Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an award-winning entrepreneur who day-dreams up new plots while walking through the Andalusian countryside with my springer spaniel, Dexter. The Grotto’s Secret, is my début novel after two best-selling business books, Create A Successful Website and Pimp My Site.

My life-long dream to be a novelist has come true thirty-five years after I first decided I would be one. Harbouring a near-obsessive love of learning the craft of writing, I have been scribbling down the stories in my head ever since I can remember.

At the age of eighteen I used my first South African pay-check from the Natal Mercury to buy a long distance writing course. Many years later I received an ‘Honourable Mention’ in the 75th Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition for two novels (written and not yet published), which inspired me to continue writing.

I’ve written 6 books: How to Create a Successful Website, Pimp My Site, Pimp My Fiction, 101 Writers’ Scene Settings, A-Z Writers’ Character Quirks and The Grotto’s Secret.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Grotto’s Secret

Moving to Spain fulfilled my lifelong dream to write novels. During the hunt for our new home in rural Andalusia, my husband and I found a tranquil home with stunning views down the Valle del Guadalhorce towards Malaga and Marbella.

Apart from a white-washed village in the far distance, the valley is lush with green wheat fields and rolling hills, shadowed by layer upon layer of distant mountains. The magnificent Sierra del Torcal towers over the back of the house. My first sight of the Guadalhorce Valley gave birth to the fictional location of The Grotto’s Secret.

As I gazed at the stunning view, a medieval character just popped into my head and I could see her in that landscape. She was so real and had a story to tell.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write alone with peace and tranquillity and thought I couldn’t write any other way, but during a recent building renovation I discovered I could write anywhere, even with banging and bashing going on around me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many it is hard to even know where to begin! I love the old classical authors and started out reading Enid’s Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. They probably gave me a taste for adventure and thrilling mystery. Over the years I have read different genres but as I love reading thrillers and action adventure, I started writing in that genre.

What are you working on now?
The follow-up books to The Grotto’s Secret: The The Sacred Symbol & The Lunar Legacy with another two in the series being plotted and planned. So many books and so little time!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook, Twitter, ebook/book sites, free book days on Amazon, and I have a VIP emailing list for readers to get notified about my new books: http://eepurl.com/byjPVT

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never, never give up your quest to be an author. Read books in your genre to learn from the greats and devour as many writing books as you can. New writers may find my FREE book a help: http://amzn.to/22hGDl9

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To keep writing. Many agents told me this even though they rejected my books. I also won a ‘Honourable Mention’ in the Writers Digest Writing Competition many years ago and they also said to keep writing. That really inspired me to continue my dream to be a novelist.

What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished a book by Graham Brown and another by Boyd Morrison. I have Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Simon Toyne, James Rollins, JF Penn and Dean Crawford all waiting to be read! Phew … who has time to write when there is so much great reading to be done.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish The Grotto’s Secret sequel and then start the next. Already I have readers telling me they want more. How exciting!

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 Power of One’ by Bryce Courtney as well as anything by Dean Koontz, and Glenn Cooper. And Simon Toyne’s ‘Sanctus’, although that will not allow me to sleep on that desert island! (If I could take my childhood favourites I would sneak in the entire Famous Five!)

Author Websites and Profiles
Paula Wynne Website
Paula Wynne Amazon Profile

Paula Wynne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a writer from London, soon moving to New York to sit in cafes, stare at my Mac and tell attractive ladies in my vicinity that I’m writing a beautiful novel. Though the screen will be blank.

I have only one published ebook at the moment, a parody.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and latest book is titled “The Short, Sweet, and Sexually Exhilarating Guide to Success”. I have read a few self-help books in my time, and I found myself irritated by the naive optimism in many of them. It seemed like the perfect genre to have some light-hearted fun .

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write my first drafts on a typewriter. It’s not that unusual since it’s how writers used to do their whole books. I love that it’s a tool designed only for writing. It means I’m less likely to get distracted.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
For the book above, Machiavelli, Sun Tsu, Roberte Greene, a bunch of self-help books I can’t remember.

For literary fiction – Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Roberto Bolano, Cervantes, Hubert Selby Jr, J.D Salinger, Jack Keroauc,David Foster Wallace, Salman Rushdie, John Kennedy Toole, J.G. Ballard, Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Albert Camus, Celine, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Roald Dahl.

For Poetry – Rumi, Hafiz, William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

And countless others I can’t remember at the moment.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel. That’s all you get, the rest is a secret. Plus I maintain my travel/poetry blog – poetslovetravel.com

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I travel a lot and nothing has worked better than being friendly and telling the people I meet about my book.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Advice for new authors? Don’t I have enough competition without revealing what little I know to new competitors? My advice would be to quit now and get some type of soul crushing real job, there are enough books in the world. Oh, and buy my book.

Seriously, the best advice I can give is to floss every day. It’s hard to write when you have a toothache. As to writing advice – there are many paths to Rome, just keep writing.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Floss daily.

What are you reading now?
The complete works of William Blake. And the New Testament of the Bible (for research rather than religious purposes).

What’s next for you as a writer?
New novel should be ready in about one year.

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 have one comprehensive book on how to survive on a desert island. One book on how to build a boat from material one can find on a desert island. The complete works of Rumi. 100 Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez.

Author Websites and Profiles
Brent Sayder Website
Brent Sayder Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Nicholas holds a B.A. in Rhetoric from U.C. Berkeley.  He has written numerous essays for the major, as well as for scientific research for his Ecology degree.  After graduating, he took up writing fiction, and he has written over 50 short stories and a novel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Passion of Jazz and Other Short Stories. It was inspired by various experiences I have had in finding beauty and love in unexpected places. The title story was inspired by all the jazz and classical music I have played in my life.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I find inspiration from a range of ideas. It can be unusual to be inspired by just a word or phrase I have heard, or an idea I think of in passing.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love John Steinbeck’s writing, as well as Thornton Wilder’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

What are you working on now?
I am working on finding a publisher for my latest novel, A Character in Reality, about a fictional character who gains consciousness and steps out of the pages of a novel into the real world.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use my own website, www.nicholasbridgman.com, to promote my books, as well as social media, including Goodreads, Facebook, Amazon, and Smashwords.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I would advise them to write a lot of stories, get all their ideas down on paper. Not every story they write will be great, but the practice will not be wasted. Eventually they will see improvements and some of their stories will become great.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Some of the best advice I have heard is that life is long and we will have the opportunity to develop everything we want to develop if we are patient.

What are you reading now?
I am reading A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Next up is publishing and marketing my novel, A Character in Reality.

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 Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nicholas Bridgman Website
Nicholas Bridgman Amazon Profile
Nicholas Bridgman Author Profile on Smashwords

Nicholas Bridgman’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Bailey. I’m from Atlanta but I currently live in Detroit. I was born in ’93. I have a puppy and a hedgehog. I love coffee, cupcakes, screamo music, and movies with Leonardo DiCaprio or River P

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest (and only) book out now is called The Extent of Logic, and it’s a contemporary romance. It was inspired by a dream I had -I think- which turned out to be chapter 5, then I built a bigger story around it.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I listen to music with lyrics while I write. Apparently that’s a no no, because you get caught up in the voice of the song when you should be developing your own voice in your writing instead. I think it helps me get into character and gives the entire novel the same feel, and it’s really not that hard to tune out.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was a kid I LOVED anything by Vivian Vande Velde and Neal Shusterman. JK Rowling and Darren Shan were big ones too.

What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m in the middle of writing my second novel, which is a historical coming of age story with a little bit of romance. I’m about 60 pages in, so I still have a bit to go on that one. I’m also thinking of a new story concept that’s going to be a series, but that’s still in the planning stage.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, I’m still new myself, so I don’t know if I’m qualified to be giving out advice… But from what I’ve gathered so far, I’d say this. When you’re writing, don’t think anyone will read it. When you’re editing, pick apart ANYTHING that someone would criticize (or that you’d criticize in someone else’s work). Don’t be lazy or cut corners, it’ll show. Writers have to be their own #1 cheerleader, their own worst critic, and somehow NOT develop split-personality disorder. Good luck, kids.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There’s an audience that will like/appreciate any book, you just have to find them. If you’re getting rejected/ negative feedback, you’re just not appealing to the right people.

What are you reading now?
I’m rereading Catcher in the Rye. I LOVE Holden’s stream-of-conscious.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m doing more promos, trying to build more of an audience, that sort of thing. I’m also trying to finish my second novel ASAP and get started on the series after that so I can have more books available to add a little diversity to appeal to more 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?
OMG…. There’s too many to choose from… It’s an impossible decision… But F Scott Fitzgerald would probably make an appearance.

Author Websites and Profiles
Bailey Rothermel Amazon Profile

Bailey Rothermel’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up wanting to write! From an early age, my mother would find me tucked away somewhere telling stories to myself. A Solitary Romance is my debut romance novel and the first in my Only Love Series. A Lone Star Romance will be released soon and my third book, A Calculated Romance, is almost complete. I write clean romances that will still make a reader’s pulse race.

I’m married with two young children and a dog. I enjoy the arts, vintage costume jewelry, and travel.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A Solitary Romance is my first book and the start of the Only Love Series. Out of college, I began a career in the fast-paced business world of Los Angeles. I draw on my professional experiences as well as my time spent working at a major auction house when penning my novels. I love the arts, jewelry, and travel, all of which influence my writing.

My early career and love of jewelry inspired A Solitary Romance. Some of the events in the book are true, while I’ve taken creative license with others. I based the relationship between Katrina and Kiki on the real-life friendship between myself and a close friend that’s lasted almost 30 years. The dressing room scene with the red dress actually took place!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I would write 24 hours a day, if possible. A small event will spark my imagination and I’m off, penning the story line by the seat of my pants. At some point, I do outline the remainder of the novel, just to make sure I stay on track. I like to print out a hard copy of my book to review for rewrites.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the Brontës, Jane Austin, and Dickens. I enjoy the contemporary author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

What are you working on now?
I am currently penning book three in the Only Love Series, the story of Katrina’s brother James and Ireland Lincoln. Also, I am making my editor’s changes to A Lone Star Romance which will be released soon.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I still haven’t found that unicorn! I usually employ various websites and social media platforms when promoting my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t rush to publish and be sure you have several sets of eyes reviewing your work. After rewrites, I employ two computer programs to check for spelling and grammar mistakes before I send my work off to a real, live editor.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s hard to pick just one piece of advice. “Everything looks better in the morning,” and “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7),” come to mind.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading The Austrian by Ellie Midwood, Horse Soldiers (non-fiction) by Doug Stanton, and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have another romance bouncing around in my head, the story of Peg who is introduced in A Lone Star Romance.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible (for spiritual insights and inspiration), Coming Out of the Ice: An Unexpected Life by Victor Herman (an incredible true story of the survival of an American in the Stalin-era Soviet prison system and one of my favorite non-fiction books), Wuthering Heights (for its wonderful characters and dark drama), and The Pickwick Papers by Dickens(for its humor).

Author Websites and Profiles
Violet Sparks Website
Violet Sparks Amazon Profile

Violet Sparks’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
“I love boxing. I love Hallmark movies. I love fishing. I love scrapbooking. Nope, I’ve never fit into the boxes people have wanted to put me in.” ~Robin Caroll is definitely a contradiction, but one that beckons you to get to know her better.

Robin’s passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others and come alongside them on their faith journey—aspects Robin weaves into each of her 26 published novels.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends quality time with her husband of twenty-six years, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home.

Robin gives back to the writing community by serving as Executive Director/Conference Director for ACFW. Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, Bookseller’s Best, and Book of the Year.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Christmas Bell Tolls….so many readers had finished the Justice Seekers series and wanted to know more about some of the secondary characters, mainly Darren and his sweet little girl. I wrote Darren’s story to let readers know what happened after Strand of Deception.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a binge eater while writing…I want Chipolte burritos for lunch every day, sweet tea, and I love Tom’s Hot Fries and dark chocolate.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
THE STAND by Stephen King really influenced my desire to write the truth of good vs evil. I’m influenced by my early childhood addiction to Trixie Belden, followed by my love of great stories by Mary Higgins Clark.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing an action/adventure, romantic suspense. LOL Think National Treasure style. Two recovery specialists….one treasure map…a wild ride of a race against each other, and time.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like readers to sign up for my newsletter from my personal website: www.robincaroll.com. I post new news and contest information there first.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! This industry isn’t for the fainthearted, but it is so rewarding. Learn the skills and hone your craft, then write the best book you can.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The publishing industry, overall, is a hurry up and wait industry.” I’ve actually found this to be very true.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading an upcoming novel by Colleen Coble entitled Twilight at Blueberry Barrens

What’s next for you as a writer?
My deadline to turn in this latest novel is in July….after that, I’ll gear up for the ACFW Writer’s Conference in August in Nashville.

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, The Stand, and a blank book to use as a journal because I can’t stop journaling!

Author Websites and Profiles
Robin Caroll Website
Robin Caroll Amazon Profile

Robin Caroll’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I didn’t do the college thing until my late twenties but I finally graduated from the University of West Georgia in 2009 with a degree in interior design. That was a time when interior design was not a career you wanted to be in because the housing market was in such bad shape. I worked my way through an internship to gain experience and went on to work as a freelancer for a few years until I found a permanent position with an architectural firm. I made partner and spent a long time trying to succeed at a job I found I didn’t love, while still trying to find time to write. When I suddenly found myself jobless, it was a relief. I finally had the time and resources to actually finish my book! I still work as a part time designer, but I also make my living through writing, editing and providing other services to indie authors. You can find me at Melissa@thewriterlab.com.
My first book, Emerge: The Awakening was released in April of 2015 and my second book in the series, Emerge: The Edge was released later that summer.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I made the decision to write the Emerge series before I actually had the idea. I’d just come off a very disappointing reading stint where heroines in YA were just not measuring up. Every time I picked up a book, I was disappointed with the way young women were represented. There was no balance. Girls were either whiny and weak without their male counterparts to hold them up or they were hard and jaded, leaving their love interests to trail along behind them as a liability. There was zero equality, and that is a subject I am passionate about. I was inspired to write a story that could fill that gap, something that could show young readers that it doesn’t have to be one way or the other—that men and women can be equally strong together. Once I started thinking about what I wanted my story to be, I decided early on that my characters would be young Immortals with cool powers and that their parents would have interesting histories. Over the years, Emerge has gone through many different phases and it’s light years away from my original draft, but those core elements have always remained the same.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is unusual, but I cannot write without music. I also can’t listen to anything that I could potentially sing along with if I ever expect to get anything done. Several years ago, I discovered Classical crossover music was my muse. The music is often contemporary played by a full orchestra or quartet, but sometimes it goes the other way, as classical music arranged to sound more like contemporary music. It’s upbeat and keeps me focused.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Books in general have heavily influenced my life. I don’t ever remember not having a book to read. I don’t know if I could pick just one or even ten favorites! I am most influenced by the fantasy genre. I love stories with incredible detail and complex plot. Quick, light reads aren’t really my thing. Sometimes, I just want to dive into a new world and get lost.

What are you working on now?
I am working on the next three Emerge books right now. I will soon publish Emerge: The Scholar, a fully illustrated character book as a companion to the series. This book will be free to subscribers and available in print on Amazon.com. But my main focus is on the next full length Emerge book to continue Allie’s story. I’ll be announcing the title and revealing the cover and release date soon. And my last Emerge project for this year will be another novella that will focus on Quinn’s story.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am constantly running free or 0.99 promotions on my books. As a new author with my debut series, my main goal is to increase my visibility to readers. I find when I have good visibility on Amazon, my books do quite well. So I do what I can to stay in the reader’s line of site. Promotions help me maintain a good sales rank and therefore increases my visibility. I also rely on good reviews and word of mouth. There is nothing more advantageous to an author than when readers tell their friends about the books they read.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Two things:
1.) Ask for help. Looking back over my own experience, I should have sought the advice of other writers and readers long before I finally did. Writing a book is like building a house. It takes a team of skilled individuals to create a set of construction documents and see it though from the foundation to placing the very last window. No one person can do it all. It’s the same with a book. It takes more than just one author with a good idea to tell a great story, and editing is the most vital part of that process. Educate yourself on what the editing process actually entails because it’s so much more than fixing typos and using correct grammar. It continually astounds me how many authors don’t realize that.
3.) Don’t listen to all the noise. This is a weird time in the world of publishing and everyone has an opinion about how and when authors should promote their books. Some of it is great advice, but take it all with a grain of salt. Keep your head down and write a good book because nothing else matters if your product isn’t the best it can be. Write a good book and all that other stuff will fall into place.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Relax! You’re never going to survive this if you can’t handle the criticism.”
That’s what my sister told me after I received my first really bad review. She predicted that the good reviews would by far outweigh the bad ones and I needed to come to terms with that. She was right, of course. I can look at the bad reviews and accept the criticism now knowing it will only make me stronger.

What are you reading now?
I am a staff reviewer for YABooksCentral.com, so I am always reading something new in the young adult genre. I just finished The Last Girl by Joe Hart and will soon start The Secret Daughter of the Tsar by Jennifer Laam (I’m a huge fan of historical fiction so I’m looking forward to this one). But I’m also extremely anxious to read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be continuing the Emerge series for quite some time, but I will also be working on a new series beginning late next year.

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 must have at least two Harry Potter books with me. I’d also want to have a classic, probably The Count of Monte Cristo, and at least one epic fantasy like The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett.

Author Websites and Profiles
Melissa Craven Website
Melissa Craven Amazon Profile

Melissa Craven’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a California Bay Area writer, author, filmmaker, and adventurer. Adventure is in my blood, and is embedded so deeply into my life that the writing and adventuring cannot be separated. I’ve explored shipwrecks, climbed icy peaks, camped out in torrential storms, backpacked Europe, rock climbed with world record holders, surfed up and down the California coast, learned french, explored ghost towns, and became a SCUBA Divemaster.

I having this saying that boring living equates to boring writing. I want to be the most adventurous writer because I believe that, in doing so, I will be able to write honestly about a myriad of places and subject matters.

I can’t separate the adventuring from writing because the two are seamlessly intertwined. To be able to write honestly requires curiosity and exploration.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Day One Was published in December of 2015. It’s about a couple who are shipwrecked on an island and have to learn how to survive the elements and the tension building between each other.

At its core, it is about identity and where the modern woman fits in. Can a woman be both nurturing and tough? Can she take on a leadership role and still keep her femininity? Often in literature, women are portrayed as an alpha female or as weak and submissive. I wanted a character who treads the line between the two.

So much of survival is about utility: find food, filter water, seek shelter. I wanted to explore what that looks like for a woman. We often have a knack for making things beautiful and tend to look at the world through the eyes of beauty and not mere utility. Food, water, and shelter keep the body alive, but beauty nourishes the soul. Each are vitally important. The body is actually quite resilient. It’s the mind you have to watch out for.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to turn on soundtracks to epic films like “The Lord of the Rings” when I write. There’s nothing like letting writing a gunfight to Hans Zimmer.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy introduced me to the spy genre. In terms of character development and building a compelling antagonist, the Bourne series have been monumental in my love for the genre.

As a screenwriter and film enthusiast, film tends to influence my act of storytelling more than literature. I love reading, but I also love watching and becoming a character in the story. Film is very point-of-view driven and really puts you into the eyes of the character in a way that literature can not. When I write, I visualize the “film” of my story and then write what I see.

Right now, I’ve been deeply impressed by some of the very narrative and character-driven television shows. The way they play with time, build character arcs and use literary devices makes them closer to traditional literature than their sitcom predecessors.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a spy thriller titled “The Takeover” about a Russian plot to infiltrate the US presidency.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing books that people love and refer to other readers is never a bad strategy. I do a little online promoting, but most of my time is devoted to writing.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t write what your English teacher wants you to write. If you do that, you might make it into a literary journal. If you’re lucky you’ll get a free copy out of the deal. Is that really what you want from your writing career?

Write what keeps you up at night. Write what makes you type until 4 am without looking at the clock. Write what brings you to laughter or tears. Just write for yourself and the readers will come.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I had a film professor tell me that story is conflict. Without conflict, you have no story. I wanted to write about nice things, nice people, and nice experiences. Nice doesn’t create a story, conflict does. All plots can be boiled down to this: a character wants something that is hard to get. Boom! There’s your story.

What are you reading now?
A book on self-discipline. I’m trying to train myself to be systematic about how I approach daily activities so that I don’t waste time. I’m also reading “A Cold and Broken Hallejuha” by Tyler Dilts. He was one of my English professors at Long Beach State. I recognized his name when I was book shopping and decided to give him a try.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping to finish “The Takeover” this summer, then start on the next book. I’ve got several potential sequels to work on and a short story that I’d like to expand into a three-part series. Also, there’s a sci-fi plot I’m working on. Basically, I’ve got several years of material to work on.

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?
Day One because it’s practically got a roadmap for survival built in.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jennifer Arnett Website
Jennifer Arnett Amazon Profile
Jennifer Arnett Author Profile on Smashwords

Jennifer Arnett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born and raised in Al-Sabah, Kuwait. But, spent my growing years straddling between Kuwait and Birmingham-England, after the early demise of my mother.
Writing creative stories and clicking pictures always seemed to fascinate me as a young girl, and I suppose, I just went with the flow.
I started out with theater very early on in my life, being a part of noteworthy plays as an actor and writer, like ‘Four Wonders’, ‘Ms. Brown’, ‘The Drunkard’, ‘Murder Mystery’, ‘Schizophrenia’, ‘The Prostitute’ and ‘Money makes the world go round’.
I then progressed to Short films, TV shows, Commercials and Music videos; before embracing the modeling world in its entirety, which happened after I took home the title of ROCK Calendar Model 2012 and made it through to the Femina beauty pageant in 2013.
While the modeling world is certainly beautiful in all its glamour and glitter, a part of me always felt empty.
And writing strangely completes me, which is rather bizarre considering that one of my passions involves tons of people and the other is performed in solidarity.
But, having found a way to balance them both is extremely satisfying.
Although I’ve moved to New York, I still turn to my haven in England from time to time, when I need an escape from all the noise in my head.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Maze (Dark Shadows)
Volume 1 of ‘The Maze’ series

My biggest inspiration has been my mother, who loved reading mystery/romance novels and always dreamed of writing one but, passed away before she could bring herself to do it. She had this idea that she once shared with me that a novel should appeal to people on every level-mystery, romance, action and humor. So, in a huge way, this is me fulfilling her dream for her and I hope she’s as proud of it as I am.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I can’t stream my creative line of thought during the day. But, come nightfall, my train of thought works like a lightning bolt!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
J.K.Rowling, Sydney Sheldon, John Green, Nicholas Sparks, Miranda Hart, Michael McIntyre, Jack Whitehall & Michael Whitehall.

What are you working on now?
The Maze (Dark Shadows) is my debut novel. It’s just volume 1 of ‘The Maze’ Series, so there’s a lot more that shall follow suit.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had a few interviews with papers, magazines and radio. However, on a personal note, I think the Social Media platform brings you the best way of connecting with people and getting to know your readers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, it isn’t all that easy as easy as it appears.
And, if you’re a first time writer, with absolutely no influence in the industry, you’ve got quite the load of work cut out for you.
Hard work, determination, perseverance, motivation and belief needs to run strongly and in equal measure through every fiber of your being. You can’t give up, even when you strongly believe you’ve reached the end of the tunnel.
You need to keep walking through the rough storms and wild winds until you see the rainbow at the end of the lane sparkling.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Dreams don’t just happen to come true. You have to go out there and make them happen for you. You need to find your voice in this world where billions of people are trying to find their own.

What are you reading now?
A book by Miranda Hart. After working in a dark world with heavy emotions of my creation, I need to tip the scales towards some light comedy.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The Maze – Volume 2

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Romance novels, Comedy books and a Notepad.

Author Websites and Profiles
Delilah Alvares Website
Delilah Alvares Amazon Profile

Delilah Alvares’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a British author whose debut novel Liberty Bazaar was published in May 2015 by Aurora Metro Books.

It is a historical novel set in Liverpool during the American Civil War and is based on real events that happened in the city – and could have radically altered the course of the conflict.

The novel was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the 10 Best Historical Indie Novels of 2015 and been positively endorsed by Professor James M McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom.

I am journalist who has spent 30 years reporting on major events and interviewing front-line British politicians and business leaders.

In addition to Liberty Bazaar, I have co-written High Seas to Home, a non-fiction book about the Battle of the Atlantic. I live with my family in Greater Manchester, England.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Liberty Bazaar is a historical novel based on real events in Liverpool during the American Civil War.

The story revolves around the conflict between Trinity, an escaped slave girl, and Jubal, a battle-fatigued Confederate general.

It was inspired by two real events: the clandestine building of ironclad warships for the Rebels on the Mersey and a major fund-raising event, also in the Confederate interest, that attracted the cream of European society.

Historians agree that events in Liverpool and Birkenhead in 1863 could have radically redirected the course of the American Civil War. Unstinting efforts were made by the slave-holding Confederacy to acquire Mersey-built ironclad warships sufficiently powerful to break the Union navy’s suffocating blockade of southern ports. Equally determined steps were taken by the North to stop this happening. If the blockade had been lifted, the South could have exported cotton to British textile mills, financing the shipment of vital war materials to supply its forces. Had the South achieved this aim, it might have won the American civil war.

In an age when ‘Liverpool went Dixie’, supporters of the Confederacy staged a successful bazaar in the city’s St George’s Hall in October, 1864, raising £20,000 (more than $3 million in today’s money) for wounded Rebel soldiers and their families, but it could quite plausibly have taken place a year earlier, as it does in my work of fiction.

Liberty Bazaar explores ‘what if?’ events surrounding the bazaar had become entangled with the conspiracy to acquire Rebel battleships.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl and usually write after 9pm, often until well past midnight. I aim to set aside three to five nights a week, but some weeks I get little done and others I’m at it every night – and during the day.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors I most enjoy and admire are: George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Harris, John le Carre, Mary Stewart, Barbara Vine, James Ellroy, Lee Child, Tom Wolfe, Cormac McCarthy, David Mitchell and William Boyd.

What are you working on now?
A crime thriller set in Nixon-era America. I’m writing in the first person, using a voice that echoes first generation rock and roll culture.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
You need a fully integrated approach, so Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and website, as well as platforms such as this. I attend readings and events whenever possible and ask for media interviews and endorsements.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never lose faith but always try to hone and develop your craft. Asking for honest, critical feedback is a great way to do this and creative writing workshops are an enormous help. Academic courses usually include critiquing groups, but there are many community-based writing workshop groups in most areas.

You should also try writing short stories. They are much easier to get published and a great way of experimenting with different techniques. Also, short stories give you instant gratification, without having to put in the many months – or even years – of hard work that a novel demands.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you can stop writing fiction, you probably should.

What are you reading now?
Clandestine by James Ellroy

What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s always the next 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?
1984 by George Orwell; Miscellanies 1 and 2 by Dylan Thomas; For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

Author Websites and Profiles
David Chadwick Website
David Chadwick Amazon Profile

David Chadwick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Renee Lee Fisher is a Best Selling Author. I currently have seven published books on all platforms.

An Author that has the passion for putting her pen and ideas to paper. A pure romance junkie and she loves to tell stories. She was an English Major of LaSalle University and always wanted to be a writer. In the past years her books titled – From the Vine (a collection of writings/poems) and Cody and the Pumpkin Truck (a Childrens’ Book) were published. She has also written many other childrens’ stories, lyrics, articles and wedding ceremonies.

Currently she is finishing up THE HEARTBEAT SERIES which are Contemporary Rock themed Romance Novels titled (ROCK NOTES, LOVE NOTES, MUSIC NOTES, FIRST BEAT, FIRST BASS and FIRST TASTE) and then an added bonus to the series a stand alone novel BLU FALCONE.

THE CROSSING SERIES: THE KNOT HOLE, THE PASSAGE and THE MUSE are time traveling romance stories that will take you on an endearing romantic tale from the present day to the past. The entire series is available.

DERAILED is a stand alone romance now available. Love changes everything in this sweet romantic suspense. Look for another Destined – Love worth believing to be written soon.

Then the LOVESICK TRILOGY will keep you page turning in a fast paced romance storyline that will have you – HEART STOPPED, HEART BURNED and HEART BROKEN.

Finally planned to come in the months ahead are a few single novels THORNED…that will touch you and MASK OF RADE that is full of intrigue.

Don’t look for Renee to stop writing anytime soon, she is like the Duracell Bunny that keeps going and going. She is said to only sleep four hours a night and continues to create many more story lines for the readers to enjoy.

To find out more go to her WEBSITE: http://www.reneeleefisher.com
Reach out to her at EMAIL: author@reneeleefisher.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ReneeLeeFisherAuthor
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ReneeLeeFisher

Renee resides in Eagleville, PA. with her husband Michael, of many years and her two cats – Nyah and Cody. She has a great support system of Love from her family and friends.

Renee BELIEVES you should follow your DREAMS and that –

The HAPPIEST of people don’t have the best of everything,
they simply make the best of everything.

Renee loves to travel, especially to St. Martin – Netherland Antilles. She enjoys meeting new people to inspire her and she will always write down a person’s name that is unique to use as a potential character in her future writings.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Derailed – A sweet suspense. Inspiration was the beach and love that changes everything.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write the endings first, then the beginning and fill in the rest. I write late into the early morning hours.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kallypso Master, has been so helpful to me. She guided me in the writing field.
A.L. Wood has taught me to follow my dreams.

What are you working on now?
I am finishing up First Beat (Book Four of the Heartbeat Series).

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/reneeleefisherauthor

or Website – https://www.reneeleefisher.com

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Take you time. Put out a polished storyline. Have it edited professionally. Select a great cover as that is what readers see first. Sum it up in the synopsis. And above all be patient it is a saturated market and takes time to build yourself out there.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you work hard at your passion, you will see it evolve. Don’t give up but give in to all the stories you have in your head that need to be read.

What are you reading now?
Edits in my First Beat book I am finishing. I don’t read while in edits.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have planned many stories to come. Next up possibly Destined – Love worth believing. Following that a new storyline that just came to me recently titled Willow Hill.

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?
Far too many to select from. I would ask can I just bring my Kindle with all the books I have loaded on there, as it would save space on the island in lieu of 3 or 4 books.

Author Websites and Profiles
Renee Lee Fisher Website
Renee Lee Fisher Amazon Profile
Renee Lee Fisher Author Profile on Smashwords

Renee Lee Fisher’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Everly Scott loves Italian food, yummy candles, and love stories. She recently made the switch from teaching college writing to hogging all of the writing time for herself. Sugar & Other Luxuries is her debut romantic comedy. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out on Twitter, Instagram, and her website, or learning how to powerlift, kind of.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Sugar & Other Luxuries is a romantic comedy that tells the story of a twenty-something struggling with self-love while looking for true love. It was inspired by the stories of all of the women I know and love who have had a difficult time loving themselves and their bodies in a city (and society) that expects perfection at any cost. I was tired of the rise of the notion that the only way to be a strong female character was to have no flaws, and feel like superwoman every second of the day. I wanted to tell a story about a woman who had struggles similar to the ones I heard when sitting around a dinner table with my best friends. I wanted a story that was reflected the challenges of the social media, selfie stick, photo editing, app-obsessed culture we live in. I wanted to create a character who struggled to live in that world, because let’s be honest: the set up doesn’t work well for everyone. Especially women in their twenties who simply don’t fit into any of the expected molds. I had to give them a voice. Not everything is perfect. We aren’t always going to love everything about ourselves all the time even if we want to. And sometimes that has to be okay.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write at night with candles. Maybe it’s cheesy, maybe it helps me get in the zone, maybe it’s a little of both.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors have influenced me. From Aimee Bender, Junot Diaz, Denis Johnson, and Toni Morrison to Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, and Colleen Hoover to the amazing Shonda Rhimes and the many TV writers who create the fictional worlds I’m obsessed with on the small screen- I have a wide range of taste in storytelling and in writing in general (I’ve been known to have a massive collection of non-fiction works as well – shout out to Cheryl Strayed!). I think the main thing I love is when a story pulls me into the mind of another person and I get to see the world through their eyes. It’s one of the best feelings in the world to me.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a couple of different projects – one vastly different from anything I’ve ever written before. I’m waiting to see which of the projects begins to take over my mind so much that it completely pushes the others out. There will be steamy, romantic, hilarious moments in all of the projects, so… there’s that!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still working to figure this out. I’ve been very active on Instagram. For some reason, that aspect of social media is the most appealing to me. And the community on there has been so welcoming and special to me in the past month. I’m really thankful for them. Other than that, I’ve dabbled in a little of everything. Facebook, Twitter, blog tours, Goodreads, email lists, my website… I’m covering as many bases as I can until I find the one that helps me connect with readers in the most productive way.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m not sure that I’m in the place to provide any advice to new authors, being that I’m brand new myself. But if anyone out there cared to know what I’ve learned so far on my own journey… The biggest thing I’ve come to know is that I can only write what I feel called to write. If the story comes to me, and I try to move it away from itself in order to turn it into what I think readers will want, I’ve already lost. My main goal is to tell the story and let the tiny trails of hope in the narrative find the readers their meant to inspire. That was my long winded way of saying, just do the work you’re called to do.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
All you can do is your best work. Because at the end of the day that is all that matters. The criticisms, the analysis, the opportunities, the failures… they don’t matter. They will come and go. People will change their minds. People will disagree. If you can honestly say you did your best work with the information and abilities you possessed in that moment, then you are on the right path I think!

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m rereading Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes.

What’s next for you as a writer?
More novels! More blog posts! Perhaps a Youtube channel… The opportunities are endless and I’m so excited to share my stories with anyone who will listen.

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?
Aimee Bender’s The Girl in the Flammable Skirt; Toni Morrison’s Sula; Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed; Cheryl Strayed’s Wild

Author Websites and Profiles
Everly Scott Website
Everly Scott Amazon Profile

Everly Scott’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an author, musician and blogger who is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia. I have written several songs and a lot of poetry. However, “Tales from the Gutter” is the first book that I’ve written and published. I love animals, gardening and I am a bit of a cheapskate!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Tales from the Gutter” is the name of my latest book. I was inspired to write it after laughing over past life experiences with a friend. I am the type of person who can get along with anyone. But, I realized that some of my more ghetto experiences would have my upper middle class friends clutching their pearls! I decided to put it out there and see where it goes. Some of the book is funny, some of it is sad and some of it is plain weird.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a night owl. I do a lot of my writing late at night and in the early morning. I don’t think that is too strange though!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read Hugh Gregory Gallagher’s book “Black Bird Fly Away” when I was 19 years old and it really affected me. Gallagher was a 19 year old college student who was stricken with polio back in 1952. I was born at a time where people did not have to worry about this. But, his writing was just excellent and he explored every facet of his feelings about being left paralyzed without sugar coating anything. We live in a culture that tells us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and “make lemonade out of lemons”. Gallagher did not go along with this forced cheer. He told frankly of his on and off again depression, his relationships and his learning to live and contribute to society again in spite of his disability. Gallagher also drafted the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and was a lifelong disability advocate. I find his work and his life to be so inspiring.

What are you working on now?
Now, I am working on writing some songs and promoting “Tales from the Gutter”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found the best success going at it on my own using my WordPress site (https://krystalbrownblog.wordpress.com/new-e-book-release-tales-from-the-gutter/).

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to be organized. Before you start writing, do a “rough draft” of what you want to write about. Outline your thoughts on a sheet of paper. Be organized in your writing so that your thoughts will flow and everything will fit together better.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My aunt always told me to “have your own”. You really cannot depend on any other human being to take care of you. You have to plan, make wise choices and take care of yourself. No one owes anyone anything.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading “The New Frugality: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better” by Chris Farrell. As I said earlier, I am very frugal.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to continue to promote this book and see this book through first. After that, I want to continue writing of course. But, I want to write something in a completely different genre. I don’t want to get pigeonholed as a person who can only write about the urban experience or the black experience.

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. Dracula by Bram Stoker
2. Black Bird Fly Away by Hugh Gregory Gallagher
3. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World–and Why Their Differences Matter by Stephen Prothero

Author Websites and Profiles
Krystal Brown Website

Krystal Brown’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
J.M. Denholme grew up in the Midwest region of the U.S of A., but his DRD4-7R prompted him to go out into the world in his twenties and he has never looked back. Denholme’s travels have taken him far and wide, and he can attest to the fact that “the grass is only as green as you make it.” He doesn’t believe in traveling the same path twice, or that muscle car production ceased circa 1972. His first love was a ’70 Chevelle SS 454, and he’s always on the lookout for an Ella.

Denholme has several manuscripts, of various genres, in the making. Currently, his sole focus is adding the finishing touches to the remaining short stories that will fall under the collective title “Caution, Girl Up Ahead.”

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Feelin’ nostalgic? Did you come of age during the 90s? Want a taste of life growing up in Midwest, USA? These were some of the things that inspired me to write my latest released book, “Duck’s Misery” … and just some girl called Ella. The 1990s music, clothing styles, popular cars, mindset, the fierce need for independence that existed in the youth–all of it provides a fantastic setting for great stories wanting–needing–to be told.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual writing habits, hmm … Well, my work always begins with pen and paper. When I’ve amassed enough material that promises a world ready to come to life, I then begin piecing it together on my PC in a linear fashion. Sometimes I will have a particular musical playlist going on in the background during my writing to set a mood I require to write a specific character, scene, or genre.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Here’s a short list of some writers whose works, in part or whole, I’ve enjoyed–whether they influence my own writing or not, that’s really up to my readers to determine: Douglas Adams, Richard Adams, Asimov, A.A. Attanasio/ Adam Lee, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Karel Capek, Truman Capote, Roald Dahl, Dante, Doyle, Eddings, C.S. Friedman, Robert Frost, Neil Gaiman, Anna Gavalda, Graham Greene, Hemingway, Frank Herbert, Hugh Howey, Bohumil Hrabal, King, Laozi, Jack London, H.P. Lovecraft, Sergei Lukyanenko, Larry Niven, Dorothy Parker, Poe, Pratchett, Saroyan, Shakespeare, Tolkien, Twain, Zhuangzi …

What are you working on now?
I’m currently adding the finishing touches to “The ’86 Olds”, the second instalment of my collective title “Caution, Girl Up Ahead.” Its planned release is mid-June.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still developing my method for promoting my work … when I’ve nailed it, I’ll be more than happy to share this secret with others.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t stop, even if you or others feel you lack that certain something–someone WILL like it … and at the very least: writing is therapeutic. Consistently evolve, research your subjects thoroughly, try a different genre, test yourself constantly, hone your particular style or tone. Just … don’t stop, it’s in you and it needs to come out.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’ve heard countless pieces of great wisdom in my life, and “the best” applies only to those relevant to what’s going on at a particular moment. One piece of wisdom that can be applied at any time is “Always leave the house in a clean pair of boxers.”

What are you reading now?
At the time of writing this interview, Hrabal’s Too Loud A Solitude.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My sole focus is getting all five stories out under my collective title “Caution, Girl Up Ahead” as soon as possible. I’m also looking into copyediting several other manuscripts I have tucked away for possible release in the near 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?
Lui I-Ming’s Awakening to the Tao
Adams’ Watership Down
Galante’s Tai Chi: The Supreme Ultimate
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea

Author Websites and Profiles
J.M. Denholme Website
J.M. Denholme Amazon Profile
J.M. Denholme Author Profile on Smashwords

J.M. Denholme’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Josh and I’m originally from Nashville, GA but currently live in Tucson, AZ. This all came about as a result of being a military officer and just passing through the town and liking it enough to move here after separating from the military, and it is here that I met my wife who I just celebrated my first wedding anniversary with. I enjoy a good challenge, especially physically and have done a marathon and many 5Ks as a result. I have never won but did come in 8th out of over 250 participants in one 5K and 4th of maybe 300 in another.

I enjoy writing. This love started when I was about 13 and endeavored to study the book of Genesis. I handwrote all of my notes in narrative form and it took about 18 months to get through the text. I never published it or even typed it up, but this was the beginning of my love of writing. At this point about a year ago I started a new study and it ended up turning into a blog, but it went from there to become my first published work, a study of the subject of wisdom.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first, and therefore latest, book is called A Life Wisely Lived. It started out as just a personal study of the book of James. There is usually intrigue surrounding James as some see it as a contradiction of salvation by faith. James focuses on the fact that faith without works is dead. Initially, I wanted to explore this. I knew there wasn’t a contradiction but wanted to dig in to explore how it all ties together. This personal study ended up becoming a blog, and then I decided that I wanted to share what I learned in a short book format, which ended up being about living life in a wise way. It was quite a journey but it was quite a rewarding study.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if I would call it unusual, but as a non-fiction writer on biblical topics, I tend to start out by outlining a text by looking at individual words and pouring through dictionaries. I write all of these out and start piecing the text back together as a whole. From there it goes into expounding on the text.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors:
John MacArthur, John Calvin, John Piper (lots of Johns apparently), Charles Spurgeon, R.C. Sproul, Chuck Swindoll, and the list could easily keep going.

Books:
The Bible, Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a follow-up to A Life Wisely Lived, but instead of looking at James, this time it will be looking at principles from Proverbs. This is still in an outline phase as I go through and take out the general wisdom principles in the text.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I have mainly promoted via Facebook though I am branching out into other arenas. I will have to get back to you on that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up on your dream. If you are working on something, keep working until you are satisfied with it. Don’t cut corners and don’t rush, but do your best to make the best possible work that you can come up with.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My uncle, who was my greatest mentor, grew up as a sharecropper with nothing. In the 1940s his family still had a horse and buggy from what I understand. He joined the military and stayed in until he retired in the 1970s and went on to get a business degree and owned several businesses. The one thing he always said that has never left my mind is: “Get your education. It’s the one thing no one can take away from you.”

What are you reading now?
Right now I am reading several books, including The Incomparable Christ and Return to Eden.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I am in the first stages of my next study which I hope to have out in the next year, though it could be delayed as I am starting a Master’s program which will take up considerable 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?
My Bible would be a definite work that would come with me. I think another text would be my hymn book so that I can still enjoy myself singing. I’m sure I’d also take a joke book as a source of humor in hard times. And though not technically a book, I’d take a notebook so that I could still write my thoughts.

Author Websites and Profiles
Joshua Drawdy Amazon Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I come from Bulgaria and for the last 19 years I’ve been working hard on my own, personal American dream. I live in the greater Boston area with my wife, daughter, and two dogs. My first book, The Excellence Habit, struck a nerve. Less than three months after launch, it made the Amazon best-seller list and was named the winner for best motivational book by Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Excellence Habit was inspired by my own need to read a book like that. What I was coming across instead was all kinds of wonderful books offering formulas for success. At one point I realized that I am not looking for a formula. Success can only come from Excellence and I needed to develop this idea. This is how The Excellence Habit was born.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think as a writer, I am just starting to evolve. The most important thing right now is to build a writing habit that works both creatively, and from productivity point of view. What works best for me is when I have long, uninterrupted intervals of time for days on end. Then I kind of get lost in the “zone” and miracles and magic start showing up on the white pages.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steven Pressfield is, for me, the number one contemporary writer. Gates of Fire was the first book that woke me up to the fact that he has something special. In addition to his novels, The War of Art and Becoming Pro are fundamental to my understanding of creativity and the need to work and express what lies within. I will forever be grateful for his dedication to helping young writers – through his books and his blog at StevenPressfield.com.

A close partner of Pressfield is veteran editor Shawn Coyne, who has similar dedication to helping fledgeling authors. His book The Story Grid and the concepts he talks about on his blog – http://thestorygrid.com/ are my best writing education.

A major source of inspiration is also Elizabeth Gilbert. Her Big Magic is for me exactly as the title promises – Bg Magic.

What are you working on now?
A number of ideas. I am working on a few, while waiting for the right one to come forward, so we can work together.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I can’t say I have one best site. I started using a lot of Twitter, but it is hard to track sales from there. BookBub also worked quite well and I was lucky to be selected for one.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Finish that first draft. Nothing else matters until you do. It’s ok that it will suck. Writing is about re-writing. I suffered the bad habit of falling in love with my words and as a result being unable and unwilling to change, re-write, or cut from my work. Then I realized – if I want a good book – these are not my words. They need to owned by the reader and therefore – for the reader, I need to do what is necessary. Even if this means killing all my favorite parts.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Better done than perfect.

What are you reading now?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

What’s next for you as a writer?
My second 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 Gates of Fire, The War of Art, Big Magic, and The Excellence Habit. Oh, and a big blank notebook and a bunch of pencils. In case inspiration strikes.

Author Websites and Profiles
Vlad Zachary Website
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Vlad Zachary’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I written books for adults and children over the years. I worked with a small UK children’s literary agency for several years. I worked in theatre, radio and TV. My adult books have been optioned for TV but have yet to see the light of day!!

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Campion’s Choice.
I had this idea years ago after looking at some pictures that were slightly blurry. I thought, what if a picture could predict the future? Originally I wanted to go with a teen detective but things changed along the way.
This is the first book in the Campion’s Quartet. I have finished Book Two – Campion’s Change – and need to polish it before a Christmas release.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No habits. I like to write in a quiet room with the sound of my family in the distance. The only music I can listen to when writing is Bach’s Goldberg Variations. I prefer to write in the winter. I hate looking up from the computer and looking down on a sunny garden. I want to be out there.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lots of great writers from Jane Austen to JK Rowling. I study and taught English to college level so I have been able to spend time with lots of great writers (through their books – although I do have one or two good friends who are very successful writers and they have been a great support over the years).

What are you working on now?
Two books – one for adults set in 1975. That’s all I can tell you. Ted Hughues the poet once refused to let me borrow a poem covered in notes for an exhibition I curated at Warwick Inviersity entitled ‘Writers o. Writing’. When I skied him why not he said, there is an old Czech proverb -”don’t touch the butterfly’. I feel about my adult novel.
The other novel is Book Two in the Campion Quartet – Campion’s Change. I guarantee no one will guess what the ‘change’ is!

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is my first experience of Indie publishing so I’m still finding my feet. Before I’ve had agents and publishers doing all that work and holding my hand. Twitter is great for meeting other writers and readers and my own website seems to be pretty successful.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enjoy writing. Success isn’t important. You’ve been lucky enough to discover some thing that gives you pleasure. Make the most of every minute.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The writer Sue Townsend once said to me, ‘If you’re telling a joke it can never be revealed until the very last word in the sentence. The last word makes or breaks a good joke.’

What are you reading now?
La Bete Humaine. – for my Book Club. I did European Lit at college and my main languages were Italian and French. The book wasn’t my choice. We’re an all boys club – three Heads of English and three professional artists. It’s a great mix. We’ve been friends for 25 years. I’ve just bought several MG novels and the new Wiliam Boyd to read on holiday (3 weeks in Umbria!!!).

What’s next for you as a writer?
See the above. All my energy is going in to my MG/YA series and my new adult novel. My head is stuffed full and spinning. I have to be very careful not to get the notes I jot down all over the place mixed up.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is going to be boring but it would be
1 The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
2 The Canterbury Tales.
3 Emma by Jane Austen
4 The Great Gatsby.

Author Websites and Profiles
G L Wilson Website

G L Wilson’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thank you! I’m a former operating room nurse. Six years ago, I was able to start writing full time and since then have published over thirty full-length novels.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest is South Shore Romance, which is the 12th installment of the Pam of Babylon Series. But my last stand alone is Perfect for Him, the story of a young woman with four daughters who discovers she has stage four breast cancer with not long to live. I was inspired to write this after losing a dear friend to breast cancer a year ago November. The story tells how my protagonist takes control of her family’s destiny. It was an emotional ride, writing that book. Then I was honored to have it included in a romance anthology, A Touch of Passion.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, I think they’re mundane. I have to have quiet, and I sit in a recliner. I have to remind myself to get up and move around because I often will write twelve hours a day. (Including promoting.)

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Definitely Pearl Buck, Maeve Binchy, PD. James and Daphne du Maurier

What are you working on now?
Right now I am just finishing the first draft of Pam of Babylon: #13, Meet Me at the Beach. I also am writing a science fiction story in installments and doling out free on my website. But the problem with it is once it’s in the reader’s hands I can’t go back and change anything. This is an amazing ride on planning a project ahead of time! I have no idea where it’s going.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Email blasts are the mainstay. I love the KDROI software because I have so many books. Faithful promotion sites for me are Pretty-hot.com, Awesomegang.com, Discountbookman.com, Bookgorilla.com, free99books.com, ebooklister.com and theereadercafe.com. I always check to see where my book is being promoted, share it on my website and Facebook page, and tweet as often as possible. I also have an email list that I’m slowly building and I send alerts to my followers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep writing!

What are you reading now?
Several books; Black Dog of Fate by poet Peter Balakian, his memoir and history of the Armenian Genecide

The Tattooed Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
a few others

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to try my hand at non-fiction; the biography of Armenian military resistance fighter Elizabeth Soultanian.

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?
Gibbons The Fall of the German Empire, The complete works of Balzac, (just kidding about those last two.)
Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari, From Cairo to Capetown
The Good Earth
Anything by PD James

Author Websites and Profiles
Suzanne Jenkins Website
Suzanne Jenkins Amazon Profile
Suzanne Jenkins Author Profile on Smashwords

Suzanne Jenkins’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
An Okie, from Tulsa, not Muskogee. Changed my major in college three times so I have a well rounded understanding of philosophy, religion, science, and business. As an authority on the Apostle Paul, I have made three expeditions following the footsteps of Paul, by land and by sea – along the old Roman highways and by ship throughout the northern Mediterranean, including the course of Paul’s final shipwreck. I’ve held Bible studies on location in Israel, Philippi, Thessaloniki, Corinth, Athens, and Egypt; as well as traveling the route of the Exodus across the Red Sea, through the Sinai Peninsula, and up to Mt. Nebo in Jordan. My wife Gwen and I enjoy studying biblical archaeology, and have visited sites in eight different countries, traversing Israel extensively from the Finger of Galilee to the Wilderness of Zin.

I began my professional career as a CPA because of my knack for organizing information. Many Christian theologians and prophecy scholars have backgrounds in law, accounting, and business. For Christians who believe that the Bible is God-breathed, the ability to gather information and draw correlations is crucial for rightly dividing the Word of God.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled “Why Most Christians Believe in a Post-Tribulation Rapture.” I realize that this issue has been beaten into the ground over the past fifty years. But because the birth pangs of the end-times are accelerating, the issue has moved out of the realm of idealistic debate and become a matter of life and death. I have been speaking on radio and blogging on this subject for the last five years, and I simply don’t know of anyone who has covered this subject as I have. It covers the Greek texts, Church History, logic, logic, logic, and passion.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Inspiration and organization are the keys to every author’s success. I wake up with a brainstorm nearly every day. It takes about half the day to catch up with these new inspirations. I usually get worn out from wrestling ideas around the middle of the day. But then – evening comes, and I just can’t stop if things are flowing. Around 11:00 I usually try to shut things down and get to bed and ready for the next morning’s brainstorm.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am happy (blessed) to say that the Bible has had the greatest impact on my life. I love to read Andrew Murray and the work of other missionaries. But I also appreciate men of logic, like Mark Twain and Will Rogers.

What are you working on now?
Gwen and I are doing research on a novel. We’ve been researching for three years now and she is making good progress. I am still in the process of gathering information. It’s turning out well – and fun – so far.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Radio interviews have been my most successful platform for promoting my insights, and my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep re-reading your work. It’s amazing how simple writing can be when it begins to flow. It’s amazing how bad it can be when you’re just trying to hash out some thoughts.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Fear God and obey His commands.

What are you reading now?
Memoir and Remains of R.M. M’Cheyne by Andrew Bonar

What’s next for you as a writer?
No telling, but must finish the 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?
Bible, Calvin’s Commentary on the Psalms, Treasure Island

Author Websites and Profiles
C.W. Steinle Website
C.W. Steinle Amazon Profile
C.W. Steinle Author Profile on Smashwords

C.W. Steinle’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a High School Christian Living Teacher for about six years in the Philippines. Though I specialize in Catholic theology, I have been highly interested in the relationship of the human person’s psychology to his religion and society. I want to live my life learning, writing, and believing – to the hidden truths that this world and human nature have to offer.

1 novella – The Niceman
2 self-help – Biblical Attraction and The Concise Businessman’s Guide to Profitting from Magic the Gathering Cards

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Niceman – People who are frequently rejected by society

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Daydreaming

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Franz Kafka

What are you working on now?
Book promotion, editing my book

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
various websites offering free exposure

Do you have any advice for new authors?
do it for the love of appreciation from people not for the money, you’ll never be disappointed

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
kill your darlings

What are you reading now?
christian ethics

What’s next for you as a writer?
fictional book with christian morality

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?
little prince, metamorphosis, animal farm, old man and the sea

Author Websites and Profiles
Clarence Benedict Romero Amazon Profile

Clarence Benedict Romero’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Anastasia. I am a writer, dreamer, baker, wood worker and many things besides. For this, I’ve been called a renaissance woman and, though I’m usually modest, I most humbly agree. I love nature, live for coffee and enjoy food more than I should – particularly sweets.
I’ve completed and published the first two books in my Flower Child saga and have at least half a dozen other book ideas in draft. Among these drafts are the final two books for Flower Child, a dystopian thriller, and a magical fantasy aimed to children of all ages.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Full bloom is my latest book. It is the second volume in my Flower Child saga and was inspired by an incident involving a stray dog. I was driving along when I saw a dog walking on the edge of the road. I pulled over and got out of my car – calling for the dog and trying to gain its trust enough for him to come up to me. After a half hour of coaxing that resulted in the dog running away, I thought to myself “If only I could have made him understand that I only wanted to help.” That is when I started daydreaming about a girl who had the powers to communicate with animals. This evolved into her having powers to heal injuries and control nature and eventually developed into a story, played out in my head, which grew too large to keep there.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure this is entirely unusual for a writer, but I daydream before I write my scenes – placing myself in the hero’s shoes. I imagine myself living in their world, playing out their decisions and actions. I envision everything so vividly that I find myself feeling every emotion I want my character to feel. I even made myself cry once or twice.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t know that any one book or author has influenced me, but rather all books and authors that I’ve read. I’m inspired by various writing styles and captivated by an author’s imagination. Reading stimulates my thought process and triggers my desire to dream up a new story and write it down.

What are you working on now?
I just wrapped up volume two of my Flower Child saga – Full Bloom. Though I fully intend to get to work on the third volume, I am taking a short break to work on another story inspired by a dream I had. It will go in an entirely different direction from the young adult fantasy – landing in the dystopian fiction genre.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still putting feelers out for the most effective method for promoting my books. I’m seeking a solution that doesn’t overwhelm potential readers with “buy my book” spam while still ensuring that the widest audience is reached. I’m also on a limited budget.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let self-doubt be your kryptonite. Believe in yourself and just keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
By far, the best advice I heard is that reviews are for the readers, not the author. Reading this from a fellow indie author I interviewed for my blog completely changed my way of dealing with reviews. I was very anxious about getting reviews for my books before. But after shifting my attitude that the reviews are not for me, I feel much more relaxed. I still like to get high ratings, and I know that they do impact my sales. But ultimately, I understand a bad review doesn’t translate to me being a bad writer. It just means that my book wasn’t for them.

What are you reading now?
I am reading, with great determination, Persuasion by Jane Austin. I’ve read several of her books, but find her verbose and meandering sentences a bit of a challenge to digest. It’s totally worth it in the end and I always feel smarter by the time I read the last word.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The big screen! Not as an actress, although that could be fun. But I’d love to see my books made into movies. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

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 boy… well, I think I’d want at least one of the first three Harry Potter books (they’re the happier ones) though I enjoyed the entire collection. The Hobbit, for its ability to engross me completely – distracting me from my dire circumstances. Then, of course, I would want an empty journal because I’m sure to have many stories to write while I’m waiting to be rescued.

Author Websites and Profiles
A.C. Virden Website
A.C. Virden Amazon Profile
A.C. Virden Author Profile on Smashwords

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