking

2. The Magic of Thinking Big

3. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

4. The Richest Man in Babylon

Author Websites and Profiles
Robert Smith Amazon Profile

Robert Smith’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Robert Smith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love storytelling. I am an average guy, but creating things is my passion, and not just creating in the form of writing. I love to cook too. I make a great enchilada and I do okay with cookies. Peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal are my favorite types of cookies to bake. I would also say that I am a quiet guy from Los Angeles. I keep a small circle of friends, mainly my family. I enjoy quiet time alone, but I love to be around crowds when something big is happening. I love to see crowd reaction. I don’t know why, but I do. I like to see people cheer or let their natural disappointment show in response to an event; whether it’s a movie, a sporting event or a street show.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’ve been asked many times how I came up with the concept for Mind Over Bullies. Well, I am a big fan of superhero type stories, especially movies. But of course, the bullying epidemic is real and in a horrifying way. For example, when doing research for the book I came across a story in the news about a young girl that jumped in front of a subway train after weeks of bullying. As I investigated further, I was shocked at the number of similar stories I encountered. Bullycide, the news was calling it. I thought, wow, what if these young people had been shown that the pain of bullying can be handled without hurting themselves or someone else.

So, the challenge became how to take such a terrible, real life experience like bullying, and merge it with my superhero gene. I wanted to make a story that was not only realistic so that victims of bullying could identify with it, but also one that had the superhero element that would make people stand up and cheer. Seeing people rave about a movie after it’s over and even having intense feelings about a well-developed movie myself has always left me with a desire to tell stories and take people on mental journeys. I knew I would never have a career in film, so writing was the next best thing for me, and I went about writing Mind Over Bullies like a director creating a film. I wanted to create highs and lows to take the readers through a range of emotions. I crafted some portions to help readers feel for the characters and other scenes that create the moment of triumph for the underdog, the kind of scene that makes a movie audience applaud.

I wanted to have a multi-racial cast of characters with a wide variety of personalities in the hope that readers would connect with one of them. It was important to me that the main character be a strong teen female, being that teen girls make up the largest population of bullying victims per most reports. My goal was to let young women, and young men, see a teen battle bullying head-on and gain strength in the process as opposed to the more prevalent alternatives of victims hurting themselves or others.

I recognize that the characters and situations in the book may not represent every bullying situation and that realistically the book won’t change the world, but I do sincerely hope that it sends a subtle message about there being life after bullying.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing really weird. I just write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Honestly. I am influenced by real life. There are so many things tat happen each day that make grea stories, and I love encountering them.

What are you working on now?
Actually I have three projects in the works. The next book will release in December of this year or early in January 2016. It’s a reality sci-fi thriller. Think Inception mixed with Back to the future. It’s called “Actuality.”

Then there is a spy novel that will probably release late next year. And of course, the Mind Over Bullies sequel is in the works.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Grassroots. With bloggers. Bloggers are on the level with the people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write often. Practice telling stories. Be realistic, but don’t limit your creativity. Don’t write what you think people want to read, write what touches you, and more than likely you will touch someone else.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never stay still. Always be in the prcess of making your next move.

What are you reading now?
At the moment i’m doing more writing than reading.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am really excited about the spy novel that I mentioend earlier. I want to see just how creative it can get and then I want to see how the public takes it.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow….I don;t know that I could answer that. If I were stranded, I would probably be trying to build a raft. LOL.

D.K. Smith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, my name is Sione and my passion is Life mastery. I am dedicated to teaching others how to become the best they can possibly be so they can reach higher levels of achievement and happiness. I believe people should help one another whenever possible which is my life’s mission and why I have authored and co-authored several books in hopes of reaching and helping millions of people around the world. I love reading, writing, eating healthy foods, playing sports, traveling, and most of all enriching other peoples lives. I also like to help promote other authors when their main goals are to help people whether it be in relationships, health or otherwise. I have written over 20 books in the health and fitness niche.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Low Carb Nutribullet & Ninja Recipe Book: 10 day juice cleanse:

What inspired me to write this book is what inspired me to get in this niche in the first place and that is to help people become a better version of themselves both physically and mentally. Juicing is a great way to start this process towards self-actualization because I believe if the body is healthy the mind will soon follow! Just like it has for me.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write late at night or early in the morning when the house is super quite and you can’t hear anything outside. I guess that wouldn’t be considered unusual. I also like to suck on cough drops while writing, for some odd reason this helps me concentrate

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Leo Gura, Drew Canole, Brandon Carter “The Beginner’s Guide To Being Awesome”

Elliot Hulse & Al Kavado “Stretching Your Boundaries”. Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”.

What are you working on now?
I’m not currently writing a book but I’m in the process of developing my website and email list!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon.com, warrior-healing.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing and don’t give up. You will feel the onslaught of inertia at times but just remember this is part of the process on road to success.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
― Steve Jobs

What are you reading now?
Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”, Drew Canole “Juicing Recipes From Fitlife.TV Star Drew Canole For Vitality and Health ”

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write more self-help books on health and fitness, overcoming social anxiety, overcoming fear, enlightenment and everything to do with personal development.

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 Alchemist, Napoleon Hills Think and grow rich & Brandon Carter “The Beginner’s Guide To Being Awesome”

Author Websites and Profiles
Sione Michelson Website
Sione Michelson Amazon Profile

Sione Michelson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, well, I’m Elizabeth and I’ve written 4 books.

Writing is my ultimate passion and ever since I sent off my first manuscript when I was 12 to Harper Collins (and received a very kind refusal letter) I’ve been determined to carve my way in the world of writing.

The Girl with Nine Lives is the first of a series of books spiralling around the lives and adventures of Ellena Blackwell and her talking cat Benedict. Ellena likes a rum and coke as much as the next gal, but Ben probably likes his catnip a bit too much.

Having a bit of a meltdown around her work place, struggling under pressure, lifestyle conventions and expectations- not to mention a non-existent love life, Ellena turns to Ben for guidance. Not to mention the fact that her boss wants to kill her is complicating things, and the detective that wont leave her alone.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My series The Adventures of Benedict and Blackwell have simply been inspired by places I want to go- and I don’t necessarily mean the physical ones. If I’m lonely, sometimes I’ll create a friend. If I want a drink, the character will drink- if I feel as though I want to blow off some steam, then my character will probably get into trouble and have to fight out of it.

The inspiration for this book was simply needing a friend, and along came Benedict.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ll enjoy listening to whatever music will convey a certain feeling within scenes. If I’m writing a battle scene for instance- I’ll put on the soundtrack to 300.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kim Harrison inspired me especially- her books, full of fantasy and the supernatural gave me the confidence to simply write what I wanted to read instead of trying to be something I’m not.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a fantasy- I’m so excited about it and I’m aiming for an Autumn release.

It’s called Daughter of the Damned (working title) and you can catch an extract here: http://www.inkitt.com/stories/16782

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

I find it’s all about having a good online presence and replying to your readers. It’s good to have a twitter and facebook and to keep proactive. Writing and releasing a book is one thing- promotion is long term work.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make sure your front cover is SPOT ON. Don’t try and do it yourself. Make sure you get as many reviews as possible as fast as possible. You have a good two months of really pushing your book into a hype. I made a lot of mistakes when I first published and it’s only now after making those mistakes I know better of it!

Don’t pay hundreds of dollars towards promotional campaigns unless you know the authors they’ve promoted are bestsellers. If you see a site that you want to go with- click on some of the authors they are showcasing. Their ratings will hint at the site’s effectiveness and readership number.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t stop.

What are you reading now?
I love reading, but at the moment it’s a distraction I can’t afford. I need to write when I have the creative energy. I get attached to books and their authors and find it difficult sometimes to find books that cater to my wants.

That’s why I write my own.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Bigger and better

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?
Bear Grylls Survival

Lord of the Rings

The Crimson Petal and the White

The Chronicles of Narnia (is that cheating?)

Author Websites and Profiles
Elizabeth Earle Website
Elizabeth Earle Amazon Profile
Elizabeth Earle Author Profile on Smashwords

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

Elizabeth Earle is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Peace River district of northern British Columbia. Because winter was usually six months of snow and two months poor sledding, I started reading books as soon as I could hold one. I’ve traveled and worked in many places, which may explain why I can’t stick to one genre as an author. When I discovered the temperate rainforest stretching along 1200 miles of the Pacific Coast, from Oregon to Alaska, I settled in for good. My books include humor (about cats), romantic suspense, mainstream and lately, speculative fiction. Aside from writing and reading, I like to play bridge, pet cats, and do water-fit exercises in the local swimming pool.

I have written seventeen books, though the first three ended up in the waste basket and a couple are out of print. When I publish Deception Bay, the book I’m working on now, that will make an even dozen of my books available online.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Deception Bay. It was inspired by my love of villages and the many stories which I heard when I lived in such places.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’d love to say yes, but I can’t think of a single thing. It would be pretty boring watching me write!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ursula LeGuin

Sheri S. Tepper

Mary Stewart

Marion Zimmer Bradley

J.R.R. Tolkien

David Eddings

What are you working on now?
A science fiction epic tentatively titled The Centuries. It will be at least three books, perhaps four. It’s really all one story, since the same main character continues throughout, but it’s much too long for a single book. Fortunately, it can be broken up into chunks which are complete stories in themselves.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve never liked promoting, so I’ve done very little until lately. I do now have a web site and I post to my blog twice a week. And I’m also exploring other options.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot, so you know how other people do it. Write a lot, because that’s the only way to learn the craft.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you love to read, not what you think might sell.

What are you reading now?
Fish Tails by Sheri S. Tepper, The Spark by Kristine Barnett, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Yes, a book in every room!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the science fiction epic. I’m also developing an idea for fantasy and will probably write another mainstream about village life, perhaps with cats, perhaps not.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I can’t claim credit for this idea, because somebody else said it first, but the first book would be instructions on how to build a boat! I would add The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien (all in one volume, of course!), Waiting for the Galactic Bus by Parke Godwin, and one of Sheri S. Tepper’s fantasies.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lea Tassie Website
Lea Tassie Amazon Profile
Lea Tassie Author Profile on Smashwords

Lea Tassie is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Chained Guilt is the first novel I have gotten an edit for and published. I have written 5 other novels as well. I also write part time for Examiner.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Chained Guilt is the name of my latest book. It is apart of a trilogy called Hidden Guilt. Detective and crime stories have always been my passion. The cat and mouse game is exciting!!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really… I do listen to classical piano or Lindsey Sterling when I write… maybe that is a little unusual.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
James Patterson is my favorite author. I don’t need a dictionary when I read his books. I unwind and get lost in the chase!

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on pt 2 “Maximum Guilt” – it picks up right where Chained Guilt ends!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesomegang and Bookbub are great ways to promote.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Don’t let anyone tell you to stop. Write everyday – even when you don’t feel like it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing – practice makes perfect.

What are you reading now?
Hope to Die – James Patterson

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep honing my skills – and reach as many readers as I can.

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

Bible

One of my books

Author Websites and Profiles
Terry Keys Website

Terry Keys’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Terry Keys is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written one book so far, there will be many more to come. I grew up in New Jersey, I always wanted to be a writer since I was a teenager. I always had a creative mind so I finally wanted to put it on paper. I started reading at the age of four years old. Around the age of 11 I started reading true crime novels because that is what my mother read.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Slaughter High

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My creative mind hits me around 12 midnight, that is when I write

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite book is Intensity by Dean Koontz, I also love true crime novels

What are you working on now?
I am thinking about writing a biography about myself, I lived a hard life with a con artist for a father who was always in and out of jail, I put up with a lot of abuse growing up, when I was a teen I was addicting to drugs and drinking, I stop everything all on my own with out no help at the age of 20. I feel it would help and inspire anyone who is out there who is going through it to not give up, we are all here for a reason. Dare to dream and go for it

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am new to publishing my own work so I guess I would say right now I need a little help with it

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write, don’t give up, every day you write you are inspiring someone out there knowing that they can do it too, no story is a bad story everyone has different taste, if someone didn’t like your book the next person will

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can either sit and be a victim or be a survivor and come out stronger then ever

What are you reading now?
Right now I haven’t had the time to read

What’s next for you as a writer?
Focusing on getting my first book out there

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 Secret, The Bible, and The Diary of Anne Frank

Deana Woetko’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Deana Woetko is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Peinter and writer living in France !

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stardancing for the wolves

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I never sleep while writing

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Danilo Kis, Gabriel Garsia Marquez,

What are you working on now?
Roman ”Crime and clown”

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you write a story give up !

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I hate writing but i must have wroten

What are you reading now?
Kundera

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

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

Author Websites and Profiles
Eddy GN Lane Website
Eddy GN Lane Amazon Profile

Eddy GN Lane’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Eddy GN Lane is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As a military brat, I moved around quite a bit as a child. My home town is a little spec on the map in the middle of Texas.

Now, I live in Maryland with my patient, loving husband and a very burdened cat. Every morning, though I’m sure he would love nothing more to sleep in and enjoy a life of leisure, my timid, black cuddler wakes me without fail at four o’clock, often with a triumphant whooping meow having acquired breakfast for me of some poor unsuspecting mammal who could weigh up to and including his own body weight.

I have fourteen Erotic Romance Books, everything from paranormal to military romance. I am Currently working on three project, continuing two series and starting a sci fi romance series in the near future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I find inspiration in the strangest places.

One day I turned on my TV to just veg out, and during the three second delay where I could hear the program, but could only see a black screen, I heard one man telling another, “There you go, start slow and get the rhythm. Now faster.” The second man’s, gruff grunt answered him, and the first man continued patiently, “I know it hurts. You can do it.”

With a huge grin on my face, I watched the screen finally click on to find a survivalist teaching the proper technique for starting a fire using two sticks. I quickly wrote down what I heard, and imagined how that very scene would play out.

The concept of angels, and magical protectors always intrigued me, and the idea that divine beings existed without flaw bothered me. Why would they be exempt from secret desires and carnal needs? And if they harbored such feelings what would happen if they gave into their cravings?

My Newest Release, Michael’s Touch, Ethereal Protectors Book One, explores the inner workings of one of my favorite minor characters from The Cursed Series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I feel most creative first thing in the morning so I often write while enjoying a steamy cup of coffee. My affection for the beverage lends itself to most all of my characters. I often find I have written two or three paragraphs describing filling a coffee pot with chilled water, smelling it percolate with a moistened tongue and savoring the warm flavored brew, creamy and sweet as it fills the character with euphoria.

After the compulsory homage to coffee, I let my ideas flow and follow where the story leads.

I write at least two books at a time. Right now I am in the middle of writing three stories. One book I have only a few chapters written down, another halfway finished, and another a few paragraphs. I have never been able to just write one story start to finish, than go onto the next.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I absolutely love Gena Showalter, Laurann Dohner, and Nalini Singh. My favorite genre to write and read is erotic romance, but I enjoy a good fantasy like any adventuresome girl. R. A. Salvatore’s D&D Forgotten Realm stories about Drizzt D’Urden, are a favorite.

Singh’s Desert Warrior is such a perfect story. I loved the instant tension, unwavering male presence, and magical world. Every scene in that book made me feel something, and I could not put the book down to save my life. As I write, I ask myself, what did this chapter make my audience feel? If I feel the scene failed to draw out some strong emotion from my audience, I start over.

What are you working on now?
My next book is the Seventh story in The Cursed series. The cousin series to The Ethereal Protectors. I am also writing the second installment to the Ethereal Protectors series, and will soon release a brand new series exploring Alien abduction romance, because I can’t help myself. I absolutely love reading the genre. Creating a whole new world with limitless possibilities allows me to explore all the crazy thoughts and ideas flowing through my mind.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
One of the most effective online advertising for me is the Facebook page What to read after Fifty Shades. Each time my books get featured, I see a significant sales bump.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If other authors feel like me, then the ideas and concepts scattered throughout their minds are screaming to come out. Let them. Write down everything you think and imagine. Let the story lead you and keep writing until the story is told, after that decide what to do with the story. I was boggled down with anxiety about where to take my book before it was ever written. Don’t let uncertainty or fears of how you will be perceived pervade your mind. Just write what’s in your heart screaming to be set free, and release it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up, and don’t care what others might dislike about you. Take the worst aspect of your personality and own it. I had a friend tell me once, that she was hopelessly flawed, but she loved herself and loved that about herself. Those words have become my mantra. If I trip over my own feet, I remind myself that I love myself and I love that I trip some times. If I spill food on my shirt, I remind myself how much I love that I do that too.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually reading Persuasion again for at least the fourth time. I can’t help it. Who hasn’t read all of Jane Austin?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am writing a novel about a family losing a parent, and how tragedy affects each adult child. Although this book resides firmly in the romance genre, it is completely different than other books I have written. While I have used tragic family circumstances to build my characters in the past, my books focus on the romance of the characters. This book focuses on the challenges the family faces and warms the heart.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow, That is tough. Okay absolutely, I’ll need Nalini Singh’s Desert Warrior, and sorry romance fans but next has to be The Stand by the King, Stephen. Next, I have to go with the first book in The Lords of the Underworld series, by Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night.

Author Websites and Profiles
Aleena Stark Website
Aleena Stark Amazon Profile

Aleena Stark’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Aleena Stark is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am finishing my studies in applied informatics and multimedia department here in Crete Island This moment i am doing my final project in Cryptograhy.I have also a presence in physics deparment.I wrote my frist ebook some days before and i am very excited about that!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolstoy,Verne,kazantzakis,karyotakis,seferis,elytis,solomos,seakspeare

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start writing right now their stories!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Work hard

What are you reading now?
Quantum mechanics II, Stefanos Trachanas

What’s next for you as a writer?
To write an ebook about greek marmalades for sure!

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?
Quantum mechanics, linear algebra,survivor guide,hunting book

Author Websites and Profiles
Georgios Oglou Amazon Profile

Georgios Oglou’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Georgios Oglou is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an experienced engineer that has written many technical papers over the years, and won awards for being able to communicate complex technical topics to non-technical folks. In addition to the latest book, “Navigating Travel Baseball”, I have also written a comical book on my failures as a landlord. Check that book out if you want a good laugh, it’s called “A Fool’s Guide to Landlording”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Navigating Travel Baseball – 7U to 14U – What Parents and Players Need to Know Right Now”

We spent over 8 years in the travel baseball system with our son, and we learned so much over the years. There can be so much stress and so many things to know, year by year, that my son and I thought we could share our experiences so that others would know exactly what to expect every year. You would be surprised to know what goes on with other parents, with coaches, with umpires, the whole thing. We take you through a year by year discussion of what you will encounter and how to handle things so you have the best experiences, and avoid the nasty stuff.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, it takes me months and years to develop an outline for my books, and then finally when I have that the way I want it, I write compulsively until the entire book falls out of my head and onto paper. I then spend months editing the book and ultimately my wife and son take over the editing so that everything falls into place. My style is that of a story teller, even for my technical articles

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Love Stephen King, believe it or not. I read everything, so I don’t have any real favorites.

What are you working on now?
Nothing, I just finished this book and I am exhausted. I have some other book ideas that I will begin researching in the next few months. Nothing concrete right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Amazon does a great job.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up when you get stuck. Write what you know, and write the parts of the book you find the most fun. You will surprised how the rest will fill in and how motivated you will be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you know.

Tony Midea is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I’m a bit of an introvert, for starters. I enjoy being by myself, and if I have a book or a notepad and pen with me then so much the better! My three favorite things are books, horses and superheroes, which is probably why I write books about superhero horses (or maybe I’m just a bit strange).

Currently, I have nine books out that I wrote by myself, and one that I co-wrote with my sister, Frances. They are all children’s books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the seventh in my Super Sporty series, and it’s called Super Sporty 7: The Fight Before Christmas. It didn’t really come in a sudden flash of inspiration; more like it gradually grew over time. However, the first concept came from a piece of logic that went something like this:

“The theme of the Super Sporty series is teamwork and friendship, so there has to be a story about Christmas in there somewhere. After all, Christmas is a time for spending time with the people you care about.”

(Christmas is also for eating chocolate, but that’s not important right now).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, but what I write about IS unusual. I mean, superhero horses are weird enough, but it gets ever weirder when you find out that they are Texan superhero horses who play basketball and eat pizza. And one of them has a pet iguana.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steve Cole’s Astrosaurs series was my favorite as a child. Super Sporty has been rather heavily influenced by it, not least because I first came up with Super Sporty when I was seven years old, and still completely addicted to Astrosaurs.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing Super Sporty 8: The Attack of the Pegasi. I’m also in the process of finishing a Super Sporty short story, called Down to Earth, which I hope to publish next month.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think that probably the best thing that an author (especially an author who self-publishes with Amazon) can do is get on Goodreads. Admittedly, I have not followed through with this advice yet, but I plan to very, very soon. My logic is that, since people go on Goodreads to find books to read, that’s the best place to market your books. All your potential customers in one place — what more could you ask for?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, and keep reading. That’s all you need to do.

What are you reading now?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Goodreads. And then … THE WORLD! (insert evil laugh here)

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 books 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Wrinkle in Time quintet. I’ve been meaning to read them for so long, but haven’t quite gotten round to it.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ellie Firestone Website
Ellie Firestone Amazon Profile

Ellie Firestone’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Ellie Firestone is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born a Navy brat and as such had to move about every three years to a new place. This gave me a lot of exposure to many cultures, diversity, and exotic places of travel. I was able to go to destinations and participate in many great adventures that many people only dream about.

Unfortunately my childhood was very rough and there weren’t very many happy times. As I look back at some of the pictures of my childhood, I don’t see any where I was smiling. I guess both the traveling and my need to express my emotions through a catharsis are the basis of my most of my writings.

I’m married now and we have a daughter. I’m active in her Campfire actives. I enjoy camping, traveling, hiking, camping, gardening, painting miniature figure, and yes, writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book that I have published is one called “Lost Souls.” This is outside the realm of the dark elf series that is at the heart of most of my writings.

Last summer our family went on vacation to Northern Lake Tahoe and went over to Virginia City. While we were there, we lost our daughter in a haunted graveyard. I can tell you right now that there is no greater terror that a parent can face than the disappearance of their child. The wrong kind of thoughts had entered my mind. Some how I wondered what Stephen King would write. From there, the story fell into place.

We found our daughter, she was fine. She had simply found another family with a daughter her age and had moved to another section of the graveyard.

Initially “Lost Souls” was going to be a stand alone book, however, since I leave my mind open for any possibilities and try to remain flexible in my writings, “Lost Souls” may become the first book of a three book series. Like the first, the other two will center around my travels and my adventures in real life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do most of my writing at night, after work and after dinner. My best creative time is usually between 9 pm and 11 pm. I try to write about one thousand words a day and try to make my books to be around 100,000 words per book (or more).

When I go camping at the cabins at Camp Killoqua, I’m not as distracted and the surroundings put my mind into a better creative place. I’m able to write about 3k – 4k a day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
R.A. Salvatore, E.A. Poe, and Stephen King are the authors that have influenced and inspired me. I think readers will be able to see their influences in my books. The last book I wrote “Lost Souls” was a direct influence from Stephen King and has a lot of the elements that he uses in his books and is actually dedicated to him.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on book 11 of the Orbbelgguren Series called “The Rising Dead.” In book 10 “The Troll Wars”, the war had ravished the land. Now the 11th book picks up where it left off. The survivors are dealing with grief, survivor’s guilt, and nightmares. The vacuum of power has now been filled with something worse than there was before. A half crazed, non-linear being is trying to save his race and he’s willing to destroy everything in the process, but has he unleashed something that not even he can control? Has his methods gone too far? The hero’s are trying to stop him, but are faced with what they would do to save themselves in the same situation. They must decide if they should let him continue and run the risk of destroying the world or stop him and run the risk of even a greater danger.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not very good at promoting my books. Right now I’m using Facebook, Lulu, twitter, Goodreads, and a few other places but with little success. Any help and advice would be appreciate. I’m not looking to sell a lot of books, but I think the niche that I am writing for would love the Orbbelgguren Series if I could get the promotions to them.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
This is easy. There are only 3 pieces of advice that I give to new authors.

1) Live. Put down the smart phone, stop the texting, stop being on Facebook, get off of the TV and go outside and live. Interact with people. Get in a fight. Fall in love. Get your heart broken. Travel. Watch the sunrise. Watch the sunset. Embrace the great outdoors. It’s difficult to write about something that hasn’t been experience. Remember, reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.

2) Read. Read good books, read bad books. Find out what you like and what you don’t like. Read classics even if you don’t enjoy them at least be able to say that you’ve read them and have an opinion about them. See how great authors write. See how bad authors write. I’ve read books where I’ve been so immersed in them that I’ve finished them in 1 day. I’ve read books so bad that I’ve tossed them across the room never to pick them up again. Reading stimulates imagination and is a great source of education. Read, read, read.

3) Write. Now that you’ve gotten what you want to write about and how to write it, it’s time to put it on paper, digital or otherwise. Just write. Write good stuff, write bad stuff. One of the best pieces of equipment to have is a waste basket to toss the bad stuff away and fill up. A good author tosses quite a bit away initially, but at least they write. The good stuff will come, the techniques will flow, but it never will if it’s never put down on paper.

What are you reading now?
I’ve got a couple of books by R.A. Salvatore that I have to catch up on and really would like to pick up the latest by Stephen King. Meanwhile I glance through my complete collections of Poe for inspiration.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I’m going to move away from my dark elf series again for a short time and write a non-fiction story about last summer’s vacation to South Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, and Bodie. My wife really enjoyed the travel portions of “Lost Souls” since she’s an armchair traveler. However, she didn’t like the horror parts of it (not her style). So, she’s asked me to write a non-fiction story that she could completely enjoy. She’s going to buy a bunch of these and hand out to our families, you know, like one of those Christmas/New Year’s letters that you usually get from long lost relatives that try to cram everything that they’ve done in one short letter.

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?
As much as I love Stephen King and E.A. Poe, I don’t think I would want to bring any of those books. I’m afraid that if I read those books I’ll find footprints on the beach of the deserted island that aren’t mine, a fire that I didn’t start, and strange messages written in the sand that would keep me awake at night (hmmm, I think I’m now inspired to write another book). Anyway, here’s a list of a couple of books I would love to have:

1) The bible. Not for religious purposes, but a reminder of those who had gone through trying times in their life and through faith had been able to see their way through it. This will remind me to never give up hope in such a desolate area.

2) A Boy Scout survival guide book. This will help with building shelters, fire, how to hunt and fish and even make a raft to get off the island.

3) “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells. This is not only a great story but a reminder that one person can help restart a whole civilization and if he could do that then I could simply make it through as one person on an island. Also, at the end our hero takes a few books to restart his life and the same question is asked “Which books did he take?”

4) “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. The reason should be obvious.

If I could bring 1 more, it would be blank so I could fill it with more of my writings, be it fiction or non-fiction.

Stephen Christiansen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Stephen Christiansen is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Midwest and currently live in Pennsylvania. I’ve been married for only a few years. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my husband and our dog, Max. We bought an old farmhouse that we’re currently trying to restore, but it’s a huge work in progress.

Like everything in my life, I love to keep my writing light and fun. I often realize that I’m putting a little of myself into each of my characters.

I’ve written and published 8 short erotic stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest short story is Online Seduction, which is #8 in my Schoolgirl Seduction Series. It involves a younger woman seducing a friend’s dad online and the fun they have once she’s successful.

This story is actually partially autobiographical. I’ve always had a thing for older guys (my husband is 10 years older than me) and I nearly acted on one of my fantasies when I was younger. I saw a friend’s dad’s social media account and quickly became infatuated. Luckily, I didn’t act on it. I don’t think things would have ended up the way they do in my stories!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write late at night while watching terrible horror movies. I don’t really like violence, but something about the desperation or thrill get me in the mood to write! I’m weird…

What are you working on now?
I’m trying to finish the rest of my Schoolgirl Seduction Series, which will either have 2 or 7 more books. I’m still deciding on that, though. They all involve younger women seducing older man!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Mostly I just keep writing new books!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! Then write some more. And when you can’t write another word, keep going!

What are you reading now?
I’m actually proofreading my next story. Does that count?

What’s next for you as a writer?
I like the older men/younger women genre, so I’ll probably stick with that. It’s a huge turn-on for me, so it’s easy to come up with ideas!

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?
Ugh…I cannot answer this question without debating for hours. Just give me a pen and endless paper. I’ll write my own books!

Author Websites and Profiles
Kaylee Mason Amazon Profile

Kaylee Mason is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve tried everything from traveling with a carnival to hauling corn from a field in a dump truck, in order to support my writing habit. I’ve written a total of 5 books, so far, but have several that are in the process of being written.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Journey Back To Threa and it was inspired by the night sky, seen in all of its glory, out in the middle of the country. Looking at all of those stars, I just knew that we could have come from there, and that there had to be others like us, out there, somewhere.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if it would be considered an unusual writing habit, but I tend to have several stories going at once, because it seems to defeat writer’s block

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books that have influenced me are Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of Time Series, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight, R.A. Salvatore’s The Legend Of Drizzt Series and Piers Anthony’s The Zanth Series

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on book two of the Old Worlds & New Worlds Trilogy Of Gaia And Not Threa

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on my website, www.musingsofamadmind.com and on Facebook, Goodreads, G+, and Kindle Mojo.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors would be to write what you like, what fascinates you, what scares you…just write, and publish, and write some more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. The more you write, the better you’ll get.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m rereading the entire Zanth series that my daughter so thoughtfully purchased for my birthday.

What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next? Well, I guess after the third book in my trilogy, I’ll probably concentrate on finishing my other WIPs.

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?
If I was stranded on a desert isle, I would have to bring either Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series or some of R.A. Salvatore’s The Legend Of Drizzt Series and a book by Laurell K Hamilton, from her Anita Blake series

Author Websites and Profiles
Cindy Cowles Website
Cindy Cowles Amazon Profile
Cindy Cowles Author Profile on Smashwords

Cindy Cowles’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cindy Cowles is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far I’ve written two small books of poetry. I’ve always written poems, but this is my first time letting the world know that I have stories to share.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote Flashbacks because I wanted to share certain experiences. A person is shaped by what she/he has been through, so this was my take on different things.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and your 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?
The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

Author Websites and Profiles
TW Penn Amazon Profile

TW Penn is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a English teacher, editor and translator for many years, always telling myself along that way that I’d like to write books, too. Finally, I actually did it! To date, I’ve written four books, three fiction and one non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Stockholm Diaries, Caroline is my latest book, and it’s the first in my Stockholm Diaries series about North American women who come to Sweden and find love. I’m married to a Swedish man, and though we met in California, we’ve lived in Sweden twice. Both times, I met wonderful North American women, all with their own interesting stories of finding love. So I guess you could say that the series is a tribute to all of them.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not at all. In fact, it’s just the opposite–I have extremely regular writing habits! I write a minimum of 500 new words on a book or short story every morning, no matter what. That’s in addition to any editing, articles or anything else.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Though I’m a romance writer, my favorite books all fall under the literary fiction category! But I love to read romance, too–Lisa Kleypas’s Sugar Daddy is a current favorite!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a short story that will fit between my two Stockholm Diaries, Caroline novels. Both novels are told from Caroline’s perspective, but the short story, Stockholm Diaries, Niklas in Italy, will be told from Niklas’s perspective.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hmmm… jury is still out!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persistance!!!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Again, persistance. And Nora Robert’s best writing advice: “Butt in chair.”

What are you reading now?
JR Ward’s lover eternal. Let me tell you–I never thought I’d read a vampire romance, but this book came on recommendation, and it’s certainly engaging.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books, of course! I’m writing more Stockholm Diaries books as well as a non fiction project called The Romance Writer’s Primer: An English Teacher’s Guide to Better Writing Through Reading. If that doesn’t keep me busy enough, I’m thinking about another surfing romance 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?
Romance. All romance:)

Author Websites and Profiles
Rebecca Hunter Website
Rebecca Hunter Amazon Profile

Rebecca Hunter’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Rebecca Hunter is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of one novel and three short stories, and a former musician/songwriter. (I’ve noticed that this distinction tends to elicit a hostile reaction from other musicians, who tell me that music is forever and consider my use of the word “former” downright blasphemous. I maintain that it’s simply a statement of fact. I still love music; I just haven’t performed for a live audience in about ten years.)

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is called “The Agent”, and I would characterize it as hard-boiled existential horror. It’s about a disaffected loner in his late twenties who begins to dream about a series of murders which occurred twenty-five years earlier; eventually, these dreams push him toward a confrontation with the killer and a sort of ghastly supernatural epiphany. My book was inspired primarily by growing up in the shadow of industrial ruins and failing retail stores in northwest Alabama.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, unless obsessive editing counts.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Peter Straub is my single biggest influence. William Burroughs, too–I don’t think I would have started writing seriously if I hadn’t read “Junky”. Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, Rod Serling.

What are you working on now?
My second novel, which will also be horror-oriented, is just beginning to take shape. I’m outlining and writing some individual scenes.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m sorry to say that self-promotion is a total mystery to me. I’ve found it very, very difficult.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be persistent. Work hard while you’re on a roll–until 1 or 2 in the morning, if that’s what it takes.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To outline. I thought I could keep track of the entire mess in my head, but of course I couldn’t. An outline really pulls the structure of your book together and allows you to see the big picture.

What are you reading now?
A biography of Mao Zedong.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I’ll go on writing for as long as it’s enjoyable, and with any luck a few other people will enjoy it, too. With “The Agent”, my goal was to write a book that worked on two levels: as entertainment and as philosophy. If the reader wanted to stop at the first layer, fine, but hopefully there was something beneath that which was more deeply satisfying or at least worthwhile. I think the next book will be a little more abstract, not as accessible.

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?
Peter Straub, “Ghost Story”; Raymond Chandler, “The Long Goodbye”; Arthur Schopenhauer, “The World as Will and Representation”.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jonathan Mitchell Amazon Profile

Jonathan Mitchell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Jonathan Mitchell is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in Kansas, born and raised a country girl. I moved around a lot, but never left my hometown. Though, I hope to one day. I am the oldest of three and take my role with my siblings very seriously. Though that role changes a lot. I have a wonderful mother, who also enjoys writing and does her best to support my work. My adoptive father is also a supportive figure, who I’ve grown to look to as my real father, regardless of blood.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The full name is Watchers of Watchmen: A Rise in the Resistance. However, it is still in the editing process.

I first had an idea for a dystopia book when I was a freshman in high school. Though I could never flesh the idea out. That was until I had a dream where everything fell into place. Characters told me their names, and flashes of their adventures flew through my mind. Of course, I still had to edit this dream quite a lot, but that is where the idea came from.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I really start writing, and am writing several pages at a time, I tend to stand up.

It helps me take things more seriously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh so many. My top favorites will always be Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. I don’t know if they influenced my writing, as much as helped influence me to become a writer.

What are you working on now?
I am using this interview as a way to procrastinate editing my first book actually. Which is Watchers of Watchmen: A Rise in the Resistance. It is a dystopia styled Young Adult read that has a strong female character. There is a little sci-fi thrown in, but nothing outrageous.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I talk to everyone about my book. Even when I am at my day job, waiting for something or someone, I constantly tell people “I am writing a book, wanna hear about it?”

They seem intrigued, (maybe it’s because I am young, maybe it’s because I am so forward about it) and then they let me talk.

Facebook has become my best friend too. There are so many marketing methods on Facebook, whether it be creating pages, groups, events, or tagging your friends. It can be incredibly helpful, if even motivating.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author, I can’t say much here.

But I always remind people: I write for myself. If others enjoy it, then that is great too, but that isn’t why I write. I write because I have a story to tell.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I am going to take this as a question that goes beyond writing advice.

Stand for something… that is the best advice I have ever heard. Without a purpose in our lives, we tend to fall apart and lose ourselves. If we stand for something, then we have something worth fighting for, something to hold onto in the dark.

What are you reading now?
Actually, I am reading a couple books on how to obtain a literary agent and how to draft a query letter. They are incredibly informative.

In my spare time though, I also read bits and portions of The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to work out getting a literary agent for my first work. This is my first time at the rodeo, and I have a lot… A LOT… of research 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?
They would all have to be things I haven’t read yet, so I’ll give you genres.

1: A nonfiction book on how to survive. Not only because I am stranded, but because I love survival guides.

2: Something inspirational.

3: The Bible (I guess that is a specific one)

4: A Young Adult action book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Felesha Bonnell Website

Felesha Bonnell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Felesha Bonnell is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live on the west coast of Canada, though I hail from England and have lived in many countries. I’ve now written eight steamy romances

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Letting Go, which is available free from my website www.katebrittonbooks.com

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I play either jazz or classical music and tend to forget to get up and stretch while I’m immersed in developing my novels, except for filling my cup of tea, of course!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been inspired by many authors, and do admit to liking E.L.James. It’s popular to knock her, but you can’t argue with her success and she gave me the courage to write the erotic stories brewing in my brain.

What are you working on now?
A book called INITIATING GRAEME, which will be the prequel to TAMING THE BILLIONAIRE. It’s the story of Graeme Browning as a teenager, of his decision to marry young to Carrie and the way he came to adopt his lifestyle. I’m also mulling over another short novella, LETTING BE, which will be the continuation of the relationship between Liz and Richard. Readers can get the first novella, LETTING GO free on my website, www.katebrittonbooks.com

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love to use twitter, facebook groups, and the many newsletters available, of which of course the AWESOMEGANG is outstanding. I also use KDP Select free days. Don’t like the countdown feature because it doesn’t work worldwide and I do believe in a level playing field for readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, put it away for a few weeks, read it, edit it, go to fiverr.com and get a cover, and put it on Amazon KDP. Use the free days to introduce it, list your free days on as many sites as you can. Go to Mailchimp, make a landing page to your newsletter, and collect names for a mailing list so you can tell people about your next, probably better book. But write and publish! Don’t be afraid of failure. You are a success!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself and don’t worry about what people say. More people will like you and be silent than the naysayers who seem to be very vocal.

What are you reading now?
Grey by E L James, it’s very interesting to see the other side…and a book called Love, Laughter and Steamy Ever Afters. Ten novels by ten bestselling authors Bella Andre, Melissa Foster, Violet Duke, Erin Nicholas, Lauren Blakely, Carly Phillips, Sawyer Bennett, Melanie Shawn, Jessie Evans, Crista McHugh . You have to watch out for these collections, they’re only available for a short time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I think I’ll write a book of short stories, after I finish Initiating Graeme and editing Graeme Untamed as I put the five parts into the complete volume.

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?
It would have to be four collections of novels because that would give me 40 books instead of 4! I read a lot…

Author Websites and Profiles
Kate Britton Website
Kate Britton Amazon Profile

Kate Britton’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Kate Britton is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
By trade I have been a Vascular Ultrasound Technician for over 22 years. I’ve been a Christian for over 43 years.

I have written Five books so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Acts: A Bible Study With Someone Like You

This is the fifth book in series. In a Four year period I took the time to journal my thoughts and summarized every chapter in the Entire Bible. Out of these journals I am turning each book of the Bible into a Kindle eBook. I’ve revised my journals some to make them more personalized to the readers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Of course the Bible. Motivational books that include the late Zig Zigler.

What are you working on now?
I just started rewriting my journal on the book of Proverbs from the Bible. I hope to in the near future publish stories from my 22 years in healthcare.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well besides Awesomegang, I like to promote to a lot on Facebook groups sites that are specific for Kindle, Books or Bible Studies.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Make your titles & descriptions Keyword rich

2.Make your book covers attractive and eye catching

3. Use Universal links (I use Booklinker.net) that take your readers from any country to your Kindle book.

4. Use both the ordinary and out of the ordinary when it comes to Marketing your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t settle for mediocrity!

What are you reading now?
Proverbs from the Bible.

And books on improving my book writing and publishing skills.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To get my books into hard copies with Createspace.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kurt Olson Amazon Profile

Kurt Olson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired airline pilot with quite a varied flying background, including work in Africa for a flying doctor service, and Malaysia for the oil industry. Now I just fly little Cessna airplanes as a part-time flying instructor, and an Aeronca Chief, which I part own, strictly for fun. I live in Devon, England, in a little market town on the edge of Dartmoor National Park and not very far from the sea.

I am married with three grown up children and three grandchildren. When not flying or writing I enjoy long walks on the moor or along the North Cornwall coast, reading, television, the theatre and the cinema. Mostly our holidays are walking holidays. In recent years we have hiked in India, Ethiopia, Gran Canaria and the United States.

I have only written one book, though I have another, well advanced, that I hope will be ready for publication by about July, 2016. Once that is out I have some pretty detailed plots in my head for at least four others, so when the time comes I shall have to decide which to concentrate on next.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is called Marshall’s Family. I got the idea for it a long time ago, and from time to time I scribbled notes, not so much on the plot, but on particular scenes that had somehow built up in my mind. Originally it was going to be set in a Europe being threatened by invasion from Russia, however, the end of the Cold War rendered that idea obsolete, so I switched the action to Africa. As soon as I did so I realized that it really was a far better setting. I was able to use some of my own experience to lend authenticity to the tale. In fact, in the first chapter the description of the night flight through lines of thunderstorms, and the rant of the homicidal soldier, overheard by Marshall, are both lifted directly from my memory. I think, had I gone with my original location, it would have been a very different book, and probably not so easy to write, but because I changed the background to Africa, the building blocks of the plot came to me relatively easily.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, except that I write at a little circular, marble-topped table that once graced a Chinese coffee shop in Sarawak.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Graham Greene. He reminds me of one of those Japanese artists who, after just a few strokes with a brush dipped in black ink, can produce a perfectly expressive representation of a bird or a flower or a mountain scene. His characters are so simply realized and yet so vivid. He dissects and lays bare their motives with great precision.

Antoine de Saint Exupery, for his wonderful prose. If Graham Greene paints in black and white, Saint Ex is all colour.

Ernest K Gann, for his descriptions of a pilot’s life, in the best flying book ever written, Fate is the Hunter. He outlines an exciting, dangerous aviation world, largely gone now, which, when I started out, I just managed to catch in its final years. When I read that book it is not just words, I can feel and hear and smell it all, and relate some of it to my own early experience.

Edward Abbey, for his humour, in most anarchic tale I have ever read, The Monkey Wrench Gang. It is a story with fabulous characters and outrageous situations, set in a real-life landscape. Funny and unforgettable, it will lift your spirits.

What are you working on now?
I am about two-thirds through the first draft of a story about love and war, in which a bizarre coincidence causes an American boy to profoundly affect the life of a German girl, he once knew, without either of them realizing it at the time. The novel contains scenes from the First and Second World Wars and the Korean conflict.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As I have only just started out as an author, it’s difficult to say which is best, but I have had great success using someone who helps self-published authors publish and promote their Kindle eBooks. She’s been helping me use social media, and prepare for my upcoming free promotion on Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stop prevaricating, sit down and start writing. Build on what you know. Don’t necessarily have a complete plot, but do have a beginning and some idea of an end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Do it. Do it now, before you get too old.” From the book/film Valdez Is Coming.

What are you reading now?
I have just started reading, The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen. I cannot say much about it, because I am only on page 17, except – so far, so good.

I am one of those people whose rate of book buying exceeds their rate of book reading, though I read a lot. As a result I have a big backlog of books to read. The Corrections has just come off the top of that pile.

The last book I read was, Comanche Empire, by Pekka Hamalainen. It is basically a history of the Comanche Nation, and how it ran rings around the early Spanish/Mexican/American invaders for many years. It was only brought down in the end by sustained attacks on its economic resources.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My next novel I suppose, and I should quite like to start a blog. If I do I’m afraid it will probably be quite serious, an old man’s rant at the injustices of the world.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Fate is the Hunter, by Ernest K Gann

Wind Sand and Stars, by Antoine de Saint Exupery

(Here I am going to cheat! ) Heaven’s Command/Pax Britannica/Farewell the Trumpets, by Jan Morris – bound in a single volume.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, by himself

Author Websites and Profiles
Anson Welsh Website
Anson Welsh Amazon Profile

Anson Welsh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Anson Welsh is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up just outside of Chicago. I met my husband in Hawaii where we were both stationed when in the Army. We live just outside of Denver now with our two beautiful daughters and two giant lap dogs. On top of being a writer, I am a mother, an accountant and a youth volleyball coach. When I get a moment away, I enjoy running and hiking. I’ve always been a writer, though. I had notebooks that I carried around to class dedicated to my personal writings when I was a kid. It has always been a dream of mine to sit down and write a book. The dream got put on hold many times for many different reasons but I finally did it. I just have one book that I’ve published so far, but there will be many more!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book published was also my first, “the loss of A MOTHER’s loss”. It was inspired by the passing of my mother. My mom and I didn’t have the greatest of relationships, to say the least. The book is about the series of events that led us to our estrangement. When I went back to home for the funeral, to all the people she knew and had been telling not so good things about me, I had a week of flashbacks to all the reasons that part of me was just a distant memory.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My inability to focus on one project at a time is my most unusual habit. I constantly have new or better ideas and I jump back and forth from one project to another a lot. When I finally finished writing my first book, it was the first time I’ve ever been able to 100% focus on a project I was working on. That one was that important to me at the time. I needed to get it out. Now, I’m back to my normal habits and have 5 separate projects I’m working on which is continuously extending the deadlines I’ve set for myself!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
It may sound a little strange, but my biggest influence is Dr. Seuss. I read all his books as a kid and it is what got me started reading and, therefore, writing. I used to only write in prose because I loved the flow of his books. Then I read some of his non-rhyming books and I loved them just as much. His lessons on always being who you are through all of his books gave me the courage to keep writing even when I got looked at funny for having my personal notebooks with me all the time. Other than that, my inspiration has come from a great many places; Hemmingway, of course, Mark Twain, Dickens, Poe, Roald Dahl, James Patterson. I love them all!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a handful of things right now. I’m still trying to get my blog fully up and running. I started it to promote my book but it’s turned into a site for me to write about whatever comes to mind. I write about my life, things that are happening in the world, short stories now and again, sports and whatever I feel at the time. It’s been an up and down ride but I enjoy that part so far. I’m also working on a couple of other books (the focus issues!). I’ve got what I’m calling an I Am series which is a series of essays on who and what people are. I have started working on a youth coaching book based on my experiences. And the last one I’ve really dove into right now is about friends that parted ways and don’t understand why things aren’t the same as they’ve always been.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try and find sites like awesomegang here and get out there. I’ve used Goodreads and Amazon, Bookdaily and Bookzio amongst others. I promote on my personal site all the time, twitter, facebook, linkedin. I’m trying to use it all. Self-promotion has never been my strongest trait so it’s been a rough ride thus far but I’m not giving up yet!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Patience. That is what I keep having to tell myself. I’m still new at this and I’m still pushing my book wherever I can. So I would just say patience and not expecting too much from the offset, not getting hopes too high at the beginning. Write for yourself, if you are happy with your work, if it is everything you wanted it to be, take that as a win and let sales be a bonus.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t check your own stats. That’s got to be the best advice out there. Write, write, write and if the sales come, you’ll find out soon enough. Don’t check up on your sales all the time. Just write.

What are you reading now?
I am reading “eat, pray, love” by Elizabeth Gilbert right now. So far, so good.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to keep writing. I hope to be able to focus enough on one project to have another book published by the end of summer. I will keep promoting as much as I can. I hope to be able to drop the accountant gig one day so I can become a writer full time and be able to time working on multiple projects and still meet the deadlines I set for myself. It’s a dream but I still see the possibilities!

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, The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain

“A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Shriver Website
Jennifer Shriver Amazon Profile

Jennifer Shriver’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jennifer Shriver is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m just a blue-haired geek with a dream of being a real author. I’ve published one book, written another to be published soon, and I have at least eight titles planned for the Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd series, with other series to take place in the same world. I’m not sure where in all that I’ll feel like a “real author”, but I’m excited to find out.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Awakened is the first book in a long series set in a world that I’ve been crafting with my wife for over a decade. It was inspired from a roleplaying game she started running with our group years ago, and we kinda took the idea from there and went with it. We’ve got a few truckloads of worldbuilding pre-installed, so the setting is pretty deep, and has been thoroughly examined for many years. This book in particular was inspired by a spree of Urban Fantasy reading that my wife did a little over a year ago. She convinced me to make a new character for our setting who would be Awakening to the supernatural and drawn into a story idea she had. I did that, we played it out, and eventually, I realized, this story, Dakota’s story, was one I really wanted to share, from her perspective.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, most of our writing is done after playing out scenes in a vocal storytelling style. So I do voices, I act out poses for clarity sometimes, and I get really, really into my character. Like, “method acting” into it. And then when I write the story down later, I revisit those scenes in my mind and just try to recreate what happened, especially the focusing on the feelings that were evoked. I feel like the best thing I could give my readers is a connection with the characters. At least for me, when I’m reading a story and the characters grab me, it’s the best thing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Barbara Ann Wright, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson.
And respectively: The Dresden Files, The Mercy Thompson series, The Pyramid Waltz series, The Kingkiller Chronicles, and The Stormlight Archive.

But most of all, Neil Gaiman. Not his books so much as his words. A few words of inspiration he took the time to write down once have become a life mantra for me and have gotten me through more than writing slumps.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently finalizing the revisions on Hunted which releases August 14, 2015. Then I have to finish the cover for Hunted (I do my own cover art, having several years experience and several years of training as an illustrator and graphics artist.). After that, I will be outlining book three in the series while working on formatting for print copies and helping finalize my wife’s first book, Destiny Abounds, book one of the Starlight Saga, which is based on our space opera setting.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on DarksbaneBooks.com, Facebook, and Twitter, and so far, I can’t say what works best. I’m a newb.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find the next word. Look up Neil Gaiman’s speech on that concept and read it. Live by it.
Seriously, write. Write another book. Then another one. If you keep writing, you will succeed eventually, period.
Also, check out kboards.com and the writer’s cafe there. Best place on the internet for indie authors.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Find the next word.” – Neil Gaiman

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The Brigadoon Boondoggle, book two of the Monkey Queen series by Robert Dahlen, a good friend and a fantastic author.
Robert’s main characters are Michiko the Monkey Queen, and Beth, a geek girl with a special gift. We’ve long since decided that should their worlds ever crossover, Beth, Michiko, and Dakota would hang out and have a Ghibli marathon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to be writing Dakota’s adventures for the next year at least. I’m currently releasing a new book every three weeks, if not from my series then from my wife’s space opera series. What’s next? More writing, really. Hopefully lots of people will read and enjoy my work. Maybe one day I’ll get to sit at a table and sign books for people. That’d be fun.

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 hate these kind of questions. You probably want me to answer with my favorite books ever, but I’m thinking which books would make my existence on a desert island most comfortable? A desert survival book of some kind? A book with information on how to get off of a desert island? A magic book with super powers that let me leave the island? This question doesn’t have enough boundaries for me to work within. Do these have to be real books? Can I imagine what super powers books may have in the next few years? Can I say “Kindle Voyage v5.0 now with solar power”? Let’s just go with that, actually. Now I have to go send that idea to Amazon.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shei Darksbane Website
Shei Darksbane Amazon Profile

Shei Darksbane’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Shei Darksbane is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love speculative fiction but lean towards fantasy as my primary genre. I’m a history buff and prefer the time periods from ancient Mesopotamia all the way to the fall of the Roman Empire. At least, that’s what I’m into for now. This seems to change based off my writing but in general I do not like going much past the 1400s.

I have two published novels. “Winemaker of the North” and “Arcane Awakening”.

I have five additional novel length manuscripts.

I have numerous short stories some published and others unpublished.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Arcane Awakening” This is book two in my Saints of Wura trilogy.

This book had many inspirations but a large part of it was the Roman Empire and their dealings with the tribes of Germania. The subterfuge, “bought by gold” alliances, horrible bloodshed and enslavement… wonderful accents to a fantasy novel if you ask me. This coupled with the theme of magic being “reawakened” and the return of spiritual entities both holy and malevolent, sets the stage for the awesome climax to come. I can’t wait to release book three!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I binge write. When I’m writing a novel, it is difficult for me to write every day. I typically write in spurts of 5000-10000 words and then take a day (or two or three) off. My latest draft was 65k words and I wrote it in around 13 days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien and Brooks. That is, if I only pick two.

The lyrical poetry and scope of history/ language of Tolkien’s many works and the general storytelling of Brooks’ books are the chief influences in my own writing. Though there are so many influences, it really is hard to narrow it down.

What are you working on now?
Book three in my Saints of Wura trilogy. I’m looking to publish in late fall.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Be real. No one likes a salesperson. Blog about stuff related to your books. For me this means history, myths, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and the write your heart out. Get the story on the page no matter the cost. It’s much easier to edit a book when you have the story down. Worry about details and specifics after you have a first draft otherwise you’re doomed to never finish, at least in my experience!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just sit down and write. If I did this more, I would have more books.

What are you reading now?
About ancient history actually… I’m working on an idea involving the fall of Carthage and the slave revolts of the First Servile war. (The slave rebellion of Spartacus was the Third Servile war) I am essentially planning a Fantasy/ alternative history book. I will have more to come on this in the future.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the Saints of Wura trilogy and two additional novels in the same world but much earlier in the history involving one of the side characters.

Aside from that, I have my alternative history idea I may run with or I may jump back to one of two other fantasy projects I left incomplete.

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 Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire (I would finally have time to read it)

…and a book about how to get off of deserted islands…

Author Websites and Profiles
J.T. Williams Website
J.T. Williams Amazon Profile

J.T. Williams’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.T. Williams is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I recently became Comet Press/Sex Files first author with a gay category book, my erotic gay thriller novella eBook BEHIND THE VELVET CURTAIN, a peek into the world of a stripper and the stalker he attracts. This was released March 2nd, and two days ago I finished my horror novel at 68,500 words.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a stripper turned author, as is the main character in Behind the Velvet Curtain. (Of course, when I wrote it, I was still unpublished so it’s a bit of life imitates art.) I wanted to give something real, Magic Mike the movie is a glossy, unrealistic look, this is more what it’s really like to be a stripper and everything that goes with it. The “creeper” (obsessed stalker) in the book is based on a real fan, but it never got to the level it does in the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t write every day like everyone says I should. I almost always write very late at night with music on. Lady Gaga played while I wrote Behind the Velvet Curtain, while I switched to Depeche Mode for a darker mood when writing my horror novel.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely Stephen King.

What are you working on now?
Just finished editing/polishing my horror novel that is a nod to not another writer, but a director, Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a psychological horror novel with blood and guts but also the suspense and mystery of Hitchcock. In particular, it is a modern nod to Psycho.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
At first it was twitter but lately more with Facebook. Giveaways and contests I’ve found to be very helpful, which I didn’t understand at first but now I get. I’ve also done several interviews, which I really enjoy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep at it, all the stories are true. Add me to the list of authors that were rejected by 20 different publishers/agents/magazines with my novella, book, and short stories before finally getting that yes. Keep writing and keep submitting.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Success doesn’t bring happiness, happiness brings success. Do something you love.

What are you reading now?
Honestly, I’m not. I’ve never read less than since I’ve been published. I never liked reading in school. I loved writing. I’m atypical to most writers in that regard.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing my horror novel. I can hardly wait. This took a long time to write while what I have out now, the novella, didn’t take me very long at all. I very excited to get it out there.

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 wouldn’t bring books. Like I said, I am very atypical to what most writers seem to be like. I don’t read that often. Although I’ve loved just about every book I have read. I know I’m weird, but why read when I can write and create something myself? If I brought a book it might be To Killing A Mocking Bird, only because I have it but haven’t read it. I guess I’d also bring Psycho because I’ve never read the book. So, OK, I will bring two books after all.

Author Websites and Profiles
Matt Converse Website
Matt Converse Amazon Profile
Matt Converse Author Profile on Smashwords

Matt Converse’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Matt Converse is a post from Awesome Gang