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

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is “A Tale of Twisted Love: The Heartbreak Killer”. I was actually semi inspired by the book series “Dreaming Darkly Dexter” as well as the preceding show “Dexter”. I was a big fan of all of that work, and my serial killer Perry Nelson, has some characteristics of Dexter Morgan. However, the story I have written focuses much more on the relationship between the serial killer, Perry, and his relationship with Alexis Fisher. I have always been interested in the psychology of people in our world and my story reflects the struggles of a human being in every day life.

The real start to my story actually occurred on a day of a long bus ride to my college of Eastern Washington University. While on the ride I was stuck with a sort of lightning and somehow was implanted with this character broken from countless heartbreak. From there I developed the whole story you see in front of you today.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The one thing I would say that could be unusual is that I drink gallons of coffee and energy drinks every day while I write. Unhealthy? Sure. But the jolts of energy I get from them really gets my brain turning. I would say on an average day I either drink two energy drinks (low cal) or four cups of coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The biggest influence of writing on me has been from Stephen King. I love the style he presents his stories in, and I have a similar taste in my writing, something of weird horror and dread that has more meaning to it than a mindless slasher flick (if that makes sense?). I am also a huge fan of George R.R. Martian. His books have influenced me to make great characters and also not be afraid to rip the hearts out of my readers by dealing them a death blow to one of the characters they like. I also have to give a big shout out to J.K. Rowling. As a boy growing up, she showed me that not all books are boring. The Harry Potter series influenced me in a way that I can’t really explain in words. Maybe in the future I will be up for writing a magical tale as the Potter tale has showed me.

What are you working on now?
As of now I am working on a novella that will give me a break in between series books of “A Tale if Twisted Love”. Its on the hush hush for now but be on the look out in December for more information. I also am working on a full fledged publishing company that will be up and running here in a year or so up here in Spokane Washington.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had great success so far in doing the book giveaway on amazon. I gained over 300 new twitter followers in a week, sales bumps, and the chance to give some fans a free copy of a book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Work hard and never think that you cant do everything yourself. You don’t need the big publishers anymore.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.”

What are you reading now?
I haven’t had the slightest time to read anyone else’s work. So only my own work of now. But I will say I have been dying the read the new Steven King book Mr. Mercedes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing more books of in different genres to expand my audience. I am also working to be a full publisher for new and upcoming Authors who want to learn how to do it themselves. I am tired of the old publishing ways and am ready to spearhead the new generation. I don’t think writing books is dead as they say, I do think the old way of thinking and doing is.

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 & the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, Misery, & A Song of Fire and Ice: A Storm of Swords.

Author Websites and Profiles
Maddison Beckley Website
Maddison Beckley Amazon Profile

Maddison Beckley’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Maddison Beckley is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I turned 35 this year, and although I’ve always been pretty creative, I only really started writing a few years ago. Bound to Blackwood, which releases on November 1st is my debut novel. I’m British and I love all things British – except the weather, so I now live in southern Spain with my husband and an ever-growing collection of dogs.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Bound to Blackwood” is a paranormal romance set in London and the Home Counties of England. I’m a HUGE fan of the genre. Very few paranormal romances are set in the UK – so I wrote one. I wanted to write about vampires, but with so many vampire tales out there, I wanted to put my own spin on it. My Vampires are Fae and were responsible for guiding human souls to the afterlife. That was until one vampire decided to keep a soul and ‘Fell.’ The entire race was banished from Faerie and now lives on earth, in England, actually.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write in front of the tv. My other writer friends think that’s bizarre, but I actually get more distracted and wander off onto social media when it’s too quiet.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many, but I love JR Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Larissa Ione, Charlaine Harris and of course Anne Rice.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the House Blackwood series, entitled “Stranger to Blackwood.” It focusses on the best friend of the female lead from Bound to Blackwood and some new characters.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I honestly have no idea! This is all pretty new to me. I am very lucky in that I have a great online support community of fellow Indie Authors so I take advice from them. I belong to lots of forums, try to be active on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. I’m also running a Thunderclap campaign in the run up to release day to spread the word.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! The first draft of anything is usually just word vomit, so don’t panic. Get the ideas down and try to resist the urge to edit as you go.

Join online or physical writing groups where you’ll meet like-minded writers. I’ve yet to meet any writer who doesn’t want to help new writers, they’re all, honestly, a lovely bunch and you can learn a lot from others’ experiences.

If you’re going down the independent or self-publishing route, remember that Indie doesn’t mean you have to do it ALL yourself. There’s an awful lot you could spend money on if you wanted to, but the top two things would be an editor and a cover designer. A good editor is worth their weight in gold and will bring the best out of your writing. You can edit yourself to within an inch of its life, but you’re often too close to the work to see any true faults. If you can’t design a cover yourself, find someone that can. There are so many great stories out there hiding behind amateur covers and it puts readers off. There is a wealth of experience in the writing community and those willing to help are often very reasonably priced. If you don’t know anyone, join those forums and ask – nobody will mind.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Fellow writers are not your enemy or your competition

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading an anthology put together by members of an Indie writers’ forum called the Awethors. There are two volumes – Light and Dark. I’m reading dark at the moment. They are available free via amazon and feature nearly 50 stories across a multitude of genres.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Launching “Bound to Blackwood,” then cracking on with the next story in the House Blackwood world.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Only 3 or 4?
Anne Rice’s “Interview with a Vampire.”
JR Ward’s “Dark Lover.”
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s “Acheron.”
Jeaniene Frost’s “One Foot in the Grave.”

Author Websites and Profiles
Sharon Lipman Website
Sharon Lipman Amazon Profile

Sharon Lipman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Sharon Lipman is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Courtney Hunt. I write smart, funny contemporary romances featuring strong heroines and the sexy heroes who steal their hearts. As of October 2015, I am currently writing a series set in Cupid’s Coffeeshop which will publish one per month through 2016. Each month’s installment features a different couple finding their path to happily-ever-after, with a bit of help from Cupid! I’m also the author of the Always a Bridesmaid series, centered around a group of professional bridesmaids. I recently won a Kindle Press contract through Kindle Scout with my timeslip novel, The Lost Art of Second Chances.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For the Always a Bridesmaid series (Forever a Bridesmaid, Once a Bridesmaid, and Never a Bridesmaid), I got the series idea by chatting with my sister, a bridal makeup artist. On our annual family beach trip to Myrtle Beach, she told me about a recent wedding she’d worked where there was a professional bridesmaid. Intrigued by the idea, I was splashing in the surf with my then 6 year old son when Erin and Lauren started chatting in my head. Of course, my blabbermouth muse always visits when it’s most convenient for me…

I bought a composition notebook at Rite Aid and, by the time we left the beach, I’d developed Erin, Lauren, and Erin’s brother, Dylan. Erin and Matthew’s story is featured in Forever a Bridesmaid, Lauren is the heroine of the second book in the series, Once a Bridesmaid. Dylan is the hero of Never a Bridesmaid, the third book in the series.

For The Lost Art of Second Chances, I wanted to write a second chance at love story and started that as my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) book in 2011. I hadn’t been writing long when Nonna Belladonna showed up with a tale to tell and we headed off to World War II Italy.

For Cupid’s Coffeeshop, I’d long wanted to write a series set in a coffeeshop as I think it’s a fun way to meet people. I had so many ideas that I could make a 12 book series–so I did. It will publish one per month in 2016. The three Lockhart kids–Patrick, Joe, and Zoe–have one year to make Cupid’s Coffeeshop a profitable and thriving business again. Each month’s installment features a different couple finding their path to happily-ever-after, with a bit of help from Cupid!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can only listen to instrumental music while I write because I find the lyrics too distracting. And I must have coffee while I write too.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a lifelong romance reader so there are probably too many to list here. So many amazing women in the romance field!

What are you working on now?
The first story in the Cupid’s Coffeeshop series, called Java Frost. It’s about a preschool teacher, Amy, who helps a very serious single father, Ben, relate to his young daughter.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing the next book! There are so many wonderful websites out there. I really enjoy the advice and camaraderie on Kindle Boards. I also highly recommend joining Romance Writers of America. If you write romance, there’s no better place to be.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Start a daily writing habit. Start small. My magic number was 350 words a day which is about a page and a half. Finish whatever you story you start. Be sure to edit and revise. Listen to feedback. Rinse. Repeat.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Make the best of it. My father taught me that. There are many things in life you can’t control but your attitude toward something makes a huge difference. I say it to my son now too.

What are you reading now?
I’m super excited to read J.K. Rowling’s newest mystery (Career of Evil) and Mindy Kaling’s newest book, Why Not Me? I’m also reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

What’s next for you as a writer?
2016 will see the release of a twelve book series (one per month) set in Cupid’s Coffeeshop. Also, I’ll be finishing up the Always a Bridesmaid trilogy with Dylan’s book, Never a Bridesmaid. I have plenty of ideas beyond that, including expanding my trilogy to a quartet with Kiss a Bridesmaid.

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?
Persuasion by Jane Austen (I love second chance stories). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (my favorite of the series) and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Author Websites and Profiles
Courtney Hunt Website
Courtney Hunt Amazon Profile

Courtney Hunt’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Courtney Hunt is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I AM an avid reader and collector of fairy tale legends that compels me to live in two worlds. The outer world is a place I can physically hug my family and hold my dogs in relief and relaxation from the hustle and bustle of daily life experiences; and the other, well… is my escape through the sheer curtain of immortality, enchanted to create from sensibility and awareness in words and on canvas. This is my special place filled with animation, imagination, magic and mystery. I knew my purpose as a creator from childhood, as I was gifted with a passion for art that took me on a journey of self-discovery and self-teaching. My inner world of ideas and using every medium I could get my hands on expanded my creativity from a deep search for the meaning of life that brought my characters alive through a new found expression in storytelling. This is where I believe I encompass both literary and illustrative artistry with the desire to touch that magical place in all of us, a place where I meet the child within. My Little People family was inspired by my husband Kerwin who is a member of the Meskwaki tribe. We now live in Iowa near my husband’s Meskwaki settlement with our dogs Wakanda and Winston. I am teaching art in my own studio. My enlightening children’s series consists of two books so far with the Little People adventure…to be continued…

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Little People Journey into the Mystic Sea was inspired by my passion for fantasy art and love for my belief in keeping our earth as healthy as we would want to be.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Meditation and putting your intention out there. I wait patiently…and I always get inspired.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
George MacDonald

What are you working on now?
Artwork, painting for potential illustrations for my next book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still learning the best marketing methods a new indie author. One of my personal methods is using the law of attraction.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
From my own experience, my advice for aspiring writer’s such as myself, is to begin to write as if no one else will read it. I know that sounds strange but when I paint, I paint for myself. It brings me Joy. That is what your writing should do too. Every morning I would wake up looking forward to go back into the place I created and it just wasn’t a story to me, it felt like a real place, where everything is possible. It allowed me to be true to who I am in my storytelling, not what is expected of me or what I believe others want to hear/read. That also helps with writer’s block; then return to your story and do all the fixing and tweaking when you are done. It took me 3 years to get my books the way I felt good about them. Parts of my stories did not come until later; your story is really a part of your own journey that you are on. You may get ah ha moments that pull your story together and come full circle or it may even take a different direction all together. Be patient. I was not at first, though it did create necessary obstacles. Feel good about what you are writing with no doubt; love what you are doing and all the rest will follow. Remember, not everyone will like your story; I have gotten so many rejections (personally and artistically in my life). It can really bring you down and force you to question if you really have what it takes. Yet if you are passionate, rejection should become a catalyst for you “not to quit.” Your story is YOUR self expression! Try not to take others perceptions or opinions personally. For me it was hard in the beginning, but I have learned to use it wisely and constructively and then just let it go. Here is a link of the many literary rejections to authors who brought Joy with their stories to millions of people. Keep loving what you do and never give up!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To write for yourself, not what you ‘think’ others would want to read. Stephen King says he wrote because it fulfilled him and that is why I write and paint… I can only hope my work inspires others as well.

What are you reading now?
Journey to the Heart of God, by Almine

What’s next for you as a writer?
The third book in my Little People 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?
If I had a choice to to take books with me in the case that I might be stranded on a desert island, the books I would undoubtedly carry with me would be The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, any books by George MacDonald and any books written by the seer Almine. I would also take with an artist pad, colored pencils and lots of water.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chris DiSano Davenport Website
Chris DiSano Davenport Amazon Profile
Chris DiSano Davenport’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Chris DiSano Davenport is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing ever since I can remember. However, it was my fourth grade teacher who gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in myself as a writer.
From that point on, I was a writer.
Journalism, poetry, fiction. I love it all and have done it all. I am excited to begin my career as a novelist with The Reconciling: Part I of the Overcome Trilogy.
I am a proud resident of Texas and live in the burbs with my husband, John, and daughter, Emalyn. I can’t get enough of pizza and hummus (though not necessarily together) … (though why not now that I think about it). I like nature walks, reading and binge watching TV shows. I owe all to my Jesus and love serving Him through my passions and talents.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Reconciling is part I of The Overcome Trilogy. Our ability to overcome and how and the development of relationships inspired this series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about unusual writing habits, but I do like to listen to scores of action/adventure movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and even The Chronicles of Narnia.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh man. I’m a reader, so many! Sarah Dessen, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, the Bronte sisters…

What are you working on now?
Part II of The Overcome Trilogy, The Remnant! Mostly working on fleshing out the rest of the trilogy and marketing it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook for sure, and Amazon.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just do it! Write it. The first sentence is the most difficult in my opinion. Push passed the fear and just write it. Then bask in the relief and excitement of finishing a book and EDIT, EDIT, EDIT. Then, edit some more!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Two come to mind: Live a life of contrast; and wherever you are, be all there.

What are you reading now?
I’m about to begin Equipped to Love by Norm Wakefield. Next, I’ll read another fun fiction book like maybe Choosing by Rachel Dekker.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up The Overcome Trilogy, hopefully a book tour or two. I have some non-fiction plans up my sleeve eventually as well.

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?
Hmm, tough one:
1) The Bible
2) The Chronicles of Narnia (if they’re all in one book it counts as one right?)
3) Jane Eyre
4) Where the Sidewalk Ends

Author Websites and Profiles
April Lynn Newell Amazon Profile
April Lynn Newell Author Profile on Smashwords

April Lynn Newell’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

April Lynn Newell is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I used to write books back home in India almost 40 years ago while still a University student. Little did I know at that time that this will become my major strength after I hang my boots up and call it a day after hitting the Goal of Freedom 55!

The current Book: You Are YOU-nique is an Exercise in Retrospect divided into 16 parts as a Series. This is the First Part and more will be released at regular intervals

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the book is You Are YOU-nique; Realize Your True Worth!

The inspiration for this book comes from my numerous struggles through life and how the basic values learned at an early age kept bringing success after another success.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Early mornings help me build focus and prepare the outline that I explore further during the day. Writing comes late evenings over a glass of rare Scotch Whiskey and view of the innumerable City Lights. When the ambiance is conducive, words just keep forming themselves and the Readers can vouch for the result!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have read many a Great Authors as I did Honors in English Literature. This precisely is the reason, I have close to 100 Quotations in my book. My major influence has always come from first-hand applied learning that always saw me through my continued struggle for survival.

What are you working on now?
Like I said before, I am working on this Series that is directed at all those coming under the label of `Common Man`. The Tried, Tested, Proven and Guaranteed Make-over techniques have been laid out to help those committed to excel and bring them to a level of Outstanding Individuals.

You can well-imagine writing 16 books in an Anthology could be somewhat demanding, right?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
In the good old days, it was all at the Publishers` cost and risk. Times have changed and as such, I am trying to learn the ropes to spread the word around, commit some mistakes as well as seek guidance of those in authority in this business. Hopefully, I shall be in a better position when releasing the future editions.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think it is too early for me. The only thing I can say is drop the inhibition to the wayside and put pen to paper, so to say. Start hammering on the Key Board and words forming themselves.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never Give Up!

What are you reading now?
This book about Maturepreneurs: Over 50; Start Your Business`by my friend and fellow Author Brian D Jones

What’s next for you as a writer?
Explore some more current topics on Advance Technology

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Holy Bible
2. The Mahabharat (Hindu Scripture that is as relevant today as it was Centuries ago)
3. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell
4. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

Author Websites and Profiles
Bharat Mathur Website

Bharat Mathur is a post from Awesome Gang

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

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

I had the idea for this novel when I took a tour of the White House. Standing in Cross Hall before the Secret Service pushed me out the front door, I pictured all the history in that had walked up and down that hall. And I had the idea to combine politics and horror.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm greatly influenced The Ghost of Democracy.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have about a thirty page

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It is probably not about whether you have talent because you probably do. It is whether you have the stomach for it. Can you take rejection? Are you tenacious enough for the business?

What’s next for you as a writer?
A year of full-time marketing until the presidential election.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dustin Lawson Website

Dustin Lawson is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a bestselling author and independent book publisher who has written and
published numerous books and articles on ancient Oriental tactics and strategies, self-defense,
martial arts, Oriental philosophy, business, and business fraud. My travels include
all fifty states, Canada, many countries of Europe, South America, and the Orient. Three of
my published books have risen to become “#1 Bestsellers” internationally on Amazon in
numerous categories, including one of my latest, “Brutal Wisdom”, a book on ancient Chinese tactics and strategies. I live in the Tampa Bay area. My books are available on Amazon and other ebook retailers, and my radio interviews can be downloaded for free from YouTube
and iTunes. You can follow me on Amazon and LinkedIn.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Secret Defenses Against Kicks: -21- Attack Stopping Pressure Points of the Leg and Foot”. Even though achieving -9- Advanced Black Belts and being considered an authority and expert in pressure point defense, I realized that many felt in the public that the kicking techniques of Tae-kwon-do (Korean Karate) and Savate (French Foot Fighting) were all powerful and were almost impossible to defend against. Far from it ! From -50- years of martial arts training around the world (including studying Korean Karate from the Koreans in Korea), I absolutely can attest to the fact that ALL kicks and kicking techniques can be neutralized. This is why I was inspired (with the help of several Korean Karate Black Belts) to write and publish my latest book, “Secret Defenses Against Kicks”. To my surprise, it has been well received around the world. Incidently, this was my second published book on Pressure Point Defense.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Waking up in the middle of the night from a sound sleep just to power write. This is after spending days with writer’s block. I always seem to be working on numerous books at the same time because of the many book ideas that seem to come to me during the day. My advice to new writers is always carry pen and paper when those “bestselling ideas” come to you.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Because I write only nonfiction, I read a wide variety of nonfiction books from many areas of study including how-to, academic, historical. and many areas.

What are you working on now?
Presently, I am working on a series on Oriental pressure points, business fraud, and experts of Oriental warfare.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My suggestion to all authors is to attempt -3- marketing actions every day for -3- years for every book that you publish. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but work on marketing methods that you feel comfortable in doing. Don’t give up ! Keep looking for ways to getting people to love your books the way you do !

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn from authors that have experienced tremendous publishing success. Stand on their shoulders and learn. Don’t waste your time listening to the talkers that are filled with excuses. Constantly read to learn other writing styles. When you are writing, write the best you can. When you have finished, polish, polish, and polish more. Find and sometimes pay for the best proofreaders you can find. then get that baby published and market, market, and market more.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To be the best writer that you can be, you must do the following:
(1) read, read, and read; a good writer is always a good reader
(2) take writing courses and philosophy courses which teach you how to logically think
(3) write, write, and write more; just like a muscle in your body, writing muscle should be exercised everyday
(4) market, market, and market more; if you are an expert on what you write, the world needs to read and appreciate your thoughts !

Author Websites and Profiles
Gary “Dutch” Hinkle Amazon Profile

Gary “Dutch” Hinkle is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Scottish historian and folklorist specialising in monsters. I also travel frequently all over the world. I have written too many books to count, but currently one of them has been published and a second will be available soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the first novel in the Caledonia series, inspired by studying Scottish folklore while living in the city of Glasgow.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Most writing habits are unusual.

What are you working on now?
I am working on a variety of novels and scripts.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. That’s all there is.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The same advice as I’d give new authors.

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Hoff Website

Amy Hoff is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Social Worker, a trade that brings me into contact with many strata of society. As such, I have the opportunity to learn about people’s foibles, which usually takes place under the rubric of confidentiality and prohibits my using such details in fiction. But the wonder and creativity of people’s response to abnormal situations is a source of endless fascination for me, a fascination that informs my writing. All told, I’ve completed twenty-seven novels, all in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. These genres represent to me worlds of possibility, many of them within reach, if we but have the eyes to see them and the minds to apprehend them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Organo-Topia. I started a novel several years ago featuring the womanizing star-ship captain of a nano-extermination vessel, their task to respond to and contain nano outbreaks. I didn’t get very far with it, but it did have a great opening scene. So I rewrote that opening scene, threw in declining fertility rates, clones, a plot to rid the galaxy of breeding humans, and an irascible detective bent on stopping the perpetrator. Thus, Organo-Topia was conceived. Publication pending.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
None other than to do most of my writing in the morning, when my mind is fresh.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many of the early science fiction masters: Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Andre Norton. Further, I read everything I could by Samuel R. Delaney. I started reading in Junior High School, at a time when one’s library record was kept on 3×5 cards. Mine was easy to pick out, because it was so thick, multiple cards stapled together.

What are you working on now?
Ghost Ship Orlova. What inspired the novel was a simple news story about a ship with a reinforced hull used for eco-cruises to the arctic. A dispute between the owners and the lessees led to the ship’s being towed down the Atlantic coast of the United States. While out to sea, it was caught in a storm, and the tugboat hawsers snapped. For months, the ship floated loose and abandoned across the North Atlantic toward Ireland. What if the ship were a spaceship, instead of an ocean vessel? The ship’s namesake, Lyubov Orlova, was the queen of early Russian film, born within a year of the Grand Duchess Anastasia, who was rumored for sixty years to have survived the massacre of the Romanovs at Yekaterinburg. What if she did survive? From there, the ideas began to cascade through my brain.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook writing groups reach the largest number of readers, typically. Exposure through websites like Awesome Gang certainly helps. Marketing is the most difficult for me. I don’t have a built-in shameless self-promotion department, as some people appear to have.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Now that you’ve finished a novel, I’m going to suggest something rarely mentioned and probably more torturous than any advice you’ve received before.

Write another one.

Yes. Another novel. Different topic, different setting, different characters. Why?

The mind works in serial, parallel, and spiral ways. Sometimes even as spokes on a wheel. Most novels, inevitably, are LINEAR. Writing something completely different removes your brain from the linearity and helps to inform your perspective in ways that will surprise you.

The other advantage is you’ll have avoided the “all-eggs-in-one-basket” trap. Worse thing I ever did was wait ten years between finishing my first novel and starting my second. Best thing I ever started doing was reducing the time between novels. Now, I rarely wait more than a week before starting a new novel, whether I’ve got any ideas for it or not. The least amount of time I’ve waited between novels is one day, and it didn’t affect me at all.

“But I’ll get confused.”

No you won’t. I’m on my eighth novel since last March 2014, and I know every single story along with its characters, settings, plot, twists, turns, and tucks. Never a moment of confusion. Further, as I write a new novel, I edit the ones I wrote before. Three or more novels in some process of completion at all times. I’ve even penned two first drafts at once.

If you want to be a writer, then write. Just write. And keep writing.

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

Be as the empty cup in the Zen Buddhist parable. Set aside any preconceived notions of how much, how often, how many words, how many pages.

A mountain looks taller when viewed from the base. A journey of a thousand pages begins with a single word.

Just start writing and don’t stop. Don’t stop to edit, don’t stop to show it to anyone, don’t stop to type it (if you’re writing by hand), don’t stop for any reason, even writer’s block. The most successful way to address writer’s block is simply to write, even if it seems a Sisyphean task, where the words want to roll right back over you from the high hills where you’ve pushed them. If need be, write without thinking, and in the suspense of reason, the channel opens. Be the open channel and let the words spill forth. They know where they’re supposed to be. Just write, and the novel will write itself.

What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything at the moment. In fact, it’s rare that I do read. It’s definitely a failing of mine, since reading recently released novels helps any author to know what’s being published. Reading also feeds the imagination.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Burning on the back of my stove is a multi-kingdom fantasy novel.

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?
Samuel R. Delaney’s Dhalgren is the only one I’d need.

Author Websites and Profiles
Scott Michael Decker Website
Scott Michael Decker Amazon Profile

Scott Michael Decker’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Scott Michael Decker is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two books, Eat Less and Move More: My Journey and my first Amazon Best Seller Motivation 101: Ten Ways to Increase Your Daily Motivation. My third book, Positivity Attracts will be published over Thanksgiving and my fourth book, Book Publishing for Beginners will be available in early 2016.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Motivation 101 was launched last month. It covers ten ways to increase our daily motivation and is based off my motivational seminar (also called Motivation 101) that I created in 2013. The intention of the book is to help readers who are looking for ways to increase their motivation. We cover topics in the book ranging from our greatest opponent to becoming a master of our own universe.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My style of writing tends to go against conventional thinking of finding time to write every day. I write when the inspiration hits and I typically will write anywhere from 2000 to 10000 words in one sitting covering many hours. My third book, Positivity Attracts was mostly written in 24 hours as I literally could not stop writing. Eat Less and Move More was written over three days and Motivation 101 was written over five days.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tao of Jeet Kung Do by Bruce Lee was a great influence as he wrote in the book about how we must conquer our own self and our fears to be successful. Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom was also a great influence as I have had several grandfather type teacher mentors in my life who are no longer with us.

What are you working on now?
I am putting the finishing touches on Positivity Attracts and have completed the first six chapters of Book Publishing for Beginners. In addition to writing both the ebook and paperback editions, I also record most of the audiobook versions of my books so it is definitely a process for each book launch. I am also completing my final year as a school teacher and am writing a book called Reflections on Teaching: How to Survive in Today’s Teaching Environment.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I utilize social media and great promotional sites like Awesomegang.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing! One book will most likely not make you rich nor famous. The key to becoming a successful author is to be prolific with your writing and to not worry about writing the perfect book. I have found that the most successful authors and also the most prolific.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Find a way to do what you love for a living and you will never spend another day working.

What are you reading now?
Positivity Attracts. When I am finishing writing a book it is my only focus. The last book that I read outside my own books was My Fight/Your Fight by Ronda Rousey and it was a great book that I highly recommend.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My goal is to continue to be prolific with my writing and successfully launch Positivity Attracts and Book Publishing for Beginners. Over the next year and a half my goal is to have at least ten books published.

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 Art of War by Sun Tsu, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tao of Jeet Kung Do by Bruce Lee, and Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.

Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Brodie Website
Paul Brodie Amazon Profile
Paul Brodie’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Paul Brodie is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an otherworldly explorer and fantasy author and I’ve been writing fantasy stories since I was five years old. I specialise in high fantasy with a spiritual edge, epic adventures, and soulful warrior heroines. When I’m not deep into my writing and exploring the otherworldly magical lands of Maioria, I spend my time working, feeding wild birds, talking to trees, swimming, cycling, skiing and meditating.
In total I have written six books, all in The Prophecies of Zanufey series, and three of those are now published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest published book (or very soon to be!) is called Enter The Storm Holt, book 3 in The Prophecies of Zanufey Series. Here the heroine, Issa, must undertake the dreaded Wizard’s Reckoning and enter the Storm Holt gate – a stargate that leads down into The Murk, the demon underworld. Here, if she survives, she will discover why the demons are plaguing her mind and dreams.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Erm, probably a few! Oddly, I can be in two places at once and be living and writing the story whilst doing something else completely different – this is a little tricky to explain!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Most notably The Mists of Avalon, The Lord of the Rings, The Dragon Lance novels, Robert Jordan and others I cannot quite bring to mind have completely influenced me. I loved the strong women and goddess focus in The Mists of Avalon and the moving soulful feel of The Lord of the Rings.

What are you working on now?
I am working on book 4 in The Prophecies of Zanufey series. I have affectionately called it Little Demons but this title might change. This book continues the epic adventures of the heroine, Issa, and her friends as her enemies sweep across the magical world of Maioria.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s a tough one as I have chopped and changed around a lot! I find facebook is the best when it comes to interacting with fans but when promoting my books I prefer to use a handful of the Kindle eBook free and paid promotional sites ( including Awesomegang of course! ☺ ).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love to write, not what you think is popular. Don’t do anything you don’t love. Also, take advice if it feels right but never let the editors or anyone else take over your story.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This week it really has been: “Don’t give up!” especially not if you love it.

What are you reading now?
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, The 80/10/10 Diet by Douglas Graham, Voyagers 2 by Ashayana Deane, and my own book 5

What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 4 book 4 book 4. Oh, and maybe a new stand alone series that I’m toying with 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?
1. SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John Lofty Wiseman – I think this would be a wise choice
2. Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate by John Kallas – necessary survival for a vegetarian in the wild
3. Lord of the Rings
4. My own book that either needs writing or never-ending editing

Author Websites and Profiles
Araya Evermore Website
Araya Evermore Amazon Profile
Araya Evermore Author Profile on Smashwords

Araya Evermore’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Araya Evermore is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of the Moriston House Mystery Series, a traditional British Mystery series featuring reluctant amateur sleuth Lord Hugo Anstead and queen of crime and journalist Marjorie Branell-Markson.

Set in the scandalous English countryside, Moriston House Mysteries are the perfect English crime!

Book titles include The French De Ception, The Uncertainty Principle, The Altered Suggestion, The Monday Criminologist, and currently in production, Moriston House Mystery No. 5 Conversational Lies. I am also the author and illustrator of the classic children’s story, If the Sun was the Moon.

With sparkling dialogue, crisp and witty characters, and lots of essential British humor, Moriston House mysteries are the reading criminologist’s preferred cup of crime!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest Moriston House mystery is called The Monday Criminologist, and was inspired by the classic works of the Golden Age of Detective fiction by Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.

The story revolves around forged nineteenth-century art, the death of social philistine and shady art dealer Arthur Drake, and the connection with a recent crime column called the Monday Criminologist.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing naturally has its ups and downs, and one of my favorite tricks for keeping it flowing when faced with a brick wall of considerable construction is to get out the reliable thesaurus, my dearest literary friend.

I select a particular word that is bothering me (or bothering the story), and get new ideas from researching other words until something fresh comes along.

It hasn’t failed me yet!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Moriston House Mystery series has been influenced by the classic works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham for the mystery side, and for the humorous side, I have been significantly influenced by P.G. Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde and the classically funny works of John Mortimer.

I find that blending a bit of humor keeps the mysteries from becoming dark and dreary, and puts a smile on readers faces with something unexpected!

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on Moriston House Mystery No. 5, Conversational Lies, which revolves around an unsolved mystery in the sleepy English village of Halfereton, and is set during the Christmas season, ringing in a new tradition of crime.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Always being open to new ideas and perspectives helps when beginning the long and arduous road of promotion.

Reaching readers by offering various options and freebies helps, and Goodreads is one of the largest sites for reaching the vast literary audience.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up and keep optimistic! Writing is a long and valuable journey, and has its little twists and turns! The internal rewards of writing must guide you, as the monetary rewards may become elusive. And keep smiling!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up, and finish what you have started. You will be better for completing tasks, knowing that you can achieve anything.

And, things always look better in the morning.

What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Agatha Christie’s Halloween Party.
I particularly enjoyed the character of Ariadne Oliver, Ms. Christie’s mystery-writing alter ego.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will continue with the Moriston House British Mystery Series, and Conversational Lies will be published in 2016, followed by The Perfect English Murder, Moriston House Mystery No. 6 in 2017.

I can’t keep up with my ambition and enthusiasm for writing this series, and have at least a dozen titles waiting to be born!

I look forward to getting them all in print.

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?
Agatha Christie’s The Body in the Library, Dorothy Sayers Strong Poison, my collected works of Shakespeare, and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Girardin Website

Jennifer Girardin’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Jennifer Girardin is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of Buenos Días Lucy London, I’m from England, in my thirties, live in Mallorca with my husband and rescue dog, and I have written two books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Katie Cannes.
Living on the Côte d’Azur with my husband and studying French, I taught English as a foreign language in a local school – this is the setting for the fictional novel, Katie Cannes, which incorporates love, sex, heartbreak and scandal.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I don’t think so.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Author Tilly Bagshawe – I think that she’s a fantastic writer.
Books, Shantaram and Memoirs of a Geisha – I love travelling and reading about foreign places and cultures. Both these books transported me to an unknown land.

What are you working on now?
Lucy London: Raindrops. Some time ago I began this fictional novel, which is kind of a sequel to Buenos Días Lucy London, and based on women’s issues. It’s quite a sad story and I would like to finish it.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far Facebook and word of mouth have sold my book, Buenos Días Lucy London. To increase sales I am currently exploring new marketing tools but have yet to be sure of exact results.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If writing is your passion, then never give up, but be patient because discovery takes time & is usually a slow process.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write for yourself. I’ve never felt a sense of achievement like I have when completing a novel, and I find great comfort in writing. If my words only reach one fan, then it’s all worth it, and that fan is valued.

What are you reading now?
I have to admit that after recently moving from South America to Europe, setting up home and looking for work while marketing my first book, Buenos Días Lucy London, and working on my second complete novel, Katie Cannes, that I’m not actually reading anything at the moment.

I have a couple of books on my to read list, so hopefully I’ll soon find time to read, which is somethig that I love.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To publish Katie Cannes, and to complete a third novel, whether it is Lucy London: Raindrops, or something else I have up my sleeve!

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?
Life of Pi
Shantaram
To Kill A Mockingbird

Author Websites and Profiles
Iza MacLeod Amazon Profile

Iza MacLeod’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Iza MacLeod is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Chicago native, I moved to San Diego in 1980, married and divorced with 2 grown children, one married and one at home. I also care for my two elderly parents, mom 85 and dad 103.

Started writing in 2008 but did not publish my first book, The Sea Maiden, until 2011. It has been revised and re-edited recently.

Writing my second book was very emotional experience for me…and have started writing the sequel targeted at audiences that favor romantic medieval and fantasy adventures like, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, Tristan and Isolde and King Arthur.

I look forward to translating all of them to Spanish in the near future.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SPELLBOUND, was inspired because of my love of romance, mystery, medieval times, epic battles, and the supernatural. My muse has been music, mostly instrumental emotional soundtracks, which I listen to constantly. It keeps my fingers on the keyboard as I picture scenes in my head.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure how to answer that, since what’s usual for me may be unusual to others. I guess I can say I write to music or after watching or listening to something that stirred my emotions.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Actually I was first influenced by old time movies by Errol Flynn like, Robin Hood, The Sea Hawks, and Captain Blood. More modern day influences are, Gladiator, King Arthur, Tristan and Isolde, and even Assasin’s Creed Unity video game series. In the past I have also enjoyed paperback historical romances. However, I find them too racy so I decided to write something that is PG-13 that everyone can enjoy.

What are you working on now?
SPELLBOUND II, the sequel. I added a scene at the very end of SPELLBOUND. This time the time traveler will be an 18 year old boy who finds the crystal in the castle. When the crystal connects with him, a series of events leads him back to medieval times, and to face three evil sorceress.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I believe KDP free book promotion is the best method but I am also promoting my facebook fanpage, https://www.facebook.com/mspeeradventurebooks as well as my website: https:/mispr6.wix.com/romantic-adventures

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well if money is not an issue go for the gold but if they are on a tight budget then just start writing and edit as you go with Grammarly, or use people on fiverr. It saves time and money. Reviews are very important so try to get some in advance before the KDP free book promotion. I’m still learning as I go, but I am planning to find a book agent because they can help promote your book too. They don’t make any money unless your book sells. The catch is the better the agent the more swamped they are.

Other things to consider is book trailers and youtube, no experience here yet, but they are suppose to get you very targeted traffic with good keywords. Look up Google Keyword Tool also you can use the search bar on Amazon for keyword searches. The ones that pop up first are going to be the best. You just insert words or phrases that describe your book.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Well, the best advice that works for me is that, no book is perfect, you just do your best and try to reach enough targeted audience for your book genre. Many book authors do well with their books even when they don’t reach NY Best seller list.

What are you reading now?
Well I’m still reading my own books to proof read.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Youtube video, reddit, and getting a book agent.

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?
Besides the Bible, not sure, haven’t been reading any books lately other than my own, so I would just take them…it’s what I like to read anyway that’s why I wrote them.

Author Websites and Profiles
M. I. Speer Website

M. I. Speer is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ivan Sivec and I am a writer, poet and publicist from Slovenia. I have been writing ever since I’ve been a child, but I think reading the adventurous novels by Jack London as a teenager inspired me to pour my thoughts onto paper.
Today I am a bestselling writer (I am listed under top five most popular authors in Slovenia) and very proud of it. In my career I published more than 130 books and 2500 song lyrics in different fiction and non-fiction genres: biographies and memoires, historical, sports and adventure novels, travelogues, humorous stories, young adult fiction, children’s stories and many more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My passion is writing fiction for the adolescent reader. I’m particularly interest in psychological novels on issues teens face today, especially topics like teenage suicide, drug addiction, adoption, AIDS…
This year my first YA novel was translated into English. ‘The X Factor: Confession of a Naïve Fashion Model’ is a psychological YA novel warning about how dangerous the seemingly attractive world of fashion can get.
I wrote this novel 2001 based on a true story of two former teen models that were willing to share their painful stories with me. It portrays what high price models have to pay in order to be part of the seemingly attractive but in fact very cruel fashion world.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I just simply cannot stop writing. It seems like my brain don’t have a tap to turn off the ideas that are constantly flowing into my mind. That’s why on average I work 12 hours a day. And I enjoy every single minute of it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Classical Slovenian authors from the Age of Enlightment (like Valentin Vodnik and Anton Tomaž Linhart).

What are you working on now?
I just finished writing what I think is my masterpiece. It’s a five part historical series on the counts of Celje. I worked very hard on this and I’m immensely proud of it. And happy to be done as well

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Go back to your roots and seek for inspiration there. I believe we must be in touch with ourselves and rely on our inner source.

Author Websites and Profiles
Ivan Sivec Website
Ivan Sivec Amazon Profile

Ivan Sivec’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Ivan Sivec is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
While I was born in Colorado, I consider myself a New Hampshirite at heart. New England is my favorite place in the whole world–and that’s saying something, because I’ve lived in many places! Before Past Lives I wrote three novels, none of which were accepted for publication. It certainly takes a lot of time and patience, but when that acceptance email arrives, its so worth the struggle! PL is my first published novel, but I also have a few pulp fiction stories published as well.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Past Lives was always bouncing around in my head. Little wisps of plot would float in every so often until finally one day the story just crashed into my mind and I had to get in on paper. I’ve always had an interest in reincarnation and the idea of myself in various time periods, so this book was a fun way to explore that concept while adding a little flare.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will go long periods of time without writing, which they say is a huge no-no, but when the muse appears I just go nuts. I have a very hurry up and wait style of getting my words out, which can be frustrating at times, but when I’m in the groove its wonderful!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Rick Riordan’s work. I really hope we can meet someday and hang out, because I feel like we’re are equally smart-alecky. Also the Harry Potter series, Eragon, the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. Really there’s too many to name–there’s so much good YA and Middle Grade out there!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book about parallel universes, where one girl is pulled into an alternate universe to help her counterpart save that world. Also, there will be like a love star, which involves five of the chracters–woah!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been working on promoting mostly through social media. Let’s be real, that’s what we’re staring at on our phones all day, so if I can reach folks through a Facebook or Twitter feed, I’m going to do it!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author, I’ll let you know. But how about keep the enthusiasm and fight to get your book seen!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be grateful for everything you have, and abundance will open up to you. Then, stay humble.

What are you reading now?
The School for Good and Evil trilogy by by Soman Chainani

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully a new series of books about parallel universes–just waiting for that muse to really drop!

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 book on local food sources and how to prepare them
One book on how to build an effective escape raft
One book on general survival skills
Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 5

Author Websites and Profiles
Shana Chartier Website
Shana Chartier Amazon Profile

Shana Chartier’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Shana Chartier is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, Amanda Heartley here and I was born and raised in Oklahoma, and now I live in the hustle and bustle of Southern California. I’m still a country girl at heart though, with an insatiable weakness for alpha-type men and feisty, strong women.

I started out as an author in early 2013, writing what I love… contemporary erotic romance!
At home I play Mom, chef, ninja, taxi and nurse, hanging out with my four wonderful kids and 3 lovable mutts. You can probably find me relaxing in the back yard with a green smoothie while I write another smokin’ hot romantic story. You can join me on my Facebook page here:
.
https://facebook.com/AuthorAmandaHeartley
.
…and to get a reminder for my next release, signup at http://AmandaHeartley.com/Newsletter

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Destiny Undone series are my latest publications and that story was inspired by some celebrity antics I read about in the popular press while I was in the waiting room at the dentist!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, other than several cups of coffee before I can start my day and occasionally a glass of wine at the end of it, but only if I’ve been good at getting the words out!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
M. S. Parker, Eve Carter, Cassia Leo, Jasinda Wilder

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the final book in the Destiny Undone series, book 6. Gabe and Pepper need their happy ever after!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
BookBub, if you can get selected, is the best promotion site I’ve found so far.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t get disheartened if you see little or no success over a long period of time. It took me 18 months before I saw any real results so you need to dig deep and keep going if this is what you love to do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t let anyone else steal your dream!

What are you reading now?
I’m reading the new Blindfold series from M. S. Parker, fab!

What’s next for you as a writer?
After Destiny Undone, I’ll be moving on to a story I’ve been promising my readers for a long time, and that’s a spin-off from the Oceans Apart series but this time starring those two lovable characters, Mike and Kari.

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?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one! I’m not sure as there’s so many great authors out there but definitely something sinfully sexy and romantic, lol!

Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda Heartley Website
Amanda Heartley Amazon Profile
Amanda Heartley Author Profile on Smashwords

Amanda Heartley’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Amanda Heartley is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have lived in Big Sur since 1973 in the wildest part of the southern area. I have written and published one book, with others in the development stage.
during my time in this regeion, I have raised a family, and am a business owner, as well as a person with true pioneer experience, raising a ranch from scratch complete with livestock and orchard activities.
I am now a life purpose coach, specializing in helping women who are in the third act of their lives to find answers to the question, “now what?” I help by providing support, active listening, and a safe place to locate the tools within that can lead to a greater sense of purpose, vivid life experiences and authentic enjoyment. My coaching helps to identify goals that will fulfill a sense of soul resonance and create a legacy that she is happy and proud to engage with. the system includes actively using the seven Keys to locate inner power magnets and use them.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Prevail:Seven Keys to Create a Personal Victory” is my new book, and it is iinspired by my deep desire to transfrom the life experiences I have had into useful tools for others.
Early in life, I endured traumatic abuse on a daily basis. I know the scarring of deep poverty and what it can do to a person. I had a health collapse that nearly killed me. At that moment, I resolved to turn my life around and use everything I had learned about how to get through things that seem to be impossible, and offer them to the world as my gift to life. I do this out of gratitude for all the blessings and daily beauty that surrounds me, knowing that even in the most difficult times there is something to find and to learn.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always sit with my back to the mountain, in the same place, when writing. I like to drink some energy powder in a glass of juice to get going. New Age music helps me to relax while writing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Bhagavad Gita
Poetry by Rumi
“Growing up Tough” by Taylor Caldwell.
“Man’s Search for Meaning”, by Victor Frankl
“The Anatomy of Spirit” by Carolyn Myss

What are you working on now?
Getting “Prevail” to its readers
A small book of affirmations for daily use, with illustrations
An illustrated version of my poetry
Figuring out how to expand on what I have just written ina meaningful way

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
On my web site there is a page, www.prevailsevenkeys.com that has purchase options and a link to Amazon.

I like getting on the radio and talking about the core principles of my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep at it, and don’t rush into completion until you are sure you have the core of your message imbedded withn you.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My grandmother told me, “If anyone ever tells you that something is impossible, DON”T BELIEVE THEM”. She was right.

What are you reading now?
the Self Aware Universe by Amit Goswami. I have read it before, and re-visiting for some fresh insights.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Drill into my core and find ways to keep the thread of my thoughts growing so I can create work of value.

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?
Bhagavad Gita
Complete works of Rumi
I Ching
Tarot

Author Websites and Profiles
Betty Withrow Website
Betty Withrow Amazon Profile
Betty Withrow’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Betty Withrow is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two books so far, and have two in my current work in progress. I recently signed up for the NaNoWriMo this year, so hopefully I’ll have three finished novels under my belt soon.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Entitled ‘A Destiny Awakened’. It was inspired by my love of folk tales. I ran across a blog on African Folk tales and saw the potential for some great characters.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I never write linear. I write when a scene pops up in my head and then plug it into a WIP that fits. By the time I decide to finally write and finish one of my WIPs most of the book is written and it becomes a mission of making everything cohesive.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Nora Roberts and have studied her writing my whole life. She and Jayne Ann Krentz are my biggest influencers with regards to the way I put together my stories.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on two WIPs. Escaping Destiny which is book three in my Destiny series, and Haven which is a separate book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve just started actually promoting my books. Awesomegang and RomPromoCentral.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Simple but most important. The more you write, the better you write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Value yourself.

What are you reading now?
I’m re-reading Dana Marie Bell’s Grey Court Series. It’s probably my fourth time reading “The Hob” !

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to finish my Destiny Series and continue to improve and write great stories.

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?
Nora Roberts ‘Northern Lights’ Dana Marie Bell’s ‘The Hob’ and Lora Leigh’s “Elizabeth’s Wolf’

Author Websites and Profiles
Dria Andersen Website
Dria Andersen Amazon Profile
Dria Andersen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Dria Andersen is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the author of two adventure thrillers, The Devil’s Graveyards and Superstitions. I interweave truth and fiction to create compelling and riveting plots which keeps readers on the edge of their seats and makes them question the mysteries of the earth.
Along with enjoying my writing passion, I also love spending time with my husband and four children.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Superstitions is my latest book, released last November. The mysteries surrounding the Superstition Mountains for many decades inspired this novel. Hikers and treasure hunters have disappeared within this rugged wilderness area since the 1800s and continue to do so even today. When readers uncover the truths interwoven into the fictional storyline, they too may be cautious of venturing too far into these mountains!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Music inspires my writing. I must have music playing. Movie soundtracks are extremely helpful to get me in the mood to write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love all of Michael Crichton’s novels. I too am interested in combining truth, science, and fiction!

What are you working on now?
I am busy promoting both of my novels while my third book is still in its preliminary stages.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Twitter has been very successful as well as my facebook page.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The hardest part of writing is staring at the blank page when you first start a new book. My advice is to focus, research, and set goals. Once you start writing, it will all start to flow.

Author Websites and Profiles
T.L. Parker Website
T.L. Parker Amazon Profile

T.L. Parker’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

T.L. Parker is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
1. I live in London Ontario, Canada. I come from an entrepreneurial family, who all have a passion for developing new and exciting business ideas. In between our many business ventures, I find myself writing best into the early hours of the morning. I have been writing since I was young, and with the encouragement of my momma, I published my first books this year.

When I’m not writing or reading romance novels, you can find me antiquing with my two favorite people, my momma and my sister. We love finding a good bargain! My three year old nephew loves bargain hunting too, although his taste usually lands on a superhero collectible…and let me tell you those are not always a bargain!

I have written five books in my contemporary romance series, By The Lake (The McAdams Sisters). Lakeshore Secrets, Lakeshore Legend, Lakeshore Love, Lakeshore Candy, and Lakeshore Lyrics. These books can be read as stand-alone, but are more enjoyable read in order of the series.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lakeshore Lyrics was released October, 2015. Avery was introduced in the fourth book of this series, Lakeshore Candy, a story about Abby McAdams. He is the youngest of the McAdams siblings and Abby’s twin brother. His struggling musician career worked well into Lakeshore Candy and as I was writing an emotional scene for Abby, Avery’s story fell right into place, and I knew at that moment he needed to have his story told.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I eat chocolate…but I’m not sure if that’s unusual… I love to write in the evenings and into the early hours of the morning and sometimes when I’m feeling tired, I stick in the ear buds and crank the music on high until I’m all refreshed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was a big R.L. Stine Fear Street reader in my teens…and yes I have boxes full of finished, unfinished horror, suspense stories and ideas that I wrote during those years. Then I moved onto romance books and there are just so many authors I have read and loved their work.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next set of five books for the By The Lake Series. This group of siblings are The Caliendo’s and you’re introduced to them in Lakeshore Secrets, the first book of The McAdams Sisters. I have just sent Sunset Thunder to the editor and will be releasing it at the end of the year!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My fans! I love my fans! I have made some great connections on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter with the fans of my books and through them and their kindness and reviews, they help spread the word of my books. Thanks!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write and read! The more you do both, the better your writing will be.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My momma always says, “try it” or “let’s do it”. That is perfect advice, because if you don’t try, you will never know what you can accomplish.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Chasing Payne by Chantel Seabrook.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the Caliendo Resort series. There are five books in this series and so far I have ideas for each of them…however, I notice my characters tend to take me in different directions than I anticipate, which gets me excited when it’s time to sit down and write each of their stories.

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 bring the Bible, then a survival guide because I am not a wilderness kind of girl. Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish…if I was stranded, I wouldn’t have so much going on in my head, and I might be able to concentrate enough to learn even more Spanish. And finally, Reawakened.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shannyn Leah Website
Shannyn Leah Amazon Profile

Shannyn Leah’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Shannyn Leah is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Florida and raised in a small town in Maine. I own a book blog called Beautifully Broken Book Blog. I’m a book manager for many authors for Booktrope. I currently have five books published: Dark Love (Book 1 in The Dark Love Series), Seeing Red (Book 2 in The Dark Love Series), Killer (Episode 1 in The Killer Novella Series), Savage (Episode 2 in The Killer Novella Series), and Pretty Bird.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pretty Bird. My grandfather inspired me to write it. We were watching the news about a plane crash. He looked at me and said, “What if you were the only one to live out of a hundred people in a plane crash? You should write about that.” And, so I did.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a hard time focusing on writing unless I’m in the mood for it, or unless my characters are talking in my head.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors: Ella Emerson, Amy L. Gale, Susan Ward, Colleen Hoover, Stephanie Meyer, Nicholas Sparks, etc.

What are you working on now?
A novel called First and Only. It’s a contemporary romance story about Mandi and her first and only love.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and Twitter. Social media rocks!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. It will get hard. There will be rejections, but it all will be worth it in the end.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hold onto your dreams.

What are you reading now?
I Am Atlas by Ella Emerson.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully the New York Times Bestselling List. LOL. Don’t we all want that?

What’s next for me? Writing more books and working on getting new readers.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Girl on the Half Shell by Susan Ward
2. Blissful Tragedy by Amy L. Gale
3. I Am Atlas by Ella Emerson

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

Olivia Howe is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been a reader for nearly 50 years, thanks first to my brother for teaching me and my mother for encouraging me. I have lived my life around books: organizing, reading, sharing, advertising for friends.

I am a fair writer; always have been, so I thought “Why not?” when I considered becoming a writer. I tried several genres (I have 4 different genre books started that I have not finished) and then found my passion was Historic Scotland.

I have, so far, completed and published 10 books in this specific genre and am still writing. I have many book ideas in a small note book.

I tend to be organized, and this lends itself well to both my careers: writing and teaching Psychology at a local college.

I have goals of being 100% self-sufficient, and think that writing may help me get there.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book published is The Unwilling Groom. I was inspired through the books I read by many different authors. I watch period movies, and programs and try to apply my understanding of behavior into my books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do not have any unusual writing habits, that I know of. Maybe they are unusual to others, but I tend to come home from work, and rush through anything else I have to do so I can return to the life I wish to live (that of the people in my books).

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hannah Howell, J. K. Rowling, S. E. Hinton, George Elliot are influential in my writing world. Hannah Howell is the first author I read when I was first finding the Historic genre of books. J. K. Rowling writes of magic, and I am willing to accept that there are things I do not yet know or understand. S. E. Hinton wrote “The Outsiders” – a book I read more than 30 times.. George Elliot wrote “Silas Marner”. A woman who had to use a man’s name to be published and then succeeded, is an inspiration that anything is possible.

What are you working on now?
I am writing a slightly different, although similar book. To Conquer the Viking. The book takes place when Celtic Picts dominated the British Isles. Vikings have come to raid and pillage, decimating a village but for a few. The Vikings prove to be more human than barbaric as the story unfolds.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use several: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Awesomegang, and Pintrest for most of my publication announcements.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing. Use friends and others to help you with improving your craft. Everything worth doing is worth continuing to do.

Practice is imperative for any venture…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t sweat the small stuff.

What are you reading now?
Right now, I am not reading, as I am writing. I read books that support my writing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to be able to earn my keep through writing, and supplement it through my adjunct teaching job, instead of the reverse, which is now the case.

I am looking to figure out what makes an “epic” book that no one can refuse to read and then write 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 would take the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. I know, that is 7 books, but it is one series.

I would also take the Cait Tiernan Sweep series (again lots of books, but a series).

3 or 4 books? I would take books on creating a society. After all, if I am alone on an island, I would wish to know how to survive.

Author Websites and Profiles
Cait Perez Website
Cait Perez Amazon Profile

Cait Perez’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Cait Perez is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Racquel Sarah A. Castro. Call me Yayie or Racq. I am living with cerebral palsy. I am a geek and love to read romance novel. I am also a programmer by profession but chosen passion over profession. I love writing ever since I am a kid. After 10 years of being a programmer, I said that it is time to pursue what I love, writing. Aside from writing and programming, I love to eat. A foodie here. I also love music. My family is a ground volunteer for Basics Global, a non-profit organization based in Dubai. I chose to be a romance writer and have written 7 stories and 4 books are currently in the local and international market. I love the idea of romantic love and want it for myself. My 1st book, When Fate Speaks Big Time, has been nominated at Virtue Christian Book Award’s Best Christian Fiction Category. It is somewhat an autobiographical novel, which focuses on my dream love story. The second was a part of an eBook bundle from BuqoYA class. Second Sight to forever is about a dancer who is willing to wait for the right time for love. It is part of the ebook bundle, BuqoYA 1 – Taking Chances. It has a standalone version too. Both are available in buqo. The third story is a fairy tale and is currently waiting for the publisher’s decision. It is an end product of an online writing class, SparkNA. The fourth story is about a girl who hates science but ends up with a scientist. That piece is a CampNanowrimo winner. The fifth story is about a reader who met her crush in an unexpected encounter. Encyclopedia Mystique is end product of the JustWritePH workshop in preparation for Nanowrimo. The sixth story is about ATM Fraud in the Philippines. It will be out soon. Co-Author with God, I wrote my autobiography and it will be out on March 2016. I thank God for Hope House Centre who gave me the opportunity to fulfill my other dream, to have a paperback novel. The Real Me: An Autobiography talks about my struggles as a physically challenged individual who lives a productive life.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
JustWritePH- For Redemption is an eBook bundle containing my story, Encyclopedia Mystique. My inspiration is my readers. It is their story. I have this reader in mind and she’s my inspiration. The eBook bundle is distributed by buqo, an online eBook store here in the Philippines. It has three more stories for only $3.99.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am weird. I watch TV when I am writing. I don’t know but I cannot concentrate on a quiet ambience. When I am outlining, I usually don’t follow it. Yes, isn’t that weirder?

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My mentor, Ms. Mina Esguerra and her romance books really motivated me. One more books is the Bible and Nicholas Sparks books too although I don’t like tragedy. I am looking forward in reading books from Ms. Rita Pam Tarachi.

What are you working on now?
I am working on two WIPs right now, one is a crime fiction short story for my writing class and the other is for Nanowrimo.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Smashwords, Amazon, and my website is a great help for me as an Independent Author. I thank God for Virtue Christian Book Awards and Hope House Centre for the trust they gave me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Prayers are the best tool in finishing a novel. Without God’s help, you cannot finish a worth-reading novel. Never stop learning. Take chance on writing workshops. Explore different genre but you must be able to have establish a primary one first.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust God more. He can do impossible things. I heard that from my parents and my grandmother too.

What are you reading now?
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Learn more through writing classes, a book release on March 2016 and more romance novels in the future.

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 – It is my spiritual Food

Fragments of Her Identity by Rita Pam Tarachi

Fairy Tale Fail by Mina V. Esguerra

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Author Websites and Profiles
Racquel Sarah A. Castro Website
Racquel Sarah A. Castro Author Profile on Smashwords

Racquel Sarah A. Castro’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Racquel Sarah A. Castro is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a wife and a mother of two teen aged boys. I work full time as a Resource Management Support Clerk. I also have two cats and a dog. I have a twisted sense of humor and love to laugh. I have written The Evolved Trilogy: Altered – Revelations of the Evolved, Broken – Afflictions of the Evolved and Choices – Complications of the Evolved. They are young adult books about time travel and psychic abilities with some romance and bad guys thrown in there too.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The third book of the trilogy is Choices – Complications of the Evolved. For some reason, I wanted to have an A, B, C theme to the titles. I’m weird that way. On the advice of my publisher, I chose long names so the extra words would get picked up in search engines. I’m not sure if that helped any. I went to sleep one night thinking about story lines. By the morning, I had a very vague outline and the more I thought about it, I figured it would make a cool trilogy.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if it’s unusual, but as I’m writing a chapter I tend to drift back to previously written chapters in my mind (I write in order and on pen and paper first) and if I think about something I want to change or add, I’ll put an asterisk at the top of the page I’m working on and write out a sentence/change/random piece of info. Sometimes it gets confusing so I wouldn’t recommend it!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Alyson Noel and highly recommend The Immortals series and The Soul Seekers series. I tend to read YA fiction since that’s the genre I write.

What are you working on now?
Without giving too much away, I am working on a zombie novel. It focuses around a group of teenagers that experience firsthand the start of an outbreak. I thought it would be fun to start at the beginning of the end instead of just telling a story about surviving the aftermath.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I tend to promote my books on my Shawnda Currie Books Facebook page which is linked to my twitter account. I also go online to find book reviewers for my genre, check out their websites and if I decide they’re a good match, I’ll fire off an email requesting a review. I’ve been pretty lazy on that lately though.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep plugging away at it. Write your book, get it edited, ask people to read it. Also, get an online presence such as a website, Facebook, Goodreads, twitter, etc. since we are in the age of technology. Do something fun like make a book trailer.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never comment on a negative review. Ever.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “Tidal” by Amanda Hocking.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to keep writing my novel zombie. I started it last year and I’m only on chapter thirteen. I tend to work on it consistently for a while then put it away for a few months. Sometimes it’s hard to find that right balance as life is busy.

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?
Hmmm. One book would have to be about survival (what’s safe to eat, how to purify water, shelter, etc.). A trilogy or series would be out of the question. You’d need something to lift up your spirits, so I’d say a book of inspirational quotes or one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. For my remaining two books (even though they’re not YA), I’m going to go with Angela’s Ashes and Cold Mountain.

Author Websites and Profiles
Shawnda Currie Website
Shawnda Currie Amazon Profile

Shawnda Currie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Shawnda Currie is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Author Bio
I’m the author of Amazon New Adult Bestsellers, Blissful Tragedy, published with 5 Prince Publishing, and Blissful Valentine. I have been a member of the Romance Writers of America for the past few years with an affiliation in the Valley Forge chapter. Over the past few months I’ve participated in numerous book signings, magazine interviews, and two televised interviews. I’m a romance author by night, pharmacist by day, and attended Wilkes University where I graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. In addition to writing, I enjoy baking, scary movies, rock concerts, and reading books at the beach. I live in the lush forest of Northeastern Pennsylvania with my husband, six cats, and golden retriever.

I have three published novels, Blissful Tragedy, Blissful Valentine, and Christmas Blitz.

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

I’m always inspired by the holiday season and I love sports romances. Christmas Blitz takes place in a small town similar to what you’d see in It’s A Wonderful Life. Small town real estate agent HOLLY CLIFFORD is counting the seconds until she pays off the debt incurred from caring for her sick mother and can move out of Hilldale Vermont forever. After forfeiting her college scholarship to Eastern University Law School to be at her mother’s side, she obtained her real estate license and took a position at Trust Reality. NICK SHAW is on the path to victory. As a high school football hero turned rookie star wide receiver of the newest NFL team, the Iowa Talons, success is all he knows. But sometimes there’s just things fame and money can’t buy. When Nick returns to Hilldale, he puts an offer on a lakeside mansion up for sale by Trust Reality and turns Holly’s life upside down. Can she stay on track and resist Nick’s charm or will she be blitzed by Hilldale’s football hero this Christmas?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like when it’s completely quiet and snack on popcorn as I write.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was very influenced by the new adult genre and books like 50 Shades of Grey and Slammed. I am also a huge Stephen King fan.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a YA novel called Wrecked.
Valleyfield High’s queen-bee cheerleader Layla Anderson has everything she could possibly want, except a seat at the prestigious Culinary Institute. Knowing her odds are slim, she attends traffic school to expunge her tarnished record and increase her chance of winning one of the five scholarships which guarantee a seat. When she’s partnered with mysterious bad-boy Chase Cooper, who avoids relationships lasting more than a few hours for fear of becoming a broken man like his father, she vows to steer clear of him and the trouble that always seems to follow. His enticing confidence and rebellious nature excite Layla, and his flashy green Viper just adds to the appeal. Despite her best efforts, resisting Chase’s charm is a daily battle, one that she’s slowly losing. Tragedy strikes when her parents are killed in a car accident, pulling Layla from her perfect world and into a downward spiral of isolation, depression, and drinking. When her quarterback boyfriend bails on her and her so-called friends abandon her, Chase stays by her side. As Layla becomes part of Chase’s inner circle, their bond begins to deepen. Then she discovers Chase is part of an underground street racing circuit. Can Chase become her unexpected hero or will his secret wreck everything?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find social media like Facebook and Twitter are great for promotion

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. Stick it out and you will reach your dreams.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Hard work pays off

What are you reading now?
Under the Dome by Stephen King.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to keep writing and build a bigger fan base.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh no, only three or four. I’d bring my wedding album so I can look back on my personal fairy tale every day. The Stand by Stephen King because it’s one of my favorites. And Forever by Judy Blume because she got my through my teen years

Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Gale Website
Amy Gale Amazon Profile

Amy Gale’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Amy Gale is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a student of life, a Renaissance man so to say. I like to dabble in different areas, but nothing is worth sacrificing everything else for. Well, maybe music, but I’ll get back to that once my book is launched. This is the first book I’ve written and it definitely won’t be the last. In my free time I like to dance, cook, spend time in nature, play football, go to the gym, and travel whenever I get the chance.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called The Real Men Project. It was inspired by my own experience of being in a men’s support group or brotherhood as we call it. Coming together with your brothers and showing your vulnerability takes you deeper within yourself, because together you create a sacred space of presence that spurs personal growth. Giving each other honest feedback and challenging each other to become a stronger and realer version of yourself.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I like to write while listening to classical music. Other times (like when I’m blogging) I may get so inspired by an event of documentary that I just have to write a piece even if it’s midnight. It’s better to immediately act upon inspiration I find.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wayne Dyer is a great author and also must’ve been a great person though I never got the chance to meet him. David Deida is also a source of inspiration to me, the way he talks about spirituality and sexuality. From a fiction point of view I love Oscar Wilde. His witty and satiric style really speaks to me.

What are you working on now?
On getting my book out there! No use in writing if nobody reads it right? After this project I’ll be focusing on music for a while. I want to get a mixtape out and start on an album afterwards. That adventure might give me the inspiration for my next book, we’ll see. I’ll want to try my hand at fiction sometime in the future as well, but I’ll let that idea mature a bit more first.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is the first time I’ve written and promoted a book, but I’ve had help from a mentor who guided me through the process of self-publishing on Amazon. I like that every author nowadays has the opportunity to publish his or her own work without too many restrictions. I feel very fortunate to live in an age where the internet allows us to create and share without much hassle.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Create a solid outline for yourself and then just write. Don’t censor yourself. You can start the editing process after the first draft is completed. Until that time just let your fingers be creative without too much mental interference. You want to get into a flow of writing and that’s impossible if you interrupt yourself every sentence.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To write first thing in the morning. Start your day with it and see it as a job just like any other. You have to churn in the hours of labor and before know it your book is done.

What are you reading now?
Alain de Botton – The Art of Travel

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve been neglecting my blog since I was busy with my book. So I’d like to get back into my blogging rhythm first while doing my music. The idea for my next book will present itself in due time I’m sure.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bhavagad Gita (plenty of time to study), The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the Ultimate Survival Handbook.

Author Websites and Profiles
Steven de Bruijn Website
Steven de Bruijn Amazon Profile

Steven de Bruijn’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Steven de Bruijn is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello Awesomegang!!
I’m an author with fifteen years of experience as a Project Manager at a technology company. I’ve self-published two non-fiction books with another on the way in December! I’m also writing my first sci-fi novel as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) 2015! Should my fiction attempt turn out well, I hope to start a new series that I would publish early 2016.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Author Unleashed: Simple Strategies to Write Your Book—Fast! It’s the first in a series about writing and self-publishing. My experience writing my first book, Layoff Reboot (A Guide for Career Changers) is what inspired it.

I wrote and self-published Layoff Reboot in two months! Getting laid off by my company after fifteen years was a huge wake-up call and caused me to step back and discover what I really love to do—writing and living a creative life.

Although I’m lucky that my career as a Project Manager had been fulfilling, something important was missing over the last few years. I took time off this summer to figure out what was wrong.
It was then that I came up with the idea of writing a book. I always thought this was a someday thing—something to get around to when I had the time. So after working a demanding job which left me with little personal time, my layoff was the opportunity I needed to immerse myself and finally self-publish.

I took everything I learned about how to write a book in thirty days and self-publish in another thirty—and packed it all into Author Unleashed. Book One is about writing; the second book covers how to self-publish to Amazon, as well as other e-book platforms.

My hope is the Author Unleashed series inspires people to release their creativity and write more books—ultimately unleashing more authors in the world!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a treadmill desk where I sometimes write or dictate while walking. I’m old-fashioned in that I like to print my draft when I start editing—there’s something about being able to see it on paper and mark it up with a pen.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ever since my stepdad gave me a copy of Salem’s Lot by Stephen King at age eight, life was never the same again! I fell in love with his macabre stories and later moved on to enjoy Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and fantasy/sci fi masters such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Orson Scott Card, and Frank Herbert. The Game of Thrones series is the best fantasy epic I’ve read.

I was also greatly influenced by 19th century Russian literature (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy). Something about that period of time and the tragic romanticism fascinates me, particularly Mikhail Lermontov’s novella, Princess Mary.

More recently, I’ve discovered indie author Joanna Penn. I love her advice on “authorpreneurship” as well as her books. She’s the best!

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in my non-fiction series, Author Unleashed: Self-Publish Your Book—Fast! It will be packed with how to instructions and practical tips. Many self-publishing books focus on publishing exclusively to Amazon, but I think it’s important to publish your book to multiple platforms including iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. I’ll explain how to do that efficiently and also provide marketing tips.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning all the marketing aspects of self-publishing! There’s so much to it, and things seem to change fast. For my first book, I had success using several paid advertising gigs on Fiverr.com (especially the popular bknights) to generate a lot of downloads when my book was free.

Setting up a Facebook author page and sending a newsletter to people subscribing to my website, http://projectmanagerwriter.com has also been helpful in getting the word out about my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enjoy the ride! Don’t give up! Stay positive! Writing and self-publishing is an incredibly rewarding experience, but it can also be tough when you don’t see the sales you expected.

Being a new author can also be overwhelming—we’re bombarded with information, course sales pitches, and (sometimes) questionable advice. I’ve definitely experienced “shiny object syndrome” and found myself jumping around to the latest new tool or social media platform.

Recently I’m more focused on what will help me create more product—writing more books, expanding to e-book platforms beyond Kindle, and blogging.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nearly every author I encounter says you must write more books to gain traction with your book sales. The best specific and actionable advice comes from Joanna Penn—create more product and develop a business plan. If you have a target sales goal in mind—break it down into how many book sales you need to hit that dollar figure. Once you do the math, it will motivate you to keep writing!

What are you reading now?
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett—it’s a hilarious take on the apocalypse. I tend to read multiple books at once; my current non-fiction is Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. It’s been helpful as I venture into fiction.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More books! By 2015 year end, I’ll have three books published and my first fiction novel written. I want to spend more time in 2016 writing fiction and write one or two more non-fiction books about self-publishing and time management.

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 tough! Can I take my Kindle instead? If forced to choose, I would bring a volume containing Shakespeare’s works, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Stand, and Game of Thrones (Book 3).

Author Websites and Profiles
Courtney Kenney Website
Courtney Kenney Amazon Profile
Courtney Kenney Author Profile on Smashwords

Courtney Kenney’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Courtney Kenney is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been an author for over thirty years, which is almost as long as I’ve been living in my little log house in the middle of 30 acres of evergreen forests in Oregon. I currently have 22 romance novels and 3 non-fiction books available on Amazon. I’m a full-time writer, and I love the quietness that comes with living in the woods. I have beautiful trails and I get good ideas when I take a break from writing to walk in the woods. My laptop sits on a coffee table in the living room so I can look out the window and see squirrels, chipmunks, and birds at the feeders just outside, so I have little desire to go to the city.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I’m between book series right now, having recently completed the 13th and final book in my Dancing Moon Ranch series. However, the inspiration for the first book in the series was based on an actual lawsuit over a botched procedure at a fertility clinic, when two women got sperm from the wrong men. That book is entitled, Righteous Lies. The 13-book series ended up spanning thirty years and two generations. It’s been great writing the series because I always wanted to live on a working guest/cattle ranch and be surrounded by cowboys and now it’s like I am. My series is getting great reviews, and a couple of reviewers equated the series to the “Dallas” TV series without all the sex. There is some sex, but it’s PG-13. I’m about to start my next series, entitled Cajun Cowboys. The first book in the series is entitled River Hawk. I posted a Youtube book trailer on the internet, also entitled Cajun Cowboys. It gives an idea of what the series will be about.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I guess my unusual habit is that I have to discipline myself to stop writing and do other things, like get up and exercise. I keep a timer next to my laptop to remind me to do that once an hour, because I can get so wrapped up in the story I’m writing that an entire day can slip by unnoticed.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
A few authors who have influenced me are Kay Nolte Smith and her wonderful historical saga, A Tale of the Wind, which is my all-time favorite novel. Legacy, by Susan Kay, which is a novel about Queen Elizabeth, I is another favorite. Sadly, I spend very little time reading fiction because what little time I have when not writing is spent reading research material for my current or next book.

What are you working on now?
I’m doing research for my Cajun Cowboy series, which will take place on a cattle ranch set in the prairie country of Louisiana. I’m a Cajun (Acadian), and I grew up in Louisiana with a whole pack of Cajun relatives around New Iberia and St. Martinville, so it will be fun writing the series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is my best promoter. On it I post the covers and descriptions of all of my books, with “tabs” for my single-title contemporaries and my historical romances, but I feature the books in my Dancing Moon Ranch on the primary page. At the end of each of my books I include three chapters of another book (or the next book in the series), along with links to that book, and to my website.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice to new authors is to read books outside of their genre (assuming they have a solid knowledge of what’s expected in their genre). That way they don’t inadvertently start re-writing other author’s stories, or fall into the cliché trap. I read books by authors I admire, outside of my genre, and learn from those. But my main advice is to just keep writing. There is more to learn from that than spending time on blogs talking to other struggling writers. It took me about ten books before it all started coming together. My last advice, for indie authors, is to never stop reviewing and revising your books. I reread all of my books every 6 months and I always find things to change. As time goes by it’s less and less, but there are still ways to make every story better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever heard was from a senior editor from Harlequin who liked my writing but knew I didn’t have a clue about weaving in story threads. She actually worked with me, one-on-one, until I got it right, then bought the manuscript, which was entitled, Sweet Promised Land (now on Amazon as Broken Promises). Editors today will not do that. I just got lucky. I later wrote an article for Romance Writer’s Review on “Weaving in Story Threads” which is posted on my website, along with other “How-To” articles on writing. The second best advice I received was to take the plunge and become an indie author. I had already published with Harlequin and Avon, which meant jumping through all the query and submission hoops, then waiting FOREVER to hear back from editors. It was the pits! So, on May 5, 2011, I got so disgusted that I hadn’t heard back from editors who had requested manuscripts that I uploaded 7 books to Amazon, and I’ve never looked back. I love having complete control. I choose my own title, design and make my own covers, write the back-cover blurb, write the story the way I want it, and send it on its way. It’s great!

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading all non-fiction research material. Maybe someday I’ll sit back and read some of the books I’ve downloaded to my Kindle, but it won’t happen until I’ve finished writing the last book in my Cajun Cowboy series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
After I complete my Cajun Cowboy, which will be finished in early 2017, I plan to make audio books out of my Dancing Moon Ranch series. I’m currently researching that, with lots of input from authors who have done this themselves. I look forward to doing 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?
If I was going to be spending time on a desert island, the book I’d grab first would be A Tale of the Wind because it’s long, involved, spans a lifetime, and I learn something new about writing every time I read it. The second book would be my memoir, which is entitled (on Amazon) Around the Belt. It has over 1000 photos of my family and all aspects of my life while growing up in New Orleans in the 1940s and 50s, including some of the many colorful people who were either directly, or indirectly, a part of my life. The 3rd and 4th books would be books on screenwriting, one by Syd Field, and the other by Laura Schellhardt (Screenwriting for Dummies), so when I’m finally rescued I’d be able to write the scripts for my Dancing Moon Ranch series in hopes that the series would be bought for TV.

Author Websites and Profiles
Patricia Watters Website
Patricia Watters Amazon Profile

Patricia Watters is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, let’s see. I try to find the positive in all situations, and I’m a pretty basic dude. I’ve got a family and a dream, which means my family is often hungry… just kidding. Life is good. It’s hard to tell about me in such few words, so I’ll do just that like this is some sort of relationship site. Interests: writing, reading, hiking, coffee, video games, selective television, and entertaining.

I currently have three main installments with ‘The Balderdash Saga’ and then four short stories that are part of the series. The shorts act as standalone stories, so you don’t have to read the main installments to understand or enjoy them (and vice versa). They are really there to help enhance the characters from the books. The three books are The Underground Princess, The Prince’s Plight, and then The Shaman’s Salvation.

I also help co-edit an adult horror anthology, but that’s been sidelined for the time being.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Shaman’s Salvation is the latest installment of The Balderdash Saga, and I would say it was more an inspiration to the series as a whole versus this singular story. The premise behind all of my stories are to try and get kids to read but teach all those important lessons about friendship, love, family, and many other moral and human qualities. I tried to keep the familiar ground of a picture book by having a full page illustration in each chapter, keeping the chapters short and impactful, and the readers hooked by applying the right amount of action and suspense. Before they know it, they’ve learned a lesson and they feel good about reading. That is what really inspired me.

Then there’s this small factor of having a strong love for The Legend of Zelda and Mario and the dynamic of the princess / hero in those stories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
One strange bit for me is that when the story starts working itself out, I don’t write thoughts down or outlines and instead I take walks and let the days pass. I find myself obsessing over it until it floods my mind, like I’m staring at a problem I can’t solve, and then it all just comes together with the snap of some fingers. It’s actually quite exhausting to think about it SO much that it’s almost literally all I think about for days, weeks, and in one case, years.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t shy away from Stephen King, specifically The Stand. The man has been a huge building block in my author foundation. There are more, though. Kurt Vonnegut, for one, and then Franklin W. Dixon (Hardy Boys), and R.L. Stine. Let’s not leave J.K. Rowling out.

What are you working on now?
I’m just finishing up the third short story for The Balderdash Saga, and then I’ll be working on an Omnibus edition that will have some exclusive material. That’s set to launch in March, 2016. Outside of that, I’ve got something brewing that’s been hounding me for almost two years now. More information will surface on that soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, because my book series is for children and young adults (though I say ages 6 and beyond), it’s hard to promote my books online. Kids just don’t access the sites that get my stuff to them. I would have to say that I’m more of a foot-to-the-ground type author. I love doing events and being face to face with people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s advice I once heard, and there is so much truth to it. I’ve made my own revision of it, but here it is: Rewriting IS writing. Anyone can write a story, especially in this day and age, but the author is who can edit and rewrite and really create a story until it’s complete. That is truly separating the wheat from the chaff.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I want to say it’s the rewriting is writing, and where that’s good, I would say what helped me was more life advice. My brother once went through the example of being an apprentice until becoming a master. I’m still an apprentice in this world, and I suspect I will be for a long time yet, but anyone who believes they are a master is a sad thing to me. I would even think that Stephen King still finds himself in the position of an apprentice occasionally. Always strive to become the master, but understand it may never happen. The goal is simply that you work hard and don’t give up.

What are you reading now?
Currently I’m reading a couple things. I am doing the Audiobook version of a fantastic story called Anyone? by Angela Scott. I’m reading Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut, and I’m also slowly rereading the Goosebumps series. It’s very sporadic, but they are all on the table.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a story that’s coming out for the young teens and beyond. It’s something I’ve been working on for years at this point, and I’m about to tackle it hard now that I’ve gotten to write The Balderdash Saga. Still a bit of a secret, though.

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 rather be stranded on a dessert island, but I would say The Stand by Stephen King, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and the Harry Potter (I would have to just bring the box set so it counts as one? Does that work here? I hope so cause that would be the worst island ever to only have 1 of the Harry Potter books).

Author Websites and Profiles
J.W. Zulauf Website
J.W. Zulauf Amazon Profile

J.W. Zulauf’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

J.W. Zulauf is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wrote 11 books:
YA Fantasy “Arboregal – The Lorn Tree”
Science-Fiction “Time Hole” “Gold Rush Mystery” “Folding Reality”
Paranormal Thriller “The Pregnant Pope”
Vampire romance Vlad V series “Vampire Vlad V” “R.I.P.” “Vampire Slayers” Vampires of Transylvania” and “The Queen of Vampires”
Non-fiction “Escape from Communism”
Besides being an author I am an artist and composers. I painted hundreds of canvases, and composed dozens of tunes. Want to see and read more? Visit me at sandru.com.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My eleventh book “Gold Rush Mystery” is my latest book. America is back on the Moon. This time, we intend to stay and establish a self-sustaining permanent base for tourism and mining. Our first lunar base is named Gold Rush. Establishing permanent life on our closest, lifeless neighbor is a challenge. But the challenge turns into a mystery when life finds us first.
Gold Rush Mystery is a sci-fi book that is part of the Terraspantion Series. Although this is book 1 in the series, I wrote book 2 “Time Hole” first. Both books are hard science fiction with a dose of intrigue to spice things up.
The Terraspantion series are narrating mankind’s colonization of our solar system based on real or soon to be real technology.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Common wisdom among writers is that you are either a planner or a pantser. The planner makes an outline, does the research, defines the characters, the settings, the conflicts and so on until the story is complete in a form of an outline. Then he/she writes the story. The pantser has an idea, or a character, or an imaginary world, and he/she begin writing, literally by the seat of his/her pants and discover where the story goes. Of the two methods the planner is more efficient, but the pantser is more creative. A pantser uses the right (creative) brain most of the time, and if you don’t intervene you’ll be amazed what appears on the screen. The planner uses the left (rational) brain during the planning stage. I’m more of a pantser writer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For YA Fantasy JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling, although I don’t write about wizards and magic. For sci-fi, Asimov. For paranormal maybe a little of Koontz and King. For my vampires series Stephenie Meyers.

What are you working on now?
My current project is the YA Fantasy “Arboregal -The Cascade Tree” the sequel to “Arboregal – The Lorn Tree.” Many readers have been waiting patiently for four years to see what will happen to Melissa, Michelle, Nathan and Perry in the strange world of Arboregal. And after that I have four new books lined up to write next year.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Zero price is always a good start, followed by $0.99. As a matter of fact “Vampire Vlad V” is permafree, which is a good opening for the rest of the books in the series. As far as where I advertise, I do it on as many outlets as can find and afford, and I keep track to the effectiveness of each campaign.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write and write. And read or listen to books that are similar to what you’d like to write. By the way, there is a formula for success:
Results = Talent x Skill x Hard Work x Motivation
If any of those variables Talent, Skill, Hard Work, and Motivation is zero the results will be zero. I believe that everyone has some talent. Hard Work gives you the Skill and the writing output. Motivation is the ultimate maker or breaker of anyone who wants to achieve anything, including writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write – It may sound like a cliche, but it works.
Second: Thou shalt not publish an unedited book. Editing is a must. I don’t publish any of my books without being thoroughly edited.

What are you reading now?
Killing Reagan and my own book “The Lorn Tree – Arboregal series book 1.”

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing more sci-fi and paranormal 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?
My Kindle and a manual operated charger.

Author Websites and Profiles
Mit Sandru Website
Mit Sandru Amazon Profile

Mit Sandru’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Mit Sandru is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Lou Silluzio and I immigrated to Australia from Italy in 1957 when I was nine. I live in Melbourne with my beautiful wife, Roberta. I am a proud father of three and an even prouder grandfather of six.

Following a very successful career in building and real estate, a health scare convinced me to pursue my long-held dream of becoming a writer. I also wanted to leave a legacy for my grandchildren and so my children’s series was born.

I have written nine children’s books all based on the true-life adventures of my grandchildren. I hope my tales will impart life lessons for young readers.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote the book ‘Max, The Boy Who Didn’t Believe in Christmas’ after my son told me a story about his son. He had decided that Santa Claus wasn’t real and was trying to convince his other siblings this was the case. He tried to stay up to catch the real Santa but I won’t reveal any more as I wouldn’t want to spoil the book! Suffice to say this delightful tale will help parents deal with the inevitable question ‘Is Santa real?’ in a thoughtful and inspiring way.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if getting up at 5 am is an unusual writing habit but that is the time when I am most creative and productive. I tend to fade at night.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
An Australian Children’s Book author by the name of Anna Walker not only influenced me but also helped and guided me into the world of becoming a Children’s Book author.

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am working on a book focused on helping men understand how they can heal prostate cancer naturally. I was unlucky enough to have had it not once, not twice but yes, you guessed it, three times! When it came back for the third time, I decided to do things a little differently by looking at my diet and lifestyle. Throughout that journey, I believe I learnt how to beat it naturally.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a variety of methods to promote my books. I try to get air time on radio media as well in traditional newspapers and magazines. I personally visit bookstores to show them my titles and also heavily promote my books on social media plus my website http://lousilluzio.com/ .
I also have a You Tube site where I post short clips describing each of my books and the inspiration behind each one – see http://bit.ly/1SpRYu4 .

I also love doing book readings at schools and bookstores as that is when I receive my greatest reward; seeing children respond to my stories and even getting a few handshakes thrown in at the end!

One other avenue I’ve found success with is promoting my books to child entertainment play centres.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give new authors is to shadow someone successful to see what they do. Copy them but try to do it better! Most importantly, put pen to paper and write like crazy at every opportunity.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In my many years on this planet, I’ve come across a lot of pearls of wisdom. But if I can be cheeky enough, I’d like to quote something I wrote one day when I was reflecting on advice I would give my children and grandchildren::

“I don’t remember when I was born. Death I haven’t experienced yet. All I know is I’m here now and right up until my used by date comes, I’m going to shake that tree of life until every leaf falls off.”

One should never wait – get shaking!

What are you reading now?
At the moment, I’m reading ‘Fifty Great Short Stories’, compiled by Milton Crane. Some wonderful authors feature in this book including Hemingway, O’Hara, Steinbeck and Joyce to name a few. The writing is like eating the finest piece of dark, Belgian chocolate.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Of course, my dream is for the world to be aware of my books. I’m travelling to the largest book fair in the world in April next year in Bologna, Italy. I’m hopeful I can secure contracts with Italian or European publishers so that my books can be distributed throughout Europe which is where I am from originally.

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 choose books that provide the following information:

• A book on survival
• A book on how to build a boat
• A book on how to play a musical instrument made from materials naturally found on a deserted island
• A book on natural medicine

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

Lou Silluzio is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am happily married with children and currently reside in Northern Nevada. I am finishing up a college degree while holding a job and raising a toddler. New Duck City: The Great Bread Caper is my first book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
New Duck City: The Great Bread Caper is the title of my first book. What first inspired my concept of geese as villains was taking a hit on the jaw from a Canadian goose. It’s a long story but I actually saw stars when it happened. The rest of the story came together a few years later as I was walking around Long’s Park Lake. I observed the ducks interacting with swans and geese and thought that there must be some sort of hierarchy to it all.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Starting stories and not finishing them, which explains why this is my first book.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling have inspired me because they wrote such great stories for children.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on raising a one year old and finishing college. I do plan to devote more time to writing in the future.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook a lot to promote Amazon links in Kindle groups.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let other people tell you what you can and can’t do. If you have a gift for writing, share it with the world, even if you have to self-publish and self-promote. I’d rather be a bad writer than good at something that I don’t care about.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Thoughts become things. People have a habit of becoming who they pretend to be.

What are you reading now?
College textbooks…joy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Possibly a sequel to New Duck City: The Great Bread Caper, depending on how well it sells. Possibly a stab at fiction for adults if I can manage to finish some of the stories I’ve started.

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 The Chronicles of Narnia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Carmen Quirk Amazon Profile

Carmen Quirk’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Carmen Quirk is a post from Awesome Gang

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

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Menu. It was inspired by a young man going through the transition of becoming a woman. This was before it became “mainstream” and I thought about the struggles he was going through.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a constant writer. I always have something to write with and I’m always getting ideas and jotting things down. I guess the biggest habit is taking something from real life and putting it into my books whether it be a name or something that happened.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs

What are you working on now?
I’m working on the 3rd book in The Alcrest Mysteries. A friend of the main characters is killed and authorities claim it is suicide. Nobody believes it. This one is based on a true story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Right now it’s Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be true. Even total fiction has truth in it. And you have to be true to yourself. I, and all of the people around me, swear and therfore my characters swear. I haven’t had that many complaints.

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

What are you reading now?
The Martian by Andy Weir

What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully to do it professionally. I’d love to quit my job and be an author full time.

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?
101 Ways to Build a Raft from this Book

The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes

Author Websites and Profiles
Lorne Oliver Website
Lorne Oliver Amazon Profile

Lorne Oliver’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Lorne Oliver is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve just published “VisionSight: a Novel,” which is my third book. It’s the story of a young woman who suddenly inherits the ability to see the future when she looks into her loved ones’ eyes. But she quickly decides it’s a curse because she can’t figure out how to keep bad things from happening to the people she cares about. My second book came out this summer. “The Time Telephone” is a Young Adult novel about a 17 year old girl trying to save her mother’s life by calling her in the past. And my first book, “The Shade Ring,” was published this spring. It’s set about a hundred years in the future – Sci-fi, Action/Adventure and Romantic Suspense, all rolled into one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea for “VisionSight: a Novel” came to me one night at my son’s high school soccer game. I came up with the idea for a character who could see the future as I watched a group of high school kids in front of me, I wondered what they would look like in thirty or forty years. I imagined each one of them in middle age and then wondered how they would act if they, themselves, could see what the future would bring.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have unusual writing habits. I do think of ideas for my writing at odd times so I keep little notebooks in my purse, in various rooms around the house and in my car.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I admire quite a few authors and enjoy reading a variety of books and writers. Among the authors I’ve read this year: Rainbow Rowell, Barbara Kingsolver, Jojo Moyes, Hugh Howey, Lynn Cullen and M. R. Carey. Of course, the authors of my youth are always with me: Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens and others.

What are you working on now?
I’ve begun working on a sequel to my science fiction novel, “The Shade Ring.” I’m planning a trilogy. The second book will be published next year and hopefully, the third book will be out by spring of 2017. “The Shade Ring” is climate fiction – set about 100 years in the future when oceans have risen 15 feet and the world is a hotter place. The main character is a young woman who’s forced into science by her father and then falls in love with a clone.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve promoted my books on a few websites. I had pretty good results on Free Kindle Books & Tips and Bargain Booksy. I don’t have a big budget to work with though.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would urge new authors who are self-publishing to polish their writing and then polish some more; get reliable feedback from people with good editing skills; and use spellcheck. I’ve also gotten valuable feedback from other writers through Goodreads. One bit of advice I might’ve benefited from is to write in one genre, if possible. It makes it easier to promote your books, I think.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
An editor at the Atlanta Writer’s Conference was asked a question a couple of years ago that prompted an eye-opening response. She was asked “what are the biggest problems you see in your slush pile?” The editor replied: “slow beginnings, rushed endings and uninteresting middles.” So I’ve tried to step up my game.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just picked up “Vanessa and Her Sister” by Priya Parmar.

What’s next for you as a writer?
When I finish my sci-fi trilogy I have a historical novel I wrote that I want to revise. It’s set in the 1960s. I have some interesting ideas about how to make it pop.

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?
Gosh, that’s a tough question. Something by Rainbow Rowell, just because she’s so clever. Something by Lily King because I loved her book, “Euphoria.” And maybe a John Green novel. He’s a clever writer. I think I like “An Abundance of Katherines” best so far.

Author Websites and Profiles
Connie Lacy Website
Connie Lacy Amazon Profile

Connie Lacy’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Connie Lacy is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a born and raised Texan. I enjoy reading, writing, watching tv/movies and hanging out with my framily (Friends & Family). I’ve written two books and I’ve started two more.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled Destructive Bliss. It is book one of a series and was actually pitched to a serial novel website. It started as a serial novel and about half way through, I set a hard deadline and met it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to different podcasts while writing. It helps keep me in the creative mode.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am in love with YA Fantasy. I enjoy all of Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl and Cassandra Clare’s work.

What are you working on now?
I’m writing a second novel to my first series, Southern Secrets. I also started to write my first (possible) non-fiction book.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a big believer in social media. I use Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep writing. My first novel, Southern Secrets, took me three years to finish because I kept going back to rewrite it. My second novel, Destructive Bliss, took me three months because I refused to go back to edit myself until I was through with it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think the best advice I’ve heard is “allow yourself to suck”. I heard it from the Self Publishing Podcast. That really put me into “work mode” and has helped me get two novels out this year with four in the pipeline for next year.

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading both non-fiction and fiction. The non-fiction book I’m reading is “Becoming Beyonce” by J. Randy Taraborrelli. Anyone who knows me knows that I live for Beyonce (lol). The fiction book I’m currently reading is Marking Time by April White.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to continue to build my fan base and turn out great books in the next year. I hope to have a total of 6 books out by next year and a total of 12 by 2017.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d bring Becoming Beyonce (so I can continue to live, lol), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and City of Heavenly Fire.

Author Websites and Profiles
Abel Ozuna Website
Abel Ozuna Amazon Profile
Abel Ozuna Author Profile on Smashwords

Abel Ozuna’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Abel Ozuna is a post from Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Sarah England and I live in the UK. Originally I trained as a nurse, before working in medical sales & marketing, specialising in psychiatry. Since then I’ve worked as a fiction writer for over 12 years, with hundreds of short stories and a few serials published, mostly in magazines.
I also have a couple of books with the small press (3am and Wide Awake, and Expected). I lurched between comedy and horror for a while, but now I’m firmly in my chosen genre – I just love occult horror! My supernatural horror novel, Father of Lies, is my first in this genre and it was launched just over a month ago.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Father of Lies.
I had a background in psychiatry and an unhealthy interest in the occult, before I met a lady with what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder. Her story shocked me to the core and Father of Lies began to take shape. I then did a huge amount of research – books on demonology and exorcisms – so scary I had them burnt afterwards because I couldn’t keep them in the house!
In addition to this – Father of Lies is set in the bleak Derbyshire moors in the north of England, where I’m from – I even lived in a haunted mill with water rushing past…so a lot of ‘me’ is in this horror novel…perhaps I shouldn’t admit to that?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in short sharp bursts – like, if I may say so, a demon! And then I mull it over and come back to correct things.
What I can’t do is plot.. it’s just a rough outline because often the characters develop and ideas pop up as I go along.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King.
Susan Hill.
James Herbert.
Ian Mckewan
H.P. Lovecraft

What are you working on now?
I have only just launched Father of Lies, and because I decided to go alone with this.. I’m still trying to bring it to the readers.
However, a sequel is cried out for… most people are saying this.. so the next one is just beginning to take shape.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still learning. I have a website and am on most social sites. Authors Den is one I am trying at the moment, and also I’m looking at sites like this to connect with readers. In addition to this, a group of 5 of us (in different genres) have just set up a kind of co operative with the plan of bringing our books directly to readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot…. but read the best – from classics to bestsellers to award winners. Practice with short stories and articles and expect rejections by the score – that’s how we learn. It’s a very hard journey, and frankly there are easier ways to make a living – so it’s got to be a labour of love!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read!

What are you reading now?
Rise to Me – by Shani Struthers.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The sequel to Father of Lies.
Developing our new company – Authors Reach.
Promoting Father of Lies and connecting with the readers.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Some books I could read over and over without getting bored – ie really, really good ones! I’d have to say…..
Atonement
The Woman in Black
Carrie
Lord of the Flies

Author Websites and Profiles
Sarah England Website
Sarah England Amazon Profile

Sarah England’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Sarah England is a post from Awesome Gang