Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a newer author. While I’ve worked on some project or another for the past six years, this coming May 2016 will be my first release when They’ll Call It Treason comes out. For several years I tried putting together stories and ideas without success largely due to my disorganized method. Once I finally found the method that worked for me I was able to set on the path to finishing a great story. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how They’ll Call It Treason is received and starting on the next book.

Aside from my writing, in what some might call my professional life, I’m a Full Stack Web Developer for SHOE SHOW, Inc., the nation’s largest privately owned shoe retailer (we own several companies). Basically I conceptualize, design and build websites from top to bottom. Being that my degree is actually in Political Science, I’m also politically active. I’m a big believer in free elections, so I created an organization to fight for just that in my home state called Free the Vote North Carolina. I head up the organization to fight for free and fair elections in the state. So you could say I’m an developer, an author and an activist.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest, and first, book is called They’ll Call It Treason. No one thing really inspired it. It is more like a culmination of a bunch of unrelated things. Due to my political background I’ve been able to see how things work in government to a degree, some good and some not-so-good. In the book you’ll see a deal of today’s political climate mirrored. From drone warfare to corrupt state politics to the national surveillance state and more. It’s really all of that that has inspired the book.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if I have anything particularly unusual. I do find that I have a harder time writing from home when family is around and they’re watching TV or playing music if I can even faintly hear it from the other room. Yet, I can go to a restaurant where TVs are blaring sports and people are screaming and yelling and write just fine. It does not make any sense to me, but it works. So I tend to spend most of my time writing at various restaurants, although Applebee’s does enjoy the majority of that time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of them. It’s hard to really say who has influenced me in particular, but if I had to pin it down I’d say it was largely between my two favorite authors. James Rollins and the late Michael Crichton. I’ve read Michael Crichton’s work since I was in sixth grade when a friend let me borrow Jurassic Park. His techno-thrillers were always so exciting, cool, and despite how out there some of them really were, realistic. James Rollins I heard about later on when I picked up Devil Colony for a beach trip a few years ago. I’ve read a large portion of his books and I find that I have to force myself to not read all of his books one after the other, so that I can get other books by other authors in. I love how he pulls together some historical event, typically something that has either an ending that is murky or some tangential story and then molds it into some interesting scientific discover that compels a global journey to protect mankind.

My current writing is most reflective of how James Rollins has influenced me however. It makes sense though because of my political background. At some point I’m sure the Crichton influence will surface too with my technology background.

What are you working on now?
I cannot say too much about my current project, mainly because I don’t know enough about it yet. I’ve formed the idea and fleshed out many of the details and characters, but there is still a lot to do and to decide before saying much.

I can say however, that it is going to be a much darker story than They’ll Call It Treason. You may be wondering about that statement sense the title has the word “Treason” in it, but trust me, this new one is going to be darker. It also will take place in a more confined setting, at this point largely within one house, and deal with personalities and issues that are closer to home. While it’s still premature, I am currently working on the project under the working title (not the official) of A Night in Hell.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That is yet to be known. At this point Facebook seems to be the best tool in promoting my book to others, while Twitter seems to be more of a networking tool with other authors. Both are extremely useful though and authors are readers too, I mean we should not be writing if we are not readers.

That said my personal website is serving as a central hub for all the different networks and were many readers will find out more about me when I meet and talk to the them directly and give them a book mark or tell them the place to go to learn more. So www.JordonGreene.com is a crucial place for the books promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I’m still learning. However, there is one thing I know for sure.

If you want to write the best thing you can do is simply start writing. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t take that first step. Stop doubting yourself. Stop doubting that people will read it. Stop letting others get in your head. Imagine. Plan. Write. And of course edit, a lot.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Oh my goodness, I don’t know if I have an answer for this one. I mean I’ve read so many different articles and talked to different authors, its hard to say what one thing has been the “best.” Maybe it’s this. Don’t depend solely on social media to sell your book. You must sell the book yourself, you have to get out and talk to potential readers. Word of mouth is the best way to sell.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading James Dashner’s The Death Cure, number three in The Maze Runner trilogy. I started reading the trilogy in late February and have sense failed to stop reading it, which is why I’m on number three. Yes, I’m a slow reader, but that’s okay.

I love them. It really is a great series. It keeps you guessing what is happening next and whether what you just predicted is still right or wrong, or maybe you were right after all. The ability to put together such a complex story that keeps a reader guessing three books later is incredible. I definitely recommend the series.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Well right this moment, releasing They’ll Call It Treason on May 10 is the next thing for me. Beyond that is planning and writing my next novel. I have a five year plan setup, possibly a bit ambitious of a plan, but a plan nonetheless. I hope to finish my second novel (unrelated to the first) and have it released by later 2017 and then to start on something entirely new, a young adult book, maybe a trilogy. I’ve got the basic idea laid out but there is a lot to consider still and I have some time to do that in. Depending on whether or not I do a trilogy for the young adult book will determine how long that takes, but either way I hope to release my third book by 2018-2019.

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, that’s a hard question. In no particular order, I’m going to have to go with Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, James Rollins’ Devil Colony and Marie Lu’s Legend. I could definitely stand to read any of these multiple times over.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jordon Greene Website
Jordon Greene Amazon Profile
Jordon Greene Author Profile on Smashwords

Jordon Greene’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written one book. I am currently finishing up a second one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is called Intentions. Reading the “Dark Tower” series inspired it. Just the way he wove so many different genres in. A workmates met him here in Colorado, and the things Stephen King passed on to him inspired me to pursue it. I also have an interest in why we do the things we do, and repeated patterns and mistakes humanity seems to fall into, so that was a bug inspiration as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I picture my book like I am directing a film. I find myself casting people for various roles and talking as different characters, both as an internal monologue and vocally. I get very involved and emotional during the process as well.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many. I grew up reading every Star Wars book I could get my hands on. I started reading Stephen King in the last couple of years too. I really enjoy David Moody from the UK as well, particularly the Hater series.

What are you working on now?
I’m finished with writing and about to tackle editing on The Dark Eyed Children. It’s a Supernatural murder thriller that has heavy noise influences to it as well. It should be out sometime this summer. It will most likely be at least two parts, and I will jump back and forth from that series to the Intentions series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, this is a new experience. This was one of the first websites I used, and I have enjoyed the process. We live in an awesome era of being able to be self made without publishers. If you have a story idea, go for it. Starting I’d the hardest part, I promise.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Haha, I am one as well, sI more advice for people waiting, or procrastinating, or trying to get published. If you are putting it off, don’t. Life is too short to wait. It doesn’t matter if you are 10 or 100, you have all the power to embark down this path. It doesn’t matter if anyone buys it or reads it. The act of creating something something is so wonderful. If you enjoy it, then it’s worthwhile. Don’t let the pursuit of money or fame put a cap on your passion.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stephen King called writing the act of telling yourself a story, I love that. Also to live each day like it was your last.

What are you reading now?
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and The Tibet an book of living and dying. Both are amazing.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have so many ideas, I just have to decide an order to them. Once I finish these first two series, then I have a couple stand-alone concepts.

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?
A survival handbook, Carl Jung’s red book, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and a D&D core rulebook to keep myself entertained.

Author Websites and Profiles
Nathan Barker Website

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a corporate lawyer in Reno, Nevada. I have written six books in Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Advisor series and four other books. I am married with three children and enjoy summer and winter activities in the Sierra.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Toxic Client: Knowing and Avoiding Problem Customers. I was inspired to write it after hearing many stories my clients told involving unreasonable customers. As a lawyer I have had a few myself. The more people I spoke with the more I came to appreciate how many business owners face such challenges.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to get up at 4:30 am, have a strong cup of coffee and start in. I am usually good for five hours. When I am finish writing I go to the office and do the law work.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot as a kid. I always liked Mark Twain.

What are you working on now?
I am updating my book, How to use Limited Liability Companies and Limited Partnerships. This will be the 4th edition.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Half of the time such promotions work, and I don’t know which half it is.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Consider the 10,000 hour rule. When you start out your writing may be awful. But if you stick with it and keep working on it you will get better. That is how I got to it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

What are you reading now?
Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Good question.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Collected Works of Mark Twain, The Collected Works of F.A. Hayek, and How to Survive on a Desert Island.

Author Websites and Profiles
Garrett Sutton Website
Garrett Sutton Amazon Profile

Garrett Sutton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Peru and this is mmy first book and working on the second.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name is The Temple of Sun, is inspired in my ancient culture named Inca Culture and patterns for coloring.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some times I like to grab a guitar and sing before writting something. But best creations have been reached at the bathroom haha.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Many coloring books, is a trend for creativity expression very interesting.

What are you working on now?
I’m working in my second book that shows the warrior spirit that is inside everyone and the energy we can release through coloring.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use twitter a lot, is a very nice tool for branding and looking for the audience.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, like me, never stop dreaming. Don’t let anyone tell you that you have a wrong idea.

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

What are you reading now?
I like to play music instead.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing more books about coloring and other things than merge emotions and really good tips.

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 Temple of Sun
The Alchemist
One Hundred Years of Solitude

Author Websites and Profiles
Luis Felipe Mujica Website
Luis Felipe Mujica Amazon Profile

Luis Felipe Mujica’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a former park ranger, current anthropology professor, and budding romance writer. I have self-published two romantic comedies as part of a series called “Love on Tour.” The third book in the series will be out in May 2016.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is “Play Me.” It is the second in the series that follows two rock stars and the ordinary girl (park ranger) they meet in a lonely diner. The series will also explore their relationships and those of their friends and relatives. The lead character in “Play Me” simply begged to have his love story told. And I complied.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write in a dark room. I don’t know why.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a big fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Her romantic comedies always make me cry, both for real and from laughing so hard. I also love the classics. I’m a big Shakespeare fan, especially the comedies, and I love Jane Austin.

What are you working on now?
I am currently finishing up the third book in the “Love on Tour” series called “You got to Me.”

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still new to this and haven’t quite figured it out. But it seems that e-mail lists are pretty great.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Selling books is hard, but you have to keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I ever received on writing, was not to do it in a bubble. Let other people read your work, and take their feedback with a smile on your face.

What are you reading now?
I am currently reading a new Anthropology textbook… but for fun, I’m also reading a book called “Saved” by Lorhainne Eckhart.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to finish up the “Love on Tour” series. Then I will go back to re-writing and editing a standalone book I wrote a few ago.

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?
“To Kill a Mocking Bird,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold” by Ellen O’Connell, and “This Heart of Mine,” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Author Websites and Profiles
Kay Harris Amazon Profile

Kay Harris’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a trilogy. It’s a biographical memoir I can’t call it an autobiography because I’ve had to change so many names and places. So biographical memoir it is. It originally started in the mid 90s as a therapy for my own abuse as a child. It was later developed further as I had to come to terms with my own actions and published in 2012.
I am now 70 years old so it’s quite a life to look back on. But I’ve been luckier than most – I use the strap-line, “The Triumph of love over adversity”. I am currently creating an audio book of this.
More recently I was approached by a ‘bricks and mortar’ publisher to write a book about the correct usage of the apostrophe. I’m a bit of a pedant and grammar nut and have developed a unique system for dealing with this. This book is called “Apostrophe Catastrophe” and is available in bookshops.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Clouds Still Hang” is a complete trilogy which is a candid, true memoir of a gay man’s life, telling a story of love and loyalty, betrothal and betrayal, triumph and tragedy; charting one gay man’s attempts to rise above the legacy of a traumatic childhood.
The first book deals with Simon’s childhood friendship and eventually love affair with an older boy and early sexualisation, the second the trauma of his teenage years and early adulthood, the third his struggle to maintain equilibrium and the disastrous consequences of his failure at one point to achieve that and his fight back to self acceptance.
Based on the author’s own life, it will strike a chord with many who have been through similar things, as well as those with an interest in such matters, either personal or professional, such as police and probation officers, those involved with the gay / LGBT community etc.
It’s a varied, exciting, demanding, sometimes terrifying life story. Of adult nature in places, it contains some explicit sexual narrative, including sexual violence.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure what you mean by unusual. I’ve always used a keyboard, mainly because it’s faster than handwriting and I can even read it afterwards! In the 90s when I started writing about my 1950s childhood I was using a BBC Model B computer, but later switch to a PC. Luckily I found someone who could convert the files I had already written for me. I like to be alone to write, and therefore often start in late evening and type into the small hours. Or if family are away and I’m alone, I start in the morning and type into the small hours! I have a filer coffee machine.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve always liked writing stories and not even school could drum that out of me. I remember once when I was in the police (as you might read) an inspector said of statement about an incident, “It reads like an adventure story, I couldn’t put it down and I could visualise exactly what was happening.” I thought he was being critical and offered to rewrite it, but he said absolutely not.
I’m not sure if any author has influenced me as such. I started with Enid Blyton, move on the Conan-Doyle, and later Grahame Greene, Isaac Asimov, Ian Fleming, Len Deighton Le Carré and others. But I think my style has always been my own.

What are you working on now?
I’m not writing at the moment as I have a lot of other stuff going on. But with regard to the book, my efforts are going into publicity and trying to generate sales for “The Clouds Still Hang”. I am working in a audio version and to date (April 2016) have done the first volume, “The Book of Daniel”.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Having done some website design, I made my own website for the book. http://www.thecloudsstillhang.com/
I also use Facebook and even more, twitter. Not just to tweet about the book which I do often, but also other matters that are important to me, such as LGBT issues, criminal justice, social justice etc. I carry cards with me about the book which I give to people who might be interested, or leave them lying around in likely fertile places.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing it is the easy bit! Getting it out there, publicity, marketing; that’s the hard graft. So be prepared for a long slog.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That’s a hard one. I have mainly found my own way in this. Probably when someone said, go on twitter, which I had never bothered to do. But not just to keep tweeting about the book, to to extend the audience by engaging in other matters as well.

What are you reading now?
A biography of Steve Jobs.

What’s next for you as a writer?
To complete the audio version of “The Clouds Still Hang”. I have a couple of very vague ideas for novels, but I can’t say whether I’ll ever get round to them.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I know it’s a cliché but Shakespeare. My readers will know of my affinity for Hamlet, but I’m told he wrote a few other things. I’d like to take the complete Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, some Asimov and Greene. And my own book, in case I forget who I am!

Author Websites and Profiles
Patrick C Notchtree Website
Patrick C Notchtree Amazon Profile
Patrick C Notchtree Author Profile on Smashwords

Patrick C Notchtree’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing books since I was 12 years old, but a number of them will remain carefully filed away. I have published six books.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Temptation of Dragons’. I was inspired by a conversation I did not have as to whether vampires could be baptised, or would they be destroyed by holy water? From that emerged the idea of a parallel world filled with beings which we think of as mythical. Above all I wanted to write something that was just FUN to read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write with my small parrot tucked up against my ear.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love works by Patricia McKillip. I also admire Ayn Rand, even if I don’t agree with all of her ideas.

What are you working on now?
‘The Cult of Unicorns’, which is the second in the Penny White series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Just keep trying to get the word out there. I try to connect with book bloggers.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t rush to publish too early. Make that difficult decision to shelve a book and try again.

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

What are you reading now?
An interesting biography about Abraham Lincoln. He was a complex man.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing the Penny White series.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Atlas Shrugged, The Riddlemaster of Hed, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chrys Cymri Website
Chrys Cymri Amazon Profile

Chrys Cymri’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I like to think of myself as a funky, modern girl. I love to party. I never thought of myself as an Author, but that all seems to have changed. The characters in my comedy romance became so real in my dreams, I had to write them down.
My ramblings resulted in my first book, Facebook Blues. The ideas are now flooding in and I hope to continue being an ‘Author’.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Facebook Blues. I was thinking about looking up your ex on Facebook, and what would happen if you took that a step further. Then I had a vivid dream which became the story that I couldn’t write down quick enough.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. The fact I’m actually writing is unusual in itself, for me.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child I was transported and transfixed by the books of Enid Blyton. I’ve always been a fan of Jilly Cooper and Stephen King, and in recent years I’ve grown to love Stephen Fry’s comedic style.

What are you working on now?
I’m hard at work writing the sequel to Facebook Blues – Twitter Me Pink.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is trixiebloom.com, but I’m such a newbie I have yet to discover the best methods of promotion.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I myself am a new author, and dont feel qualified to offer advice at this moment. All I can say is; Try to finish your project.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Go for it!

What are you reading now?
How to save your own Life by Erica Jong
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Breakout by Nina Croft

What’s next for you as a writer?
Conquer the world!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck
Riders by Jilly Cooper
Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry

Author Websites and Profiles
Trixie Bloom Website
Trixie Bloom Amazon Profile
Trixie Bloom Author Profile on Smashwords

Trixie Bloom’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 Lisa Cherry Beaumont, and I help people stuck doing work they don’t love to get out and do something meaningful.

I’m a workshop leader at events and retreats in Europe and Southeast Asia, and a student of psychology, Buddhism and emotional and energy healing.

I’m motivated to help people out of the mindset that life’s all about working long hours to earn enough money to pay the bills – and into the mindset of living on their own terms.

A few years ago, I was working in corporate. I was great at it and it paid me pretty well, too. But I knew deep down it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing.

I felt trapped and unfulfilled and knew there was something much more important I needed to do, although I didn’t know what.

It took me several years to get where I am, doing what I love by helping others to understand what motivates them and makes them genuinely, deep-down happy so that they can go and do it for a living.

I’ve written three practical coaching workbooks and Life Purpose Alchemy, a culmination of my workshops and private coaching, is the most comprehensive.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
When I submitted Life Purpose Alchemy to my book reviewers I was incredibly nervous of the feedback I would receive.

It contains exercises I’d only ever used in my private coaching sessions with my clients and, honestly, I was scared they wouldn’t work if I wasn’t there to walk the reader through them, or my readers would find them too complicated or difficult to follow.

And I was totally wrong! When I received the feedback, every single one of my reviewers told me the book is outstanding and that the exercises worked beautifully. I cried a lot of happy tears, I can tell you!

Life Purpose Alchemy is my most exciting and important book as it’s a culmination of the practical work I do with my private clients and it allows my work to reach so many more people than I can possibly coach one-to-one.

Maybe I sound like a right hippie but all I want is a happier world and when people are doing the work that they were born to do, they’re happy!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m conducting this interview at 11:30pm on a Saturday night! I tend to be most creative and productive at night. Don’t try to get a lot of sense out of me in the mornings – that’s my quiet time.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Buddhism was a big game-changer for me as it taught me, in a round-about way, that our thoughts create our reality; change your thoughts, you change your life.

As well as studying Buddhism formally, I’ve read a few books, some by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. I’m also a big fan of Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now.

I’m presently using what I recently learned in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks which talks about how we sabotage things for ourselves when things are going well. It’s quite an eye-opener, I can tell you!

What are you working on now?
I’ll be translating Life Purpose Alchemy into Spanish. I’m also co-creating a practical step-by-step workbook on how to feel happier, and my next big project is to start working with school-leavers in order to research for a new book that will help them to make the correct career choices after they leave school. A lot of young adults have no idea what work they want to do when they leave school and end up getting shoe-horned into jobs that don’t fit them. I want to change all that.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m relatively new to book promotion but I do know that just posting it on your website and/or Amazon and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut the mustard! Research your keywords, that’s pretty important.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do what you love! Write about something that matters to you. And if you’re not great at editing, find someone who is. If you’re not great at cover design, find someone that is! Stick to your own skill set and hire others to do the rest.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Feel the fear and do it anyway – Susan Jeffers. I live my life by that and it’s scary as hell sometimes but it’s never boring!

What are you reading now?
I’m finishing The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, the book I mentioned about how we sabotage ourselves. I’m a huge fan of self help.

What’s next for you as a writer?
As well as the projects I’ve already mentioned, I’ve got a comedic book up my sleeve… It’s not my main focus right now and I’ve only just started it but my friends have begged me to write it so I’ve finally started putting finger to keyboard…

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 Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
Something hysterically funny by my good friend and author Liam Pritchard.
A practical guide to surviving life on a desert island!

Author Websites and Profiles
Lisa Cherry Beaumont Website
Lisa Cherry Beaumont Amazon Profile

Lisa Cherry Beaumont’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Scout’s Honor is the first novel I’ve ever written and the first I’ve had published. I am originally from New Jersey, graduated college with a History degree, served as a Military Intelligence officer in the US Army and have been working in the legal field in North Carolina and raising my daughters since 2000. When my youngest daughter went to college back in 2014, I decided to sit down and write my book.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is Scout’s Honor. It is about a young teenaged girl, coming of age in the 1980s, who is taken advantage of by an older man in a position of trust. Many years ago, I read an article by an anonymous girl who told about this happening to her. The man was in a leadership position within her church and the man’s wife was spreading rumors about the girl trying “to steal” her husband. I was intrigued by this reaction at the time, considering the girl’s age and her claims, and now that I’m older, see how it happens all the time. In 2016, the way we communicate just makes this kind of thing easier. The girl did not tell about what really happened to her to anyone in authority, and the man got to sacrifice the girl’s honor in order to save himself, his own image, family, and reputation. This has been happening to young girls throughout history. Now, we just hear more about it. I always wondered what happened to this girl and how such a traumatic event at such a key time in her growth, affected the rest of her life. When I had the idea to write the story, I was very young myself and tried to write it, several times, unsuccessfully. I think I simply had to live more, live longer, go through more of life’s hardships myself in order to fully understand how such a story could unfold. That was how I created Scout’s story.

There was another event in my own young life that inspired this book. It included a friend of mine who was married off at 14 to a 29 year old man she did not know. She was from a different culture and I could not understand how and why this happened in the United States. To me, I felt like she was being enslaved to cook and clean and have babies for some perverted businessman when she was just out of the eighth grade. I always wondered what happened to her as well.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think that my habits are any different than other writers. I write when I can and sometimes I force myself to do it. When I’m in the throes of writing a story, I enjoy having conversations with my characters in the car to and from work. That helps me connect with them.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
The books that have most influenced me are Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. There are so many books out there that have influenced me, but I’d say that those three are the biggest ones. I also love Malcolm Gladwell’s books. He writes about interesting things that I think about sometimes but can’t articulate myself. He does and does it well.

What are you working on now?
Other than launching my novel, I am now working on two more books. The first one is called Good Buddy, and it is about a young criminal defense attorney who falls in love with a widow and helps her raise her child. He becomes a step father to her. Tragedy strikes, and he is left to confront his own dark past while dealing with a custody situation. The purpose of this book is to highlight the real value of step fathers in our society. They have none of the rights but all of the responsibility. They play such an integral part in a child’s upbringing and are rarely appreciated for how challenging that can be.

My second book is going to be a coming of age tale about a special relationship between a sheltered, troubled girl from the Appalachians in North Carolina and a Scottish boy on his Gap Year before starting University. The girl is going to run away from home to accompany him on this right of passage trip, and in doing so, heals her own tragic past.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still trying to figure this out. I use many platforms and am trying to use as many free outlets as possible in order to create the stationary content. Awesomegang.com is one of many great websites out there. I receive the weekly author emails.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to forget the rules. There are none. Look into small independent publishing houses to share your work. You have more freedom and control over your own branding and you also keep more of your royalties. You are going to work very hard no matter which way you go, so you should try to get paid for it.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This is a quote attributed to Helen Mirren. Please excuse the language. Helen Mirren has said that she was too polite to men in the past and would advise her younger self to be less accommodating. “‘At 70 years old, if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to use the words ‘fuck off’ much more frequently.” Amen and amen. I have indeed imparted this wise advice to my own daughters. I wish someone gave that advice me to me when I was young. Would have saved me a lot of heartache and stress.

What are you reading now?
I am reading Antiartists by Ralph Pullins. This is a pre release copy. This book comes out in the middle of May. Be on the look out for this dark but charming writer. (He likes when I’ve called him that, but I think it fits.) There are lots of ridiculously talented, unknown indie authors out there like Ralph. I have met several this past year. Check them out!

What’s next for you as a writer?
I have been writing poetry and also working on my next two books, as shared earlier. With Scout’s Honor’s launch, I will be focusing on not only the message within the story but also spreading the word about colon cancer and the need for earlier screenings in younger people. A portion of the sales of my book will be going to colon cancer research and awareness efforts. This is a cause that I was thrown into due to my husband’s recent devastating diagnosis of colon cancer – it is really the only way I have been able to cope with its impact on my life and my family’s life. Scout’s Honor is dedicated to his fight. He deserved better than this from those who make screening and healthcare decisions.

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?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, so I can reread why I need to survive a desert island. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks so I can believe that there is someone out there who loves me enough to not give up on me and also build me a house with blue shutters. (OK, that’s a joke but I would need a little romance on a deserted island) Lastly, I’d bring a book of poems by Robert Frost.

Author Websites and Profiles
Dori Ann Dupré Website
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Dori Ann Dupré’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a SciFi enthusiast and a coffee addict. Currently, I have one finished book, The Universe Between Us. But right now, I am working on book 2 of my current novel and on a futuristic SciFi one.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Universe Between Us. Well, I have to give credit to the aliens first; they inspired me–don’t get me wrong, the aliens I imagine. But I’m a big U.F.O/conspiracy thingy fan too. So I thought to myself, why not write a book about aliens that might seem antagonistic to us, but in their world, they are in their own right to pursue universal domination? That’s how my journey began.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes. I listen to, headphones on, max volume, dramatic epic music. It’s like being in the middle of a movie.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a big Hard SciFi fan, so, even though I don’t write in that particular subcategory, Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, Orson Scott Card, and the like inspired me.

On the lighter side, I enjoy reading books by Beth Revis.

Also, in the non-fiction arena, Zecharia Sitchin’s books.

What are you working on now?
On two books. The first is book 2, and I’m thinking of an apocalyptic theme. The second one I’m writing, bit by bit, is a futuristic/SciFi/Romance novel about a space cruiser mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, of course. Don’t write for the money, write what you love. And, always, always, believe in yourself.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up and keep writing.

What are you reading now?
Fear the Sky, book 1, by Stephen Moss.

Author Websites and Profiles
Gissel Brito Website
Gissel Brito Amazon Profile

Gissel Brito’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I operated as a fish out of water in the corporate world for far too long. I consider myself blessed that I was able to leave a job that no longer served me and pursue a dream. It wasn’t easy but life is too short to do anything but what you love. I hope the stories I share inspire others to see life for why it is – a truly miraculous experience of our own creation.
I have written and published the first book in a series. I’m currently working on part two.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Courage Passion Wisdom and Grace is my first and latest book.I realized I was living right in the middle of an extraordinary story. For years, my best friend had been confiding in me some very spiritual experiences. Some may even call them paranormal. As time went on they escalated in both frequency and relevance to the troubles we face in today’s society. As a result, I began thinking very differently about life and my purpose in it. My illusion of the physical world began to fade in the brilliant light of truth.
While I was awakening from my life long slumber, my friend was getting called from beyond to help others do the same. She has been asked to deliver a loving message of “wake up and choose”. As I have since learned, there’s no such thing as coincidence. Given the gravity of the message, I felt inspired to share it with as many people as possible.
Many of us have forgotten what’s truly important. We don’t remember who we really are. Our energy is powerful enough to create any world we choose yet we run around like debt slaves working jobs we don’t like to pay for stuff we don’t need. I am not pointing fingers. I lived that life. Then I chose differently and I have never been happier.
This story is a depiction of everyone’s journey to enlightenment presented in a way that I hope will inspire the reader no matter where they are on that path. So far I am happy to say it seems to have hit its mark. The personal stories and insights I receive from those who have read the book make my soul sing and provide the fuel for part two –coming soon.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if I’ve developed any unusual habits. Early morning seems to be the best time for me to write. If I am starting with a blank page, I usually meditate first. If i’m revising I drink really good coffee.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot when I was younger followed by a number of years of an occasional book here or there. The book that got me reading on a regular basis again was Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I loved his style and humor. I don’t think it influenced my writing style but it motivated me to write.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on part two of Courage Passion Wisdom and Grace. While I was writing the first book I had difficulty finding a place to end it because the story is true. The events we were experiencing and the lessons we were learning were ongoing. So I decided to make it a series.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m pretty new to book sales and self publishing. Im still learning what works and what doesn’t. So far everything I’ve done has been ebook related. I would like to learn more about promoting print books.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author myself I would say never stop learning. Whether its a writing technique or a new promotional tool, you never know where it will lead until you try. I’m sure thats what brought many of us to Awesomegang.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For life in general: Live your truth. Do so and the whole world will benefit.
For writing: You have to turn on the faucet before any water will come out.

What are you reading now?
I am reading The Artist’s Way ( a gift from a friend) and Pop goes the Weasel by James Patterson. A book my mother gave me when it came out in the nineties and I’m just getting to it now.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll continue to write the Courage Passion Wisdom and Grace series until the story concludes naturally. I’m also looking into adapting it as a screenplay.

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?
Definitely my beloved Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, anything by Mark Twain and The Alchemist.

Author Websites and Profiles
Jon Von Knight Website
Jon Von Knight Amazon Profile

Jon Von Knight’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Catharine Leona Joy Minter Parks was born in Chatham Ontario to a Canadian mother and an American father.
Her early childhood was spent in the church growing up under a strict upbringing but at an early age started to desire more. With an adventuresome spirit she would join her brother in escaping the house after bedtime and going downtown with him to dances, plays and the movies, to enjoy all the things that her religious parents denied her.
Catharine’s love of words started from early childhood when she would make up fictitious words and songs. In 1983 she was gifted with song writing and recorded several songs of her own as well as the song, Proud to be Canadian.
On January 25, 2007, she published her first devotional, A Glimpse of the Cross, on the Mustard Seed Ministries Site. Cliffhanger was published in Fate Magazine Nov. 2007. In June 2015, she published The Supernatural School of Hard Knocks an e-book based on supernatural events. More Lessons From the Supernatural School of Hard Knocks book 2 followed also in 2015. In January 2016 she published ‘Eye Rings: How to Decrease Eye Floaters, a personal account of her experience from this disorder.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Eye Rings: How to Decrease Eye Floaters is the name of my newest book. I have been plagued with eye floaters for the last 7 years, and decided to do some research about this disorder and what could be done about decreasing the amount of floaters I was getting. I decided to put this book out there to describe my personal account with Vitreous Detachment and how a person does have control over how much of these floaters they have. The floaters can be decreased, or increased based on your eating habits ( diets high in sugar and not veggies, fruits) There are also exercises that one can do to also decrease the activities of these floaters in your field of vision.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My writing habits have changed over the last couple of months, as I am babysitting my small grandson, he is two. Time is less productive in the daytime, but I squeeze in what I can while he is playing or sleeping. Then sometimes there is the evenings, if I am not too tired I can work then also.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Authors who have influenced me are Christine Feehan, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Although they are romance paranormal authors (my favourite genre by the way) they are fantastic writers. My non-fiction books are based on true supernatural events (lessons) that I have been taught and experienced.

What are you working on now?
My next book I am working on is called ‘For the Shattered Soul: Healing in a Hurting World.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still working on that one! There are so many out there.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing, no matter what. If you hear unusual sayings, write them down, you never know when they will come in handy.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is a book in all of us, it is just a matter of sitting down and getting started….

What are you reading now?
I am not reading presently…but that will not last long. I am always reading some book, so I expect by the end of the month to pick up a new book.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep on trekking!! Learning as a marketer and sharpening my craft of writing.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My Bible, any Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon book I haven’t read yet.

Author Websites and Profiles
Catharine LJ Parks Amazon Profile

Catharine LJ Parks’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I just released my first full length book, Garbage Bag Suitcase. Prior to that I had an ebook that I did for BookBoon entitled Setting Your Vision and Establishing Your Goals. I’m currently working on my next book, Hiking for Stillness.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Garbage Bag Suitcase came about in the least of expected ways. I actual hired a writer and former journalist to help me write the “about me” section of my website. After we met, an interview that was supposed to take 30 minutes, ended up being 2 hours, and he encouraged me to start writing the story. I wasn’t fully convinced. But it was floating around in my head and I kept saying, I have no idea how I would end the story. Then, on a lunch break I started googling foster care statistics and I immediately knew I had to no only write the story, but offer up ways in which we could fix the system.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I spend a lot of time out in the woods, dictating to “Notes” on my iPhone!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been an avid reader since elementary school. In fact, reading is one of the things that I think saved me from my circumstances. Beverly Cleary was a hero as a child. I used to read everything, but the older I get the more I find that I am just reading non-fiction. I spend a lot of time focused on history, but more and more reading about brain science. The book the 4 Agreements is what finally pushed me over the edge to begin writing.

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on my next book entitled Hiking for Stillness. It will be more narrative non fiction and will deal with how we deal with our trauma and overcome to have a healthy and happy life.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Open communications. I try and respond to every email and social media post that I get. That communication has lead to some great and interesting opportunities.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be patient. This is a lesson that I’m still trying to learn, but patience can go a long way as you spend way more time “waiting to hear” from others than I could have ever imagined.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Fake it till you make it!

What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Missoula by Jon Krakauer and The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing to promote Garbage Bag Suitcase, working on my next book. I am hopeful that my writer can help us change the conversation around social issues.

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 Four Agreements (because I need to constantly remind myself), War & Peace (because I’ve been meaning to try and get through the whole thing), and A Survival Guide for Beginners (because I am a bit practical)!

Author Websites and Profiles
Shenandoah Chefalo Website
Shenandoah Chefalo Amazon Profile

Shenandoah Chefalo’s Social Media Links
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Writing poetry and making up stories since she was a child, Ann only began to write for publication when her children left home. Her ambition was to write science fiction, but, fascinated by Swansea Castle and distracted by a major stroke she researched local history, an interest that culminated in the publication of her first book Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth at Easter 2012. Early retirement gave her more time to concentrate on her writing. The sales of over 300 copies of Alina in local shops and museums, and at speaking engagements, led to a second local history book, Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John in September 2013, and then to The Magna Carta Story at Easter 2015. During her stroke recovery she wrote poetry, which she published as My Stroke of Inspiration in August 2015. She is still writing science fiction, a series called Flight of the Kestrel, and the first book Intruders is published on 17 April 2016.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am a great fan of science fiction, particularly the classics, like Azimov. I am also a fan of the older TV science fiction. Star Trek of course, Blake’s 7, and Babylon 5, for example. During my teens, when I was trying to get to sleep at night, I used to make up stories about my favourite shows.

I would imagine myself on the Enterprise with Captain Kirk, for example. How would an ordinary person like me end up on the Enterprise? Was I from a less developed society, so I wasn’t familiar with the technology (saved me from having to make it up)? Was I, perhaps, from a different time all together – got there through some sort of time warp? Was I hiding from someone? Was I a victim of some ‘bad guy’?

As I tossed ideas around in my head, my cares would fade away, and I would relax, and at some point I would fall asleep. The following night I would try to remember where I had got to, and elaborate on it. Sometimes I would work out some more details, sometimes take the story further on. Some nights, I would be inspired to take the story in a completely new direction.

Night after night I would go over the story again and again, until eventually I would tire of it and start a new one. Many years later, when my children were grown, I decided I enjoyed these stories so much that I would write them down. I soon realised that having myself in every story was not a good idea – there are only so many damsels in distress you can take! My first story had a damsel in distress, which I thought was an acceptable place to start, but later stories managed to have other key characters.

Also, it was a huge cheat to use other people’s settings and characters. I didn’t want to write fan fiction, so I invented my own ship and crew. It took me ages – ready-made scenarios are so much easier. Enter the Kestrel, a fast-response ship with a crew of 11, working for PACT (the Planetary Alliance for Cooperation and Trade), a sort of interplanetary United Nations force.

I am writing a series called Flight of the Kestrel, and the first book is Intruders.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, but I do type with one hand, since I lost the use of my right arm to a stroke in 2010. But My stroke enabled me to give up work and gave me the time to write, so it was a blessing too. I also take a lot of notes on my phone, using an app that syncs with my laptop.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Isaac Azimov especially, but I love the classic science fiction writers, like Heinlein, E E Doc Smith, Frank Herbert etc. I also love David Baboulene’s book The Story Book which is the best book on writing I have ever read.

What are you working on now?
I already have the start of three more books in the Flight of the Kestrel series, so I’m working on book 2 which is called Adept at the moment, but might be called Secret Weapon. It is a new story about the Kestrel and her crew.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I have only had my popular history books to promote, and the best way there was giving talks on local history and selling my books afterwards, but I do need a stock of print books for that, so I have to watch the costs. Science fiction is a whole different thing, so I’m just learning. I do have an author website, a Facebook page for history and one for science fiction, and a Twitter account. I have learned to automate some of the posting to make it much easier to keep them up to date with less effort.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Write the best book you can.
2. Save up for a professional edit, and find some good beta readers.
3. Get a really good cover design, pay for it if you have to.
4. Never pay for advertising.
5. Self publish.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
David Baboulene says that the plot is about the way the characters respond to events, so plot and character are really the same, and both important.

What are you reading now?
Patty Jansen’s Ambassador books, the Alien Invasion series by Sean Platt and Johnny B Truant and lots of Christian books, like Lost God in a Lost World by Melvin Tinker. I am a voracious reader and read all sorts of books – 56 books last year according to GoodReads.

What’s next for you as a writer?
There is lots more work in my Flight of the Kestrel series, but I am also thinking about writing a Christian book (non fiction) and a book of stroke advice.

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 Drama of Scripture: Finding our place in the biblical story
by Craig G. Bartholomew, Lord of the Rings, the whole set of Dune if I’m allowed

Author Websites and Profiles
Ann Marie Thomas Website
Ann Marie Thomas Amazon Profile
Ann Marie Thomas Author Profile on Smashwords

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