Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi I’m C.K Kara. I was a fan of reading since I was seven. Like all people who take a liking to a certain craft I delved into the world of great fiction story telling. While growing up my father had a hobby that used to fascinate me. He was so good at card magic and the illusions they did at casinos. All this provided me with a lot of content for the Omen Swift series I wrote. There are six books I have written. Four in the Omen Swift Series. I am now working on two more books

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Reminiscing Evan is the next book I am writing . I am working on making it a bit longer than it should be. The book again is about cult religion and its political effect it can have on people. The society before the illuminati and how far will desperate people that have no resources and the financial stability go to find the success and wealth every one wants in life. What inspired it was the love I have for history. I heard in places like India and Africa there are people who only wish they could go to school. Some of them resort to a poverty stricken life. It’s old news. Nothing much is done about it. Charity is offered but there is still war and famine happening. I sat down once and thought about everything a disadvantaged person could want. I came to the conclusion that everyone in life , regardless of race or their background wants and needs the same things. The question that sparked the novel to run in its volume of pages.. was how far will a desperate human go to live the life they never had?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, none at all, what is an unusual writing habit? lol I have not came across that. I know for the first time in ten years of practicing the art of fiction writing as a hobby, ( And only in 2010 it became a job after I landed myself an agent) I had a very vivid dream that showed me the entire plot of the new book I would write. Riding Wolf. A spin off to the Red Riding Hood story.
Of course there’s many spin offs to old fairy tales. Its fun for authors to do that now.
But mine is darker.. seriously.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many writers that I have been a fan of, surprisingly anyone that comes up with an amazing idea and is able to take the world by storm by the figment of their imagination is what I consider an influence. So for me all the writers have done it.
The influences.. J.K Rowling, Roald Dhal, R.L Stine.. Lee Child. and even Micheal Jackson as a song writer. All of them have left no room for simplicity in their story telling.. In a very good way. That was what I aimed to do with the Omen Swift series. With the writers I mentioned it was all about amazing explosive ideas coming across the pages to form plots and scenes that would entertain readers

What are you working on now?
My Next few books in the Omen Swift Series and a few more to come.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method is always Ebook Booster, You Tube and Twitter. All of them for different reasons. You tube, Because I am a new author and I need as many readers. The video trailer depicts the content I have created in the books. To give readers a sense of understanding of what the series is about. Twitter. The readers are there, you just click on the Harry Potter following and just like that you got over three million possible people that could read the same genre you are writing. Ebook Booster helps with the broader advertising.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes , every writer is a reader, but not every reader is a writer, but writing is a task that anyone can learn. There are schools that teach you how to write well, but none of them will teach you how to write a best seller . That is left to the imagination of the writer. My advice to authors is try to come up with some thing as different and unique as possible. The market is already flooded. Publishers are looking for new inventive ideas that will sell. During the writing process focus on the scene inside your head before worrying about how the words will sound when put to paper. The mistake every writer makes is worrying about the way they write rather than what they have in their heads to form the story. Just remember its the imagination you need as a writer to tell the world a story. Not
the way you write. Every thing else comes after the images you create in your head.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Go on Amazon Kindle and create a readership” From Book publicity and editing agents in the Frances Bond Services.

What are you reading now?
A few fiction books by Lee Child and my own books over and over again because I have to edit them. But when I’m bored I do read .. mainly to improve my own writing. The best few reads so far was Saving Max and We Need To Talk About Kevin. They were dark and gloomy .. the usual teenage angst of violence and corruption in the school place and home. I loved it. They were both very similar. Mothers coping with children they did not know outside their own home.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would love to write more novels. There is something rewarding about finishing a five hundred page book and going on to write four more within the series and knowing it came from your head.

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?
Saving Max and We Need To Talk About Kevin. for the moodiness, And Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the laughter and light heart humor of youthfulness.

Author Websites and Profiles
C.K kara Website
C.K kara Amazon Profile
C.K kara Author Profile on Smashwords

C.K kara’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The author is a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California’s Medical School at Davis, near Sacramento in Northern California. Jerry writes “tweener” mystery books (tough mystery stories that follow the cozy conventions of no graphic sex and no cussing) that are fast moving and entertain the reader. Several of the books introduce the readers to South America, a region where he has lived and worked that is a long way from home for most English speakers. He and his wife Elaine lived previously in Salta, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. Jerry selects the most interesting South American locations he found for Roger and Suzanne to visit while solving miscellaneous murders. Montevideo, Salta, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Iguazu Falls are also characters in these books, and the novels portray these places as vivid and real. Jerry and Elaine breed prize-winning German shorthaired pointer dogs; Elaine also provides technical advice for Jerry’s dog-related novels like The Deadly Dog Show and Hunter Down, as well as editing for all of the books.
There are presently twelve Roger and Suzanne mystery books available from Amazon Kindle: 7 novels, 3 novellas, 1 short story anthology, and 1 omnibus volume consisting of two of the novels and one of the novellas.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hunter Down, a suspenseful mystery novel set in Southern California’s exotic world of canine hunt tests.
The book was inspired by my wife Elaine getting me engaged in one of her major interests with our own German shorthaired pointer dogs. The activities, locales, and skills of the dogs seemed an interesting world to drag Roger and Suzanne into to solve another murder mystery.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a full-time job. That means I write when I can, on a completely erratic schedule. The on-off switch has to function quickly sometimes.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The great California P.I. novels by the masters–Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series.

What are you working on now?
A new, as yet untitled, novel in the Roger and Suzanne series. They will be asked to solve a murder that takes place in Havana, Cuba. Elaine and I had a chance to visit Cuba on a person-to-person tour a couple of months ago. It seemed like a perfect setting for a novel since so few United States citizens have ever had a chance to go there. The book is about half-way through the first draft.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not sure. I use Facebook a lot. A substantial number of readers come back to the new books in the series after reading the older books. And, I think, vice versa. The two novels built around dogs as major participants, Hunter Down and The Deadly Dog Show, seem to be especially popular among German shorthaired pointer owners and breeders. These dog owners and breeders seem to find the books by word of mouth recommendations from other dog people.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit your day job!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t quit your day job!

What are you reading now?
A serialized novel by Carmen Amato entitled Awakening Macbeth.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the WIP set in Cuba.

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?
Anthologies or collections of mystery novels.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jerold Last Website
Jerold Last Amazon Profile

Jerold Last’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written two novels – only one has been self-published on Amazon. I work in the environmental sector, focusing on air quality and climate change. My first attempt at creative writing was during my student days in London when I started writing lyrics for my band. After that I co-wrote a play for the Players Playwrights which was put on for one night in London’s Phoenix theatre. Writing novels is where my heart lies.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
We Float Upon a Painted Sea. From time to time the research I do for my day job has scared the life out of me, but I believe there is hope if people start to wake up to what is happening in the world. I would actually find no satisfaction or remotely feel smug if the world descended into the chaos described in my book! But it was inspired by a concern over the future of the human race on this planet and a mistrust of the governments that lead us in the west. It is not however, a tedious moral lecture but an science fiction yarn which I believe has a lot of intrigue and humor in it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When create a new character, who is from another part of the UK or America, I try out the accent while pulling a face I imagine they would be making at the time. My wife (who also designed my front cover) shakes her head in disbelief when she witnesses this odd behavior.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Onyx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Iain Banks
Saul Bellow
George Orwell
Lanark by Alasdair Gray
Franz Kafka
Cormac McCarthy

What are you working on now?
A horror novel set in St Petersburg, Russia called the Upstanding.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is only the second time I have promoted my book, and my first promotion with the Awsomegang, but I have found Facebook helpful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never listen to people advising you what you should write for the sole purpose of selling – writing should come from within yourself and ignore the “only write what you know” crowd. This to me limits the imagination.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t just write what you know, use your imagination!

What are you reading now?
Louise Welsh – The Cutting Room

What’s next for you as a writer?
Trying to undertake the near impossible task of promoting my book while sustaining a day job and a demanding young family and two greedy guinea pigs.

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?
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The SAS Survival Handbook
The Home Distillers Workbook by Jeff King (sorry couldn’t help that!)

Author Websites and Profiles
Christopher Connor Amazon Profile

Christopher Connor’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Pam Willis-Hovey is the host of Unity with Pam Television Show, a weekly talk-show dedicated to bringing unity between cultures and races.
She is married to the love of her life, retired Sgt. Harry R. Hovey, and has three step-children and one granddaughter.

She has written her first book, a romance novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
This book was inspired by the passing of Pam’s mother-in-law
Carol Hovey who taught her not to live a shoulda, woulda, coulda life

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
This book has been in my heart for ten years. I’m always writing in my pajamas.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stormy Omartian – I have so many of her books

What are you working on now?
a sequel

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
word-of-mouth

Do you have any advice for new authors?
network is key. Partner with people.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You’ve got to promote your books if you aren’t a known author. You have to do the work. If you have an opportunity, take it. Always have your books with you.

What are you reading now?
The Many Faces of Eve

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to see a movie.

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 Many Faces of Eve,
Lord, I want to be Whole by Stormie Omartian
Instinct by T.D.Jakes

Author Websites and Profiles
Pam Willis-Hovey Website
Pam Willis-Hovey Amazon Profile

Pam Willis-Hovey’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Ohio, raised in New York and have been a gypsy most of my adult life. My various jobs, including licensed veterinary technician, caterer, horseback riding instructor for the disabled and advertising media buyer have given me a wealth of experiences.
However, it has been writing that has consistently been my passion. I sold an episode of a TV show, had a screenplay optioned and have so far produced six novels, including four historicals.
I live in Cordova, Tennessee with a fabulously supportive engineer husband, a wonderful stepson, Matt and my writing buddy, Jakita, a terrier.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “The Dream Dancer” and the idea just came to me one night. It’s about a woman who can enter dreams.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I need quiet. Many authors like music in the background—not me. I even bought a pair of industrial earmuffs for when there are teenagers around.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Reading Stephen King made me want to write books, but reading Kathleen Woodiwiss made me want to write romance.

What are you working on now?
I am writing the second in “The Dream Dancer” series and also a contemporary.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My virtual assistant is a lifesaver. She takes care of so much of that for me.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit. Writing is easy, the business of it is hard. But don’t let the rejections discourage you if you really want to write.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It came from Nora Roberts in a speech she made. To paraphrase—Two things: First, don’t wait for the muse to strike…there is no muse. It’s work. And two, treat writing like a job, eight hours a day. Otherwise, you won’t get it done.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Through a Glass Darkly” by Karleen Koen.

What’s next for you as a writer?
LOL. More writing. I want to finish four more novels in 2016.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Pretty difficult choice. Probably the following:

“Ashes in the Wind” by Kathleen Woodiwiss
“Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer
“Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

Author Websites and Profiles
Leslie Hachtel Website
Leslie Hachtel Amazon Profile

Leslie Hachtel’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
During 2015, I have published five (5) books so far. Two science fiction novels (in my own language, Swedish), a “How to”-book on writing, publishing and marketing books, my solo adventure game book Fantasy Dungeon and a re-print of a graphic novel.

I have also written a fantasy novel (Lisana: Dragon’s Den) and a photo book about a local church tower (over 300 years old!).

I don’t know exactly how many books I have written – but the above are published work. I might have written 20, 30 – maybe even a hundred books. Does movie scripts count – then I’m way over 100.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published book is the solo adventure/interactive fiction Fantasy Dungeon. It is the first in a series called Random Solo Adventure, which is a solo game system I’ve created. I wanted to do something that is fun, entertaining – but also simple and quick, and has a nice re-play value.

My inspiration of course comes from the 1982 Fighting Fantasy game book The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. I got that as a Christmas gift about 30 years ago – and now I finally published my first, own, solo game book. It meant a lot to me to recieve that gift, and I remember playing it for weeks, months!

I still own that book. I have the original one I recieved 30 years ago – and a “backup” I bought on eBay a few years back, plus a few others.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure if they’re “unusual”, but I usually sit down and write when I’ve read something from someone else, or in the news. Anything can spark my imagination and to get my brain to stop spinning around these crazy ideas, I sit down and write it up.

Sometimes those ideas are just pages that are saved, and then never used. But sometimes another idea pops up, and then I mix it with something I wrote before.

I love to write at night, but I can write any time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
1984 (George Orwell), game books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone but actually mostly comics and movies. I take great inspiration from films like ROBOCOP (1987) and MAD MAX (1979), but also from graphic novels as HATE! (Peter Bagge) and the Hernandez’ LOVE & ROCKETS.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on four books:
The second Random Solo Adventure – this time Post Apocalypse, and the third in the Swedish science fiction series ATOMKRIG 1981 (“Nuclear War 1981”) and also an English language science fiction novel, currently called NUKED! (That title might change though.)

The fourth book is first in a Swedish fantasy/monster series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a Twitter a lot. I like the flow, and I like the fans. I like how casual it is, but at the same time business like. And I like how nice the people I follow and follow me, are. It’s a nice community.

Since I also write in Swedish I have a few Swedish sites I visit as well, but my own website, PenguinComics.com, is by far my most important tool.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes – don’t stop writing!
It doesn’t matter if you think what you’re writing sucks, or if it’s filled with typos or if you don’t know the exact, proper word. Just WRITE IT!

You can change everything later, find the right words and spelling later. Don’t worry about it!

Most new writers are too scared to do something wrong. I’ll let you in on a secret: there’s nothing that’s wrong. If you want it to be like that – then it should be like that.

That said, try to make it as perfect as possible. That’s difficult when it comes to self-publishing, but it does help. You have an enormous pile of tutorials and people who can and will help you on the ‘net – just ask. Or google.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That everyone is 12 years old. I think it was Akiva Goldsman who said that. It means that when you’re scared, maybe because you think you’re not good enough, or everyone looks down on you – remember that everyone else are scared too. Find your confidence – everyone has it. You just have to search for it a little…

What are you reading now?
Currently I’m mostly reading news, since so much stuff are happening. But I’m also trying to dig in on some older game books.

I really enjoy the 80’s game books and even rule books for role playing games. Illustrations are cool, the texts are graphic and descriptive. It was just another era. Cool stuff!

What’s next for you as a writer?
Pushing myself harder to make better books, and keep doing more books in my series. I hope to get more acquainted with my fans so I know what they want – and don’t want.

I also want to go more interactive, try to turn more of my books and comics into apps and interactive PDF-files.

Also, of course, I want to explore the graphic novel business a bit more, but I need to complete a screenplay first, so all else will have to wait.

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?
Probably Art Spiegelman’s MAUS, Orwell’s 1984, Let Us C by Yashavant Kanetkar and a notebook.

Author Websites and Profiles
J. Pingo Lindstrom Website
J. Pingo Lindstrom Amazon Profile

J. Pingo Lindstrom’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Jennifer Renson, the author of one young adult book (Carousel) and three poetry books (Delightfully Dark: A Collection of Poems and Tales, Eo: Go, walk, ride, sail, pass, travel, and Uncharted) so far.
Writing is my passion and I hope to one day make writing my full time career. I participate in Open Mic events throughout New Jersey, attend book signings, and when I am not writing poetry/books freelance write for Lost Treasure Magazine covering a variety of topics from Captain Kidd, Cesare Borgia, King Arthur and Richard III.

I’ve had the honor and liberty to meet well known actor and photographer Norman Reedus, the talented Michael Rooker, and the creative minds behind The Lego Movie Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Not only have I been a extra in Chris Rockwell and The Stickball Social Club’s music video “We Don’t Play To Win” but I’ve been featured in Monmouth University’s Monmouth Magazine and have been on internet radio including 40footholestudio.

I adore books, writing, poetry and all of it’s forms, yes including well written and creative movies such as films from Marvel, DC, and historical dramas.

I hope to inspire the world with my works and if they make just one person smile, make one day bright, make just bit more of happiness, I feel accomplished!

“There is no apology for passion.” –Jennifer Renson

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Carousel was released in August 2015 through Propel, the young adult division of Pulse. Carousel was a experiment for me in the sense I never wrote anything quite like it before. My stories tend to stay in the young adult realm but never to the degree of mixing whimsical and scary.

I wanted to see if I could write a story that, well, someone like Tim Burton would write. It takes themes from fairy tales with suspense and thrills to keep the readers guessing at every chapter.

Carousels, being my favorite ride as a child, remind me of times of innocence and wonder, becoming this centerfold in a alternative Lucca, Italy that brings together several characters while tearing others apart.

In short:
After living in the countryside for years, Princio returns to his homeland, the tiny yet prosperous Kingdom of Lucca, upon the orders of his dying grandfather. Living alone in the annexed building next to the palace, Princio is discovered by the kingdom’s chief doll maker, Feletti, who purposely withholds his knowledge of Princio’s past in order to gain his trust and friendship. Princio believes Feletti to be a true friend until he meets Marian, a girl with a penchant for cooking and a natural curiosity, and their chance meeting in the kingdom’s carousel sets off a series of events with the potential to change everything. As Princio, Marian, and Feletti’s dark secrets begin to unfurl, their lives slowly come to light –

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’ve kept several pieces of scrap paper on me at all times since high school because creativity has no schedule and some of my most profound and brilliant ideas have happened at the most inconvenient times. I tend to write story notes in black ink and my poetry in blue ink.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been influenced by several books and writers, especially works written during and about the Victorian Era. The stories are beyond creative and fascinate me to this day! To name a few poets/writers who have influenced me: J.R.R Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Malory, T.S Elliot, and the artist Winsor McCay.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am making the final edits to the prequel to Carousel, titled The Cottontail. This story takes readers into the palace, introducing two new characters, and giving the villain Feletti some backstory as to how his doll making skills came to be. Aside from that I continuing my poetry, hoping to write a fourth book of poetry in the coming years.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My best method to promoting my books is being persistent and doing as much as I physically can which includes using social media sites, spreading the news to friends, and attending events where I can share my works.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you want to write, write. Write what you want. Write as much as you can. Do what you love.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Be kind. Be on time. Take the work seriously. Don’t take yourself too seriously.” Tom Hiddleston

What are you reading now?
Currently I am reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Upon finishing it I plan to read The Man in the Iron Mask.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As I am working on several more stories I am searching for a literary agent. I plan to attend several conventions in 2016 including Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, Wizard World San Diego Comic Con (which will be my first time there) and Wizard World Boston Comic Con. I have some more interviews coming up and I look forward to seeing where all of this goes. I am keeping very high hopes that I can achieve my dreams and cannot wait to see where 2016 takes me!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. The Life of Cesare Borgia
3. The Hobbit
4. Le Morte de Arthur

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

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Drew Lindsay is a dynamic Australian Novelist and Writer. I have travelled extensively throughout Australia and the world. My background includes working as a Policeman and detective, then managing my own private investigation business as well as working in Fraud Investigation Management positions within the insurance industry.

I am a PADI Divemaster and holds a private pilot’s license. I have a great love of entertaining others with my vivid imagination. My novels allow the reader to escape into worlds of romance, excitement, humour and fast paced adventure. I live in Sydney with his wife.

Drew has written 25 novels in the popular Ben Hood thirller series and continues to create the Ben Hood novels together with short stories and occasional non-fiction.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Inheritance. What inspired me to write this book is that my father, David Morrison Lindsay, passed away at the grand age of 97 while I was writing this book. He took a great interest in my writing and it is only fitting that I dedicate this 25th novel to his memory…with my love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can only write in the afternoon with a glass of wine beside me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

What are you working on now?
Ben Hood thriller number 26 called “Breakdown”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Smashwords, Amazon, Apple iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up!!!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing and don’t ever stop.

What are you reading now?
I rarely read books these days, too busy writing my own books.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep pushing more books out until I run out of ideas.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Princess and the Goblin
2. Treasure Island
3. Anything by Woody Allen
4. Anything by Tom Sharpe

Author Websites and Profiles
Drew Lindsay Website
Drew Lindsay Amazon Profile
Drew Lindsay Author Profile on Smashwords

Drew Lindsay’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a British writer and blogger and I have written 1 book in a series I am writing called SHINE. My second book ‘When Everyone Shines INCLUDING You’ is due for release in Spring 2016. I write to heal and receive answers from the wisdom within and share this with those who may be going through challenging times.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘When Everyone Shines But You’ was inspired by a dark time in my life. I was depressed, anxious and felt very hopeless. My mind was telling me I was a useless failure and I had a small feeling inside that doubted this was true. So after trawling book shops looking for answers I sat at my keyboard one day, I gazed out of the window and asked the Universe what I needed to know. And the book flowed out of my fingertips. I wanted to feel enough as I am and I wanted others to feel the same way too.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I gaze out of windows and look at nature. Nature often inspires me for the words that reflect what is needed. I also call on my inspirers in spirit and the angels to come down and fill me with their energy and I open my heart so I am able to hear it speak. Also a lovely coffee gets the brain cells functioning more clearly.

What I have noticed, is that life gives me challenges so I am able to write about them when in the moment of the challenge. So my writing has a quality of ‘realness’. I have been told countless times now ‘How did you get into my head Kelly?’ because the words reach those places where people feel hurt and scared and they bring relief.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Byron Katie, Brene Brown and Tara Bach are great inspirations to me, along with Eckhart Tolle. I love books that are real, mean something and reach peoples hearts. I prefer books that do not give extensive exercises to follow, books that touch me from the moment I open the book.

What are you working on now?
I am nearly finished the first draft of the second in my Shine Series books called ‘When Everyone Shines INCLUDING You’. It is for those who have begun to feel less invisible, are able more to practice being present and mindful, but still need answers on how to take centre stage in their lives.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find twitter is really good, which surprised me as its whizzing by at ninety miles an hour most days, but I have a good following and I share inspiration too, so people receive free insights and this supports them so they take a look at my book. I also like Facebook now I have finally got to grips with how to get my page seen.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from the heart. Write for yourself. Don’t write for the audience. What do you need to let loose onto the page right now? What is inside you bursting to get out. And write for the sake of writing – not to be a famous author.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
‘It’s okay to make mistakes’ and ‘you don’t need to be perfect to teach’.

What are you reading now?
I am re-reading EARTH by Barbara Marcianak

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am going to get my first book republished by a professional publishing company, finish my second book and let the universe take it out to those who need to read it and who knows… one step at a 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?
Eckhart Tolle – The Power of Now
The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
And a couple of books by Osho or Rumi, I would need to ponder that more.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kelly Martin Website
Kelly Martin Amazon Profile
Kelly Martin Author Profile on Smashwords

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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a formerly young, vital, active, intelligent male who wandered from the mainstream and found the backwaters more interesting. Poe had his Gold Bug. I was bitten by the genealogy bug early on, in my twenties. It caused me to haunt research libraries whose usual traffic consisted of two-legged relics close in age to the tomes they sought. I was a curiosity among them. The months of genealogical and historical research turned into years which turned into decades. Collected data seems to spawn a life of its own, and the subject characters of my research began taking form in my head. The story of Longshot grew from that experience. My debut novel is Longshot In Missouri. So much for fiction. By the way, I DID say FORMERLY. You read that, right? The Formerly?

I also have published one non-fiction book to date, a self help manual for those wanting to buy a handgun, but know nothing about it. It is concise, short, being only forty some odd pages. It is creatively titled “The Beginner’s Guide to Your First Handgun.” People seem to like it. I know I do – I’ve read it twice already and I may keep on going. Then again, I may not.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Inspiration for Longshot In Missouri is mostly rooted in the real lives of people who lived during the US Civil War years and whose lives were revealed to me from my own historical and genealogical research, The series’ hero, Rob Finn (Longshot) is an exaggerated reflection of my own great-great grandfather, a man who actually lived in Darien and Delavan, Wisconsin, enlisted in the Union Army when he was 42 years old, and returned a changed man. He really was from Ireland, really was a farmer, had children, became a widower and suffered through numerous of the tales in the books.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmmmm. How would I know? The question implies there’s a chance that all don’t write at odd hours in man cave offices in basements. Or that not everyone is a disorganized Oscar Madison type who hoards his 40 years of research notes in piles. But I would not know. Those things seem pretty usual to me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of them that I’ve read so far. Sorry. I found that amusing. You probably don’t. It also happens to be true. EEEK! How awkward! Oh hell. Now what?

What are you working on now?
The next book in the Longshot series titled Longshot Into the West (which is nearly done), and a successor to it. Also a soft Sci-fi novel and a growing up in the ’60s coming-of-age series. Maybe that second thing is what you call YA?

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I suck at this and so, happily, am trying to work with a personal assistant who understands and excels at social media. I hope to sell more books so I can pay her more and afford more of her time to do this part of the process. Did I mention that my light does not seem to shine in the morass of social media?

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Seek professional help – it may not be too late for you to avoid this self-torture. Seek professional help anyway.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t read the question above this one or the answer to it.

What are you reading now?
Aside from my email from Monica Haynes (my assistant), I’m reading 1929 by ML Gardner.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More of the same. Write. Publish. Sleep. Read. Repeat. Perhaps increase the sleep parts.

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?
What?! No naked native girls?! What kind of books are you suggesting? Do boxed sets count as one book? Which desert island. Gilligan’s? Dubai? Will there be margaritas? Mojitos? I can’t possibly answer this one without more information. Sorry.

Author Websites and Profiles
Keith R. Baker Website
Keith R. Baker Amazon Profile

Keith R. Baker’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have just started to write books. I have a lot of experience in healthcare and my own interest in alternative health. I include this in my writing and write a lot about personal experiences which involve mystical experiences, adventures and romance!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Barcelona, City of Magic.
It is a personal story of a time I had in Barcelona a few years ago in which I had a real adventure and met some great people, including a beautiful Spanish girl!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write whenever I feel inspired so that can be almost anywhere!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Paulo Cohelo, James Redfield, Marianne Williamson

What are you working on now?
Atheism in Drug Addicition

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going..

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
enjoy what you do..

What are you reading now?
George Best autobiography

Author Websites and Profiles
Frank Ramsay Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in London, England, but I’ve lived in France for almost ten years. I’ve had various jobs from office work to being a police officer. I’m a wife and a mom of two great kids. I’m a lover of books, animals, music, food, baking, chocolate, the gym, and did I say chocolate?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been lucky enough to have time to let my creativity flow! I’ve always loved writing stories. I’ve written many short stories, poems, and four other complete novels, but Eternal Souls is the first novel I’ve published.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Eternal Souls, A Shadow Creek Novel is the first book of the Shadow Creek Series. I fell in love with the Paranormal Romance genre after a friend introduced me to the Twilight Saga. I know…I know…but I loved it and still do! After that, I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. When I decided to take my writing more seriously, it felt natural to write what I love.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to write in sequence. Chapter one through to the end. I also feel more inspired when listening to music, so I normally set up a playlist of songs that fit with the story. It can be a really powerful tool. Also, chocolate really helps!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I would say, Lara Adrian, Nalini Singh, and J R Ward are my most favorite authors who really rock the PNR genre for me. But I honestly love so many in both YA and Adult. Among my other favorites is J K Rowling and J R R Tolkein.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Book two of the Shadow Pack Series. I’m loving the direction the story is moving in and how the old and new characters are developing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media, twitter, you tube. I’m still discovering ways and blogs/sites to help promote my book!

Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give as a new author myself is paying close attention to the editing! One thing I’ve learned is that you need beta readers and proofreaders. It took me twice as long to edit my book because I didn’t have either. In the end I had to pay a professional to help me, but it was worth it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
― Robert Frost

I love this quote, it speaks for itself. I also found Sol Stein’s book, Solutions for Novelists a great guide and reference.

What are you reading now?
Boook 13, The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood series) by J R Ward.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Right now, to continue with the Shadow Creek Series and building my 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?
Ooo, that’s really tough! I’d pick a new series or the next books in a series I hadn’t already read by two of my favorite authors. Or maybe I’d just take some notebooks and a few pens, is that allowed? I’d have so much quiet time to write!

Author Websites and Profiles
J C Rimell Website
J C Rimell Amazon Profile

J C Rimell’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
It can be hard to win an award when you have four plus siblings in the same class trying for the same thing!

Tara comes from a family of twelve children and they all learned the same things at about the same time. It was up to each of them to make the most of the knowledge they had. They all did 4-H, they all raised sheep, and they all wanted to win.

Tara won senior sheep showmanship in 2010 beating her older brothers and the next year her little brother came in and beat her. Tara says, “It can be tough competing against your siblings, but it motivated us all to work harder”

Tara won a total of six showmanship classes in sheep, six in poultry, three in swine, three in market goat, three in dog, and two in horse. She also won twice in Large Animal Master Showmanship and twice in Small Animal Master Showmanship. In her entire show career, she has won a total of 27 showmanship classes.

Today she is a 4-H co-resource leader, swine project leader, poultry avian bowl coach; and she still trains and shows livestock. Tara loves to teach, write, and work with youth. She has only written one book so far. She is nineteen years old and wants to spend the rest of her life writing books and working with livestock.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Show Your Way to the Top – inspired by the Self Publishing Success Summit

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Getting up early to write even though I am NOT a morning person!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Chandler Bolt, Jeff Goins

What are you working on now?
Swine Showmanship book!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Reaching out one on one

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Share your book with EVERYONE! All of your friends should get an advanced copy so that they can leave you a review on launch day. Reviews are your best friend, get as many as you can!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“When is the best time to plant a tree? 25 years ago when you should have planted that tree. When is the 2nd best time to plant a tree? Today.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing more books…

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, Let me be weak, The Mystery of History

Author Websites and Profiles
Tara Jayne Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m yet another refugee from the corporate world, spending a good many years as an accountant and banker before deciding to write full-time. I have a bachelor’s degree in History and an MBA, and my writing is a great way to indulge my passion for reading and research. Publishing as an indie author provides an outlet for my entrepreneurial side as well.

I’ve written two books so far, part of an eventual five-book series.

Christina lives in a semi truck full time, traveling the United States with her truck driver husband and two cats, Phoenix and Nashville.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Valley of the Shadow is coming out in January 2016. It follows Rise of the Storm in the Desolate Empire series, historical fantasy based on the Thirty Years War (1618-48) and the Protestant Reformation.

The initial inspiration for the series came decades ago when I visited Heidelberg Castle as a teenager visiting family in Germany. I was very taken by the tragic, yet romantic tale of the ill-fated Elector Frederick V and his glamorous wife, Elizabeth Stuart, the unwitting instigators of the Thirty Years War. For a long time, I considered telling the story in historical novel form, but the conflict as a whole is confusing and unwieldy. A few years ago, I decided it might be easier (Ha!) to tell as fantasy. I could simplify, dramatize, and squeeze in the Reformation to boot.

It’s been far more challenging than I ever could have imagined, but also a lot of fun.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My whole life is a bit unusual. My husband is a semi-truck driver and I ride with him full-time. I literally write all of my books while sitting in the passenger seat. I could be anywhere in the lower 48 states at any given time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been a fan of the sweeping epic, ever since my grandfather introduced me to the Iliad at about age ten. When I gobbled that up, he recommended War and Peace, which remains my favorite book of all time. I also adore the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Dune series, Song of Ice and Fire, and all manner of long-winded fantasy.

What are you working on now?
I’m almost halfway through writing Hammer of the Gods, the third book in the Desolate Empire series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, I haven’t done too much promotion. I’m trying out a few promo sites as I prepare to launch Valley of the Shadow, but I’m concentrating on writing and getting a few more books out before I spend much time or money promoting.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find a support network of other writers. My writing really took off once I joined a few online groups. I’ve been active in the writingchallenge.org group on Twitter as well as the Weekend Writing Warriors blog hop. When you’re feeling down about your writing, or generally unmotivated, having a group of people who inspire and support you is invaluable.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Writing is not just an art, but also a craft you can learn. I read that at the beginning of one of James Scott Bell’s books and it opened my eyes. Until then, I’d been resistant to writing fiction-even though I badly wanted to- because I worried I didn’t have enough talent. I have a background in classical piano, and realizing that you can learn writing technique just like any other artistic technique really changed my life. I love learning and love practicing and realized I could develop whatever talent I had that way. I didn’t have to be born a genius.

What are you reading now?
Two radically contrasting novels: Vlad- The Last Confession, by C.C. Humphreys and Nice Dragons Finish Last, by Rachel Aaron. The first is depressingly dark while the latter is light and clever, and I’m enjoying each of them very much. I’m also admiring the stellar craft of both authors.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to round out the Desolate Empire at 5 books, then dive into a shorter spin-off series, giving similar historical fantasy treatment to the English Civil War. The more I research, the more possibilities I see, so if I want to keep doing this for the rest of my life, I’m in no danger of running out of subject material.

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 definitely have to bring War and Peace, since i like reading it every few years. Would it be cheating to bring the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well? I like re-reading that fairly often too. Let’s just say I’d be very unhappy on a desert island without a library!

Author Websites and Profiles
Christina Ochs Website
Christina Ochs Amazon Profile

Christina Ochs’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an avid reader. I just love to read. As a result, I began writing and now have two published books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Staking A Claim. I was inspired by living in Alaska for almost thirty years.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My dogs help me write. One on my lap, one by my feet and the third behind me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is a tough one because I like a lot of authors. Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Jude Deveraux…gosh this list could go on forever.

What are you working on now?
My current work in progress is a historical western set in the 1850’s. She’s a mail order bride. So far it’s been fun researching the time period.

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

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write whenever you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Learn from critique. They aren’t fun to hear but can be helpful.

What are you reading now?
Nora Roberts – The Next Always

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to keep writing.

Author Websites and Profiles
Devon McKay Website
Devon McKay Amazon Profile
Devon McKay’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
L Rita grew up in Chicago, and now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She has always been a writer, even before she could read. She created stories to go along with the Sunday comics. As she grew, she spent many hours entertaining the neighborhood kids with her fantasies
.
Part of her lives in a fantasy world where she enjoys reading and writing romances. Romances always have happy endings, which satisfies her optimistic soul. Add a mystical touch, a bit of danger, and you have the makings of a good read.

She invites you to her world, and hopes you’ll enjoy your stay.

Blue Diamond Love is her debut novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Blue Diamond Love is my debut novel, inspire by love for the romance genre.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write late at night while listening to smooth jazz.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors are Robert Heinlein, Charles Dickens, Beverly Jenkins, and Jane Austin.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to Blue Diamond Love entitled Love Songs In Blue.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Websites like Awesomegang can put your book in front of thousands of readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write everyday. Never give up.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This may not be advice but I love this quote from Thomas Berger: Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.

What are you reading now?
Maid For Love by Marie Force

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing the next two books in the Love Blues trilogy: Love Songs In Blue And Midnight And Lilies

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?
Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Author Websites and Profiles
L Rita St. Claire Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Mum to two boys, Gamer, and a Young Adult author. I’ve written three books in a series. The series title is Chronicles of the Interred, Interred, Fissure and Alternate which will be published 12/25/2015.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Chronicles of the Interred series follows the life changing events in the life of Baxter Jacobs. Soon before turning sixteen, a mystery relative from England arrived in Vermont with a family heirloom, which in turned changed Baxter’s life forever. Now she’s on the run, trying to dodge the people trying to kill her as she tries to control her abilities to Bend and Travel through Time.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I do however find inspiration whilst doing chores around the house. So I have learned to keep notepads and pens in every room of the house.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot, but I think the authors that I read when I was younger have had the biggest impact. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell. Also Suzanne Collins and JK Rowling.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a New Adult Romance story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth has been the best tool.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write every day and read different books.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Nothing ventured nothing gained.

What are you reading now?
I just finished beta reading for Chris Ledbetter. The sequel to his debut novel, Drawn. It’s amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Releasing a New Adult book.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Outsiders, A book of Shakespeare’s complete Works, and Interview with the Vampire.

Author Websites and Profiles
Marilyn Almodovar Website
Marilyn Almodovar Amazon Profile

Marilyn Almodovar’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am married to Sally, and we live in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, having moved here about 7 years ago from England. Since moving, I have written two books, become a restaurant reviewer for our island newspaper, and do book reviews for a well known UK publishing house. I have also driven an old Mercedes 300SL convertible from England to my new home, using the experience to include in my first book, Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is entitled Prunes for Breakfast and narrates the WW2 story of my father from his enlistment in 1940 to his release from a German Prisoner of War camp in 1945, via capture in Normandy. The book tells his story partly through the usage of his letters home to his wife and is therefore a realistic and real time chronicle of live during that period.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so! I just sit at the dining room table and pound it out on the computer once I have fleshed it out in my mind.

What are you working on now?
I have recently finished my second book and therefore I am heavily involved in promotion and marketing.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like to think that it is my own! you can see it at www.johnsearancke.com
However, my two biggest sales outlets have been Amazon and through my publisher, Troubador in the UK.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you think that you have a book in you, then go for it! BUT, make sure that you use a professional editor and proof reader or copy editor. There is nothing worse than picking up a book to read and finding it full of punctuation errors, grammatical mistakes or even worse.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself. If you don’t, nobody else will.

What are you reading now?
The latest Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child. I am also a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell and have read all of his historical novels bar one, which is awaiting me back in England for Christmas.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My third book, if my wife does not divorce me first!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I think that I would go for some old classics – which are very long – such as War & Peace. I do like Stendhal’s Scarlet & Black and The Charterhouse of Parma.

Author Websites and Profiles
John Searancke Website
John Searancke Amazon Profile

John Searancke’s Social Media Links
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