Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Alicia Rades, a freelance writer, blogger, and editor. When inspiration strikes, I’m also an author. I currently have one novel out, Fire in Frost, and I plan to release the second two books in the series in 2016. I also have two novellas, one short story, and one poetry collection out.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a short sci-fi story called In My Head. In it, Mila is beta testing the latest implant, but when she hears Parker’s voice in her head, everything changes. I actually drew inspiration from reading an article about where technology will take us in coming years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if you can call it unusual, but when I write the first draft of my stories, I like to do it quickly so everything is fresh in my head (though the outlining and editing process take much longer!). I’ve written most of my first drafts in less than a month.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Linda Joy Singleton is by far my greatest influence. She’s a young adult paranormal author, and it was her stories that inspired my Crystal Frost series.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on heavy edits in the second and third books in my Crystal Frost series. I am also working on outlining another unrelated young adult paranormal novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Local book signings seem to work best for me. Otherwise, Facebook is a good place to get the word out.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take your time! I rushed into my first novella, and it’s not nearly as good as it could have been. When I wrote my first novel, I took a year to revise it, get feedback, and have it professionally edited. Also, unless you have design experience, pay someone to design your book cover. Your cover does wonders for marketing, so you really want it to look nice.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
One quote that has stuck with me is, “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.”

What are you reading now?
I’m currently finishing up the True Calling series by Siobhan Davis.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Within the next year, I will have two new novels out in the Crystal Frost series, and I hope to release another standalone novel shortly after that.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would probably bring THE SEER series. I’ve read that series multiple times, and it still never gets old!

Author Websites and Profiles
Alicia Rades Website
Alicia Rades Amazon Profile

Alicia Rades’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alicia Rades is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two novels and also published a non-fiction book. I’m a rare British fan of “American” football and actually started blog writing on the NFL (UK) website. That led to writing for a British website (Football Diner) and most recently Huddle Notes.
For many years I had an idea for a Sci-Fi novel bouncing around in my head. In 2014, I decided after my NFL Draft work, to write it. So, “Ten” was born. The main character deals with anxiety – suffering from it for most of my life, I wanted someone like me to be the focus. I hope others like me connect with him and those that aren’t understand people like me a little more.

My second novel was written in the summer, this time I went to WWI and a local Hampshire connection. Albert Slater serves in the Royal Hampshire Regiment and deals with the war and then a return home.

My non-fiction effort was a guide to the 2015 NFL Draft, rating players after (too much!) film study.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
From the Mud was inspired by the 100 year anniversary of World War One. I studied history at school and college, so had a solid general concept of what went on. I did some more detailed research for the Royal Hampshire Regiment’s movements, which I followed in the novel. Really, this novel is my small effort to keep WWI in thoughts. I can’t imagine going “over the top”, so it is written with respect for those who did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to listen to music when I write (not unusual), but sometimes I get song titles in my work. The a “close your eyes for this” reference in Ten (Parmalee) and in From the Mud “The Long Way Back Home” (The Wreckers). I’m not sure people will pick them up, but I like having them in there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Terry Goodkind and the Sword of Truth series for sure. I like how with Richard and Kahlan you have strong male and female characters. In Ten I have Dan and Rachel; while in From the Mud it’s Albert and Alice. I love how Richard is always thinking (of the solution not the problem) and in Ten, Dan tries little things to help Rachel out of her post neck injury depression. I only realised how much Mr Goodkind influenced me when I read his latest release – it must have impacted me without me being fully aware.

What are you working on now?
I’ve just started my third novel. It’s back to Sci-Fi with a space opera kind of thing. Working title is “Maya”. I’ve only written about 3,500 words, but it’s going to feature a fourteen year old Princess. She’s third in line to the throne, but after her brother and sister are killed, she’s suddenly number one. It will follow her as she tries to become comfortable in her own skin and lead. I’m planning on some aliens in this one as well!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have to admit marketing is the part of being an Indie author that I struggle with the most. Ereader News Today was my best marketing result, which launched Ten into the Sci-Fi Exploration top 50. I find most marketing sites need your book to be discounted or free – I guess it might be I permanently make both novels 99c…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Before you press Publish, make sure you have a good cover and book description. I didn’t when I first published Ten and sales were very slow.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Dream Big Word Hard (JJ Watt)

What are you reading now?
Kingmaker: Broken Faith by Toby Clements.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll finish off Maya and see where that journey takes me.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would say the first 3 or 4 books in Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Emery Amazon Profile

Paul Emery’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Paul Emery is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired Police Chief (Bangor, Maine Police Department), and I have written three novels and a little poetry. I started writing seriously for my grandchildren, and four stories for my Granddaughter with a recurring fantasy pirate theme came together as my first young adult book, “Cady’s Treasure”.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest efforts have been a crime fiction series based on Bangor and some of it’s historical interest as well as my more than two decades of law enforcement experience. “Past Due” and “Past Perfect” are the first two books in the series, and “Past Master” is in the works.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I try to write every day but, to prevent boredom I usually have two or three projects in the air at the same time and I divide my time between my writing and my hobby of custom knife-making.
I begin every session by reading the previous day’s work and generally write in a pretty linear fashion, from beginning to end with frequent continuity edits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am in awe of Stephen King’s productivity, imagination, and total mastery of the fiction genre, and I admire John Sandborn’s ability to tell a crime story from a realistic police point of view.

What are you working on now?
Right now, besides “Past Master” I’m working on “A Kids Guide to Creative Writing” (with the help of my granddaughter) and thinking seriously about the next young adult offering which will involve a haunted rural train depot.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like Awesomegang.com and several other promotional sites as well as Facebook.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write, write, write…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The worst thing you ever wrote is better than the best thing you didn’t write.”

What are you reading now?
Whatever I can get my hands on.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve published a bit of poetry on Amazon, and I think I’d like to explore that a bit 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?
“The Stand,” Stephen King; “Robinson Caruso,” Daniel Defoe; “The Survival Medicine Handbook” Joseph Alton

Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Stockford Amazon Profile

Richard Stockford is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My day job is as a chiropractic physician. I served in the U.S. Navy in nuclear submarines and submarine communications from 1968 to 1972. I served again in the active reserves from 1978 to 1980. I joined the all volunteer U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol, in 1998 and have served as a ground team leader and communications specialist. I was the commanding officer of two squadrons and as a group commander of five squadrons. I continue to volunteer as a mission pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

I have many hobbies, hunting, fishing, writing computer programs, flying, reading, and more, but my latest is writing science fiction novels. I wrote and published my first book, Survive! Marooned on Planet Tau Ceti g, in May 2014. I just finished my manuscript for a sequel, Survive! First Alien Contact, which is at the publisher and going through the editorial edit at this time.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of the series is Survive! The sequel to my first book, Survive! First Alien Contact, should be available in print and ebook by the end of November 2015.

From time I wrote my first science fiction story at 13, I’ve always wanted to become an author, and (finally – I’m now 66,) took the first steps in January 2013. I wrote the basic story in 28 days, but it took me a year to edit and polish the story. Taking the time to do it correctly won me the Editor’s Choice Award from my publisher, and 5 star ratings from the U.S. Review of Books and the Manhattan Book Review.

I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi. I loved the original Star Trek series and followed all the spin off’s, Star Trek Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager until they went off the air. Of course, the Star Wars, ET, and other sci-fi/fantasy movies gave me additional inspiration. A quote from my first book, “Dare to dream the impossible for someday the impossible will become the new reality,” plays well in our daily lives. If it weren’t for the imagination of writers where would scientists get their inspiration to create the fantastic tools we use in our daily lives today? I like to think that I can now participate in the creation of new ideas for scientists to ponder.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If you mean that by staying up to the wee hours of the morning to write is unusual, then that would be it. Until I retire from my day job, writing will continue to be a hobby, but it is very satisfying to see my efforts rewarded by the positive reviews of my readers.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read several books a month. There are too many authors and titles to list, but by reading well written books I have gained a style of my own that flows well and expresses exactly what I want the reader to visualize.

What are you working on now?
I just finished the sequel to my first book and am taking a short break, but will begin the third book of the series soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Using professional reviewers and promoting the books on their websites. I’ve submitted my first book to several contests, but the results are months away. Exposure is the key. Book signings are a great way to meet people and talk about my book, and if they purchase I always ask them to post a review on their favorite book store website such as Barnes and Nobel, Amazon, Good Reads, etc. Social media can be huge if you have a following. Also having a website and blog.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take your time to do it right. I’ve seen recommendations that say to just get the book in circulation to make your money quickly. I disagree with that philosophy. If a book is well written it will sell, and your readers will ask for more from you. Now that doesn’t mean to take years to complete your project, but if you can write even 500 words a day, or complete a chapter or scene when you sit behind your computer, you’ll have your first draft finished before you know it.

Put the manuscript away for a few weeks, then re-read it. When you have the tale fresh in your mind it’s easy for your brain to skip over the mistakes because you know what the story is supposed to say. You will be amazed at how many corrections you’ll need to make.

Then have someone who is well versed in English check your sentence structure for wrong words that got by the spell check on your word processor (and you!) missing or inappropriate comma usage, long sentences, etc. Also, Try not to use the same noun, verb, adverb, adjective more than once in a paragraph.

This is my own pet peeve, but have a satisfying ending to your story. There are many ways to suggest to the reader that there will be a sequel if that’s your plan. Unless you are a prolific writer and can churn out quality books within a month, don’t leave your reader hanging and waiting for your next book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Have the characters tell the story through dialogue. Many beginning writers tell the story through narrative which is good for background information, but can be boring to the reader if used too frequently. The story becomes alive when people tell the tale.

What are you reading now?
The last book in the series, I Am Number Four, by Pitacus Lore

What’s next for you as a writer?
Starting book three of Survive! Alien Conquest. In book two, I left an opening at the end for a continuation of the story.

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 actually enjoy reading the stories again. That is not to say there aren’t many other good books out there, but re-reading my own gives me additional ideas on where I can take my characters in the next chapter of their fictional lives.

Author Websites and Profiles
Charles Graham Website
Charles Graham Amazon Profile

Charles Graham’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Charles Graham is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written five novels, but Marred is my debut release. The other titles will be published in the coming months. I’m a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and I run a popular crime website/blog at www.suecoletta.com, where I post writing tips, crime tips, and have special guest from within law enforcement, mainly.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Marred is a psychological thriller/mystery. The inspiration came to me after the news reported another woman being victimized. My hope is that Sage’s story will inspire others to seek help.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
We all have our own way of doing things. Unusual habits? Not to me. LOL

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list. Larry Brooks, Thomas Harris, Lee Childs, Katia Lief, Karin Slaughter. I could go on and on.

What are you working on now?
Wings of Mayhem, a psychological thriller. I’m doing the final edits before I submit to my publisher.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because Marred is only available for pre-release, I’m still navigating my way with the promotional waters. But I have found good luck engaging with people on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and my own site. The writing community is so supportive of one another.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hone your craft. Persistence will pay off. Grow rhino skin. Rejection isn’t personal. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Whether you’re a pantser or plotter, all bestselling books have the same structure. Learn it.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading a couple of books now. Deadly Messages by Susan May and Claw Hammer by Paul Dale Anderson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Who knows what the future will hold, which I find exciting. For now, my plan is to go over my other four novels and make them shine before I submit to my publisher. Also, I’d love to go for the New Blood Dagger, but we’ll see what happens.

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?
Silence of the Lambs, and three new ones I’ve never read.

Author Websites and Profiles
Sue Coletta Website
Sue Coletta Amazon Profile
Sue Coletta Author Profile on Smashwords

Sue Coletta’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sue Coletta is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been an entertainment writer and interviewer for more than 10 years, talking to personalities such as Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, Dane Cook, Taylor Momsen from The Pretty Reckless, Chuck Palahniuk, and baseball legend Pete Rose. I have also covered everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to President Obama.

I’m the author of DRAMA DOLLS, ANONYMOUS (which was starred reviewed by Publishers Weekly), HELLO FABULOUS!, and HELLO LESBIAN!

In fiction, I enjoy everything from psychological horror, fast-paced thrillers, dark suspense, stories with lots of action, transgressive fiction, and unexpected plot twists. My favorite authors are Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Gillian Flynn, Christopher Buckley, Clive Barker, Craig Clevenger, and Charles Bukowski.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
DRAMA DOLLS is the new novel. I saw a documentary about grown men who dressed up as dolls. They ventured out in public, running their errands, basking in the attention given to them. The dolls thought they were beautiful. The perception by the bystanders was the opposite. The dichotomy was amazing to see. I thought, “How disturbing!”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Other than writing about grown men who dress up as cheerleaders, not really. My writing process is simple – I think (or read) of an interesting idea and expand on it. Before I write anything down I work the storyline(s) in my head until there is enough material. I always have the ending in mind before writing; it’s easier to write to an ending.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My two favorite authors are Chuck Palahniuk and Dave Barry (Big Trouble). These two specifically got me excited to read novels again. I also enjoy what Gillian Flynn is doing with her books. There’s something about people doing crazy things.

What are you working on now?
I just finished DRAMA DOLLS (launched October 1st) so now I’m in between novels.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have about 4,000 Twitter followers and I generally write my own press releases and blitz them out across the web. But the best promotion is word of mouth. If I’m selling paperbacks, I do most of my promotions via Comic Conventions where I can physically talk/sell to the reader.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t worry about trends. Write what you want because you love to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Chuck Palahniuk, author of FIGHT CLUB, once told me writing is like a mistress with your full-time job being your wife. Keep working until you make enough to write for a living. In Chuck’s words, however, it was keep seeing your mistress while keeping your wife full-time; until it’s time to leave your wife for your mistress.

What are you reading now?
SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn. Found it for $.88 at a Goodwill.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have an idea for another novel. But I can’t say. Not because I’m secretive, but by the time I start writing it, it may be a different idea.

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?
This is unanswerable. Too difficult.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jason Tanamor Website
Jason Tanamor Amazon Profile

Jason Tanamor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Jason Tanamor is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This will be my first published book. I began writing when I was in elementary school. I developed a passion it for it due to creative writing which I learned about in the 4th grade. I enjoy reading any genre as long as it has romance in it. I’m a sucker for love. So, I wrote a romance novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Charming without Chance” was originally inspired by my attitude towards pretty boys. It was going to be titled “The Pretty Boy Captive” which would follow a girl who fell in love with a pretty boy. As I began writing, I started to acknowledge that the story was bigger than a pretty boy and his characteristics. There was a story behind that — a girl who already dealt with those type of men and she had to use what she has learned to prepare her for the re-entering dating world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I consider my writing habits normal. I sit on the bed, on the couch, or on the floor in front of my laptop tying away. I’m either distracted by the television or YouTube videos at some point, but when I have an idea, I write it out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many. When I was in middle school, I began reading mature books written by authors like Eric Jerome Dickey and Carl Weber. The most influential books I’ve read to date “Get Some Love” by Nina Fox, “Indigo Summer” and the Indigo Series by Monica McKayhan, and “The Ties that Bind” by Electra Rome Parks

What are you working on now?
I’ve received some great feedback on “Charming without Chance.” So, I’m definitely considering a sequel. I am currently working on another project, but no matter what I will have another book released in December 2015.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word-of-mouth is something that I live by. I’m new to promoting online, and I am enjoying it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t procrastinate and don’t over-edit. You’ll save yourself the heartache and headache if you just finish and leave your work be. Trust me, it took over a year to finally publish my first book. I edited it at least five times before I told myself to stop. If I kept editing it, it would still be saved on my desktop.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do what makes you happy.

What are you reading now?
I’m actually re-reading a great trilogy by Anne Aguirre. “Enclave”, “Outpost”, and “Horde” are great books. It is young adult, but there’s so much going on. The characters are so vivid, and that’s what I enjoy most about reading — the characters.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Over the summer, I started a YouTube channel to get out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been a quiet, “background”, introverted person, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I just feel like I’m a character that people outside of my family and friends would enjoy getting to know. My videos consist of vlogs, personal stories, and self-help. Other than that, I’m going to continue writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s impossible! Well, “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown is my first favorite. The second book would be a notebook to write in. Ah-ha! You like how I did that one?
The third and fourth book would be my first published book “Charming without Chance” and the Bible.
The next question should be: What do those 3 or 4 books say about you as an author?
Mmmh… Readers, what do you think?

Author Websites and Profiles
SLF Entertainment Amazon Profile

SLF Entertainment is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Alaskan by way of California, so that makes me a “Calaskan.”

For my entire life I’ve been a storyteller, especially humorous stories –

I’ve always enjoyed observing people, places and things and have collected a lifetime of stories because of my observations.

But I never considered myself a writer until I was in my late teens.

When I was in high school I started working at KTVA channel 11, the CBS affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska. There I started out working in the studio and worked my way up to Director of Programing and Promotions, which meant that I was writing on-air promotional spots for the station. And that’s when I first became a professional writer.

I went on to become a Hollywood screenwriter where I wrote and sold family adventure screenplays. “The Long Ride Home” starring Randy Travis and Ernest Borgnine is a family western movie based on my short script.

I’ve written a number of non-fiction ebooks including “Humorous Stories from ALASKA… and beyond”, and “How to Become a 30 Second Business Networking SuperStar.”

As a writer, I also author online courses and I have a website that features my stories.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Humorous Stories from ALASKA… and beyond” is a collection of funny short stories inspired by my adventures of growing up in Alaska.

The book features fun stories like “Dynamite and the Alaskan Outhouse”, “The Popeye Effect” and “Terror on Windigo Island” to mention just a few.

I also have a fun show I do for live audiences where I tell stories from my book. The show is a lot of fun and I’m always invited back for a second show.

“A super funny book that reminds us all of the foibles of growing up. Told with a great sense of humor.” Bonnie Mutchler, Author

Growing up can be filled with adventure and Humorous Stories from ALASKA …and beyond is a double dose of fun as author Michael R Dougherty takes you on a fun ride through his families Alaska adventures.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
First, I get up around noon and eat a big bowl of oatmeal.

Then I go back to bed and get up again around 3 pm, look at my Smurf alarm clock for 7 seconds, and then I roll over and go back to sleep until 3:15 pm.

I get up about 5 minutes later comb my hair and then go write for exactly 23 minutes, or until I’ve written at least 32 pages. I have never written 32 pages in 23 minutes. This is a hard way to write, especially if you don’t like oatmeal.

In real life when I write books or screenplays, I need a good title before I start writing.

During the writing process I go back and re-read what I wrote the day before and re-write to make it funnier and to make it flow better for the reader.

My wife also sharpens my pencils for me – she uses a steak knife.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
William Goldman, who wrote the screenplay for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, wrote a book titled “Adventures in Screenwriting.” The book was humorous and so well written.

I love books written by authors who write from their heart because no matter what you do, when it comes from your heart, it’s your best work.

What are you working on now?
My next ebook will be about how to promote your product or services by speaking to groups.

I wrote an ebook titled “How to Become a 30 Second Business Networking SuperStar” and in that book I briefly mentioned that speaking to groups can set you up as a “go-to expert” which in turn can easily bring in customers for your product or services.

So that’s an ebook that I’m currently working on.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesomegang seems to be an excellent place for writers to get the word out. I’ve had success with Smashwords and now Kindle on Amazon.

But no matter how you promote your book, you absolutely have offer your readers and potential readers the best possible customer service. Listen to your readers. If they hate your book, use what they tell you to make your next book better. And if they love your book, enjoy the moment.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writers write – everyone else just talks about writing.

You should get in the habit of writing something every day. Even if it’s only a few sentences. Write about an event in your day, how you feel about something, or just write the opening sentences to a book you may never write. Then after you write something, go back over it and make it better.

By writing something every day, your writing will get better and better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
One day my wife said “Mike, just shut up and write.”

What are you reading now?
Most of what I read is non-fiction.

I read a lot of “how-to” books. It’s like a non-stop learning process.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As a writer I continue to work on making my website Michael-R-Dougherty.com a fun place to visit and read –

But I’m most excited about writing my online courses.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The first book I would take would be “How to Get Off of a Desert Island”, which has not yet been written. Like most people on planet Earth who have a TV, I’ve seen lots of “Gilligan’s Island” re-runs and they never got off the island. So I would need to probably write “How to Get Off of a Desert Island” before I got stranded.

Another book I’d take would be “Humorous Stories from ALASKA… and beyond” written by some guy named Michael R Dougherty. I’d take this book for two reasons: First, I like to laugh and this book is full of humor, and secondly because the book is set in Alaska, it would make me feel cooler while I was stranded on a hot muggy desert island.

The Bible would be on the top of my book list.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michael R Dougherty Website
Michael R Dougherty Amazon Profile
Michael R Dougherty Author Profile on Smashwords

Michael R Dougherty’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Michael R Dougherty is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi,
I´m a writer from continental Europe, I have published 5 books and around 30 short stories in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Some of my stories were broadcasted by the Czech National Radio. Apart from writing, I like reading books, hiking, or playing with my kids.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It´s The City of Wizards. My inspiration comes usually unexpectedly and fractionally, I “see” one vision, then other, so I cannot answer precisely…

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don´t think so. I´m arching my back over a keybord in a way everyone does…

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Amber series by Zelazny, GRRT, JRRT, Asimov, Clarke…

What are you working on now?
I´m witing two ahort stories right now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I´m not an expert in promoting yet…

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes: read a lot before you write…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, I don´t know.

What are you reading now?
The Throne of Glass

What’s next for you as a writer?
To publish another book, or a story.

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?
Ha, probably some humor ones…

Author Websites and Profiles
George Mazurek Amazon Profile

George Mazurek’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

George Mazurek is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
To Hell I Must Go: The True Story of Michigan’s Own Lizzie Borden is my first book after I retired from a distinguished thirty-year career in law enforcement. The book is the result of my initial genealogical research project that I had started years ago. I was researching my great grandfather and his tenure as the Ingham County Sheriff in Michigan when I cam across an article detailing this bizarre murder in the small town where I had spent my childhood. Over the years, I continually collected information about the murder, and this book is the result of that research. It truly is the story of Michigan’s own Lizzie Borden.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is To Hell I Must Go: The True Story of Michigan’s Own Lizzie Borden.
While researching the book, I read a news article about the suspect’s incarceration at the Ingham County Jail, and how she would sing a song with the following verse: I can’t go to heaven, to hell I must go, murderers don’t go to heaven, so that’s where I must go. The second sentence seemed to fit very well, thus, the title.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I really don’t have any unusual habits for writing, other than I like to be comfortable, so when I write, it’s typically in the living room while the TV is on. I have an office I could work in, but I truly am more comfortable in my writing if I simply sit in the living room. No lonely writer’s garret for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Years ago, I read the James Herriot series starting with All Creatures Great and Small. Those were, and have remained some of my favorite books, simply because he had such a talent for describing the surroundings, the people, and the atmosphere of the times. That is a true talent, and that’s what I want my readers to experience.

What are you working on now?
My next book will detail another Mid-Michigan murder by an escaped convict from the Southern Michigan Prison in Jackson. Like my book To Hell I Must Go, this will also be a true-crime story detailing the murder and year-long search for the killer of an elderly couple.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still in the process of building my website, but I have found that social media is a must. I started the push for marketing long before my book was published. I used YouTube as a means of advertising by doing a book trailer. That was a great success for me, and my Facebook page has also been a great success. My own opinion is that I think people will notice your book more through social media, than by a website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I can only offer advise from my experience with self-publishing. My biggest advise would be editing. Nothing will make you look more like a novice than a poorly edited book. Other advise I might offer is patience. Don’t rush your book. Make sure you put in exactly what you want. If you’re researching your book, take your time to do it right. After you’ve submitted it for publishing, begin your marketing. The publishing will take time. Use that time to let your readers know what to expect.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
As simple as it sounds, the best advise I’ve ever heard is to be patient. That is so difficult in today’s world with social media and everyone being connected to everyone else with phones and computers, but the old adage really rings true…patience is a virtue.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Devil in the White City, which details a serial killer in Nineteenth century Chicago at the World’s Fair. I always like to explore other author’s techniques when it comes to their writing, not to mention that it’s a fascinating story.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve learned over the years that I truly love to write, and so, in the very little spare time I have, I will continue to write. Hopefully, things will slow down to the point where I can devote more time to what I enjoy, and that’s include not only the writing, but the research that goes into 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?
That is a tough question. I enjoy some of the classic books that are historical in nature and describe a certain era in history. And I enjoy true-crime books as well. Even though I read the entire series of his books, I would likely take James Herriot’s original book All Creatures Great and Small. I would also take Dan Brown’s book The DaVinci Code. That book was fascinating. I’ve never read a book in a shorter period of time. In addition, books of historical significance would be a must, such as The Civil War.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rod Sadler Website
Rod Sadler Amazon Profile

Rod Sadler’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Rod Sadler is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
S.D. Smith was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania and that is where she currently lives. A graphic designer by education, she has been writing stories for a long time.
“The Secrets of Slade Sanders” is S.D. Smith’s debut novel. She has completed two full novels and I currently hard at work on her third.

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

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tell myself stories all day long . I’m always imagining fantastical things. The good stuff makes it to the page.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anne Rice is a favorite.
George R.R. Martin is awesome
James Patterson
Charlaine Harris

What are you working on now?
Currently working on a third novel, separate from the “Slade Sanders” series. Title has yet to be determined. It does involve a kick ass Queen.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter has been indispensable.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author. Any advice for me?

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. Never give up.

What are you reading now?
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continue writing my novels and try to get people to read them.

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 Complete works by William Shakespeare (I’m sure they have them all in one book)
*same with Neil Gaiman.
*Grimm Brothers Fairy tales

Author Websites and Profiles
S.D. Smith Website
S.D. Smith Amazon Profile

S.D. Smith’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

S.D. Smith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in a college town near Chicago with my wife, daughter, three cats and my books. I’m a computer guy and teacher as my day job. I have a diverse range of interests, from computers and history to martial arts. I love animals and have had a wide range of pets, from dogs and cats to a sugar glider. We did a stint as a foster home for orphan Samoyeds. I’m also a long-time science fiction and mystery fan. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in fourth grade and finally succeeded in becoming one six years ago. I have four published novels, with a fifth one coming before the end of the year and four more pretty fair along in the pipeline.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Snapshot. I got the idea for it when I was thinking about all of the animals that have gone extinct over the years. I had a weird stray thought: We back up our computers. We really should be backing up our planet. At that point the light bulb went on. What if somebody was backing up our planet, making copies of it at various points in history? Cool idea. My first thought was that whoever was making the backups would randomly reintroduce animals that had become extinct, but then I realized that if the backups were living, they would be a perfect place for adventures.

That evolved into a universe where extra-terrestrials have been making continent-sized living replicas of Earth’s continents since at least the age of dinosaurs. They put these replicas in snow-globe-shaped artificial universes which are connected by gates high over their oceans.

The result is a limitless universe of continents, each pulled out of some part of Earth’s past, but each of which has kept evolving since they were backed up. So people from a copy of the US taken last year can fly to an Africa that still has dinosaurs or a Europe where descendants of the Nazis still run things or a North America where Native Americans have been left alone for the last 500 years. They can also fly to another copy of the US taken in 1953 that has gone down a very different path socially and technologically.

The bottom line is almost an embarrassment of riches in terms of story ideas, more stories to tell than I can possibly write in a lifetime–stories that are a lot like space opera, stories of exploration, stories of people meeting other versions of themselves.

In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m enthusiastic about the concept

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write the bulk of a novel in November as part of NanoWrimo, then finish the rough draft in March or April. I edit in the summer and try to get at least one novel out each year. I haven’t always succeeded, but that’s the goal and I’m getting better at it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Phillip Jose Farmer’s Riverworld and World of the Tiers books were a huge influence, as were a lot of Asimov’s and Poul Anderson’s books. I would love to be in the Asimov/Anderson class as a writer.

What are you working on now?
I have another Snapshot novel in the works and a third one at the ‘rough draft that needs a lot of revision’ stage. My novel Char is finished and currently in the middle of a Kindle Scout campaign. It’s an interesting idea: A brilliant cavewoman finds herself in the modern US, gets embroiled in a murder and tries to survive, elude a police hunt and figure out our society.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that out. The landscape keeps changing. Awesomegang looks good. It’s affordable and looks pretty professional. I’m also trying a few others to see where there is a good return on investment.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
First, understand that being a professional author is a long and ongoing journey. Some people claim that you have to write a million words of crap before you write something at a professional level. That’s probably not too far off. A million words of fiction is about two years of full-time writing, and in most professions it takes about two full-time years to really get proficient.I’ve only seen one person write a nearly professional-level novel the first time out and they are an exceptionally avid reader who also spent many years dealing with interesting people out in the real world. Chances are very high that at least your first attempt at a novel and maybe your second and third will be embarrassing when you look back at them a few years later. Mine certainly are.

Second, if you want to get better as a writer, you have to read fiction. Surfing the Internet doesn’t do it and may actually cause your skills to regress if you do it to the exclusion of other reading.

Third, do interesting things in real life. You can be a brilliant wordsmith, but if you don’t have anything to say, you aren’t going to write anything interesting. You get interesting stories by interacting with the real world with a writer’s eye.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I forget who said it, but someone said, “If someone can be discouraged from becoming a writer, they should be.” That’s good advice. Writing is a tough business that requires a tough skin and a lot of persistence. If bad reviews or poor sales will make you stop being a writer, you’re probably better off not trying for publication, though if you enjoy writing you should definitely keep it up. Just don’t try for publication unless you have the tough skin.

What are you reading now?
A couple books on plotting, plus the fourth book in CJ Carrela’s New Olympians series, a sort of alternate history where people started getting superpowers in the late 1920s. He does a great job of taking that rather silly premise and making a very solid, logical world that could easily follow from people getting superpowers. I just finished Lisa Brackmann’s Dragon Day, a mystery involving an American living in present day China who gets involved in some very treacherous cross-currents. Brackmann knows China very well and has a good eye for incongruous little details that make the story feel real.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to spend the next six to eight months finishing the books I have nearly finished, but haven’t put the finishing touches on yet. I have four novels and two story and essay collections, all of which are a month or two of polishing away from being publishable. I prefer writing to doing the final editing and polishing, but if you don’t get stuff out there people can’t buy 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?
I think I would cheat and take my Kindle and a solar charger. Okay. I know that’s a cop out. If I really had to just take 3 or 4 books I would want something that I could enjoy at multiple levels, noticing new things each time I read it. That would mean authors that I don’t normally read. Maybe something by Greg Bear or Stephen Baxter that I wouldn’t normally take time to read but feel as though I should.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dale Cozort Website
Dale Cozort Amazon Profile

Dale Cozort is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is George Kramer, and I am an author of eight books. Four of them are in the fantasy genre. Arcadis is a very powerful sorcerer who goes through a few metamorphosis’s until he is nearly omnipotent. Every single person that knows me, and has purchased my books, have told me they see me in the main character, Arcadis.
I am one of nine children, a natural born triplet, and was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was raised on Long Island and moved to Indiana in 1989. I currently reside in McCordsville, Indiana with my wife and daughter.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is book four of my Arcadis series. Arcadis: Emperor of all Emperor of None. The third book of Arcadis: Arcadis: Decimation was the inspiration for my fourth book. I had to see how it turned out for my favorite character! Each of my books are sequential, and I write them that way to purposely put a cliffhanger at the end of each book. You want to know what happens? Buy the next book!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t have any unusual writing habits. I like to listen to instrumental Jazz or classical music when I write. All I know is when my wife and daughter are otherwise occupied, I tend to get a lot of writing done!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Hexed by Kevin Hearne, Spell Blind & His Father’s Eyes by David E. Coe.
All write in first person and tend to infuse their sense of humor in their books, as well as me!

What are you working on now?
I am working on two projects simultaneously. I am writing the sixth book of Arcadis (the fifth one, Arcadis: Convergence is completed but unedited as this juncture), tentatively called, Arcadis: To Walk Among The Gods. At the end of the fourth Arcadis book, I introduced a new character and am having Arcadis guest star in that series, then it will be a stand alone series still written in the fantasy genre. I have a very brief outline of the story but have commenced writing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Without a doubt, book signings. To date from January 2015 to October 2015, I have had 14 book signings, with two more before the year is up. I have received numerous emails from people complimenting me on my books, and wanting more of them.! Then comes Facebook, which I synced with twitter. Every time I post on one of them, it automatically gets posted to the other one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, NEVER GIVE UP. I don’t care if someone tells you that you won’t make a penny, or your writing isn’t good. If you believe in yourself, and can handle constructive criticism, then nothing should dissuade you from achieving your goals.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve heard was to find your niche in your writing, then find websites, forums, social media, and any other venue to get the word out to your market.

What are you reading now?
Dark Magic & Shadow People by James Swan. Prior to that I finished reading “Time Salvager” by Wesley Chu.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Creating more series, different characters and redo a medical thriller I had written a few years ago. Additionally, I have several short stories I would like to revamp and sell.

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?
Sorry but hands down it would be four books of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Loved those books!!

Author Websites and Profiles
George Kramer Website
George Kramer Amazon Profile

George Kramer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

George Kramer is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the Chief Executive Officer of Martell Broadcasting Systems, Inc. I am also the founder of the Power Up TV multi-channel network (acquired by Thunder Digital Media in January 2015).

I formerly served as the Vice President of Thunder TV, the internet television division of Thunder Digital Media. Prior to my role at MBS, Inc. I had a career as a video game developer and journalist.

I also moonlight as the host of The RPG Fanatic Show, an internet television show which has accumulated over 3.7 million views.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pandemonia Chronicles is my latest book. The plot centers around a teenage boy named Gestalt who becomes possessed by the spirit of a defeated demon king. This automatically makes him an enemy of the Goddess of Life and her Paladin knights, who seek to destroy him in order to eradicate the demon king once and for all. The book deals with the gray line between good and evil, and explores some of the taken for granted tropes of the fantasy genre.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to hide pop culture references in my work. Conducting a Google search on some of the spell names in the book might bring up some interesting results.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This book is inspired by video game series, more than anything else. The Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series are big inspirations, but so is World of Warcraft and Ragnarok Online.

What are you working on now?
I am preparing a few dozen manuscripts for publication, mostly in the non-fiction arena. One of these is an encyclopedia about mythological objects.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Email, Facebook and reddit. Having a website helps, too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write blog articles that solve problems for people. My personal website www.careymartell.com receives over 10,000 views a month to blog articles I have written.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up on your dreams.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to finish the next book in the Pandemonia Chronicles series.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carey Martell Website
Carey Martell Amazon Profile

Carey Martell’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Carey Martell is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I actually just recently self-published my first novel in an epic fantasy series. I grew up as both an avid reader and huge video game nerd. The thing that drew me in the most to read or play was always a compelling story and memorable characters, which is what compels me to write.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the novel is Broken Blades Don’t Sing, and it was inspired by my love for the fantasy genre and setting. I grew up reading and playing these kinds of stories, and it is my dream to create a universe of my own that even comes close to the magical places I was transported to when immersing myself in the works of many creative minds.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if this would count as unusual, but I tend to think about a lot of edits of my work as I’m going through a draft. For example, I might be halfway through writing a draft, and I will think back on something I wrote in the beginning of the book that I know I will modify at some point. Sometimes, I have to change it immediately (OCD kicking in I suppose). Other times, I will jot down quick notes about it lest I forget when I actually get back to editing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Of course, any fantasy author is going to name Tolkien, Martin, Lewis, etc. I’d add Rothfuss and Sanderson to that list, in addition to a few other authors (Vonnegut, Orwell, and Lovecraft) who have inspired me.

I was a huge fan of Blizzard Entertainment, particular in their earlier installments of StarCraft, Diablo, and WarCraft, and have read a wealth of novels pertaining to those games. Knaak and Golden are a couple of authors from those series that have inspired me.

What are you working on now?
Right now I have two books on my plate: the second and third novels of Tales of Ashkar. I have completed the first draft of my second novel, and I am currently editing it. At the same time I’m also working on the third, and hope to be done with the first draft by the end of the year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I must confess that I am new at publishing in general, and am doing my best to get the word out. I’ve found that Goodreads groups are a great place to start, as they have a ton of resources for authors. It’s pretty much where everything is centralized, so I would say that is the best method.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m not sure if I’m qualified to answer this, but as far as upcoming authors that are not published yet go, my advice would be to never be deterred. Always go for it, or in Shia Labeouf’s words “Just do it!”

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Like the one I’m giving for new authors, I would say that advice was the best I’ve ever heard. It’s what has kept me going when I’ve found myself in a rut.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Cross Academy by Valicity Garris, and Community 17 by James Cardona. Like me, they are up and coming authors and I think it is important that we all help each other get exposure.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to work on the next installments of my series. One book is great, but I can’t stop there.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kayl Karadjian Website
Kayl Karadjian Amazon Profile
Kayl Karadjian Author Profile on Smashwords

Kayl Karadjian’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Kayl Karadjian is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello everyone, I’ve always dreamed of writing my own book one day, but that initial idealistic notion eluded me for many years until self-publishing became a reality in the recent years, and it’s hard to describe in words how that touches me to some extent. It’s not just about fame and money only, though to be honest, earning some allowances act as an incentive for me to keep on writing educational books to help others who need to learn more about the psyche of the opposite gender and know the right techniques to handle them so that relationships do not turn out awry. However, I do have a secret wish : To build a reader base that enjoys reading what I’ve written so far and helps to spread the positive knowledge without impacting on my copyrights.
And it would be nice if readers would at least make the effort to leave some comments on my book so that I know someone did read it after all.

Up to date, I’m happy to say that I’ve completed a couple of books in the Love Matters series of dating guides, namely – “Go Getter Guy Secrets To Successful Dates,” “Get Him To Propose In 80 Days” and “Red Flag : Is Distrust Tearing Your Marriage Apart?” I might produce some other books to continue along the same series, and I would like to sincerely appeal to my readers fans to connect with me subsequently on my blog which I plan to revise in the next few months, but just feel free to drop me a comment or email there so that I can update you on the forthcoming book releases.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is – “Red Flag : Is Distrust Tearing Your Marriage Apart.” It discusses how jealousy is defined and probes on the destructive effects of letting irrational jealousy take over and wreck the good relations you have built up with your spouse across the years. What I really wanted to write about was also the kind of secrets men and women tend to keep from one another – something which is at the very heart of what women really want to know – of course, men will try not to reveal too much at times, simply to avoid straining the ties. Then, on the other hand, there is indeed a need for women to arm themselves with some prerequisite information about their spouses, in order to restore trust and save their marriage from falling apart. I must say…I was probably inspired by what I felt women are struggling with in this modern age – the building of trust when temptations are abound and making us forget about what mattered to us in the first place when we met the love of our lives – so I thought it was something of vital importance for both men and women to work on as a team to resolve the tension that’s growing within their love nests.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I don’t think I have any unusual habits, except for writing at a slower pace and having some mental block on and off.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I liked reading some dating books written by various Indie authors as some are pretty amusing and interesting. While some others have some fluff in it which does not really suit me. I am also a fiction buff who enjoys reading historical romances, Sophie Kinsella’s books and other romantic comedy books.

What are you working on now?
Well, I am trying to get more reviews for my books and also work on setting up a book landing page for my books in the consecutive months ahead. Hopefully, it can be done by the end of this year or in the early part of Year 2016.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have no best method so far, unless someone can enlighten me on how it’s possible to attract people to books by including freebies of some sort. It’s quite sad that this has to be one main way of promoting books, rather than liking a book for what it represents. At least, that’s what I thought before I began self publishing. At present, I have a simple site – http://www.kindleebooksshowcase.wordpress.com and readers are welcome to follow my blog. I am hoping to find more time to post some short articles up there and it would be nice to have some reviews and comments in my blog in future.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not really…because I am so new to this.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write…and write more…..don’t give up!

What are you reading now?
Secrets Of Mind Power by Lorayne

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to find people who are keen to review my books and opt in to my mailing list because they really enjoy reading my books. Also, I hope to put up my books on other platforms to reach out to other readers who do not use the Kindle for reading.

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?
Attitude is Everything
Survival Guides
Meditation Guides

Author Websites and Profiles
Titania Hudson Website
Titania Hudson Amazon Profile
Titania Hudson Author Profile on Smashwords

Titania Hudson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Titania Hudson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the UK with my wife and family. I have two daughters (married) and now have five grandchildren after the appearance of twins in June this year! I’ve been writing for many years and have been published traditionally and independently. Some of my books were published and used in schools in the UK and other countries. I currently have seven children’s books published.
I love sitting with my grandkids and telling them about the planet I visited in a spaceship or the peculiar animals I found at the bottom of my garden. Kids are a great gauge; either they think your story is funny or you know instantly that it’s rubbish!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Animal Alphabet Search: Learn your ABCs & 123s. It’s a book for kids up to the age of 5 years and makes great bedtime reading for babies.
It’s had some fantastic reviews and a 5 star review from ReadersFavorite.com that I am very proud of. It’s a book I’ve wanted to complete for years and now it’s finally here.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to think of a story idea and let it germinate and grow in my head first. When it’s ready to burst out I start the actual writing process.
If I’m thinking about writing a lengthy book and not a picture book, I like to use pen and ink. I have a few fountain pens and for each new story I like to buy a colourful notebook. I then settle down with my pen and start writing on my nice, clean notebook. It just gives me that feeling of a new, fresh start and I seem to get more done. Once the novel is more or less completed I then start typing it up on my laptop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I still love J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and any Roald Dahl books. When I started getting into adult horror novels my favourite author was James Herbert. I’m reading one of his novels now actually, it’s called ‘Ash’. I read a lot of books, some for enjoyment and some for studying. You can learn an awful lot from other professional authors. I remember writing and completing my first horror and when I read it, I realised I’d written it as I personally read a book, which was ignoring description! I obviously skimmed descriptive passages and so my full-length book was all of about 80 pages, just speech, action and no description! So these days I take a deep breath and grit my teeth and try and read the entire book – descriptions too!

It might be interesting for yourselves to think about that one – how do you read a book? Do you read every single word or do you skim some of it as well?

What are you working on now?
I have several other children’s books that will be available shortly but I would really like volunteers to read them and give me their honest and constructive feedback. Anyone interested can go to my website and leave me a message. I will always answer personally. All volunteers will receive a free copy of any book they would like to read. If readers then decide to join my ‘pre-launch’ team, they can choose any of my e-books to download free. It’s just my way of thanking them for their help – without feedback we never know if our books are being enjoyed or not. That’s why it’s vital for readers to leave reviews after reading books, it allows the author the chance to improve their writing skills and write better books, and that’s what we all want at the end of the day, happy readers and happy writers.
I’ve recently completed a sci-fi screenplay and just about to start writing a sci-fi thriller, both are for adult readers, so it will be a change from my children’s books. I will write these under my name ‘John A. Priest’ and keep ‘John Priest’ specifically for my children’s books.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Amazon, Draft2Digital and Smashwords amongst others.
I’ve been publishing my books independently for a few years and have tried many ways of promotion, both free and paid. I believe that you have to plan and promote as an ongoing part of your author’s tasks and it can take years for it to come to fruition.
I use several personal websites and also Twitter and Facebook, but it is very difficult to get ‘noticed’. I have been in the Top 100 free e-books on Amazon for my children’s book category, Peter Challenge Time Surfer, a Time Travel Adventure series, but this has taken a lot of hard work to achieve, so even offering a book for free doesn’t guarantee anything.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read, read and read. Read anything and everything. Don’t expect to make money overnight. If you enjoy writing then just write and if money follows then this will be the icing on the cake.
Above all, don’t run down other authors, don’t be nasty or criticise other authors. We should be helping each other as much as we can. This job is already tough – don’t make it tougher.
If you don’t use a spreadsheet, start learning how to use one. You will visit 100’s of websites each month and meet some wonderful people, so you’ll need to store this information somewhere.
The best thing about online books is that once they’re uploaded, you don’t really have to do much more. That means that its price can change, from say, $3.00 to zero without it really affecting you (unless you’re wanting loads of sales and money) and so you can try various prices without losing anything really.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Give everyone more in service value than you receive in money value. In other words, give your readers value, give them free books, give them that little bit extra. Make friends with your readers and hopefully they will stay with you for a long time.

What are you reading now?
A book by the late James Herbert called Ash, a paranormal horror.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As well as writing the sci-fi thriller, I’m putting all my efforts into studying marketing and promotion. I think I have reached the point now where I need to be looking at this more than writing at the moment. For me personally, this is the important part that I seem to be lacking.

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?
Remembering titles of books is always difficult for me as I seem to forget one and move onto the next, so I would take the following:
The first book would be blank so that I could write my own
The other 3 would be ‘How To’ books:
How to promote and market your book.
How to improve your grammar, descriptions and characters.
The fourth would be, How to build a boat out of coconut shells and sand and get off a desert island…

Author Websites and Profiles
John Priest Website
John Priest Amazon Profile
John Priest Author Profile on Smashwords

John Priest’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

John Priest is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember! I started my first-ever novel at the age of 14, and have been working on novels ever since then. I just finished my 12th novel; two are published, three are in the process of being edited, and the rest will probably never see the light of day.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book was the first nonfiction title I’ve ever written–College Can Wait! I describe it as a gap-year guidebook for reluctant students.

I decided to write the book because I’ve wished again and again that I had that very book to hand to struggling teens who feel like failures because they aren’t living up to the pressure their parents and teachers and peers are putting on them.

I wanted to show teens that there are MANY ways to achieve success and happiness, and college (especially right after high school) does not have to be part of the equation. It’s a message I believe many teens and parents would benefit from.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Whenever I’m stuck, I have to go to a cafe. The cafe has to be nice and cozy, with enough traffic and good music, but aside from that it doesn’t matter. Once I’m there, I can write for hours on end.

At home sometimes I feel like I’m dragging the words up one at a time, but at cafes they just flow!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a kid, I ADORED Gail Carson Levine–Ella Enchanted was my favorite, but I read the rest of her stories again and again. I can’t deny the influence of Harry Potter–I was one of those kids who HAD to buy the books the day they came out. And I fell in love with The Golden Compass around the same time.

More recently, I’ve been influenced by Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind (I’ve never read such gorgeous prose), Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina (her portrayal of the heroine was superb), and Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora (his plot twists are insanely clever!).

What are you working on now?
I’m hard at work on the sequel to The Natural Order–titled Rogue Magic.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a tough one. I’ve had good success with eReader News Today, and of course BookBub is the ultimate target of writers everywhere, though you have to get some serious recognition before they will take on your books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. I knew I wanted to be an author from the age of 12, but I wrote 10 books before I published my first title, and I’m still a long way off from being able to quit my day job. But my target is in sight! Writing takes perseverance, dedication, and above all, PASSION.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s not entirely writing-related, but it can apply: “If you get a chance…take it. If it changes your life…let it.”

It’s so easy to get trapped into a safe, reliable routine, but you’ll never take chances and find that ultimate reward unless you’re willing to leave your comfort zone.

What are you reading now?
The Tropic of Serpents–it’s a very clever book told in an old English style, by a field researcher…who studies dragons. Brilliant!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Once the Natural Order series is finished (YA fantasy), I’ll be moving into a larger collection of novels all set in a fantasy world I’ve been developing for nearly 10 years now.

The first two books set in that world are already written (pending editing): The Fall of Lostport and Hunter’s Legend.

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. Collapse by Jared Diamond (it’s a fantastic book, and maybe it would give me a better perspective on the whole situation of being stranded!)
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (it was always my favorite Harry Potter book, and if I was stranded somewhere miserable, I would want something comforting that felt like home)
3. Something I haven’t read that’s REALLY LONG. I can read very fast, so I would need a lot of pages to keep my occupied.
4. No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty (it’s the NaNoWriMo bible; I’ve read it about 50 times, and I still love it. His advice is funny, inspirational, and spot-on)

Author Websites and Profiles
Rebecca Vickers Website
Rebecca Vickers Amazon Profile

Rebecca Vickers’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Rebecca Vickers is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Michal Keidar is a single mother of two incredible little girl and boy, Ella and Iddo, and they all live together in Tel Aviv.
She is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, a graduate of the psychoanalytic psychotherapy program in Bar-Ilan University. She enjoys reading and writing, music, documentary movies, the sound and taste of pure flowing water, and driving with her children in her green car.
This is her first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Children book: One, Two, Family (Illustrated picture book for kids about single mother family) is her first book. It was written privately for her children and called Ella and Iddo’s Mother, answered some of their and other children’s recurring questions. Since other children and parents enjoyed the book and read it again and again, it was decided to publish it in the hope that it would be interesting and useful, and bring joy to others as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
After she finished writing the story, she contacted Nurit Yuval, an Illustrator and a literary children books’ editor, who unfailingly helped her complete all that was missing in the book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The book was published in a private publication in order to give the writer free hand to take her words where she finds them interesting, useful and joy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Words create meaning, and our job as writers is to take your readers to a meaningful journey.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
write write write

What’s next for you as a writer?
Words create meaning, and our job as writers is to take your readers to a meaningful journey.

Author Websites and Profiles
Michal Keidar Amazon Profile

Michal Keidar is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Writing and publishing have long been a mainstay in my life. As a teenager, while living in Japan, the Mainichi Daily, a daily English newspaper, carried two of my columns “Yokohama Jottings” and “Teen Talk”. This gave me entree to a lot of interesting events others of my age had no access to … it also paid better than and was a lot more fun than baby sitting.

In the business world I wrote copy for travel brochures and magazines, and later, as my career took me into the corporate world, my focus shifted to sales. My love for writing was now partnered with sales. The experience opened a new dimension in business and appreciation for money. After the corporate world I went into business for myself. I hung out my marketing consultant shingle. Having a degree in marketing I decided to transition from traditional marketing to the internet and that in a full circle took me back to writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the Entrepreneurs Guide to PUBLIC SPEAKING.

As I was building my internet marketing business I met many entrepreneurs, attended meetings and conferences at which entrepreneurs spoke. My observation was that many entrepreneurs were poor speakers – they were ill prepared and often appeared awkward in front of an audience. Being able to speak well, to communicate and hold your audience’s attention is critical for an entrepreneur, and it doesn’t have to be a large audience. What if you are a startup and looking for capital? You need to be able to present your proposition to an angel in a clear, concise and compelling manner. As a former toastmaster I knew how anyone could become a good speaker and the idea came to me to write this book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that are unusual to me. I do like to write in the morning though. Back in those teenage years I often had just enough time to get may homework done, go attend a function, come home tired and would get up early in the morning to write a brief article about the prior evening before heading off to school. Sometimes that meant getting up at 4.30 a.m. I no longer get up at 4.30, but 5 to 5.30 in the morning gives me two hours of good uninterrupted writing. I find that in the still of the morning, before the world wakes up, I can write better.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, if we go into the way back machine, definitely Hemingway and Faulkner. More recently Michael Ondaatje, Vikram Seth and I just love Malcolm Gladwell. My reading these days tends to be entrepreneur skewed and much as I enjoy reading about entrepreneurship, I must admit that these are not books that are necessarily well written, not in the literature sense that is.

What are you working on now?
As an online entrepreneur I am always open to opportunities. Currently I am a partner in a startup digital magazine. We are in the very early stages so a good deal of my time is devoted to getting the first three beta issued produced and published. We look to learning from those and make corrections from there.

The other thing I am doing now is taking each ebook that I wrote (including those under a nome de plume) and fleshing it out more. Improving, print versions, audio, and maximizing its promotions and marketing. I want to see what differences this makes, track metrics and see what areas can be repurposed for other books in the same genre/niche.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I still default to free promotions. After I put in play the improvement of each book, and use all the platforms and marketing strategies available, I will have a better answer.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Nike says it like no other just Do It. One of my early mentors, Mike Litman, would say “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going” I have made that my slogan. Too many people wait for the right moment, the perfect time, the perfect situation … it never happens. There is no such thing is “perfect” … and by doing so they rob themselves of the joy of accomplishment, improvement, and continuous aspiration towards a better version of the item, and by default, of self.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.” Mike Litman, author of Conversations with Millionaires.

What are you reading now?
Live It by Jairek Robbins. I am a firm believer that we, as humans, need to continually work on ourselves so that we can become the best version of who we are. So yes, these are not necessarily literary barn burners but they make a huge impact in a different way.

What’s next for you as a writer?
1. Launch a successful digital magazine.
2. I’ve always wanted to take the route my grandparents took when they left Russia post the revolution. Both sets, independent of each other, took the Siberian Rail from Moscow on the one side, and Nizhny Tagil (near Yekaterinburg) on the other, to Harbin in China, and then somehow ended up in Japan. I’d like to write about that. The experience today would of course be different, but it would at least be in my grandfathers’ footsteps, it would give me a connection.

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?
Lorna Doone: Introduced me to reading, a fork in the road that made all the difference in my life.
Anna Karenina: That is sooooo Russian! The emotions, the drama, and what a love story!
For Whom the Bell Tolls and/or Blood and Sand by Hemingway
War and Peace … doorstopper for sure, but would give many hours of reading pleasure
A Suitable Boy … going for economy here … the more pages the more reading, but it is an excellent book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Valentina Bellicova Amazon Profile

Valentina Bellicova’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

Valentina Bellicova is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is actually my first book, however I have been writing blog posts long enough to be considered books by some of my readers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is named The Proven Testosterone Solution: A Guide To More Muscle, Less and Upgraded Living. As a nutrition coach I ended up talking to a lot of my male clients about fat loss, blood sugar and testosterone. I wrote a blog post about Testosterone that resonated with a lot of my readers. Many of my readers reached out to me and said they they loved the post on testosterone, but they wanted something longer that showed them how to put all the information together into a plan they could use. A light bulb went off and the book was born!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This is a great question! I think my strangest writing habit is that I keep headphones in my ears even if I’m not listening to music. It helps mew to block all the other inputs out. I also do my best writing while standing up, so I only write at a standing desk. I don’t think it is unusual, but I consider myself to have a superhuman tolerance to caffeine when writing!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Another awesome question! I’m a huge fan of Steven Pressfield and his book The War Of Art, Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle Is The Way is another great book and Seth Godin’s Linchpin was the book that pushed me to set the hard date to release this book.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book that helps people to use habits to achieve fat loss . This book will be different in that the program takes 24 weeks the reader learns how to use healthier habits to build a lifestyle of fat fat loss instead of another crash and burn diet.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not quite sure yet I still need to see where the most sales are coming from!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep showing up and putting words on the paper. Some days its struggle and you’ll hate every word you put down on paper other days you’ll be in the zone and it will feel effortless. If you keep showing up good things will eventually happen.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Alex.. find your passion, find a way to make that into a career and things will work out.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently deep into one of the best books I’ve ever read named The Wisdom Of Andrew Carnegie As Told By Napoleon Hill. Pretty amazing principles that still apply these days.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to finish writing this kindle book on fat loss and then I’ll have to see where my interest takes me. I only want to write about subjects that really interest me and allow me to provide value to other people.

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.) Zen In The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance 2.) Human Nutrition and Metabolism Textbook
3.) Blood Meridian 4.) The Great Gatsby

Author Websites and Profiles
Alex McMahon Website
Alex McMahon Amazon Profile

Alex McMahon’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alex McMahon is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
19 books.
Scott Rhine wanted to find a job that combined his love of reading with math problem solving, so he studied both short stories and computer languages. As a techno-gypsy, he worked on optimizing some of the fastest and largest supercomputers in the world. A couple of degrees, patents, and children later, at forty-eight, he still didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up. When his third publication, “Doors to Eternity,” hit #16 on the Amazon epic fantasy list, he decided to become a full-time author. Since then, each book of his “Jezebel’s Ladder” series hit the high-tech science fiction top 100. The finale, Senescence, is currently his highest rated novel.

Humor is a part of every story he writes because people are funny, even when they don’t think so. In the real world, something always goes wrong and people have flaws. If you can’t laugh at yourself, someone is probably doing it for you. Strong female characters also play a major role in his stories because he’s married to a beautiful PhD who can edit, break boards, and use a chainsaw. His children were the primary audience for Messenger, wherein a Minnesota teen can have superpowers and a pet raccoon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Children of Ur — I had two other books in this fantasy world mention the troubles King Redwing was having with the dwarf rebellion, so I decided to explore that. Try to do a good deed, offend one garbage collector at a funeral, and it all goes downhill after that.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m fairly prolific Whenever the kids and wife leave me alone, I’m typing something … till 11 at night. Sometimes I scribble on napkins while we’re out to eat if I can’t get to my notebook.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
See Goodreads for all 1500 ratings. Roger Zelazny’s Amber series, Jack’s Vance’s Cudgel, and Stephen King. My favorite line in literature is the last line of “A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”.

What are you working on now?
A hard-science-fiction piece on blood banks in the time of plague.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
KBR, ENT, Facebook, DigitalReader

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Professional editing helps you grow. Don’t publish till you get it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen King– you have to read in order to write. Then keep writing.

What are you reading now?
A textbook on blood, and “V is for Vengeance”

What’s next for you as a writer?
probably work on book four in my Gigaparsec space opera 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?
one would be blank so I could scribble.
Roger Zelazny’s “Bridge of Ashes”
a survival handbook on how to build rafts from coconut trees
Rick Riordan’s newest Norse book.

Author Websites and Profiles
Scott Rhine Website
Scott Rhine Amazon Profile
Scott Rhine Author Profile on Smashwords

Scott Rhine’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Scott Rhine is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Fantasy writer, reviewer, operator of the website Speculations (kathyburford.com). My humorous fantasy ELSEWHEN is now available on Amazon, THE WIZARD WARP will be there by the end of the month, and my current work in progress is HEXED IN TEXAS

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
HEXED IN TEXAS grew out of my fascination with the Russian witch Baba Yaga and imagining the results if she competed with Marie Laveau in San Antonio for a rare magical item.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
L. Frank Baum (the Oz books), the late great Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones (English humorous fantasist), and fairy tales and folktales.

What are you working on now?
HEXED IN TEXAS, about a magical leak from a magic containment zone in San Antonio

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website Speculations: http://www.kathyburford.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. E-books offer a new world of publishing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can always do more than you think you can.

What are you reading now?
rereading THE MAGIC OF OZ

What’s next for you as a writer?
more humorous fantasy and possibly humorous historical mysteries

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?
Rilke’s THE NOTEBOOKS OF MALTE LAURIDS BRIGGE
the books of the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett
Mikhail Bulgakov, THE MASTER AND MARGARITA
books in the HOWL’s MOVING CASTLEe series by Diana Wynne Jones

Author Websites and Profiles
Kathy Burford Website
Kathy Burford Amazon Profile
Kathy Burford Author Profile on Smashwords

Kathy Burford’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Kathy Burford is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been an eager writer all my life. I began with drawing my ideas on the living room wallpaper as a toddler! Okay, that wasn’t very well received, so I gradually learned how to creatively produce stories without disfavor from parents and others wanting to evaluate my urge to express myself.

I did receive kind words of encouragement about pursuing writing from my teachers, but I didn’t have time to pursue publication while I was busy raising children and helping create income for our family. Sometimes I am totally taken back by how difficult and time-consuming writing was decades before I began producing my manuscripts. I was so optimistic when I could use a typewriter with a tiny screen! I still needed that correction paper, but life was really moving forward at a fast pace. However, I learned that editors were likely to pitch any page that had the white-out/write-over, so a lot of my ideas just had to wait until the children were out of diapers… and then out of school…and then until my husband retired. All that while, though, I’d scribble down ideas and put them away for a revisit later.

I did write for a couple newspapers before I began tackling my first novel (Leaves That Did Not Wither). After my husband retired, he said that I’d helped him with his ministry for forty years, so he’d help me with mine this next forty! It’s nice to have a man carry your books even when you’re past sixty, or now, seventy!

Other books I’ve authored are: Unto All Generations/A Novel Approach to Bible Study, Christmas Musings, Mary’s Journey Back to Bethlehem, and this one that’s currently free, Elizabeth’s Prodigal.

My husband and I co-authored a couple devotionals – Twelve Times Through and Christmas Ponderings.

I should clarify that Christmas Musings has three sections (Christmas in Our Hearts, Last Christmas, and Mary, Meet Dr. Luke). Those sections are available separately as little eBooks, and the one about Mary has been retitled for its softcover (ISBNs are like that) – which I mentioned above (Mary’s Journey Back to Bethlehem).

I want all of my writing to stir my readers’ emotions, but if you are looking for one that will make most readers get at least a lump in the throat, I’d say you’d want …. oh, never mind. I’ll just let you discover it for yourself!

I do hope you’ll enjoy Elizabeth’s Prodigal — I liked following “Albert” in his adventures on his way to manhood.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book would be one I co-authored with my husband. It’s entitled “Christmas Ponderings” and it was inspired by our love for Christmas. We were in ministry for many years and it was so easy to get caught up in the preparations for Christmas, even in a pastor’s family, that there was the danger that special day would be over before our hearts were ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior. This devotional offers us twenty-seven 1-2 page directed readings prior to Christmas so that the holiday doesn’t get past us too quickly.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Usually when I write, I have a small dog right beside me. Until earlier this year, that dog was Izzy, a four and a half pound Yorkie. She would not go to bed until I did, which meant she had some very late hours. Sadly, our hearts broke when her kidneys failed — she had been such a sweet writer’s dog. Now often Lizzy is on the couch or near my chair if I’m writing, but she sets her own bedtime and will leave me if I’m taking too long!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are some books that stir my emotions and memories even years after I encountered them. Way back when, I received “Jack and Judy Go to the Farm.” I could almost recreate those illustrations in my mind 65 years later! It was a sweet and colorful children’s book and I want any children’s books I create to be as memorable. As a young teen, I liked the old Grace Livingston Hill books, dreaming of what life could be like. I found out I even liked Shakespeare when I didn’t have to read it. Skipping ahead, though, I read 1984 in college and many days, its message seems too current. I tried to write a novel entitled 1983 that stirred the interest of an editor or two, but I never finished it before 1983 . . . so that idea has come and gone. Other books — I devoured the “Left Behind” series while recovering from a surgery — all thirteen of them helped pass time quickly. I’ve read a few unassigned fiction books and like James Scott Bell for suspenseful stories, and several female Christian authors, but truthfully, most of my adult life had me delving into Bible studies and nonfiction works that I could use for personal devotions or for assistance in teaching my students in Bible studies for a variety of ages. A devotional writer par excellence in my opinion is Chris Tiegreen and another would be the classic, Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest. I try to set aside time each day to read from the Bible and I want all my writing to proclaim Biblical truths in some way.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on several ideas. I’m not sure that’s the best approach, but I decided it’s kind of like being back in college where you get a little bit of time to concentrate on a few topics in depth. For me, that means I’m working on a series of children’s books I’m going to be calling “That Reminds Me,” a book of poetry and short stories my mother wrote but never published, and I’ve scheduled research at a location to learn and write about an outstanding woman who quietly influenced the lives of many children over about a fifty year period. In addition, I’m helping other writers get their work to publication and I have about a dozen other projects that wake me up in the mornings to see if it’s their turn to make it to the computer keyboard. I probably write more than I should, actually! This question has reminded me of a couple other ‘books’ that are waiting!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do appreciate websites that offer to help us authors get out the word that we are writers looking for new readers. Awesomegang has faithfully prodded me to look at what others are offering and I do appreciate their help.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sometimes we “know” we are to write and I suspect if we don’t and we get to the end of our earth time, we’ll feel like we’ve failed to fulfill all that we were created to do. That said, though, I don’t think “success” necessarily means finagling things so that we are a best-seller. That’s possible if you’re ready to sacrifice money and respect to “make it happen”. It’s unlikely I’ll ever be well-known, but that’s not my reason for writing. Yes, I want my writing to reach those who will benefit from reading it, but that number may stay fairly small. If y/our words make life more meaningful and worthwhile for a few, we were right to write. It seems foolish to get caught up in trends and try to capture the market by betraying our hearts; for me, that means writings consistent with my Christian faith. I caution myself and others about spending too much of “life” in pursuits that can be self-serving. If life ends with our names on a shelf or two of books, but our spouse, children, relatives and friends all wonder who we were and whether we loved them, then is that worth it? Balance is key. Write from the passion of who you are — there’s not enough time to write ‘just cuz’.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself, but I know my best version of “self” requires me to rely upon the Lord’s teachings in ways that lets Him influence my heart, mind, and actions. I agree that God loves each of us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way!

What are you reading now?
We like to read when we’re on long trips, but we set out unexpectedly on the last trip, so we stopped at a Goodwill and picked up a James Scott Bell and Jan Karon book — they were great traveling companions that made the miles disappear. Other than that, I’m reading books of writers hoping to get theirs published in the near future.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Research on a nonfiction book and finishing the first children’s book in “That Reminds Me” 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?
The Bible for sure — that’s 66 books under one cover….and some device that would let me download free eBooks to find one that keeps my interest.

Author Websites and Profiles
Margery Warder Website
Margery Warder Amazon Profile

Margery Warder’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Margery Warder is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a new kindle publisher and self-development enthusiast who enjoys providing value to all my readers via kindle E books. I consider myself a gatherer and publisher of knowledge. This meaning I find what the demand is for amazon customers and I supply that demand in the form of valuable content. My drawing and sketching series for beginners is one example of this. I create short simple E books that don’t take much time at all for the reader to absorb. This allows for more value to be offered to the customers instead of them having to read a 300 page book over a much longer period of time and receive the same level of value. Any criticism I receive I take to heart and use it as positive feedback to improve upon the quality of my books.
In my spare time I enjoy running, tennis and TV shows as well as reading fiction books with compelling and engaging stories. So far I have already released two books with a third on its way very soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Drawing For Beginners: Ultimate Step By Step Crash Course on Drawing. I wanted to provide value to a certain niche in amazon which has a high demand from customers. Therefore I have produced this Drawing & Sketching series for readers to enjoy at their will.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None that come to mind just the typical grammar and mistypes mistakes that come with writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
To a large extent self-development and self-help books have been a large influence to me.

What are you working on now?
Now I am hoping to deliver a third book in my drawing and sketching series on amazon called Pencil Drawing Made Easy. I am also in the early stages of producing a 4th book in my drawing and sketching series as well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now as I am a novice and and still pretty new to promoting books so I use free promotion strategies to promote my books currently. Sometimes I order Gigs Fiver inexpensively for $5 in most cases to help advertise and promote my book. This is especially the case during the free promotion

Do you have any advice for new authors?
To just make a start because time will pass whether you take action or not and you would much rather take the action and be somewhere then wait it out and be nowhere.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No too take the little things that seriously. And everything is a little thing.

What are you reading now?
Heart thoughts by Louise Hay

What’s next for you as a writer?
To expand into other niches and Kindle markets on amazon that interest me. I have a love for tennis and I consider it a hobby of mine. What I’ve recently found out now is that their is a market and demand on amazon on tennis so i may venture out into that niche sooner or later.

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?
Eckart Tolle A New Earth
Practicing the Power or Now By Eckart Tolle
Ask and it is given By Abraham Hicks
Heart Thoughts by Louise Hay

Author Websites and Profiles
Edgar Ford Amazon Profile

Edgar Ford is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a newbie author! My first novel is “The Icarus Prediction”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “The Icarus Prediction”. The book is about a Wall Street hotshot who makes a risky trade that goes awry and then he is faced with some very difficult decisions to “fix things”. The book was inspired by a conversation I had with a colleague of mine who worked in “high stakes” finance where he eluded that certain traders did some quite unbelievable things to make sure their trades turned a profit.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some of my best writing comes at 2 in the morning!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Unlike any other normal authors out their, there are really no authors or books that have influenced me. This is because I have literally not read a single fiction novel since high school (I think it was “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka which turned me off to reading for a while). I did read other things like blogs, websites, newspapers etc, but no novels. While writing “The Icarus Prediction”, I borrowed a few random books (including Harry Potter) to actually reacquaint myself on proper narrative structure.

What are you working on now?
The sequel to “The Icarus Prediction” which is “Omen of Icarus”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
GoodReads is a great platform to build an audience.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Spend time building a following, not obsessing over sales stats

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep Writing

What are you reading now?
I decided to start reading again and the first book on the shelf is “The Martian”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Get the sequel out as soon as possible

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would take a few empty notebooks to write instead of read!

Author Websites and Profiles
RD Gupta Website

RD Gupta’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account

RD Gupta is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written 34 books to date but must add that they are mainly short books and some are children’s books with illustrations. Some of my books were written by my sister who is too modest to publish under her own name, and some co-written with her. I have lived in France since 2004 and enjoy the life here, the climate, the people and the food and wine!

I love books (of course), music of all kinds, gardening and animals and am totally in love with cats. Maybe that’s why so many of my children’s books feature cats. I also write poetry (well, really just verses) when the mood strikes me, and sometimes find this easier than prose. To my astonishment I was lucky enough one year to win the Swift Society Prize for a satirical poem in the style of Jonathan Swift, and have put this on Amazon as a Kindle book, even though I don’t think many people buy poetry nowadays.

I love the English language and in mid-life obtained an Honours degree in English Literature from the University of London and the study was simply a work of love.

I

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled ‘Kindness Code’ and is a short book inspired by, I think, feelings of gratitude for the kindness shown to me by friends and strangers at a dark period in my life..

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not at all organised – I write in a total clutter. Nothing is planned and I belong to the clan of ‘seat of the pants writers’. I write on scraps of paper which I lose and spend precious time hunting for them. I have plenty of notebooks but start at either end and the middle which is not helpful. I make many resolutions to get organised but you know what happens to resolutions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t know if they have influenced me but I love Somerville & Ross, Jane Austen, Alan Coren, Dickens, Fielding, Dostoevsky, Zola, Robert Burns, E F Benson …the list is too long.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a children’s book which is inspired by a wonderful cat who lived with me a long time ago – an intrepid hunter.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am not very good at this – I put my books on Kindle’s free days and send to the usual places in the hope of downloads, publicise to Facebook Groups and the Author Marketing Club and I am trying to learn more about advertising on Facebook. I also put up video trailers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I don’t feel I am a good role model and doubt my advice would be helpful. However, I think that being organised would remove some of the many frustrations which currently affect me – so perhaps cultivating the right habits would be helpful. I would also say that for me I find it best to finish the whole work before starting any revisions.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This is real life – it is not a rehearsal.

What are you reading now?
The Master and Margarita

What’s next for you as a writer?
More children’s book, more 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?
The Best of Alan Coren, Complete Works of Robert Burns, The Irish RM, All about Lucia – E F Benson

Author Websites and Profiles
Evangeline Auld Website
Evangeline Auld Amazon Profile

Evangeline Auld is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I began as a song writer. Songs in themselves are a form of fiction. I performed on the road for years but knew that I really wanted to write novels. My first short story was published in 1995. My first novel, The Lost Village was published in 2003. I recently got that book back from my publisher and feel that I can finally promote it properly. I’ve written ten full length novels, several novellas and about thirty short stories. My shorts have been published in magazines such as Dark Discoveries and Book of Dark Wisdom.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Song of Ariel, is being published on Amazon as a serial novel. It is the third book in the Blue Light Series. The first two in the series are Apocalypse Island and Soul Thief. Fans of the series didn’t want to wait for the third book to be published so I decided to do it as a serial.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Probably not. With me it’s pretty simple. I put my ass in the chair in the morning and write until I’m burnt. Later on I go back after recharging my batteries and edit what I wrote in the morning.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lots. Stephen King, of course, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Shirley Jackson, Poe and Stoker, H.G Wells. The usual suspects. I also like Dan Simmons because of his versatility. I like Lee Child and a bunch of the new independent authors too numerous to mention. One of my favorite books of all time is Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life. It’s the best coming of age story I’ve ever read.

What are you working on now?
My serial novel, Song of Ariel, of course. I’m also working on the sequel to The Haunting of Sam Cabot tentatively titled Return to Farnham House, and a new action thriller featuring a kick ass female protagonist.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best promotional site out there is Bookbub, of course. Although they’re expensive no one can even touch them for return on the dollar. Their success is making them more and more arrogant, however, and I’ve stopped using them. I don’t understand why someone else hasn’t done what they’ve done in a more friendly manner. It’s just a mailing list, for crying out loud. Come on Awesome Gang!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! That’s my advice. If you keep putting out good books, eventually you’ll get discovered. Bitching and moaning all over social networks doesn’t help. It hurts you as a writer. Just write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What I wrote above. It’s essentially the same advice that Joe Konrath has been dishing out for years.

What are you reading now?
White Fire, by Preston and Child and The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to just keep doing what I’m doing. It seems to be working.

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 need more than 3 or 4 Books. I’d take my Kindle.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mark Edward Hall Website
Mark Edward Hall Amazon Profile

Mark Edward Hall’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Mark Edward Hall is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author has two award winning short films to her credit.
She has published two books titled ‘Just you, me and a secret’ and ‘A Minute to death’.

She was awarded the ‘BEST URBAN CHENNAI BLOGGER’ by Ecovme and Urban Tree.

She works with an MNC as an IT developer, makes short films for fun, and blogs at Scribbledbygb.blogspot.com

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a paper back titled ‘A Minute to Death’ sold in India. Soon to be on kindle. It’s a crime thriller. I get inspiration from the darkness that engulfs me in the nights. So I don’t know which night was the night when this idea was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I first picture the entire book as a movie in my mind. Then I pause, rewind and forward it as I write. I feel like I am writing down a film that’s going on in my mind. This makes me want to enact some of the scenes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
JK Rowling, Agatha Christie

What are you working on now?
I am working on another crime thriller now.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook is the best platform for authors to promote themselves.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do what you feel like. Don’t try to copy the success of others.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Everyone is born with the right equipment to write. It’s in how well we use it.”

What are you reading now?
The girl with the dragon tattoo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There is no “Next” for a writer, according to me. I want to be a writer till my last breath.

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?
Just you, me and a secret, A Minute to death and the two other books I am working on. For my books are the most important to me.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ganga Bharani Vasudevan Website
Ganga Bharani Vasudevan Amazon Profile

Ganga Bharani Vasudevan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ganga Bharani Vasudevan is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi. I am a romance author and have written two novels published with The Wild Rose Press. I have another one under review. Fingers crossed.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Staking A Claim was inspired by the 27 years I lived in Alaska. It’s about an advertising executive intent on making a travel brochure for visitors to see the state. Her intentions are good, but not all Alaskans like the exposure.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I write with my Minature Pinscher on my lap. She helps keep me focused.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All the greats…Nora Roberts, Jude Deveraux, Mary Balough. The list goes on and on.

What are you working on now?
A historical western set during the gold rush in San Francisco.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find word of mouth works for me. I love talking about my books because I am so connected to the characters. I also have a Facebook author page and website.
https://www.facebook.com/DevonMcKay2014
http://devonmckay.weebly.com/

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Write. We all are busy and no doubt life gets in the way, but write a little something everyday.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do your research. If your facts aren’t spot on, you could lose a reader. And nobody wants that to happen.

What are you reading now?
I’m going back to the old bodice rippers of the 80’s. They’re hard to find. Currently I’m reading To Love a Rogue by Valerie Sherwood.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to be able to write full time so I’m focusing on that. But I do have a book signing event coming up which will be my first. I’m extremely excited about 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?
That’s a toughie because I love to read. Julia Quinn because she makes me laugh. Joanna Lindsey. Nora Roberts. Jude Deveraux.

Author Websites and Profiles
Devon McKay Website
Devon McKay Amazon Profile
Devon McKay’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Devon McKay is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After retiring from a career in law enforcement, I settled in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife and daughters, and a ghost named Mary Bell. To date, I have two novels published, The Devil’s Lament (Winlock Press) and, The Amazing Mr. Howard (JournalStone), and a nonfiction book, Ghost Under Foot: the Spirit of Mary Bell (Llewellyn).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the novel, The Devil’s Lament. The story originally started out as a horror novel with Lucifer as the antagonist, but the plot changed as I did my research. In the end, Lucifer turned into the protagonist and the book became a paranormal fantasy built around an epic love story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to stop after writing a couple of pages, even if I’m in the middle of a scene, and then come back to it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Red Dragon.

What are you working on now?
I’m developing a psychological suspense novel tentatively titled, “In the Light of Darkness.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve done the majority of my marketing on Twitter, but I also use Facebook and Google Plus.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t try to jump from point A to point D in your career. I used to just write novels and try submitting them to agents and publishers. When I decided to write short stories to gain publishing credits and entered some writing contests, my career started to take off.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Work on your writing career everyday, whether you’re writing, plotting, researching, or marketing.

What are you reading now?
Mystic River–Dennis Lehane.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have projects lined up waiting to be written. Everything from mysteries and YA fantasy, to horror.

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 Great Gatsby. The Grapes of Wrath. My three volume set of “Far-Side” cartoons (I would need something to put a smile on my face).

Author Websites and Profiles
Kenneth Harmon Website
Kenneth Harmon Amazon Profile

Kenneth Harmon’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Kenneth Harmon is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in 1991 in Russia, Kamchatka. When I was 7, we moved to Stavropol, a small southern city not far from the Black Sea. My family found new friends here, and many of them had impressive fantasy libraries at home, so I’ve started reading fantasy very early. At 16 I started reading in English, as it was a lot more interesting than reading in my own language. My first idea for a book came to me when I was 18, and it wasn’t very serious at first, but it developed into something bigger 4 years later when I started re-writing it in English. I got enough material for a series, and the first book was published in December 2014 at Amazon (Sky Ghosts: All for One). The second book – Sky Ghosts: Marco – was written in just 10 days and published in August 2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s Sky Ghosts: Marco, and it was inspired by my readers. Their interest to Marco gave me the idea to write a side story in between the two parts of the trilogy where I could put more clues to the main storyline and deepen the characters’ relationship. The book is receiving a very positive feedback, and I’m happy my readers found it entertaining and touching.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only write when I know I have the best idea for the next scene, and for that, I need to zone out and live that scene as one of my characters or even a few of them. The best time for that is before sleep, so I often end up writing down something in the dark on my phone.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sergei Lukyanenko, David Eddings, Cassandra Clare would certainly be at the top of the list.

What are you working on now?
Now I’m working on the book 2 of the Sky Ghosts trilogy, which is going to be 100 times more complex than the first, and the chapter outline alone is already impressive. Over the past two years I’ve saved more than 70 scenes and 20 plot twists for two books in my head, and the process of tying it all up together is intense but fascinating.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ll leave out promo services that blast out Kindle Free Days and say that it’s Goodreads. Posting there has brought over 100 readers who’ve contacted me personally for free review copies, and it helped me double my number of reviews in a couple of months. Most of my loyal fans are from there or other book forums.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re planning to self-publish your work, research and learn everything you can about it before doing it. There are a lot of ways to make it easier and more effective.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Reviews are no place for the author. If negative reviews are too hard for you to take, find someone who’ll read them for you and tell you if there’s any useful critique.

What are you reading now?
Patrick Rothfuss – The Wise Man’s Fear. I think I liked the first book in the series a lot 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?
Something about plants and herbs, another one with practical tips for living in the wild, and a really huge one with blank pages where I’d write with my blood.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alexandra Engellmann Website
Alexandra Engellmann Amazon Profile
Alexandra Engellmann’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Alexandra Engellmann is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am a New Zealand-based novelist, local newspaper reporter, blogger and avid Facebook user. I am based in the pretty little town of Oxford, in New Zealand’s South Island. Writing is something I have always used as a way of expressing myself. My first foray into the romantic and humorous world of my style of women’s fiction is recorded in my thirteen-year-old self’s compulsory school journal. In it, much to the delight of my English teacher, I described in minutiae the heartbreak of being dumped after my first school disco. I have moved on since then and am now married with two boys.
After my first son was born, I attended a creative writing course at Canterbury University, and the first piece I ever penned was published by a New Zealand parenting magazine. I went on to write humorous; opinion styled pieces of my take on parenting but when the necessity for being politically correct got too much, I set myself the challenge of writing a novel. My first two books, The Brazilian Job and Second Hand Jane could be given the label of chick lit. They were followed by the slightly more contemporary, Being Shirley. The Traveller’s Daughter is my fourth novel and has a historical twist; all my books are written with warmth and humour.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Traveller’s Daughter is my latest novel, it was inspired by a photograph I bought from a second hand shot called, Lover’s At Avignon

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to blurt it out then edit, this is a process I repeat throughout the entire writing of a book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely the Irish ladies, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly, Maeve Binchy etc

What are you working on now?
I am working on a book called The Matchmaker. It is the first novel I have set in New Zealand since The Brazilian Job, my first novel.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookbub is definitely the most successful promotion I have ever run. I enjoy the interaction on Facebook too.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself, listen to advice and criticism but don’t take it personally.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ten years to overnight success! A NZ playwright, Roger Hall said that about his own so called overnight success and it resonated.

What are you reading now?
The Woman Who Stole My Life, Marian Keyes – loving it.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Traveller’s Daughter is with my agent and I would love a traditional publishing deal. If that doesn’t happen I shall continue to write and publish to Amazon.

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?
Shantaram, Anything by Douglas Kennedy, Whatever Marian Keye’s latest book is and I let you go by Clare Francis

Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Vernal Website
Michelle Vernal Amazon Profile
Michelle Vernal’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Michelle Vernal is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi. I have only written one book so far. Actually, I have written two but have only had one published. I expect to have the second one published in January, 2016. I am a former high school English teacher and also have taught in community college. I have been married for thirty-nine years to the same man and have children and grandchildren. I hold two Master’s degrees in Education, have traveled around Europe, and was the UCLA BRUINS bear mascot during the John Wooden basketball years (1970’s).

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is entitled, BEING GRATEFUL: How to Open the Door to a More Fulfilled & Abundant Life in 13 Easy Steps.

Having been in the education field, a pastor’s wife, and a men’s ministry prison leader, I have seen and witnessed a myriad of human issues and interactions which has caused be to believe in having an “attitude of gratitude.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any unusual writing habits.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love reading. I especially enjoy biographies and autobiographies. I enjoy the “classics.” Titles, such as, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, Little Women, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Gone With the Wind, to name a few. Present day Christian authors I read are Max Lucado, Joyce Meyer, and Beth Moore.

What are you working on now?
I have recently finished my rough draft of a book called, BEING DETERMINED.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have my own website with information at www.janicealmondbooks.com.

Then there is the amazon link-
http://www.amazon.com/Being-Grateful-Fulfilled-Abundant-Steps/dp/0692489827/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1445103466&sr=1-1

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I guess it would be just to sit down, focus, and write!
Don’t try to second guess yourself or you will become paranoid.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Wow! What a loaded question! How about, “Fake it ’til you make it!”

What are you reading now?
I am attempting to read a book by Fawn Weaver entitled, The Argumentative Free Marriage.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am writing a series of three “being grateful” books – or BE ATTITUDE books. The next or third one is called, BEING HAPPY. They are all basically written in the same genre and vein- self-help, inspirational, spiritual, personal growth books- along similar formatting lines.

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?
Animal Farm
Fahrenheit 451
Of Mice and Men
Bible

Author Websites and Profiles
Janice Almond Website
Janice Almond Amazon Profile

Janice Almond’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Janice Almond is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am 72 a retired partially disabled pastor. My retirement was the result of a major stroke at 59. I have many articles published on the Internet. Most of them can be seen at this link; http://tinyurl.com/kbdx4mw. My dream was always to write and get a book published. That dream was finally realized at 72.. I came after many unsuccessful attempts and even being swindled out of hundreds of dollars by an unscrupulous publisher. Tate publishing made it a reality.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and only book to date is; “The Alphabets of Christian Theology” Another manuscript is complete and ready for submission. It will be submitted as soon as the required funs are available.

Myinspiration to write is found in Psalms 26:7 that says; “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Most of my writing is done between 4:30 to 7:00 AM

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Walter Martin, John Mc Arthur and Charles Swindol

What are you working on now?
Working on a book titled ” Prayers that get through to God

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Low cost and websites that offer free promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was given by the Apostle Paul when he said “prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.

What are you reading now?
The bible is my daily reading book. I believe that All of the solutions to life’s problems can be found within it’s pages

What’s next for you as a writer?
I writ as I feel led by The Holy Spirit to focus my research and study on a particular subject.

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, Naves Topical bible and an Strongs Exhaustive concordance.

Author Websites and Profiles
Rev. George Pryor Website
Rev. George Pryor Author Profile on Smashwords

Rev. George Pryor is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing all my life but until the advent of Kindle Direct Publishing never thought I would find an audience for my stories. I’ve just published one book so far but have many more in the fold.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Love’s Labour was inspired by my time in London as a struggling grad student. I lived in a shabby apartment but had an interesting neighbor and one thing led to another. The names were changed to protect the innocent.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to stay up late an night-not sure how unusual that it is-but find it easier to be creative when the kids (and husband) are asleep. My alter ego can come out and play.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really like TC Boyle for fiction-I think he’s the best contemporary writer we have. I’ve read all the classics and have never been a fan of romance which is strange because that’s what I write.

What are you working on now?
I have a shifter book coming out and also a young adult fantasy (very magical)

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I was happy to find Awesomegang but have just relied on Amazon in the past.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“If you find yourself going through hell, keep going.”

Winston Churchill

What are you reading now?
No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

What’s next for you as a writer?
Shifter Paranormal Romance and Young Adult Fantasy novels.

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?
Not sure. Could I bring my Kindle and lots of back up power?

Lara Allard is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’ve bungy jumped off a bridge in New Zealand and climbed down the side of a 17 storey building for charity. Putting myself out there as a published author is a new form of adrenaline rush. I’ve just recently published my first book, Dead and Kicking. It’s the first book in the Harry Russo Diaries, an urban fantasy trilogy about a twenty-something witch whose out of the ordinary gift gets her tangled up in the darker side of the supernatural underworld.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Dead and Kicking. I really couldn’t tell you what inspired it. My mind is always whirring away creating new stories. Sometimes they bubble to the surface and just need to get out. Harry, the heroine of my story, was particularly persistent and I finally relented and sat down at the computer. The next thing I knew I had all three books written (okay, so it wasn’t that easy, but they really did all just sort of flow out one after another).

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I work full time and I’m a full time, single parent. I grab time to write whenever and wherever I can. I have been known to dictate ideas that pop into my head into my phone in the middle of the grocery store and at doctor’s offices. Luckily, I tend to be a night owl and I’m most productive then. I get most of my writing done after 9pm. Unfortunately that means that I’m often up waaaay too late because I’m ‘in the zone’ and don’t realize the time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’d have to say that Kim Harrison, Chloe Neill, Keri Arthur, L.K. Hamilton and K.M. Moning (the Fever series) are big influences. I love their stuff.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on the final edits for Tooth and Claw, the second book in the Harry Russo Diaries. It will be released in January 2016. Then it will be on to finalize the manuscript for Deadlocked, the final book in Harry’s trilogy. I also have a contemporary ‘romantica’ called Home Again that I will be publishing early in 2016.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think Goodreads is a great place to start, but other than that, I’m just learning the ropes of the marketing side, so I don’t really have a lot of insight yet.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write your second book before you try publishing your first. Seriously. It’s crazy trying to promote and market your new release. I’ve had no time to write lately. I’m really glad I already have Harry’s trilogy completed. It takes some of the pressure off.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. Publishing a book is a long game. The more you write and publish, the more likely you are to sell books.

What are you reading now?
Reading? I wish. I haven’t had time to do any reading for pleasure. I have a stack of books waiting though….Wen Spencer’s Wood Sprites is on the top of that stack. Wicked Embers by Keri Arthur and the latest J.D. Robb are also waiting for me.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I really hope to find the time to start on a new project. I have a couple in mind. It really depends on which story is ready to be told.

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’s a tough one. Can I just take my Kobo ereader and a solar panel instead?

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Emme Website
Lisa Emme Amazon Profile

Lisa Emme’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Lisa Emme is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Quiana Golde. I come from the Caribbean, It really is a beautiful place. I am 18 years old, pretty young I know but my passion for writing couldn’t be held back by my age so I sought a publisher. It took a while but I was finally signed thanks to my friend Diamond Dior. I have written too many books to count but only Soul Attraction is completed and published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Soul Attraction and what really inspired me to write it was my very own creativity. I wanted to write an unusual romance novel that wasn’t filled with the lovey dovey stuff but more action and a plot twist. And viola, there was Soul Attraction.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? No

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nora Roberts. As a reader, she was the one I was exposed to and after reading one of her steamy novels, I began writing,

What are you working on now?
A new book called Don’t Judge Me. Urban Drama!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For now, I’ll say Facebook

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up and have patience. Don’t try to rush things.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep Moving Forward. Yes from the Robinsons. Disney movies can be cool.

What are you reading now?
I am too busy to read because of school. I’m currently reading a text book!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Best Seller. I’m aiming for the skies baby.

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?
Books? Okay, I’d choose an encyclopedia with pictures. Maybe I can identify some strange things from it. A first aid book, just in case. Soul attraction for entertainment. Then a How To Guide.

Author Websites and Profiles
Quiana Golde Website

Quiana Golde’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Quiana Golde is a post from Awesome Gang