Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Alexis Radcliff: Author, gamer, unashamed geek, and history junkie. I spent years working in the tech industry (Amazon, Expedia) and dreaming about a writing career before finally deciding to go for it and finish my first book (with many, many drafts in between, of course).

I live and work in the Portland area with my adorable (if surly) cat and my equally adorable husband. When not writing, I spend all my time reading, running, playing way too many videogames, and thinking too much about everything.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A VANISHING GLOW is the is the opening book in my MYSTECH ARCANUM series, a blend of steampunk and flintlock fantasy with mature themes. I’ve been thinking about it for the better part of a decade and building the world out in my head.

I like low fantasy and steampunk a lot, and since I grew up reading high fantasy I was hungry for something really different. The world of Ghavarim I created is just that: a little different from both the fantasy and steampunk you’ve read before (in what I hope is a really fascinating blend), set against an extensively researched backdrop that draws heavily on real-world history during the industrial revolution.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use just two fingers to do the vast majority of my typing, but still manage an above average words per minute speed. People ALWAYS comment on it.

I do it because I never learned how to type properly, but I played a lot of EverQuest with my brother growing up, and believe me, you NEED to be able to type fast when you’re announcing impending death from your train to the zone line.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many I can’t even begin to say. Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin are the two biggest, probably. Then Anne Rice and Michael Crichton, too. Aldous Huxley, Virginia Woolf, Orwell, Fitzgerald. Modern influences are just as varied. I’m a sucker for John Green novels. I still read as much as I can in a wide variety of genres.

What are you working on now?
The next volume in my Mystech Arcanum series, of course! I also have an exciting not-so-secret Superhero series set to come out in 2016 that I think people are really going to like. It tells some stories you don’t usually see in the superhero space, while maintaining everything about the genre that makes it fun and awesome.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter, almost certainly. I’m VERY active on Twitter, and I have great relationships with friends and fans there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
That seems presumptuous at this point since I still am one! But my best piece of advice is to keep going. Just. Do. It. Don’t stop, whatever happens. Your dreams won’t get any closer to you if you sit around and wait for them.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That what other people think of me is none of my business. It’s hard to not internalize criticism (and praise too), but if you let either one get its hooks into you, it can destroy you. We all have value, and we all have more to learn.

What are you reading now?
I read a few books at a time (slowly). I’m currently reading Annie Bellet’s 20-Sided Sorceress series, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and I’m just beginning to dip into Scott Lynch’s second Gentlemen Bastards novel.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep going! I’m serious about going the indie route and making this business work for me, so my next goal is to get as many books as I can written in 2016.

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?
Well, obviously a desert island survival guide would be top priority. Then something REALLY heavy and leather-bound so I could make a weapon out of it if needed. After that I’d probably request an omnibus of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen. Studying that sucker could keep me busy for years.

Author Websites and Profiles
Alexis Radcliff Website
Alexis Radcliff Amazon Profile

Alexis Radcliff’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Alexis Radcliff is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The first book I completed was a reverse green card story. My heroine needed french citizenship and the hero needed a wife to protect him from a scandal. That was 2002. Wow, I can’t believe it was that long ago. My first published piece came out in 2009. Altogether I’ve published 1 novel, 3 novellas, and a short story since. This year I have two more novels coming out. Maybe that first tome, which would need serious software upgrades to bring it back to life, will get a chance one day.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bravery Not Included has a unique journey. My mother was battling breast cancer when I came across a reference that stated the word Amazon meant ‘without breast.’ If that was true my Mom, a fierce fighter of cancer, was already an Amazon. As I researched further — ideas for stories percolating — I read scientific studies on Amazon burials, modern day accounts of adrenaline fueled strength. All through history, these amazing women, have stood up and said ‘enough.’ What if they banded together? How fiercely would they fight to protect those they loved? Who would threaten their new community?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write out of order. Which isn’t totally unique, I’m sure. But often I don’t see the story until it’s on paper. I might even write whole chapters just exploring the origin of a character that I later viciously cut out. I also feel like my habits are still developing. I’ve been writing over fifteen years and spent the whole time learning as much as I can about the process.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Suzanne Brockmann and her Troubleshooter Series, Mary Calmes, Marie Sexton, and J.K. Rowling. I don’t particularly write like any of them. I think everyone you read, in the same or different genre, good or bad, should influence your own writing. But those four are some of my favorite authors. I also like Val Roberts, Stephanie Berget, and Judy Kiem.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next book in the Amazon series as well as the second is a series for Dreamspinner Press. Waking Jamal, the first in a Sci-fi Romance, is about a military program that activates super soldiers. Based on Norse Mythology, when these Hamask go Berserk, they are forced into hibernation. Rum Walker refuses to let Jamal Zumati decay and die so he sets out to wake Jamal. It’s sequel is in a very early state but going well.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am developing my presence on GoodReads. I also think AwesomeGang and Facebook are excellent places to promote books. I made a list of places I find new authors and new books and I figure my readers will come from the same places.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a writers group. Yes, you should read a lot and write a lot but I think it is important to surround yourself with people who are on a similar journey and who are just as passionate about books and writing as you are. Then, when you get discouraged, as we all do, they can bolster you up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always ask questions. It’s how we engage in life, how we learn, and often where I get my best ideas.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading several books at the same time. Dwight V. Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer, a John Scalzi book, The Duchess War by Courtney Milan, and the Romance Writers Report (magazine).

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d love to hear from readers on what they’d like to see from me next. I have the third Amazon book, a stand alone contemporary novella, and maybe a third book in my Hamra series. So many things, it can be hard to decide what’s next, so feel free to send input!

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?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hot Target by Brockmann, Change of Heart by Mary Calmes and a very thick, empty notebook. I’m sure I can find something on the island I can write with, once the pencil is used up.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amberly Smith Website
Amberly Smith Amazon Profile

Amberly Smith’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Amberly Smith is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing fiction for twenty years, mostly Supernatural thrillers, but also some YA, science fiction, middle-grade fantasy and slipstream. My true love is the supernatural. No matter what project I find myself working on I always make my way back to the unknown darkness frequently. It is my true muse, my otherworldly calling…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dead Yet Dying is my latest novel. It is the story of a broken, alcoholic man and his struggle for redemption in the wake of horrific events. He lost the love of his life fifteen years ago in a tragic accident and he’s now discovering that he was supposed to die with her. Love, sadness, sacrifice and death ensue.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write longhand in a spiral notebook and then read my work into word using dragon speech software. Also, I drink coffee from a cup named Dorothy.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
1984 by George Orwell. Flowers for Algernon. Any and all books by Christopher Moore. And Stephen King. The fantastical nature of the christian bible influences me. Crazy people I have met and tried to avoid influence me. Real triumphs and tragedy in the newspaper motivates my creativity. And all the awful books I have read. (There are many) They make me feel better about myself and my writing. “I don’t suck as bad as them! Yay for me!”

What are you working on now?
Promotion for Dead Yet Dying. If I survive that, emotionally and financially, I will get back to Dead Yet Dying II.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, just chatting with others, online or in person. Being honest and real is important. Fans do not show up in droves. They come one at a time and you must appreciate each and every one of them. When a single reader says they love the words I’ve written, that is the best feeling in the world. And yes, I know I’m a cheesy goofball.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write the book you want to read. Never give up. Don’t listen to haters. If you want to write, do it. Sitting around and dreaming about being a writer is for pussies. (pardon my French) After you’ve done it long enough, you’ll find people who love you for it. And for God’s sake, get yourself a coffee cup named Dorothy. It works for me.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t step on a pregnant alligator. Those are words to live by, my friend. But seriously, I’ve heard lots of great advice over the years and it all seems to come down to this: Readers are emotional beings. They read to feel something, whether it be laughter, pain, fear or love. If you feel it when you’re writing it others will too. Write without fear. Write with confidence. Voice is all about confidence.

What are you reading now?
I just read Dr. Sleep by Stephen King. I also just finished The Martian by Andy Weir. Both great books. I am now reading The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker.
So much great fiction, so little time.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Read. Write. Repeat. Until the worms take my lifeless body away from my computer.

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: 1984.
#2: The Stupidest Angel.
#3: Good Omens.
#4: A spiral notebook, so I could write my own story. And hopefully, a pen.

Author Websites and Profiles
B. K. Brain Website
B. K. Brain Amazon Profile

B. K. Brain’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

B. K. Brain is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been madly in love with comic books and with romance novels since I was barely a teenager, and that led to writing comic book stories for DC Comics and then coloring many stories for Marvel Comics as well as attending to many editorial and business tasks in my staff stints at both companies. Yes, I really did work with Stan Lee.

But that’s just the beginning. I moved into the romance publishing world as a freelancer for Harlequin, Bantam, and Berkeley, to name a few publishers, and MyRomanceStory.com, where I also wrote romance graphic novellas. Was that enough romance for me? Nope.

I started writing novels in earnest thanks to the wonderful online writing site, NaNoWriMo, which gives novelists companionship and encouragement as we challenge ourselves to write fifty thousand words in the month of November every year. I have written a dozen novels so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Crisis at Comicon is the sequel to Temporary Superheroine. Chloe learns a lot about her amazing powers and her mysterious father in the first book. In the sequel she’s coping with bumps in her career and her love life while trying to stop the mayhem at the Chicago comicon. With the mysterious Mistress Miraculous causing one problem after another in the crowded convention center, Chloe must be a superheroine again and use the superpowers of the Dimensional Diamond–powers that only she can access, but that she knows little about. Chloe is a superheroine who fights outsize villains while at the same time attempting to find herself as an adult. Each story ends with a satisfactory conclusion but Chloe herself still has more growing and learning to do. I think back to how confused I was in my early twenties, like Chloe, for the inspiration of where to take her next. And of course as a comics fan, I want her adventures to be what comics fans are interested in. What’s more fannish than a supervillain who menaces a comicon?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Early authors who influenced me: Mary Stewart, Mignon G. Eberhart, Virginia Coffman, Emilie Loring. More recently: Diana Palmer, Elizabeth Lowell, Jackie Merritt, Jennifer Crusie. Love their stories.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to Captive of the Cattle Baron. Baron’s younger brother, JD, has come home from Iraq a wounded warrior with a bleak attitude. The Selkirk family ranch needs him desperately but he won’t get on with his life. Paula, the independently wealthy young woman who appeared in the first book, is unabashedly in love with JD and commits a daring act of abduction to keep the vast Wyoming ranch from being sold.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I always advise new authors to respect themselves. That means not selling off rights to their precious creative work in bad deals, and also making the effort to travel the road to writing improvement. Don’t settle.

What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s hard to predict what I’ll want to write years from now. Right now, I want to finish the arcs of the series I’ve started, perfect and publish the stories I’ve already written, and then go on to complete some cycles of stories I’ve got in mind but haven’t written yet.

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?
My desert island books would be a mixture of Superman and Lois Lane comics and romance novels by Diana Palmer, with some mysteries by Mignon G. Eberhart or Charlotte MacLeod thrown in. But it would be far more practical to have a copy of Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, which is a how-to that would allow me to build modern conveniences and live comfortably on that island–or escape!

Author Websites and Profiles
Irene Vartanoff Website
Irene Vartanoff Amazon Profile

Irene Vartanoff’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Irene Vartanoff is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in a small town, I longed for adventure and travel. Age 20 I moved to Dublin, then to San Diego, Then Sydney and back to California where I did a brief stint working at Universal Studios being a minder to Sponge Bob. Once back in Britain I got married, had babies and decided to write about the adventure I was now missing out on. I work full time as a Media and Communications Manager, have three kids three kids and gave birth to a surrogate baby. I have skydived twice (and survived), climbed Kilimanjaro and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I have also worked as a professional clown and banana picker amongst other jobs. Somehow I find time to write. My first novel, Endless Winter, is the first of the four part Guardians of The Light series

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last book I published in my own name was the last of The Guardians of The Light series – Autumn Ever After. It wraps up the adventures of Aethelu and Anais. I have a prequel out shortly. I have however published a book under a pen name which is very different from the Guardians series

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with my laptop in bed whilst munching on ginger biscuits. I’m laid here now, listening to Alanis Morrisette and singing along as I type – Thankfully my partner and my kids are out – no one wants to hear me sing!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a total Harry Potter fan. I must have read a million books in my time but those are the ones I read over and over. I read Alice in Wonderland a lot as a child too. I guess I like fantastical themes. I love a good thriller too.

What are you working on now?
As I mentioned, I have a prequel to my Guardians of The Light books in the pipeline. I’m also writing a book about children but most certainly not for children. It’s very different so it’s quite refreshing to write two books at once – I’m flipping between the two. I’ll probably have to write a sequel to the pen name book too.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My book sales are very organic. They ebb and flow. I was doing amazingly well over the summer with no promotion at all. Sales then dipped in September but just a couple of days ago I had my highest ever page reads in a day so go figure

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. You might not sell many books but you won’t sell any if you don’t write them

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Probably the above. I’ve followed a lot of advice and strategies since publishing my first book. some have worked and some haven’t – I think it’s finding your own way and seeing what works for you.

What are you reading now?
I just read a Vampire book from an up and coming author. It was a novella so a short read which is just as well with my busy schedule. The most famous book I’ve read recently was Gone Girl.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully just to keep writing and publishing. One day I’d like to make a living from it so I can go and live on a desert island. which brings me to the next question

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 probably take a kindle full of books because I’m a very quick reader. If I can’t do that I’d bring
1: How to survive on a desert island by r.crusoe,
2: 20 recipes to make delicious meals out of sand by Sandy Cook
3: The ultimate boat building manual by C.Shore

Oh who am I kidding – I’d take the harry potter books

Author Websites and Profiles
J.A. Armitage Website
J.A. Armitage Amazon Profile

J.A. Armitage’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.A. Armitage is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a first-time indie published author. I’ve spent a life-time dreaming about being a writer. I guess you could say I’ve spent a life-time dreaming about books. Books were my first friends. Thought that might sound a little sad it really isn’t. I had plenty of ‘human’ friends but none that could take me on adventures with them. Books took me around the world and back without me having to leave the comfort of the bottom bunk (my favorite reading spot). Books expanded my imagination and challenged me to think, to dream beyond my world. Now that’s a cool friend.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Heart’s Journey Home. I’ve got more than a little age on me so I never really thought I’d write a book about teens for teens. I was watching something on TV and the teen angst was so poignant, the friendships real, the characters full of depth and the book sort of started to evolve from there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Laughing, I probably have a few. I do my best writing at Panera’s and LaQuinta Inn (as a matter of fact this interview is being conducted while I’m at LaQuinta). I researched the heck out of the book first. I probably spent close to a year just doing the research for The Heart’s Journey Home. It’s a book series so I did an outline of all the books up front, which was a mini-novel itself. I’m old school so I write long-hand first then type the manuscript from there. I’m trying to retrain myself to just sit down in front of the laptop and start typing. It’s a bit of a struggle though.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oddly enough I think Steven King is just a great author. I say oddly enough because I am so not into scary movies so I haven’t read/viewed all of his works, but the stuff I’ve seen has been enviable. The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, The Storm of the Century, Stand By Me, Misery, and on and on and on. He’s written some great scary and non-scary stuff, novels and movies. If I could just have a 10th of his career my writing soul would be satisfied.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on book two of the series and it’s a lot of fun. I love my teen characters – Tori, AJ and Kalea. The more I hang out with them the more they’re growing on me. I’m hoping they grow on the reader.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I guess I’ve had a spaghetti-type attitude toward promoting my book. I’m just throwing everything at the wall and glad when any of it sticks. I think the toughest part of self-publishing is self-marketing. You can write the great American novel but if nobody knows it exists it’s just going to sit and collect dust. I’m grateful for sites like Awesomegang. I’m not just interested in publicity, I want to actually connect with readers. This site helps me to do just that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Know you’re a writer. Respect the craft. Believe in what you write. Enjoy yourself. Never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it’s right, it’s easy. It’s the other way round too. If it’s slovenly written, then it’s hard to read. It doesn’t give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.” Maya Angelou

What are you reading now?
Don’t laugh, but The Heart’s Journey Home. The best way for me to stay in touch with the characters and the story line for book two is to review the original often.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books. The Nobel Peace Prize. Movies. An Oscar. More books. All a writer can do is write and dream.

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?
Easy – The Bible, To Kill a Mockingbird, Survival: A Beginner’s Guide to Help You Survive on a Deserted Island and The Heart’s Journey Home Series

Author Websites and Profiles
Nikki Jackson Website

Nikki Jackson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a paralegal by day, writer by night. My first book was Denim & Diamonds, a women’s fiction title with a romantic twist. My second book, Fatal Impulse, is a cozy mystery.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Fatal Impulse was inspired by a conversation I overheard when I was a child about a woman whose car plummeted off a mountain road. Her body wasn’t recovered immediately because of the terrain and weather. That story simmered for years, and got me to thinking about how easy it would be to cover up a murder that way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need action to write, so I tend to write in the living room with the television going and a dog or two on my lap.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King is my writing hero – the best writing book I’ve ever read was On Writing. When I was a tween, I started reading Stephen King’s books. I loved the way he wrote so that I, as the reader, was totally immersed in the characters. That is my goal every time I sit down to write.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Diamond in the Rough, which is the second in the Diamond J series. It takes place in the same world as Denim & Diamonds, but focuses on Aidan, a ranch hand, and Gina, the owner of the local scrapbook store. It is a romantic suspense.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think personal connections help the reader get to know me, so I am active and engaged in social media.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read and write. A lot.

And live life to the fullest. You have to experience life and refill the well in order to write engaging stories.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can’t edit a blank page.

What are you reading now?
Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen (print book)
Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (audio book)
Spying in High Heels by Gemma Halliday (Kindle)

What’s next for you as a writer?
The best seller list, I hope! Seriously, I plan on continuing both series that I’ve started: the Diamond J series and the Widow’s Web series. I also hope to publish a how-to book for aspiring writers.

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. How about an ebook? I’d go with Getting Dumped by Tawna Fenske (a choose your own adventure for grown ups!) because it’s like getting several books in one; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert because, well, I love it and love the way it makes me think about what I want out of life; and . . . last, but not least, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron because I learn something new every time I read it and I love the exercises. So, my 4th book would be a huge never ending blank notebook so I could DO those exercises.

Author Websites and Profiles
Lori Robinett Website
Lori Robinett Amazon Profile
Lori Robinett Author Profile on Smashwords

Lori Robinett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Lori Robinett is a post from Awesome Gang